FW: Follow up on market nodes project in Ethiopia

Subject: RE: Follow up on market nodes project in Ethiopia

Hi Yetnayet,

This is rather encouraging, knowing that you are making real progress. You have now client positive experience you can build on: the higher price farmers were able to negotiate due to the availability of market information. Too bad that you could not find a business advisor to work with you! It may take longer to implement, but this will provide ample room for incremental institutional learning for CARE. Your only constraint will be the donor contract term.

On other topic: have you ever considered developing a project in the field of technology in microfinance; using technology ( smart card, fingerprint identification or other biometric technology, etc) to push the frontier of productivity and offer cost effective, less expensive and viable financial services (loan, savings, insurance and money transfers –remittances) to poor household in remote areas. Please read these:

http://www.cgap.org/docs/IT_smart_card.html

http://www.cgap.org/docs/IT_bio.html

www.digitaldividend.org, read the case study of Prodem FFP in Bolivia.

.

What is revolutionary is that these technologies make it possible to develop inexpensive point-of-sale devices, thousands of which are already being used in rural retail outlets throughout India, Brazil, Bolivia and Philippines. This means rural retail outlets (like our market nodes) will become business centers, providing proximity financial and non-financial services to farmers. I hope you see the intimate link with the concept of Market Nodes.

Please, let me know what you think.

Thanks, Vincent