Indonesia

Development projects have been seeking to positively influence complex systems, such as farming systems, small business systems, governance systems, and value chain systems since the advent of international development as a field of practice. Working with these large systems has always been a challenge, and has generated a large number of approaches and models designed to guide development projects. This presentation introduces a model for working in complex systems that has been developed by Human Systems Dynamics based on the science of complexity, and then demonstrates that model using the international development challenge of strengthening a rubber value chain in Indonesia.

Supported by USAID’s Fostering Agriculture Competitiveness Employing Information Communication Technologies (FACET) project under the FIELD-Support LWA, this profile features Nutrient Manager for Rice (NMR). NMR is a decision support tool that includes both web-based and mobile applications providing personalized fertilizer guidelines for small-scale rice farmers or extension workers. This profile outlines how it works, the implementer/funder, the technology used, fees, primary markets, users, business model, and impact.

The FACET project aims to help USAID missions and their implementing partners in sub-Saharan Africa use information and communications technology in sustainable and scalable approaches to improve the impact of their agriculture related development projects.

Provided by USAID’s Fostering Agriculture Competitiveness Employing Information Communication Technologies (FACET) project under the FIELD-Support LWA, this profile features Nokia Life Tools, an application that comes pre-loaded on most models of Nokia phones so that consumers in emerging societies can be better informed and improve their livelihoods. It is currently being used to provide agricultural information to farmers across China, India, Indonesia, and Nigeria. Details on how it works, the implementer/funder, the technology used, fees, primary markets, users, business model, and impact are included in the profile. 

The FACET project aims to help USAID missions and their implementing partners in sub-Saharan Africa use information and communications technology in sustainable and scalable approaches to improve the impact of their agriculture related development projects.

This case study is part of a USAID-funded research grant that examines the relationship between economic development and stability. In many parts of the world, Mercy Corps implements programs that combine economic development and peacebuilding. The Evaluation and Assessment of Poverty and Conflict Interventions project – implemented between July 2009 and December 2010 – had three main objectives: 1) to develop indicators and data collection tools that measure the impact of programs at the intersection of peacebuilding and economic development; 2) to field test these indicators and tools in three countries; and 3) to begin to assess several theories of change that inform Mercy Corps’ programs. This report presents preliminary findings from Indonesia, where Mercy Corps implements the Maluku Economic Recovery Program II in Maluku Province. Preliminary findings highlight the complex
relationship between economics and conflict in a post-conflict environment while providing evidence of economic incentives to maintain peace.

A significant body of knowledge exists on the relationship between poverty and conflict. Research has shown that low per capita income and slow economic growth drastically increase the chances that a country will experience violence. Driven in part by these findings, donors and their partners are implementing increasing numbers of economic development programs in conflict and post-conflict environments, based on the assumption that these will contribute to both poverty reduction and conflict management.

To test this assumption, Mercy Corps implemented the USAID-funded Evaluation and Assessment of Poverty and Conflict Interventions (EAPC) research project. Over the 18 month life of the project, Mercy Corps worked with its field teams in Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Uganda to 1) develop indicators and data collection tools, 2) field test these indicators and tools, and 3) begin to assess several theories of change that inform Mercy Corps’ programs.

The microRISK Alliance has formulated the following real world case studies which serve to illustrate the positive impact of the MRA Principles in action. This case study, conducted by MFX Solutions, focused on a MFI in Indonesia.

Drawing on the World Bank's Moving Out of Poverty dataset, this investigation explores the life stories of 125 women who have lived through violent political conflict in four countries: Colombia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka.  Two key findings emerged. First, the women living in communities directly affected by violent political conflict rated more highly on empowerment measures than the women living in communities that did not experience conflict. Second, once the violence drew to a close, the set of conflict-affected communities that experienced the most rapid recovery and poverty reduction were also characterized by more empowered women than the set of conflict-affected communities with lower rates of poverty reduction.

The life stories reveal that conflict and recovery, while bringing great suffering, also presented new opportunities for many women as traditional local structures, livelihoods, and gender norms were disrupted. During periods of violence, many women helped their households cope by diversifying and intensifying their economic activities. In the aftermath, they often continued to play more active economic roles as they struggled to recover and rebuild. In some cases, effective post-conflict reconstruction and development interventions created new opportunities for women to improve their livelihoods, access finance, join new groups, and, more rarely, become politically  engaged. In these ways, women often gained more independence and contributed actively to the recovery of their families and communities. The communities with both extensive poverty reduction and women's empowerment were characterized by reasonable levels of local security , access to active markets, and local governance that was adequate enough to attract and make good use of post-conflict aid.  The report presents broad recommendations for interventions that take advantage of a window for programming interventions that build on these positive but time-limited forces.