Overview

This course on entrepreneurship and agribusiness development equips participants with practical methodologies for strengthening entrepreneurial capacity and agribusiness performance in rural and emerging economies. It targets development professionals and agribusiness practitioners seeking to address high failure rates in agricultural enterprises by applying structured planning, financial management, market development, and risk mitigation approaches. Through applied tools, case-based learning, and field exposure, the course supports evidence-based decision-making for sustainable entrepreneurship and agribusiness development at community and national levels.

Target Audience

Professionals working in government, NGOs, funding agencies, research institutions, and private sector organizations supporting entrepreneurship and agribusiness development.

Learning Outcomes / Objectives

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Explain core concepts underpinning entrepreneurship and agribusiness development.
• Identify operational, financial, and institutional requirements for successful agribusiness enterprises.
• Analyze common causes of failure in agricultural enterprises and design corrective strategies.
• Apply planning, marketing, and risk management tools to support entrepreneurship and agribusiness development initiatives.

Duration

5 days

Modules / Course Content

Module 1: Foundations of entrepreneurship and agribusiness development

• Introduction to entrepreneurship and agribusiness development
• Organization and management of agricultural enterprises
• Identifying agribusiness opportunities and viable business ideas
• Enterprise business planning
• Record keeping and credit management
• Causes of agribusiness failure and strategies for overcoming pitfalls

Module 2: ICT and financing for agribusiness development

• Introduction to ICT tools supporting agriculture
• Digital and mobile-based record keeping (including Excel and mobile applications)
• Agribusiness information platforms and e-business models
• Information seeking, retrieval, and use in decision-making
• Accessing finance for agribusiness start-up
• Financing strategies for agribusiness growth

Module 3: Farmer organizations, planning, and market development

• Formation and registration of farmer organizations and producer groups
• Group dynamics and reasons for failure of farmer organizations
• Strategic and financial planning for agribusiness enterprises
• Internal and external environmental analysis
• Managing change and benchmarking
• Marketing plans, branding, and customer development
• Financial, production, environmental, and human performance indicators
• Risk assessment, contingency planning, and scenario analysis
• Formatting and presentation of agribusiness plans

Module 4: Field exposure and applied learning

• Field visit to agribusiness enterprises and/or farmer organizations
• Practical observation of agribusiness operations and value chains
• Guided reflection and application of field lessons to participants’ contexts

Module 5: Risk management, market linkages, and enabling environments

• Agricultural risks and approaches to risk management
• Agricultural insurance and information requirements
• Market linkage models and identification of profitable markets
• Factors influencing successful market linkages
• Strategic partnerships for agribusiness entrepreneurs
• Challenges faced by new entrepreneurs and how to overcome them
• Concept and importance of an enabling business environment
• Entrepreneurial life cycle and the role of entrepreneurship in economic development

Training Methodology

The course will employ a hands-on, practical approach to ensure participants develop both conceptual understanding and technical proficiency. Each module will integrate interactive lectures, guided software demonstrations, and individual or group exercises based on real-world illustrations. Participants will receive continuous feedback and personalized coaching to reinforce learning. By the end of the training, they will have completed a mini project that demonstrates their ability to apply the acquired skills in a practical context.

More Details

Upon successful completion of this course, participants will be issued a certificate.