In July 2017 the Department for International Development (DFID) contracted Mercy Corps, the Palladium Group and DanChurchAid (DCA) to deliver a 12-month pilot programme, Demonstrating a Market System Approach in Bidibidi and Palorinya Settlements (referred to as “the pilot” in the remainder of this document) in the West Nile region of Northern Uganda with the goal of increasing refugee and host community farmers’ incomes (economic welfare) through growth of the agribusiness sector. Importantly, the pilot was not meant to replace any livelihoods/social safety net projects, nor was it intended to target all farmer households. The goal was to identify and increase access for those households who could and wanted to, produce commercially for market. The primary purpose of the Pilot endline evaluation was to provide tactical recommendations for evidence-based decision making related to programme design, targeting, and implementation of future market-systems development (MSD) programmes. This report synthesises the successes, challenges and additional considerations brought forth from the pilot
and provides key recommendations based on the lessons learned to assist the donor, implementing
organisations and the community in understanding and adapting programming to a more market-based and a
sustainable alternative to direct aid. The report is organised around several themes which emerged through
the evaluation, which speak to both the challenges and opportunities in the region, as well as with using a
market-based model to humanitarian assistance, with the key findings highlighted as follows.