EVENTS
INNOVATE - Adoption of Agricultural Innovations through Non-Traditional Financial Services
Nick Ramsing
Technical Director, Market Systems Global Programs, MEDA
Nick Ramsing directs MEDA’s inclusive market systems area of practice, supporting projects globally in private sector engagement, trade, value chains and finance. Nick has over 20 years of experience as a project manager and consultant, with significant expertise in business modelling, data analysis and visualization and application development. Nick is passionate about lean analytics, design thinking and innovation, and contributes to MEDA’s design and implementation of new enterprise, investment and supply chain models.
CloseAnne-Cécile Delwaide
Independent Management Consultant
Anne-Cécile Delwaide is an independent management consultant with a background in agricultural economics and agricultural engineering. She has various international experiences in both private and public sectors. She led the development and implementation of an alternative financing mechanism derived from traditional contract farming in Malawi; the Chithumba model. Anne-Cécile promotes evidence-based strategic approach to rural development. In 2018, with support from MEDA and under the INNOVATE initiative; she conducted a case-study assessing the demand and uptake for the services offered under the Chithumba model. She currently provides project management services in the water infrastructure sector to local government in New Zealand.
CloseJoin MEDA INNOVATE for an upcoming webinar or learning event.
Past Learning Events
Learning Journeys of Smallholder Finance and Innovation Adoption Side Event
On 30 September 2019, MEDA INNOVATE hosted a side event before the AFRACA International Conference on Best Practices in Rural and Agricultural Finance (1-3 Oct 2019) on: "Learning Journeys of Smallholder Finance and Innovation Adoption Side Event"
We were joined by speakers, Calvin Miller and INNOVATE partners: Bidhaa Sasa, Dodore Kenya Ltd., and World Relief Rwanda.
Key Messages:
This learning event showcased lessons and partner journeys on learning, testing and documenting how non-traditional finance can support smallholder producers to uptake agricultural innovations and technologies in Kenya and Rwanda. The learning event aimed to stimulate dialogue and discussion around the MEDA INNOVATE learning agenda on relevant themes and topics for the region with special focus on non-traditional financing models, gender and women's economic empowerment.
Links and Resources:
A Customer-Centric Lens for Good Agricultural Practices
On 26 September 2019, MEDA INNOVATE hosted a webinar exploring "A Customer-Centric Lens for Good Agricultural Practices" (GAP).
We were joined by speakers, Nick Ramsing (Technical Director, Market Systems Global Programs, MEDA) and Anne-Cécile Delwaide (Independent Management Consultant). Presenters drew on practical lessons and best practice from INNOVATE's diverse project portfolio, and shared insights into challenges and opportunities for customer centric GAP from the Chithumba model for soybean farmers, implemented by INNOVATE partner Agronomy Technology Ltd. (ATL) in Malawi.
Missed this webinar? The webinar recording is available now.
Key Messages:
Industry actors need to broaden and expand on Good Agricultural Practices’ (GAP) agronomic perspective (e.g. “how to grow”) to include a business case orientation centered on specific markets. Fundamentally, adopting GAP is a business investment decision that includes optimizing additional revenue and risk-based decisioning making by smallholder farmers. In order to adequately address these factors, it is necessary to:
- Emphasize the market context, not only the agronomic and growing practices;
- Adopt a customer centric perspective that treats smallholder farmer segments differently; and
- Adopt a business orientation to promote the business case and the value proposition.
Links and Resources:
- A Customer-Centric Lens for Good Agricultural Practices (INNOVATE Learning Paper)
- A Case Study of the Chithumba Model – A non-traditional finance mechanism to improve access to farm inputs in Malawi (Partner Publication)
- INNOVATE Webinar Presentation Slides: A Customer-Centric Lens for Good Agricultural Practices
Lean Impact for Ag: Transforming how we approach, design and fund solutions for smallholders
On 20 June 2019, MEDA INNOVATE and the ANDE Sustainable Agribusiness Learning Lab co-hosted a learning event on "Lean impact for agriculture: Transforming how we approach, design and fund solutions for smallholders".
We were joined by speakers, Ann Mei Chang, a leading advocate for social innovation and author of LEAN IMPACT: How to Innovate for Radically Greater Social Good; Colin Christensen, Global Policy Director of One Acre Fund; and Rocío Pérez Ochoa, Co-Founder and Director of Bidhaa Sasa, an INNOVATE project partner. Panelists led an engaging discussion and learning session among donors, investors and implementers on how we approach, design and fund solutions for smallholders.
Key Messages:
The world’s 450 million smallholder farmers live on less than $2 per day and farms under 2ha produce 30-34% of the global food supply. Closing the $150 billion smallholder finance gap can enable smallholders to have access to appropriate and contextual financial services for investing in agricultural activities, inputs and services, and ultimately improve livelihoods. Funders and implementers can better understand and serve smallholders by leveraging the Lean Impact approach, inspired by the Lean Startup Framework. Deploying hypothesis-driven experiments that reduce risk and increase the pace of learning can disrupt methods of excessive planning and prevent costly interventions that may have low adoption.
Links and Resources:
- A Customer-Centric Lens for Good Agricultural Practices
- Starting Small: Pathways to Customer Centricity
- A Case Study of the Chithumba Model – A non-traditional finance mechanism to improve access to farm inputs in Malawi
- Redefining finance for agriculture – green agricultural credit for smallholders in Peru (Eng)
- Redefiniendo el financiamiento para la agricultura: crédito agrícola verde para pequeños productores del Perú (Es)
Building Customer Centricity into Innovations in Smallholder Financing
On 30 January 2019, MEDA INNOVATE hosted a learning event in Nairobi, Kenya on "Building Customer Centricity into Innovations in Smallholder Financing".
MEDA and its partners shared insights and learning from the INNOVATE project portfolio focused on testing and exploring non-traditional finance with potential for smallholder innovation adoption. The portfolio contains 10 projects (5 pilots, 5 case studies) around the world (East and Southern Africa, South Asia and South America), and is part of a 3-year project funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).
Key Messages:
The event focused on customer centricity, with an emphasis on the relevance and importance of designing products, services and solutions with the customer (in this case, women and men smallholders) at the center of the process and how to continue to carry that approach through programs. The event convened perspectives and lessons from entrepreneurs, designers, and digital financial services experts on experiences with testing new products and solutions for respective smallholder customer segments.
Links and Resources:
- A Customer-Centric Lens for Good Agricultural Practices
- Starting Small: Pathways to Customer Centricity
- A Case Study of the Chithumba Model – A non-traditional finance mechanism to improve access to farm inputs in Malawi
- Redefining finance for agriculture – green agricultural credit for smallholders in Peru (Eng)
- Redefiniendo el financiamiento para la agricultura: crédito agrícola verde para pequeños productores del Perú (Es)
