The project focused on strengthening the capacity of Heifer International Ethiopia’s country team to effectively apply a Market Systems Development (MSD) approach across its program portfolio, with particular emphasis on the RESTORE+ signature program. RESTORE+ was designed as a ten‑year MSD initiative aimed at enabling one million smallholder farmers—70% of whom were youth—to achieve financial stability and prosperity by 2030 through inclusive, sustainable, and climate‑resilient agricultural and livestock market systems. The assignment involved the design and delivery of a five‑day, in‑person MSD 101 training that combined practical application with conceptual rigor. The training emphasized systems thinking, facilitation, private sector engagement, adaptive management, inclusive market development, and results measurement. It was tailored to Heifer Ethiopia’s operational context, priority value chains, and strategic objectives, ensuring relevance to ongoing programming in livestock, dairy, youth, and women’s economic empowerment. Using participatory adult learning methodologies, the training enabled staff from implementation, monitoring and evaluation, finance, and leadership roles to analyze market systems, identify root causes of systemic constraints, design and co‑create market‑based interventions, and apply MSD tools in real‑world scenarios. The initiative sought to build sustained internal capacity within Heifer Ethiopia to design, implement, and adapt MSD interventions that deliver scalable and lasting impact.

MarketShare Associates (MSA) designed, customized, and delivered a five‑day, in‑person Market Systems Development (MSD) training for Heifer International Ethiopia. MSA conducted preparatory document reviews and consultations, administered a pre‑training survey, and tailored the MSD 101 curriculum to align with the RESTORE+ program and Ethiopia’s agricultural and livestock market systems. MSA facilitated participatory, practice‑oriented training sessions covering systems analysis, constraint identification, intervention design, private sector engagement, and adaptive management. MSA led applied group exercises, including a simulated intervention pitch, to assess skills transfer. Following the training, MSA analyzed participant feedback, produced a training completion report, and conducted a wrap‑up session to support next steps for applying MSD principles across Heifer Ethiopia’s programs.