EXPLORING USE OF ENTERPRISE AGENTS AS SUSTAINABLE EXTENSION MODELS IN INTEGRATED NUTRITION

PROGRAMMING

AFRICA DAY FOR FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITIONCOMMEMORATION

(October 28-30, 2015)

Robert GENSI Senior Technical Advisor, USAID Community Connector Project

Outline

• CC background & coverage

• Study objective

• Key lessons

• Key Results and Discussions

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Community Connector Project…

• …is a five-year community-based Project

• …focused on integrated nutrition and agriculture interventions

• …is funded by US government under Feed the Future initiative

• …is implemented by FHI360 Prime, and 7 other partners

• …supports the Uganda Nutrition Action Plan (UNAP) & Agricultural Sector Development Strategy and Investment Plan (DSIP).

• …designed against the Collaborating, Learning and Adapting approach

IR 1: Improved nutritional status

of women and children

IR2: Improved livelihoods of

vulnerable populations

Poverty reduced among vulnerable households

CC Project coverage

.

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CC target household characteristics

• Land sizes (small and poor quality)

• Practice rain-fed and hazard prone production systems

• Live on ecologically fragile terrains

• Remoteness from markets and income opportunities

• Women workload

• Gender control of resources and access to information

CC Nutrition pathways

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PRODUCTION

.Pumpkin

.Avocados

.Paw-paws (papaya)

.Tree tomato

.Local vegetables

.Silver fish

.Gnuts

INCOME

.Poultry

.Seed potato

.Onions

.Apiary

.Local goats

.Passion fruits

GENDER

Use Family Life Model (FLM) to promote Family Cohesion

Context

• Project design had NAADS Subject Matter Specialists (SMS) as Service Providers

• Government reorganized NAADS operational framework.

• Project sought “Positive Deviants” but had limitations of Scale.

• CC opted for private entrepreneurs for trainings and Extension services delivery.

• Different entrepreneur models were explored:– Individuals with Agric. skills and

Knowledge– CSO’s – Entrepreneurs/Business

establishments

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STUDY OBJECTIVE

To examine the characteristics of enterprise agents that are associated with better performance and more nutrition integration delivery mechanism

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Key Lessons

1. Provision of stand alone nutrition services is not sustainable:

i. Too frequent contacts

ii. Integrated approach

iii. Mismatch between knowledge & practice

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2. “Bait” for nutrition interventions:

• VSLA/SWAP• Economic Incentives• Service providers for

enterprises with low barrier to market entry

3. Someone has to pick the cost tab for Gender Training !

Distribution of Learning Sites by district

Field Learning sites

Supported by private agricultural service providers (ASPs) and sub-county/local government/ community technical staff.

Multi-disciplinary nutrition messages, gender, nutrition assessment and economic strengthening activities are undertaken.

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4037 36 36

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22 21 21

1614 14

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299 Learning Sites

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Delivery Mechanism: Learning site

Performance and strong business orientation

Sustainability works well with establishing win-win relationships

Connect with markets with low barriers to entry

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Community HH adoption of selected CC enterprises(Agric. & Indicator Assessment Survey Report,

2015)

Newcastle disease vaccination

• Increase in # chicken vaccinated

• Increase in # HHs using and paying for the services of the CPVs.

• Each CPV charges a fee of UGX 200 (USD 0.06) per chicken vaccinated

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Entrepreneurs build business opportunities

• Training in farming as business for wealth creation

• Linkages to input/output markets

• Higher level marketing associations

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Vulnerability deepens under-nutrition

““We can’t avoid selling, as we need money. The decision is We can’t avoid selling, as we need money. The decision is based on the relative cash value of the food; for example, if based on the relative cash value of the food; for example, if we have sweet potatoes and carrots, we’ll sell the one that we have sweet potatoes and carrots, we’ll sell the one that will bring more money. I would like to base my decision on will bring more money. I would like to base my decision on the nutritional needs of my child. Perhaps only households the nutritional needs of my child. Perhaps only households that are better off can do that”. that are better off can do that”.

Women FGD; Rugyeyo Sub county, Kanungu DistrictWomen FGD; Rugyeyo Sub county, Kanungu District

““We can’t avoid selling, as we need money. The decision is We can’t avoid selling, as we need money. The decision is based on the relative cash value of the food; for example, if based on the relative cash value of the food; for example, if we have sweet potatoes and carrots, we’ll sell the one that we have sweet potatoes and carrots, we’ll sell the one that will bring more money. I would like to base my decision on will bring more money. I would like to base my decision on the nutritional needs of my child. Perhaps only households the nutritional needs of my child. Perhaps only households that are better off can do that”. that are better off can do that”.

Women FGD; Rugyeyo Sub county, Kanungu DistrictWomen FGD; Rugyeyo Sub county, Kanungu District

This presentation is made possible by the generous support of the American people through

the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to FHI 360

contract # AID-617-C-12-00001.

The contents are the responsibility of FHI 360 and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the

United States Government.

Uganda Community Connector

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