Global – Accelerated Microenterprise Advancement Project—Business Development Services Knowledge and Practice II (AMAP BDS K&P II)
Enhancing Performance and Competitiveness of SMEs
Knowledge and Practice II (K&P II) builds on the successes of ACDI/VOCA’s first Knowledge and Practice (K&P I) task order issued under the USAID-funded $10 million Accelerated Microenterprise Advancement Project–Business Development Services (AMAP BDS) contract. The goal of AMAP BDS is to increase incomes in poor communities and promote economic growth by enhancing the performance and competitiveness of micro and small enterprises (MSEs). Under K&P I, ACDI/VOCA led research on factors and strategies that create wealth in poor communities and promote growth by linking small firms into profitable markets. This research centered on the development and articulation of a value chain approach to economic growth with poverty reduction. In total, ACDI/VOCA published 18 papers, made 11 presentations and conducted trainings and workshops for over 450 participants.
K&P II builds on the research conducted under K&P I and focuses on three areas of activity: generating knowledge, codifying emerging best practices and improving practice.
Generating Knowledge
ACDI/VOCA generates knowledge through primary research activities including extensive studies of value chains in Guatemala and Tanzania and an impact assessment of ACDI/VOCA’s Growth-Oriented Microenterprise Development project in India. In addition, ACDI/VOCA is working to expand the current value chain framework to incorporate specific mission priorities and country conditions such as value chain finance and business-enabling and conflict-affected environments.
Codifying Best Practices
ACDI/VOCA develops guidelines and materials that emphasize action-oriented recommendations for improved practice. Along with donors and practitioners, ACDI/VOCA has developed a set of briefing papers that draws from both field experience and research to identify good and emerging best practices in the application of the value chain approach. ACDI/VOCA has also developed two field manuals—one illuminating various tools and approaches for sector selection and the other serving as a quick reference guide for use during value chain analysis. In addition, there is a three-day value chain workshop curriculum that distills much of the learning to date about good practice in value chain development in addition to identifying remaining challenges.
Improving Practice
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Value Chain Workshops
ACDI/VOCA’s value chain workshops bring together donors and development practitioners in a forum for discussion and presentations. Three regional workshops were held in 2007 in Cambodia, Ethiopia and Egypt. The workshops were attended by a total of 48 USAID staff and 84 practitioners from nearly 40 countries. At all three venues, the participants shared knowledge about market systems, factors affecting their performance and strategies for overcoming constraints.
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K&P II is developing tools to improve implementation of the value chain approach. These tools include information and communication technology, end market information, and project management tools. ACDI/VOCA also disseminates learning through value chain development workshops for USAID missions and their implementing partners to share approaches, good practices and lessons learned in project implementation (see sidebar).
Recent publications include briefing papers on the value chain framework, micro and small enterprise upgrading and horizontal linkages. All publications and materials produced for USAID under the AMAP BDS project can be found online at www.acdivoca.org/valuechains and www.microlinks.org.
For more information contact Lisa Kearns at Lkearns@acdivoca.org.
Updated: 6/08
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