How our SCOPE Rapid tool can help transform agricultural landscapes

Are you working with a large number of agribusinesses and in need of a way to sort and segment your target group at scale? Are you interested in knowing more about the cooperative landscape in your country?

Then you will want to know about our latest tool: the SCOPE Rapid.

A tool designed to be used at scale

As indicated by its name, the SCOPE Rapid is a quick way to get basic information about agribusiness. Because it provides a glimpse, the data can be collected in one and a half hours. In addition, the data is collected by data collectors, who do not need to become certified assessors.

The SCOPE Rapid tool consists of a short questionnaire and some necessary background information. The questionnaire is 26 questions long and divided into six dimensions. The first five dimensions are a subset of our eight standard dimensions: internal management, financial management, operations, production base, and market. The sixth dimension is specific to the SCOPE Rapid tool and consists of eight questions unique to the SCOPE Rapid tool. These questions are a less in-depth version of additional information gathered in our other tools, including information about registration and loan history. The information collected results in an overview of the agribusinesses that can be used in many ways.

The SCOPE Rapid offers a panoramic view of the agribusiness landscape

The SCOPE Rapid is a first step towards creating change on a massive level. The results from a SCOPE Rapid provide an insight into what the agribusiness does and does not have. For example, a SCOPE Rapid can show if an agribusiness has a bank account, proper internal management, and the number of people (both male and female) on the payroll. The tool determines what is already in place to give an idea of the general state of the agribusiness. The tool does not gather data on professionalism or lead to SCOPE scores, but it does provide a first glimpse at the agribusiness. It will also be enough to provide local governments with a snapshot of the country or sector, which can help them direct aid, design projects, and create policy.

Ideally, this information will be used to segment agribusinesses for further assessments and capacity building. While the SCOPE Rapid will not provide in-depth analyses about the professionalism of an agribusiness, it will gather enough information to get a general idea of the agribusiness’s level of maturity. This is enough to know if they are ready for an assessment with the SCOPE Basic tool, or even the SCOPE Pro.

Early success in a pilot with the Ugandan Government

As a pilot for the SCOPE Rapid, we have been working with a consortium of other actors in Uganda to create a new system for developing cooperatives. The Ugandan Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Cooperatives (MTIC) needed more insights regarding their cooperative landscape. Our current project (partially funded by AMEA), which also includes Agriterra, Rikolto, and the National Alliance of Agricultural Co-operatives in Uganda (NAAC), is working to create a data-driven way of working that can lead to a stronger ecosystem. The work is also aligned with the IWA29. This will lay the groundwork for the Ugandan government to scale the approach up and spread it throughout the country.

The scoping of over 260 cooperatives with the SCOPE Rapid tool is currently led by Agriterra, with support from the other partners. This will allow the consortium and MTIC to segment the agribusinesses and provide them with insights regarding the cooperative landscape of Uganda. The data will make it clear where the most help is needed. Next, Rikolto, NAAC, and Agriterra will conduct follow-up SCOPE Basic and SCOPE Pro assessments. They will be able to determine which agribusinesses will benefit the most from which assessment through the results of the SCOPE Rapid. This will allow for both capacity building by Rikolto and Agriterra and creating a framework for MTIC’s future work.

The future of the SCOPE Rapid

The Ugandan pilot with MTIC is not the only place we anticipate using SCOPE Rapid in the near future. SCOPE Rapid is also the first step in the new initiative founded by SCOPEinsight, Agriterra, IDH, Farmfit Fund, and Oikocredit, known as AgriGRADE. In addition, the SCOPE Rapid will allow for insight on a sector-wide or country-wide scale, which will lead to a greater opportunity to work together with local partners and other stakeholders for fundamental, systemic change.

Are you interested in learning more about our newest data-driven way to strengthen agribusinesses? Contact us today to get started.

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