Entrepreneurship and Farming
The third activity is to teach farmers about agribusiness. It is entitled: Entrepreneurship and Farming.
The purpose of this activity is to improve the entrepreneurial skills of farmers in developing countries such as Benin, Togo, Niger, and Burkina Faso through capacity building exercises on different aspects of the food value-chain from production to marketing and from business conception to maturity. Sustainability of agriculture lies on identifying farming as a business and a tool for economic growth and development rather than as an intervention tool for poverty alleviation in rural communities.
As the world continues to change, it is important to consistently explore new ways to make agriculture profitable. The bulk of the world’s farming population residing in rural areas are yet to transition from subsistence to agribusiness for profit because they lack basic entrepreneurial skills.
Rather than rely on traditional business instincts to sustain their farming businesses, entrepreneurial skills will help farmers make more informed business decisions that increase profitability, reduce risks, and increase their profit margins. The capacity building exercise will be conducted for a number of farmers in two categories: farmers with existing farm business and persons seeking to establish an agribusiness.
We will commence with creating awareness on the need for farmers to develop entrepreneurial skills. After this, participants will be trained on professional skills, risk management skills, accurate record keeping as part of financial management, marketing and resource management skills. They will also be taught on how to increase their bargaining power and manage businesses that are resilient to shock. The training manuals will be developed by in-house agribusiness experts with years of experience in the sector. We will enlist the help of our board members and collaborators working on the training for the More Women More Farming program. These experts will also engage the farmers in trainings for the period required.
In order to ensure these farmers practice what they are taught, we will link the most active participants with financial institutions for credit facilities and embark on follow-up visits of randomly selected farms. It is expected that these trainings will expose farmers to the right information and opportunities that will better position their businesses in the long term. It will also contribute to the achievement of food and nutrition security as well as the improvement of their livelihoods. This activity will require 20% of the foundation time and 10% of the overall organization expenses. It will be funded through donations. Amidst global trends such as climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for resource use efficiency has become even more important. This activity will therefore, enable farmers see and place more value on the food production process thus, sustaining their activities to meet the needs of numerous industries.