Making Vegetable Market Work –
What is it?
• Improve the vegetable market system for 15,000 smallholder farmers in
Southern Shan and Rakhine States
• Target #1 - 50% income increase for 11,250 farmers
• Target #2 - Increased terms of trade for 6,000 farmers
• June 2014 to March 2018
• Mercy Corps, Swisscontact, East-West Seed
• $5M in support from:

Market system deals
• Risk-sharing
• Additionality
• Neutrality
Large Micro, small,
medium
Civil society Total
9 27 3 39

ffew
• fwe

Focus on improving productivity and quality

Support to strengthen enabling environment
Internships &
graduate
sponsorships
Foundational
research
Exchange
visits & trade
fairs
Policy
dialogues

Overall results
25,000 farmers
$14.8M increased income
36 businesses
Greater speed and scale
Est. seed association
Improved seed policy
44% ERR on $5M project
Market systems learnings

Farmer results

System results

System results
BUSINESS
• Greater brand awareness,
increased sales, and closer
relationships with farmers –
scale and speed
• “Helped us to establish
more rigorous processes
and plans”
ENABLING ENVIRONMENT
• Shift of opinion within the
Ministry of Agriculture on
potential for vegetable
sector
• National Seed Association
led to clarify and liberalized
seed policies

Learnings
Tailored design
Coordination at multiple
levels
Complementary
interventions
Productivity foundations
Devoted and influential
leaders
From the same playbook

Thank you

Available at exchange.growasia.org