At the 2017 Fail Fest, SEEP Members shared how they derived impactful organizational learning and improvement from mishaps in Smallholder Entrepreneurial Development, Agro Tech,
Cadastral-based Loans, Girl Power Clubs, Village Banking and a Savings Product. You can find out more in the following presentation descriptions.
When Women Mushroom Farmers Don't Fit the Profit Maximizing Mold
You have the right crop, the technical know-how and an unmet market demand - in theory you have the perfect formula to help beneficiaries make a lot of money! What happens when those
benficiaries aren't interested in making a profit? Learn how this played out for mushroom farmers in Sri Lanka.
Speaker: David R. Dyer, Director of Punjab Enabling Environment PMU (Asia Region), Chemonics
How to Build Great Ag-Tech (Spoiler, It's Not About Technology)
Grameen Foundation developed a mobile software application called 'AgroTech SmartEx' for low-cost extension delivery in Ghana. Despite developing a strong tool and receiving positive small
holder farmer feedback, the pilot is ending, and so is AgroTech. Why? Come learn how tech for development is more about business model innovation than technology innovation.
Speaker: Sybil Chidiac, Senior Regional Director, West Africa, Grameen Foundation
Mapping Small Holder Farmer Land - Harder Than We Thought
What could go wrong using GPS technology to map smallholder farmer land in order to give appropriate loan sizes? Apparently, a lot of things...
Speaker: Genzo Yamamoto, Director of Knowledge Management, Opportunity International
Empowering Girls or Not - BRAC's Failure on Its Home Turf
It was a facepalm moment for BRAC. It saw huge success in Uganda with "girl power" clubs offering loans and skills training. Girls were 48% more likely to earn their own income and teen
pregnancy fell by 34%. In BRAC's native Bangladesh, however, the program flopped due to pervasive social norms.
Speaker: Scott MacMillan, Senior Advisor and Devon McLorg Ritzer, Education Program Manager, BRAC USA
Re(setting) Our Course
How do you face the challenge of accepting that what was once your bold innovative move may now be inhibiting innovation? How do you decide when it's time to evolve while not abandoning your
core identity? Sometimes, letting go is key to tranformative change.
Speaker: Joy Souligny, Director of Operations, Finca Impact Finance
A Mismatch of Cultures, Objectives and Incentives
We had energy, talent, money, players and time - promising objectives, a market and a potential business case - so why don't we have a product? In 2014, CRS set out to design a complimentary
long-term savings product for SILC (Savings and Internal Lending Communities) members using a mobile platform for rural outreach. To date, the few groups willing to jump through the KYC hoops
and open formal accounts are still transporting their deposits to the nearest bank branch.
Speaker: Amy Davis, Chief of Party, Expanding Financial Inclusion in Africa, Catholic Relief Services