Lessons from COVID

Lessons from COVIDSharpening development approaches to address structural challenges in agri-food systems

CORE-Africa was set up to help eight major SNV agriculture projects as a reaction to the Covid-19 pandemic. This initial response developed into a broader approach to analyse and strengthen agricultural actors’ and systems’ ability to absorb or deal with shocks.

Learning and exchange were at the heart of the CORE project. CORE worked with selected knowledge partners to capture lessons for interventions and policies that could help SNV projects.

Our learnings are presented here.

Key structural challenges

The CORE project had several components:

Operationalising resilience

Resilience is a complex, broad and sometimes slippery concept. It is used in many ways and recently has become very popular in development jargon.

Building on existing knowledge inside and outside SNV, CORE project developed a framework and tools to specify resilience, to integrate resilience into project/intervention strategies.

Key documents:

Learning brief: CORE and resilience

Lessons from COVID: Sharpening development approaches to address structural challenges in agri-food systems

Resilience: a conceptual framework

Creating a shared language to make it concrete and specific

How to measure resilience

Example of resilience

An application of the conceptual framework in the area of digitalisation for agriculture (D4AG)

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Farmer services

Farmer inputs and services are essential for farmers’ production and livelihoods, and consequently for businesses along the value chain. Covid-19 measures led to disruptions in access and availability of services, as well as a decline in application of good agricultural practices.

Together with the Springfield Centre, SNV aimed to improve resilience of services and actors to socio-economic shocks and stresses, focused on the SNV CRAFT project.

Key documents:

Learning brief: reinforcing the resilience of farmer services

Reinforcing the resilience of farmer services for inclusive and climate-smart food systems

Paper

SDM methodology

Paper

Five approaches to service environments

Report

Comparative report on 10 SDM cases

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Consumer-facing strategies

Africa is rapidly urbanising. Producing affordable, safe and nutritious food and making it accessible to low income urban consumers is a problem with increasing urgency. The pandemic highlighted this challenge as value chains were disrupted during the pandemic. Currently, most SNV agriculture projects do not have a focused workstream for the consumer end of the value chain. As a result, this is an important area for innovation for SNV.

We worked with our partner BopInc, to develop insights and methodologies to strengthen consumer market strategies for nutritious foods, focused on the SNV BRIDGE and TIDE projects.

Key documents:

Learning brief: consumers and nutrition

Consumer strategies: Consumers and nutrition

Nutrition challenges; a food systems perspective; and a breakdown of consumer target groups

Consumer Insights Tool

To explore the potential of your strategies, in relation to specific consumer behaviour and value chain opportunities

Consumer strategies: SNV's nutrition product

Input for the SNV Agri-Food strategy

Consumer strategies: Project design guide

How the insights and perspectives from 'Consumers and nutrition' and 'Nutrition product' can inform project design

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Hygiene integration

The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic focused attention on the importance of using hygiene measures at all times. Hygiene integration into agricultural value chains has been a challenging topic. It requires new approaches and partners for SNV while little international experience and guidance exists. As we are emerging from the pandemic, it has become clear that hygiene integration is of growing importance for future agricultural value chains.

The CORE project worked with Bristol University, a reputable international knowledge institute, to develop a strategic framework. At the same time, we supported initiatives from the PADANE, HortInvest and CRAFT projects to integrate hygiene activities in their projects.

Key documents:

Learning brief: environmental hygiene

Enhancing environmental hygiene in agri-food value chains to reduce disease-related risks

Strategic Framework

Hygiene integration in agriculture value chains

Case study: Hygiene integration in agriculture value chains

Findings from case studies in Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda

Hygiene integration in agricultural value chains

A study on costs and incentives integration in value chains in Kenya

Hygiene integration in agricultural value chains

Costs and incentives study in Burundi

Environmental hygiene in outdoor food markets in Africa: a scoping review

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Digitalisation for agriculture

The pandemic provided a sudden shock that provided an urgent need for digitalisation of services in agricultural value chains. The project focused on the digital divide as key challenge and the scaling or accessibility of services.

We co-shaped a D4Ag coalition with Netherlands Food Partnership to advocate and address these structural challenges. The MODHEM+, STAMP+ projects, with the GARBAL platform were our SNV project partners, with ad-hoc requests from the CRAFT project and other agriculture projects.

Key documents:

Learning brief: digitalisation for agriculture

Addressing structural barriers to scale digitalisation for resilient food systems

Example of resilience

An application of the conceptual framework in the area of digitalisation for agriculture (D4AG)

User guidelines

Methodology and tools for matchmaking with SMEs

Digital Agriculture Strategy

SNV's role in leveraging D4Ag technology and improving the enabling environment

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Rapid analytics

The CORE project had an initial focus on scanning the immediate effects of the Covid-19 on agricultural value chains. This evolved into a broader analytical approach, moving from a direct response to addressing structural issues.

We have developed three tools under this pillar: rapid assessments, a Covid-19 country monitoring tool, and Covid-19 & agriculture reviews.

Key documents:

COVID and agriculture review #1

Key impacts, issues, systemic shocks

COVID and agriculture review #2

Beyond the first shock

COVID and agriculture review #3

Understanding vulnerabilities and resilience strategies in the context of COVID-19

Rapid assessments

Rapid assessments of the impact of COVID-19 on agricultural sectors and food systems in Africa

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Lessons from COVID

Chapter 1 - Intro