Agricultural Value Chain Development and Market Linkages

INTRODUCTION

A value chain involves all activities that are required to bring a product or service from production to final consumers. The activities include design, production, marketing, distribution and support services leading up to consumption. There is also an element of value addition to the preliminary products across the chain as the product passes through the stages of the value chain. For smallholder farmers who are dominant in crop and livestock production in Africa to realize the benefit of participating in the value chain including linkage to input suppliers, traders and output market, there is need for them to have a strong position in the chain in terms of influencing their benefits. This 10 day training course aims to equip stakeholders working with farmers in rural, urban and peri-urban areas to strengthen their position in value chains.

DURATION
10 Days

COURSE OBJECTIVES

After this course participants will be able to:

• Explain the Value Chain, its concepts, principles and approaches and its role in sustainable economic development
• Explain Value Chain Development and Actor Empowerment (VCD&AE)
• Analyse the Value Chain using a variety of tools and steps, identifying constraints and opportunities for innovation
• Identify the steps for building engagement among and between chain actors
• Set up an effective monitoring, evaluation and impact assessment plan for a VCD&AE process

COURSE OUTLINE

Module 1: Introducing the value chain

• Formal definition of a value chain
• Traditional Selling Systems Compared with a Value Chain Marketing System
• Value Chain Marketing System
• Value Chain Framework
• The “new” framework for Chain Empowerment
• Chain Empowerment
• Case studies and group work

Module 2:

Value chain mapping and analysis

• Value chain development process
• Value chain selection
• Chain mapping and assessment
• Introduction to Value Chain selection process
• Building Engagement and Chain Development/Upgrading
• Chain Monitoring and Evaluation

Module 3:

Analysing market and market development

• Introduction to market analysis
• Supply, demand and price setting
• Standards and certification
• Analysing competition
• Group Exercise

Module 4:

Economic Sustainability

• Analysing Economic Sustainability of Value Chains
• Introduction, calculating costs, revenue, profit margin, value added, value share …
• Group work - the economic sustainability of  selected value chains

Module 5:

Value chain relations and governance

• Analysing value chain relations and governance
• Intro-Importance of VC relations and governance
• analysis of value chain relations and governance
• Group work, presentation and discussion

Module 6:

Business Services and Finance

• The role of chain supporters; Business development services and Value Chain financing
• Group work – Role of VCD facilitator in enhancing availability of BDS to small holder farmers

Module 7:

Chain Context: Macro-environment

• The components of the macro- environment and their impact on value chain development
• Advocacy :- influencing the macro environment; Group work – PESTLE analysis of selected value chain

Module 8:

Developing Strategies for Chain Empowerment

• Introducing chain empowerment strategies
• Group work/case study on chain empowerment

Building Engagement and Chain Development

• Building engagement: obtaining “buy-in” from stakeholders
• Introduction to strategy development 

Module 9:

Chain Monitoring and Evaluation

• Introduction; reiteration of concepts and terminology;
• Development of indicators and selection of analytical tools

Module 10:

Chain Learning and Innovation

• Introduction and examples

Competencies and Roles of chain development facilitator’s and support agencies

• Roles of chain development facilitator’s, and support agencies
• The do’s and don’ts of facilitators; Key competencies of VCD facilitators
• Action planning
• Course evaluation