SEEP Conference 2011

2. VSLAs and Enterprise
Development
Practical Lessons from CARE
Ethiopia and Bangladesh

3. VSLA and Market Engagement @ CARE
Market Engagement Strategy
Promoting poverty reduction of 10 million
HHs by 2015 through market-based, value
chain approach
Access Africa
Pursuing financial inclusion for
30,000,000 poor HHs across
Africa by 2018

4. Continuum of Experience
Financial Inclusion Integrated Approach Market Engagement
Emphasis on:
Emphasis on: Emphasis on:
enterprise
savings-led financial deliberate sequencing
development and
inclusion of VSLA and enterprise
value chains
development
Observation: Observations:
Observation:
organic joint complex but high
organic joint
marketing potential, more than
savings
one way to do it

5. Continuum of Experience
Strengthening the Dairy Value Integrated Approach
Financial Inclusion Chain (SDVC) Market Engagement
Project: Doubling the dairy-related incomes of
35,000 rural smallholding and landless households
VSLA Initiatives in West Productive Safety Net Strengthening the Dairy
in Bangladesh.Africa Project Plus in Ethiopia Value Chain
Strategies:
1. Improving milk production and collection
system
2. Improving access to input and output
markets
3. Improving the milk transportation network
4. Ensuring access to quality services
5. Improving the policy environment

6. Bangladesh Dairy Value Chain

7. Market Engagement Progress
SDVC Performance Current Target
Aug, 2011
Participating Households 36,020 35,000
Farmer Leaders 3,294 3,500
Milk Collectors 283 350
Livestock Health Workers (LHW) 201 165
Information Service Centers (ISC) 49 50
Community Agri-Shops (CAS) 100 -
Artificial Insemination (AI) 9,136 12,000
HHs' Avg. production (lit/day) 1.70 2.40
HHs' milk consumption (lit/day) 0.39 -
HHs' Avg. milk sales income (Tk/day) 35 45

8. Savings Emergence in SDVC
• Initially organic, then project
promoted
• 1,182 producer groups
representing 36,020
producers (83% women)
• 63% groups formalizing
savings activities (n=863)
• Nearly 50% of savings groups
invest exclusively in dairy
sector

9. Key Savings Stats
• Total savings:
$58,734
• Re-investment in
40% - Dairy- dairy sector:
45% - Cash on related $23,834
hand activities
• Other investment:
$8,646
15% - Non- • Collective cushion:
dairy-related $34,900
investments

10. Savings Promotion Model
VSLA-lite model developed to provide groups with
key guidelines and avoid promoter overload
Producer group promoters trained in savings
promotion
Promoters introduced savings through existing
producer groups
Savings adoption and savings rates integrated into
participatory performance tracker used by groups
Ongoing monitoring analyzed savings application

11. Successes, Challenges, Lessons
Successes and Lessons Challenges and Lessons
High-rates of reinvestment in dairy  Organic emergence of savings led to
helping to overcome critical constraints to non-uniform promotion and adoption
upgrading
 Management and governance quality
 Increased groups coherence and varies across groups and key principles
capacity to participate in dairy sector such as rotating governance not always
pursued
 Reduced cannibalization of key value
chain assets to respond to short-term  Producer groups sometimes larger
cash flow needs and/or shocks than optimal savings group size, driving
challenges
 Emergence of new hybrid group /
individual enterprises with women co-  Blend of most poor and less poor
investing in improved breeds members demands more sophisticated
share system to be successful
The bottom line:
Savings groups support VC promotion but require deliberate strategy

12. Continuum of Experience
Financial Inclusion Integrated Approach Market Engagement
VSLA Initiatives in West Productive Safety Net Strengthening the Dairy
Africa Project Plus in Ethiopia Value Chain

13. Integrated Approach
Market Focus
Productive Safety Net Project Plus (P+): Improving
resiliency and asset base of 47,000 chronically food
insecure households as a means to facilitate their
graduation to food security
Strategies:
1. Push CFI HHs upward via VSLA
promotion, producer marketing group
formation, microleasing arrangements, financial
literacy, business skills and advanced business skills
training
2. Pull CFI HHs upward via private sector engagement
in multi-stakeholder platforms, forward and
backward linkages and new financial product
development
3. Purposeful VC selection, intervention sequencing
and combination in order to enhance resilience
and asset building

14. P+ Goal and Objectives
GOAL
Livelihood assets increased & Graduation
resiliency enhanced from food aid
PSNP HOUSEHOLDS
Objectives
Access to Access to Access to Learning and
Microfinance Markets Water, Sanitation Sharing
(Financial assets (Engaged in functioning (Health &productivity (Enabling environment
increased) markets) improved) enhanced

15. Modified P+ Causal Model
*Transition out of
participant *Transition out of
Food Secure
Asset Accumulation
relationships participant
relationships
3
* Support financial services
*Increase linkages to
providers to reach down market
formal financial services
Food Insecure * Increase linkages between SMEs * Provide advanced
2
and output markets business skills training
|
*Increase capacity of extension services. * Support on- and off-farm
enterprise selection
* Support multi stakeholder platforms *Create linkages to
extension services * Provide basic business
Asset Stabilization
* Support input suppliers and
tech service providers to reach * Increase use of skills training via SPM
Chronically 1
down market technology and inputs
Food Insecure
*Increase Financial literacy *Establish / strengthen
* Enhance market producer groups
information systems * Promote VSLAs
PSNP
Beneficiaries
PSNP Transfers (Consumption Support)

16. P+ Results to Date
Impact
• Nearly 1,000 HHs have graduated from PSNP
• In P+ areas, 60 and 80% of all HHs achieving
graduation have been supported by P+
Outcomes
• Financial Inclusion
– 2,000 P+ VSLAs with 37,224 members
– Total savings of over $285,188
– MFI linkages for 8,232 VSLA HHs, 30,301 people
• Market Inclusion
– 13,454 farmers organized into 648 PMGs around
target value chains
– 85% HHs reporting they have the knowledge they
need to manage their enterprises

17. The Model in Practice
Ato Gediso Shilo
Soyama, Dale, Sidama
• Household composition:
– Married, 3 children
– PSNP since 2005, P+ since 2009
• Microfinance Linkages:
– Both Ato and wife are VSLA
members
– HH savings of ~3/ month
– Linked to Sidama
MFI, successfully repaid $170
loan
• Market Linkages:
– Investing in maize, red bean and
shoat fattening VCs
– Petty trading as IGA
• Key Outcomes:
– No longer homeless
– Sending first daughter to school
– Improved food availability
– Increased assets
– Investing in additional income
streams

18. Integrated Promotion Model
Microfinance Linkages Market Linkages
Formal VSLA trainings and ToTs for all implementing Market and VC analysis conducted at regional and
partners national level
VC promoters market opportunities and producer
VSLA promoters market VSLA opportunity to P+ target marketing groups to P+ HHs exclusively.
HHs. Word of mouth promotes non-P+ HH adoption.
VC promoters organize interested HHs into producer
marketing groups (PMGs) of 15-35 members.
VSLA promoters organize interested HHs into groups of 15-
25 members and trainings commence.
PMG members trained on technical aspects of VC.
SPM and Financial Literacy trainings provided based on
group performance
Microlease translation completed.
AdvancedFinancial Literacy trainings providedabased on
SPM and Business Skills training provided on demand- PMGMicroleasing arrangement explainedmeet leasing
members engage in VC activity and to PMG
group performance
driven basis. terms
members.
PMG members pursue VC activity,
VSLA / MFI linkages facilitated Demand-driven repay microlease post-harvest
based on demand and group advanced business
maturity skills training offered

19. Key Findings on Delivery
The Importance of Targeting, Sequencing
the Impact Egg and Combination
 Starting with VSLA
VC Supporters improves outcomes for
most vulnerable
VC Actors
 Self-selection for VSLA is
vital to success
12,000 providers
Target Group  Market aggressively to
Members more vulnerable HHs
25,000 HHs
 May be minimum
tipping point to support
Direct Impact Group FHHs
Very poor, primarily
women
 Promote VSLA / group
50,000 HHs
enterprise separation but
respect member choice

20. THANK YOU
Christian Pennotti
Technical Advisor, Economic
Development Unit
Email: cpennotti@care.org
Phone: 404.979.9195
Skype: cpennotti
http://edu.care.org