This report analyses the impact of the Samarth Nepal Market Development Programme (NMDP) in its first year from May 2012 to April 2013. The five year programme aims to reduce poverty in Nepal by increasing the incomes of 300,000 farmers and small scale entrepreneurs in the ginger, dairy, fish, vegetable, and pigs sub-sectors by taking a Making Markets Work for the Poor (M4P) approach.
Main findings
At year one, it was too early in the programme to document outcome or impact level achievements after merely five months of implementation. The document reports that the project is unlikely to reach it's short-term goals due to the 'trajectory of change' being slower in facilitative and adaptive approaches compared to direct delivery. However, the data provided indicates the following:
- The programme is expected to reach over 100,000 beneficiaries with an average increase in beneficiary income of £75 per year (generating £18 million of additional income gains) by the end of the programme.
- Over 20,000 poor ginger farmers are expected to benefit from improved incomes as a result of the Samarth-NMDP intervention.
Intervention description
In year one, Samarth-NMDP developed an opening portfolio of five agricultural sub-sectors (ginger, dairy, fish, vegetables, and pigs) to begin activities in ten interventions: marking the first set of M4P projects ever to be implemented in Nepal. Additionally, as the first M4P programme in Nepal, the project also has educated officials and the public on M4P for poverty reduction.
Evidence methodology
Monitoring data for the first year of NMDP was collected and measured using the Donor Committee for Enterprise Development (DCED) standard for results measurement.
Useful for:
Anyone interested in the Making Markets Work for the Poor (M4P) approach, specifically within the agriculture and livestock sectors in Nepal. This document is especially useful in contexts where M4P is being introduced and can assist in familiarizing stakeholders, including local governments, on the M4P approach.