Facilitating value chain development and actor empowerment

May 9 - 20, 2011. Ethiopia. The future of African small-scale producers depends on their ability to play an active and meaningful role in market dynamics. By effectively participating in and influencing the value chains that link them to suppliers, traders and  consumers, smallholders will be able to earn more from their crops, livestock and small businesses.

This two-week course equips development professionals with the competencies needed to assist small-scale farmers, traders and businesses to strengthen their position in value chains and, by so doing, contribute to economic development and poverty reduction.

The course is based on dozens of real-life cases and lessons from African value chains that KIT and IIRR have collected over the years.

• The importance of the value chain approach for pro-poor economic development
• The identification of market opportunities for products produced by the poor
• The importance of multi-stakeholder analysis and participatory processes in value chain development
• Elaboration of a value chain development action plan and related M&E

IIRR training brochure 

IIRR and KIT have jointly produced the following high quality publications:

Chain empowerment: supporting African farmers to develop markets KIT, Faida market link, International institute of rural reconstruction (IIRR) (2010) Book

Trading up : building cooperation between farmers and traders in Africa Royal Tropical Institute (KIT), International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) (2008) Book

Value chain finance: beyond microfinance for rural entrepreneurs KIT, International institute of rural reconstruction (IIRR) (2010) Boek

Also upcoming is the Gender in Value Chain