In the world of agricultural development, launching a new initiative often gets most of the attention. With high energy teams are spending months, sometimes years hiring staff, building partnerships, and kicking off activities. But when it comes to how the project will close, there is often no clear plan.
This can create major challenges. If external support suddenly ends, or without proper guidance, it can leave farmer organizations, agri-SMEs, and local business development service providers uncertain about what comes next. Expectations may have been raised, but now the external facilitation, resources or funding that supported them is no longer there, it causes insecurity. Partnerships built over many years risk falling apart.
At iCRA, we have learned that a phase-out is not simply an ‘exit’. It’s a transition, that deserves a deliberate, managed process in which the external partner gradually steps back while local private and public actors closely coordinate themselves to step up and move on. The focus is not to ‘exit the partnership’, but to ensure the partnership continues independently and sustainably.
Changing the mindset: partnership ‘exit’ or ‘consolidation’?
One of the first and most powerful shifts in thinking is around language. Words matter. When we speak of ‘exiting’, it can feel abrupt and final, as if everything stops the moment the project closes. But when we talk about consolidation, it signals the partnership is moving on. The external support is temporary, but the partnership is there to stay.
This subtle change in mindset makes a big difference:
- It encourages public and private actors to take ownership of the partnership.
- It reminds external facilitators and donors that their role is to enable, not to lead forever.
- It helps everyone see the project as part of a longer journey toward resilience and independence.
A good phase-out is what turns short-term projects into lasting impact. By planning the end from the start, projects can prepare partners to take the lead, ensure that systems keep working without external facilitation, and maintain the confidence built along the way. In the end, it’s not about closing a project, it’s about securing the future of the partnerships it co-created.
In our next expert bites, we’ll look at how to design a strong phase-out strategy and what it takes to make this transition truly work in practice. Stay tuned.
