Resource Library

Image This brief is written by Bronwyn Irwin for DAI with contributions from Daniella Maor.

Catalytic funding is the provision of resources to an investment fund or vehicle designed to mitigate risk and improve the fund's overall viability to attract new investment for development goals. These intermediaries pool resources and distribute risks among investors and are a primary vehicle for blended finance. In many markets in which USAID is present, funds or financial vehicles capable of addressing USAID priorities are few in number and/or too small or inexperienced to make an impact at the needed scale.

Learning is at the heart of the process of economic development—it drives more competitive, resilient, and inclusive firms and systems. Yet learning is less frequently seen as a critical function within systems that can catalyze and quicken systems change and enable adaptation.

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are popular targets of donor assistance; they form the majority of the business base and are significant drivers of both gross domestic product (GDP) and employment in many developing countries.

In the summer of 2021, the Solid Waste Management Division of the Ministry of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change of Mauritius requested the assistance of Africa RISE to conduct a comprehensive technical and economic feasibility study for the establishment, operation and management of an end-of-life vehicle dismantling and parts recycling facility. The study was also to consider other options for end-of-life vehicles, and assess the changes that might be required in existing legislation and regulations.

For Food Enterprise Solutions (FES), every day is a day to support persons with disabilities. But on December 3rd, 2022, FES joined with the international community to celebrate International Day of Persons with Disabilities with the theme “Transformative solutions for inclusive development: the role of innovation in fuelling an accessible and equitable world.” BD4FS and the Women’s Committee of the Senegalese Federation of Associations of Disabled Persons co-organized four training sessions for over 200 disabled women entrepreneurs in the Senegalese food sector.

The private sector plays an important role in reducing food loss and waste (FLW) because private companies are involved in all stages of the supply chain that generate food loss and waste. While larger food companies may have significant resources dedicated to making their supply chain more efficient and reducing waste, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have received relatively little attention despite their critical role in the food system. Therefore, it is important to understand the costs and benefits of addressing food loss among SMEs.

Dairy farmers in northern Senegal are pastoralists who travel nomadically and seasonally to find greener pastures for their animals. This makes it difficult for processors like Laiterie de Berger (LDB) to collect milk. Therefore, LDB has set up a collection system that allows independent or salaried collectors to collect milk from farmers daily by motorcycle or tricycle. LDB created a subsidiary company, Kossam SDE, that provides milk collection and services to farmers to build their loyalty.

Anyone who has owned and operated a business knows that allocating a budget is a rigorous exercise, and every alternative benefit and cost must be carefully considered. Adding funds to one operational area always means taking them from another. And, if some cost can be sacrificed with relatively little pain, a company will likely do it.

Jordan is one of the most water-scarce countries in the world. With its population rapidly growing, the demand for water has increased and is straining the country’s already limited resources. The five-year (2017-2022) USAID Water Innovation Technologies (WIT) Program used a market-based approach in Jordan to improve water use efficiency and water conservation in the agricultural sector, in communities, and in households.  

The World Trade Organization (WTO)’s recently adopted Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) calls for various types of cross-border cooperation and communication between Customs and the other border agencies of WTO members. Other multilateral and bilateral international agreements also authorize international cooperation between border agencies. 

While Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) are widely acknowledged to contribute to the economic growth of a country, their participation in international trade has been constrained because they typically lack the skills, knowledge of international markets, and familiarity with border procedures to effectively engage in the global economy.

The Senegal poultry industry has experienced significant growth since 2005 when the country halted imports due to an avian flu outbreak affecting many countries. This exceptional situation played an important role in securing investments, increasing local poultry meat production, and facilitating the vertical integration of poultry activities. A large industry has developed and now dominates the market with Senegalese companies comprising all links in the value chain from breeding and input supply to high-value-added processed products. 

Monitoring is the ‘unsung hero’ of results measurement.  Planned carefully, and implemented wisely, it can provide a wealth of benefits for programs at modest cost.

Inadequate food handling practices and poor infrastructure across supply chains increase health risks to consumers, in addition to being root causes of pre-consumer loss and waste in the overall food system. Feed the Future Business Drivers for Food Safety (BD4FS), implemented by Food Enterprise Solutions (FES) and funded by USAID, is a multi-country effort that works alongside agrifood actors to codesign and implement incentive-based strategies to accelerate the adoption of food safety practices in local food systems.

USAID’s new Market Systems Resilience (MSR) State of the Field Map provides a snapshot of where an MSR lens is being intentionally applied in programming and research and learning initiatives globally.

Fish is an important contributor to the Senegalese economy and diet, with Senegal having one of the highest consumption rates of fish in Africa (29 kg/person/year according to a 2017-2018 study; ANSD, 2020).  It serves as important protein source for many because of its low cost and its high availability. Due to its perishable nature, fish are commonly processed after capture to increase the longevity of products. In 2018, over 38,924 tons of fish were processed in Senegal, worth an estimated $47,523,252 USD (Ministere Despecheset De L’Economie, 2019).

This report presents the results of field research in Brazil which aims to identify ways for migrants and refugees to secure employment and take advantage of market opportunities.  

A market system analysis of the horticulture sector with a view to promoting livelihoods of Lebanese host communities and Syrian refugees.

A value chain assessment for the employment of refugee and host communities in Arua

Case study on the ILO-UNHCR Approach to Inclusive Market Systems (AIMS) in Akkar, Lebanon

This survey of 200 covered horticulture farmers, 100 horticulture workers and 20 wholesalers in Akkar and Baalbek-Hermel was conducted in March 2020 with several objectives in mind. First and foremost, it was conducted to serve as a baseline for the AIMS component of ILO PROSPECTS in Lebanon, against which progress and impact of the programme component will be measured.

This brief offers insights into how private sector engagement (PSE) and market systems development (MSD) can contribute to transformational impact, with a focus on opportunities for more intentional, strengths-based collaboration and learning. For personal perspectives on these synergistic opportunities from USAID’s Market Systems Team Lead and the Deputy Director of the PSE Hub, check out this accompanying blog.

SHOPS Plus project conducted a longitudinal study with 3 of the 16 grantees of the HANSHEP Health Enterprise Fund, a challenge fund that identified and supported private sector solutions to address family planning and other health priorities in sub-Saharan Africa under the SHOPS project from 2013 to 2015. The study examined how grantees have increased access to family planning products and services since the end of the fund, and its findings document the value of investing in private sector social enterprises as a means of increasing access to family planning.

This post is written by Feed the Future’s Market Systems and Partnerships (MSP) Senior PSE Advisor, Daniella Maor, and and Avery Ouellette, formerly of Global Knowledge Initiative.