The Agribusiness Market Ecosystem Alliance (AMEA) was established in 2016 to accelerate the professionalism of Farmer Organizations (FOs) and agri-SMEs.  AMEA’s mission is to transform the systems that support farmers organisations and agri-SMEs to create value for farmers and themselves.  AMEA’s approach is to provide a platform that enables stakeholders to learn, innovate and scale up the most effective ecosystem approaches for supporting farmers.  By 2030, AMEA aims for 50 million farmers to be served by enterprises that have been supported to grow by improved, coordinated business development services (BDS).  AMEA has a global theory of change which is used ...

As it faces the current development finance crisis, the development community is looking for diversified funding sources, including domestic resources, private investment, and charitable giving. However, the crisis also demands that we focus intensively on spending the available resources effectively, and in particular that development initiatives are structured to support long-term sustainable impact at scale. This, in turn, requires aligning innovation, investment projects, and policy reform to support resilient, locally-owned, and eventually self-sustaining scaling pathways (as documented in an earlier 3ie blog). Report originally posted by 3ie. See below for link to full blog post ...

Consider this: An Indian child spends eight years in school—eight years that have the potential to either reinforce outdated norms or challenge them. For a country like India, ranked 129th on the World Economic Forum’s 2024 Gender Gap Index, these formative years are critical. So, could the solution to gender inequality begin in the classroom?  Adolescent years are pivotal, as they represent a formative period when children are developing their values and perspectives. A randomized evaluation led by J-PAL-affiliated researchers has demonstrated that it is possible to instill progressive gender norms through an engaging and interactive gender sensitization curriculum in ...

FOREWORD Too few development cooperation initiatives in low and middle-income countries focus on testing solutions and implementing them on a scale that effectively addresses systemic constraints and sustains a positive impact over time. This is why the practice of scaling has been receiving growing attention in the sector over the past years. Scaling describes the process of increasing the reach and impact of a development innovation or a proven solution to create sustainable and widespread change, within a specific geographical context and system, to address a development problem at the scale of need. Findings from a comprehensive literature review, undertaken ...

At the Science and Innovation Forum on October 18, 2024, FAO’s session entitled “From Start-up to Scale: Pathways to #ZeroHunger” sparked vital conversations on scaling innovation in the agrifood sector. Held at FAO’s headquarters in Rome, the event was a powerful convergence of minds from academia, government, UN agencies, the private sector, and NGOs—all committed to accelerating agrifood solutions to achieve zero hunger.1 Dr. Hlami Ngwenya, a dynamic facilitator, opened the session with a powerful call to action. “Scaling innovation isn’t just about expanding reach; it’s about reshaping entire systems,” she asserted. “To achieve SDG22, we need every actor—policymakers, farmers, ...

As Africa faces a growing nutritional crisis alongside the challenges of climate change, rapid urbanization, and population growth, the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) is taking a bold step into its third decade with a renewed focus on nutrition. In an ambitious forward-looking prioritization, CAADP’s leaders and member states are increasingly advocating for “nutrition-sensitive” Agri food systems and agricultural investments that prioritize the quality, not just quantity, of the food produced and consumed across the continent. This is responding to the Biennial Review Report of the African union which highlights that 52% of the African people do not have ...

Countries need to develop digital solutions at scale to manage their health systems Digital solutions and platforms are critical for scaling effective logistics management in health systems globally. This blog summarizes how two countries – with the support of UNDP and other international partners –introduced and scaled digital logistics management systems in India and Indonesia. India[1] Since 2015, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) – India, in partnership with Gavi the Vaccine Alliance, has supported the Ministry of Health (MoH) develop and implement the Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network (eVIN) system nationwide for real-time stock management and temperature monitoring of all ...

Since 2009 the Centre for Girls' Education (CGE) in Nigeria has made significant strides in advancing girls’ education, particularly in Northern Nigeria, where cultural and socio-economic barriers often hinder educational access. CGE implements community-based interventions aimed at increasing enrollment and retention among girls ages 4-24. The program's holistic approach—incorporating mentorship, scholarships, and community engagement—has fostered a supportive environment for girls to pursue their education. Notably, initiatives such as the Life Skills component of the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) in Kaduna and Katsina states have directly contributed to improved academic performance for over 62,064 girls. As the ...

South America is burning. From Brazil – the largest Amazonian country – to Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Surinam, and Venezuela, there are fires everywhere. This year so far, some 30 million hectares (74 million acres) have gone up in flames[1]. That’s an area the size of Italy. Cities as distant as São Paulo (Brazil), Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia) and Bogotá (Colombia) have been engulfed in smoke, contributing to cardiovascular and respiratory emergencies and raising concerns about long-term health. The losses to biodiversity, both flora and fauna, are incalculable; in Bolivia alone, at least 10,000 animals have perished, ...

Over the last 12 years Grand Challenges Canada’s Saving Brains program has invested $70M CAD in more than 140 social innovations to foster early childhood development in the Global South. We have taken a portfolio approach—not every program reaches scale effectively—but taken together our innovators have now reached more than six million people in 39 countries. In most successful scaling cases, our innovators have played an intermediary role in their work with regional or national systems, such as public health systems. The value of an intermediary in public sector scaling is familiar, but what have we learned about challenges and ...