Best Practices & Innovations

Nearly a billion people worldwide are afflicted by hunger and almost 2.5 billion live in extreme poverty.  With agriculture the best potential pathway out of poverty for most rural populations, identifying and disseminating best practices and innovations in food security and agriculture remains a key priority.  The global financial crisis has imposed significant constraints on donor resources, making it more important than ever for development programs to become more effective and efficient.  To that end, in September 2009 InterAction launched its Best Practices & Innovations (BPI) Initiative with support from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) [1].

The purpose of the initiative is to promote information sharing on effective program approaches and to improve practice standards by boosting the efficiency and impacts of field programs. The BPI also exemplifies the NGO community’s commitment to information sharing and improving practice standards while building the economic viability of rural communities.  InterAction’s ultimate goal in highlighting these promising interventions and successful program models is to improve the lives of the millions of people suffering from poverty and hunger.

Over the course of three rounds of BPI that began in 2010, 16 projects have been recognized for the quality of their technical interventions and the scope of their impacts.  While this initiative is currently focused on agriculture and rural livelihoods, our intention is to expand it to other key sectors.

In February 2012, InterAction will launch a new phase of BPI with a focus on effective NGO programming that builds the capacity of local civil society and other implementing partners.  Though many organizations provide capacity building in order to accomplish development goals, that aspect of their work has often received less attention and resources.  The BPI seeks to highlight capacity building as a critical area of work, and to encourage greater attention to it as an ingredient in truly sustainable development. 

Capacity building is important to highlight as an NGO activity for a number of reasons.   Aid effectiveness principles call on all development actors to foster and facilitate a process of inclusive country ownership.  This goal can only be realized if local institutions and organizations are able to initiate and manage development processes.  Rather than direct provision of services, international NGOs will increasingly need to create the capacity for local entities to provide services.  The sustainability of development impacts depends on the viability of local organizations and on the capacity of communities to better address their needs after programs end. 

For more information on the Best Practices & Innovations Initiative contact Brian Greenberg [2], Director of Sustainable Development, or Danielle Heiberg [3], Senior Program Associate.

Phase One Best Practices and Innovations Winners

Round 1 [4]
Round 2 [5]
Round 3 [6]