NextBillion.net - Development Through Enterprise - Article Review: "Scents & Sensibility" Reveals USAID's BoP Blind Spots - Comments

We Need More Sustianable Businesses

Liz Wald — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 10:40:33 -0500

It was with keen interest that I read the Atlantic Monthly article “Scents & Sensibility” published in December 2007. Being a fellow importer--with the mission of providing economic opportunity to artisans in developing countries--it was great to read of the efforts of the author, Sarah Chayes, to give Afghan men and women viable employment opportunities creating handmade soaps from local materials. In addition to being relevant to my work, the article itself was an entertaining account of one woman’s passion to “scour this harried land for its (licit) bounties and turn them into beauty products.” A theme throughout the piece was the difficulty in working with the local consulting firm that administers USAID’s alternative income generation. While I can appreciate the frustration in dealing with a bureaucracy like USAID (or in this case the consulting firm managing its contract), something else tugged at me when reading this article. Namely, that when it comes to companies trying to do “good,” as well as do well financially, people often assume that an unsophisticated business approach is acceptable. There is no doubt in my mind that Ms. Chayes works very hard and that motivations are certainly commendable. I'm also confident that the consulting firm could likely have made things a lot clearer and helped her through the process in a less convoluted way. However, if we had been reading an article about a traditional company looking for investment dollars and the future CEO said the following: “And with zero experience, I was going to try to create a product for which conventional wisdom said the market was saturated. To launch this venture, I had $25,000 from a private foundation in Chicago, and a single collaborator back in the United States—a 16-year-old high-school student from outside Boston...,” no one would be outraged when a potential investor said, put a business plan together and then went on to ask for more numbers. Again, I commend Ms. Chayes for her perseverance in the face of many difficult hurdles. My point is not so much aimed at this particular instance, rather I believe that fair trade, environmental or otherwise mission-based companies need to start acting more like businesses and less like nonprofits if they are going to be taken seriously by investors or customers. The world needs more people like Sarah Chayes, but it also needs “traditional” business people to partner with her to build sustainable organizations that deliver on their missions as well as their bottom lines. This is the combination that will lead to real, lasting change.

We need more like Chayes

Henry Wilson — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 10:00:35 -0500

I agree that eradication policy does nothing to stop the actual problem (US drug demand), mostly serves to reinforce anti-americanism, and does not help to create an alternate livelyhood. We need more like Chayes and we really do need USAID to play a role here.

input

Anonymous — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 11:16:59 -0500

Kudoos for drawing our attention to a glaring glitch in the USAID programs. What a creative method to combat terrorism, with soap, not guns. S.A.

Article Review: "Scents & Sensibility" Reveals USAID's BoP Blind Spots

Rob Katz — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 13:32:31 -0500

Guest blogger Grace Augustine is a Research Associate with the William Davidson Institute in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Prior to joining WDI, she worked in strategy & operations consulting for Deloitte Consulting. Grace completed her undergraduate education at the University of Michigan where she obtained a degree in Organizational Studies with a focus on Business Responsibility.

By Grace Augustine

While completing Professor Ted London’s Strategies for the Base of the Pyramid class at Michigan’s Ross School of Business, an Atlantic Monthly article highlighting a BoP-as producer venture caught my eye. The organization was the Arghand Cooperative, an Afghanistan-based business that was co-created by former NPR correspondent Sarah Chayes and members of the Kandahar community.

The article, Scents & Sensibility, was published in the December 2007 issue of Atlantic Monthly.

The cooperative uses locally-grown herbs, fruits, and spices to make soaps, then sell them at boutiques in the U.S. Chayes has gone into what some would consider to be one of the most bleak areas on the planet, overcome frustrating roadblocks in dealing with development agencies, and has still been able to focus on what is right while providing a link between BoP producers and viable markets.

Afghanistan, considered by many to be barren, hopeless, poverty-stricken, and a breeding ground for drug lords and terrorists, seems like an unlikely location for a thriving business. But to Chayes, Kandahar pushed her into action, or in her own words, "Stop talking about it already—do something."

When Chayes arrived in Afghanistan in 2001, she did not bring a product or a business model; she went in with an open mind and a commitment to help. Through her blossoming friendships there, she discovered Afghanistan’s plethora of indigenous vegetation that was unique to the area and virtually unknown to the rest of the world. Co-creating with the Kandahari villagers, she leveraged their local knowledge of rare fruits and oils, while mutually creating value for the start-up enterprise and community.

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