Submitted by iloadmin on

Integration depends on the bottlenecks identified in the market systems analysis. These might not be relevant in all contexts, so intervention areas should only be selected on the basis of a solid analysis of the local market. Where suitable, value chains offer various possibilities for integrated approaches, notably in business development services, financial inclusion and cooperative development, as they help producers achieve scale.

Here are a few examples of integration within the PROSPECTS programme with regard to market systems and value-chain development:

Cooperatives and the wider social and solidarity economy
  • Developing market systems can support the formation of cooperatives. For example, in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Sudan, cooperative structures were supported as a part of value-chain development. This involved helping individual refugee and host community producers/farmers organize into collective groups where they could pool resources and production and therefore gain both bargaining power with buyers and access to markets.
Financial inclusion
  • Access to finance is another aspect that can be considered based on the specific bottlenecks identified. Improving financial literacy and access to financial products, such as loans, can enable business start-up and growth. It can also support cooperatives to start and scale up.
Employment-Intensive Investment Programmes (EIIP)
  • An EIIP approach can be used to address missing or weak infrastructure that limits the productivity of local producers and businesses, as well as their connectivity to larger markets.
Business development services
  • To help the producers develop a business around their production, push approaches often incorporated business development services training, in addition to technical support for farming and other production practices. As was the case in the ground nut and sesame value chains, producers in the value chain were supported to grow crops beyond a subsistence level.
  • Develop and strengthen the capacities of producer groups and cooperatives through the likes of ILO COOP training, including Start.COOP, SIYB, Think.COOP and GET Ahead.
  • AIMS can also address overall occupational safety and health (OSH) risks at the level of production. This is particularly relevant in the agriculture and horticulture sectors, where seasonal and farm workers are more exposed to chemicals and harsh conditions.