Document: Participatory Market System Development

The international Markets and Livelihoods Program has been evolving an approach to market development for the poor that is both systemic and participatory. This paper shares some of its learning and experience from past and current projects in Africa, South Asia and Latin America. Taking a systemic perspective has influenced the decision-making processes of program teams, particularly in the vision for market change and the scale and impact that can be achieved. As the dairy subsector in Nepal illustrates, an analytical framework (the Market Map) is useful to understand market systems. The Market Map guides a process of engagement and interaction between market system actors. Participatory workshops can promote dialogue and improve understanding between actors. The process needs careful facilitation as the case of coir in Sri Lanka demonstrates. These workshops aim to lead to actions and ultimately to transformations in the market system. The role of multi-stakeholder forums in taking forward issues for action is discussed with examples from Sudan and Peru.