DevLearn Consultancy

How can we support market systems to recover from shocks and stresses? 📈 🎉 Join us on December 12, 2024 at 2pm GMT for a webinar on applying Market Systems Resilience (MSR) in programming, hosted by Markets in Crisis Community of Practice. DevLearn will be presenting a learning brief on MSR, followed by an expert panel discussion🎙. To register, click here: https://lnkd.in/dyKRkiBY

CARE Bangladesh, in partnership with DevLearn, iFarmer, and Exemplary Consulting Limited, is implementing a Post-Harvest Loss Reduction intervention. Post-harvest losses for onions in Bangladesh 🇧🇩 are a persistent issue, with losses reaching 20-25%. Inadequate storage practices force many farmers to sell immediately after harvest, often at reduced prices, while others face significant spoilage during storage 📦. This initiative introduces innovative solutions like Air Flow machines and Macha/Natural Storage systems, which help farmers extend storage periods to 6-8 months, reducing losses by approximately 14 kg per mound (37.32 kg). These practices enable farmers to preserve crop quality, avoid immediate sales, and negotiate better prices💰. By addressing post-harvest losses across the value chain, the intervention not only boosts farmers’ incomes but also strengthens their resilience to market fluctuations 📈. It encourages the adoption of sustainable, cost-effective storage solutions, promoting long-term food security and a more robust agricultural sector. 🎥 In this video, a farmer shares their experience with sustainable storage methods and how these practices are transforming their livelihood. See how small changes are making a big impact! #FoodSecurity #FarmersResilience #PostHarvestLossReduction Ram Das Mohammed Nurul Azam Nayeem Kashem Claudine Mensah Awute, PhD Madhuvanti (Madhu) Deshmukh Ranil DeSilva Ramesh Singh Matthew Pickard

Welcome to our 100 MSD and MEL course participants joining us in this cohort of our online training! 🌏 Over the next four weeks, our participants from around the world will have the opportunity to develop their skills, join weekly webinars, learn from experienced practitioners, and network with other professionals🎉. #OnlineTraining #MarketSystemsDevelopment #MSD #MonitoringandEvaluation #MEL #InternationalDevelopment

Celebrating six years of DevLearn! From a small idea in Harar, Ethiopia, DevLearn has grown into a global consultancy. On our 6th anniversary, the managing partners reflect on their journey and speak about what they're excited to explore. Read our story and vision below!

With over 120 million people 🌍 displaced globally, aid dependency is no longer sustainable. Market Systems Approaches (MSA) offer an alternative—one that focuses on long-term, sustainable solutions. But to be effective, MSAs must reflect the complex realities on the ground. This paper, authored by Sasha Muench, consultant to the RSRI and facilitator of the RSRI MSD Task Team, dives into these challenges. Issues like restricted work rights ⚖️, missing IDs, and social isolation leave many displaced individuals locked out of local economies. Plugging refugees into existing systems isn’t enough—solutions need to be thoughtful, adaptive, and aspirational. Segmentation becomes essential: not all displaced people or host communities share the same experiences or dreams. Some hope to return home 🏡, while others seek permanent settlement. Programs must be flexible enough to meet these different goals. Trust is also key. Partnerships with refugee-led organizations 🤝 and local actors ensure that interventions are culturally relevant and accessible. When combined with broader market interventions, such partnerships not only address individual needs but also strengthen the systems that support everyone. Well-designed MSAs can unlock self-reliance 🛠️—creating meaningful opportunities for displaced individuals while building resilience within host communities. But it all starts with listening, adapting, and working with those we aim to serve. Practitioners who contributed to the paper: Sarah Castagnola Dhita Larasati Radcliffe Nadja Nutz Katie Whitehouse Alison Hemberger Click below to read more on how these strategies can bring impactful change to your organization. #MarketSystems #RefugeeLivelihoods #SelfReliance #Displacement #RSRI

Episode 2 of DevLearn Dialogues is Here! 🎙 In this episode, we’re joined by Ogheneovo Ugbebor, former Deputy Team Leader at Propcom Mai-karfi and now Managing Partner at Ikore. Ovo has been a pillar of leadership, guiding teams through the complexities of large-scale development programs. In this insightful conversation, Ovo shares her personal journey into leadership, the challenges she faced, and the lessons she learned along the way. We also explore: 💠 Why is the quality of senior leadership so low in our sector? (Or is it?) 💠 What can our sector do to better promote diverse leadership? 🎧 To listen to the full episode, head to 👉https://lnkd.in/dGWU2NBD

Registration is still open for our Market Systems Development (MSD) and Monitoring, Evaluation, & Learning courses! Here is a sneak peek into the course where you’ll learn how practitioners are incorporating MSD approaches to foster sustainable development, even in the most challenging environments. You'll engage in practical exercises and gain valuable insights to drive impact in complex settings, with case studies ranging from supporting refugee entrepreneurs in Ethiopia to implementing innovative market support strategies in Somalia. ⏰ Our next training will be held from 4th of November - 29 November 2024, and will take about 4 days to complete over the month. 🛠 You will learn from experienced professionals in the field who will guide you through the complexities of MSD. By the end of the course, you will receive a certificate that demonstrates your knowledge of MSD. To register for our online training course, head to our website at 👉 https://lnkd.in/dHppNHvZ and access the training application form.

Last week, DevLearn, including team members Kevin Conroy and Yuni Chairani, conducted a Market Systems Development (MSD) training for DanChurchAid Kenya 🇰🇪. The training brought together participants from DCA offices in Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Zimbabwe, and the DCA Head Office.                                   The 5-day training aimed to equip DCA teams with the tools and knowledge to adopt the MSD approach, ensuring the long-term sustainability of their programs. Through hands-on learning and real-world examples, attendees explored how to implement MSD and other market-based interventions 🌍📊.                     Participants also worked on establishing actionable next steps for integrating MSD into DCA country offices, developing themselves into MSD leaders ready to offer support, advice, and training to their colleagues and partners. #MarketSystemsDevelopment #MSD #CapacityBuilding #SustainableDevelopment #EconomicGrowth

The 'Entreprenant' status was introduced in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) 🇨🇩 under the OHADA law in 2010. It was designed to formally recognize disadvantaged self-employed individuals and small traders who do not meet the legal definition of a firm👩⚖️. The goal is to help these entrepreneurs formalize their businesses, reducing the size of the informal economy. The Essor programme piloted the initiative by registering a small group of Entreprenants, testing incentives like training and banking services 🏦, and gathering lessons to guide the DRC government in implementing the status. DevLearn was tasked with assessing the pilot's effectiveness in the DRC. We conducted both qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys to determine who the Entreprenants are, how they benefit, and how their engagement with the services. Our key findings: 70% of Entreprenants were women, most starting businesses in the last 5️⃣ years. Only 25% paid formal or informal taxes, with those in permanent locations paying more. While many signed up for banking and health insurance, few used these services. The status lacked recognition by authorities, providing little protection from taxes or harassment. Despite these challenges, 90% of respondents were optimistic about future business growth🌱. Read more about the study, findings, and recommendations here. #Entrepreneurship #SMESupport #MonitoringandEvaluation #EconomicDevelopment

Co-creating market systems change for a greener and more just transition with the best people! 🌍⚖️💡 As the picture clearly shows, I am extremely excited about this week's opportunity to be together with a group of DCA colleagues and partners from Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Zimbabwe and Head Office for a Market Systems Development training in Nairobi. The "peer-to-peer" energy was characterized by sharing of good practice cases of what works, especially when working under extremely difficult conditions due to climate change, war and conflict; inspiring each other how to navigate the complexities of managing multistakeholder engagements; being open about learning from mistakes; and supporting each other as peers and champaions for systems change. One step at a time; being solution oriented and partner-based; proactive and responsible - those are the DCA values that drives this wonderful community of entrepreneurs to make an impact where the need is greatest. Thank you DevLearn Consultancy for facilitating this inspiring learning event and to the Folkekirkens Nødhjælp (DanChurchAid) team and DanChurchAid Kenya for organising 🙏