Worldwide—Feed the Future Market Systems and Partnerships (MSP)

The Feed the Future Market Systems and Partnerships activity (MSP) helps the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) advance learning and good practice in integrating private sector engagement across all activities, while at the same time deepening market systems development across the Feed the Future program cycle.

MSP supports USAID and its implementers to deliver durable, systemic, and inclusive agriculture-led growth that results in more dynamic agriculture and food market systems, improved food security and nutrition, and sustained poverty reduction. MSP strengthens practical guidance for market systems development including how to translate theory into practice, builds the evidence base on market systems development impact, and strengthens the tools for measuring systemic change. MSP uses an agile operational approach that captures and communicates innovation, builds broad internal and external stakeholder capacity, and nurtures transformational—and not—transactional partnerships between USAID and the private sector.

Sample Activities

• Facilitate private sector partnerships and blended finance initiatives.
• Support USAID in the design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of market systems and private sector engagement activities.
• Build the evidence base for both private sector engagement and market systems development approaches and their ability to efficiently and effectively drive economic growth and increase incomes and food security.
• Develop and implement a learning agenda that will test the underlying assumptions of the market systems development and private sector engagement approaches, while driving development of tactical tools and guidance.
• Build the capacity of USAID and its implementers in market systems development and private sector engagement not only through training, but also through applied learning, and by using a strategic approach to disseminate MSP learning and evidence.

Select Results

• Assisted Zambia-based Nature’s Nectar, an environmentally conscious honey processor and exporter that ethically sources raw honey from rural smallholders. Over two years, the company distributed 12,000 beehives to 1,200 smallholders and exported 90,000 kilogramss of honey, achieving $122,000 in sales.
• Signed five partnerships in Cambodia to leverage $2.3 million from the private sector—along with $2.1 million from USAID—to improve local processing capacity for high-quality rice, ensure a more consistent supply of safe and healthy organic produce, and enable the safe and compliant production of processed agricultural commodities.