1. PSNP Plus and GRAD Projects: Graduating Poor Households from Food Aid.
Program Learning and Adaptation:
Integrating Field Experience and Realities into Improved program Design, Implementation and Results
TOPS East Africa Knowledge Sharing Meeting
Jay Banjade
Chief of Party
11 June, 2012

2. Learning Experience with PSNP Plus

3. PSNP PLUS CAUSAL MODEL PULL PUSH PSNP SUPPORT
Mainstream credit and
Business services –
small loans, insurance
Stable Household
Food Secure
Economy
Other food security services
Vulnerable
To Food
Insecurity
Linkages
P+ Graduated
Households
Business training
Financial literacy training
Productivity training and support
Productive asset transfer
Chronically
Food
Insecure
Farmers’ associations
P+ Target
Households
Introduction:
Importance of KM in PSNP Plus
Brief intro about PSNP Plus
PSNP Plus project WAS designed as a pilot project and we put a lot of importance on learning, documentation and improved programs.
This is so because in Ethiopia there are over 8 million people who are chronically food insecure. And over 300 woradas (out of 900 woradas) are identified by the government as food insecure woredas.
Where as PSNP Plus targeted about 47k HHs and 12 Woradas and GRAD targets 65K HHs and 16 woradas.
So for us developing lessions, models, systems that could be transferred in other woradas is very important.
This makes KM a critical aspect of GRAD.
Saving & lending groups
PUSH
PSNP SUPPORT
The PSNP Plus hypothesis is: If you provide basic food support, and link the CFI HHs with functioning markets and microfinance ,we can graduate these families out of food aid. This needs a particular combination and sequencing of services to move these HHs from chronic food insecurity to food sufficiency to food security.
Our major learning interest is to test this hypothesis.
Longitudinal Impact Assessment was designed to test this hypothesis.

4. Other Learning Efforts
We had other learning questions specific to project components such as:
What combination and sequencing of interventions will significantly contribute to graduation?
How can a sustainable VSLA-MFI linkage be established?
How can VSLA link with VC activities?
Are the value chain interventions in place supporting PSNP plus participants to benefit from functional markets?
How do we create win-win B2B relationships between the private sector and participants based on mutual understanding?
What would be the effective institutional linkage or system that would enable participants access inputs and services sustainably?
What is the most effective and sustainable asset transfer modality?
In addition we used IR assessment to check whether the inputs/activities were resulting to outputs and outcomes
A quarterly performance monitoring system was in place to ensure efficiency of operations. This was particularly important because if we design an action research to test a hypothesis and do not execute the action research project efficiently there is a danger of rejecting a valid theory – throwing the baby with bath water.

5. Results
Incomes and assets increased and sources of income diversified but not at a level to graduate from food insecurity for most beneficiaries.
Hence, only linkages to markets and finance were not enough for sustainable graduation:
Climate change adaptation (2009 Drought)
Gender (critical players in CFI HH’s economy)
Inspirations (Those with goals succeeded much faster)
Food support critical (for CFI HHs)
Combination and sequencing
VSLAs strengthened resiliency (IGA)
MFI – VSLA linkages: MF industry building
B2B relationships: MSP - the beginning.
IR assessments showed that the building blocks like systems, relationships, modules, training packages were developed.
Quarterly monitoring ensured efficient delivery of targeted interventions

6. Grassroots level learning and the Learning Workshop
Assets transfer modality: In kind or cash? Cash is more efficient.
Conceptual feasibility of interventions (Size/volume of assets (e.g.# of shoats)
Borrowing capacity of PSNP HHs
Colony multiplication
VC missing links: Input/output markets, Private sector in production as well
Linkages with Cooperatives
Transitional bee hives.
Seed multiplication
Gender
PMA capacity development (governance, transparency, solidarity, regularity)
Working closely with the government
Use of subsidy
Link to other social services

7. How was GRAD designed Using the Lessons

8. How was GRAD designed
GRAD Causal Model

9. How was GRAD designed Extension Resiliency strategies
MF industry building
Private sector engagement in the whole chain
Model farmers
Working together with HABP and Line agencies
Non-farm IGAs

10. Learning about Learning
Learning can be for internal (to sharper the tools, models) and external audience (to replicate)
Internal learning – mostly implementers’ own questions (e.g. CARE wants to learn more about women empowerment)
External learning – answers the questions of the donor, government, industry/sector.
Systematic, planned, proactive AND unplanned (learning happens everyday)
Case studies – go beyond the story (how, why it happened?)
Generate – Document – share/disseminate
Process: Causal model, theory of change, assumptions, pathways or domains of change, most significant change, conduct KM analysis and develop a strategy/plan.
Key Challenges: Organizational culture, funds and capacity, priority, rigid plans to incorporate learning, lack of staff capacity development on learning and sharing.
Suggestions: environment encouraging learning, innovations and risk taking; incentives to learn and share; ask the right learning questions; keep it manageable; keep reminding why it matters (as this is not viewed as necessary function), focus on application (not research for research), collective efforts, ownership ?,