How MSD enhanced Nigerian farmers’ resilience to COVID-19
BEAM Grab the Mic webinar
Date: 26 January 2021
Speakers:
William Grant (DAI): Introduction to PIND Foundation and the MADE Nigeria programme
Precious Agbunno (PIND Foundation): The impact of the COVID pandemic on agri-service providers and how they have adapted to keep services going for farmers
Dara Akala (PIND Foundation): How PIND and MADE strengthened market systems in the Niger Delta
David Elliott (Gallus Edge): Reflections on deeper market systems and their role in creating resilience
The webinar provided evidence from the work of two programmes in the Niger Delta - the UK Aid-funded Market Development in the Niger Delta (MADE) programme and The Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta's (PIND).
The COVID-19 pandemic - and restrictions on economic activity imposed by the Government of Nigeria to contain it - threatened to cause severe economic hardship for smallholder farmers and other enterprises in rural areas. PIND Foundation has spent 10 years working in the Niger Delta - a region beset by conflict and insecurity - to build stronger, more resilient market systems serving farmers and other people living in poverty. It collaborated extensively over seven years with MADE.
Now, new evidence is emerging about how this past investment in MSD is helping businesses to adapt, weather the new crisis and continue serving smallholder farmers.
This webinar explored the nature and development of this market system resilience, including the strengthening of relationships between lead firms and local service providers.
It described how the system adapted to help farmers withstand the ‘shock’ of COVID-19 and how PIND Foundation facilitated a more rapid response by market actors to work amongst themselves.
Watch the webinar:
Additional Information:
Read David Elliott's post-webinar blog: Combining resilience and market systems: supporting peace and prosperity
PIND 2020 market resilience study
How PIND's MSD approach helped farmers' resilience during COVID-19