While the original pretext for setting up of ACCESS was to consolidate and build on the significant microfinance experience gained while implementing the CARE-CASHE programme, it was soon evident that to make a serious and sustainable impact on the lives of poor, more composite solutions need to be devised and employed.
ACCESS impacts the livelihoods of the poor at all levels of the sector value chain.
On the field, the core strategy of impacting livelihoods of the poor hinges around three prongs - ORGANISING, AGGREGATING and INTEGRATING. Organising the primary producers strengthens their ability to negotiate with the markets, provides them with economies of scale and the ability to effectively access resources, capital, services and entitlements. Aggregation helps the poor to pool their small surplus into marketable lots and generate market interest and presents possibilities for local processing. Integrating the poor into value chains is critical for long term sustainability. Increasing their knowledge of market dynamics, market trends, information on pricing, information on suppliers, distributors, on competition; on new production technologies, awareness of policies and the ability to negotiate with markets is a crucial intervention for ACCESS.
ACCESS endeavours to work in collaboration with local NGOs, to build their capacity, develop community based strategies and design "lift and shift" models that can be replicated across contexts and regions. While each project has its own contextual specificity, requiring specific actions, this overarching strategy remains consistent across projects.
At the regional level, ACCESS provides technical and managerial support to stakeholders in understanding, analysing, proposing solutions, and undertaking impact studies to contribute to the wider knowledge pool within the sector.
At the national level, ACCESS seeks to bring together all stakeholders for identifying key constraints affecting the sector, share experiences and discuss, delve into and devise solutions.
