Value Chain Development Course

Background and Rationale

Why are smallholder farmers marginalized in the value chain? How do we empower rural producers (the starting point of most value chains) to capture market opportunities, obtain fair deals, and produce higher-quality products and contribute to the improvement of the overall performance of the value chain? What policy, support services and other interventions do we need to improve the engagement of farmers in the value chain, to increase productivity, income and development/revitalization of the rural areas? This interactive training-workshop provides competencies through value chain development to respond to these questions.

For several years now, SEARCA has bannered Inclusive and Sustainable Rural and Agricultural Development (ISARD) in the ASEAN Region. It is aligned with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No. 8, “Promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all” focused on the agriculture and rural development sector. An avenue to create inclusive growth and sustainable development is through a value chain approach -- “improvements in the full range of activities that are required to bring a product or service from conception, through the intermediary phases of production and delivery to final consumers, and final disposal after use.” It maps the actors and how value is created in each chain, identifying weaknesses and bottlenecks and areas of marginalization. It further designs regulatory regimes, supporting functions or systems and networks to improve the overall performance of a value chain in order to pursue inclusive and sustainable development in agricultural and rural development. Capacity to pursue value chain analysis and to design interventions to promote value addition for various actors, especially marginalized farmers, is wanting. This course seeks to respond to this capacity gap.

General Objective

To enhance the competencies of the participants in undertaking value chain selection, market system analysis and value chain intervention development.

The course aims to equip participants to:

1. Discuss value chain development (VCD), its principles, and phases (product and/or sector-specific value chain, market system analysis, intervention design and implementation, VCD monitoring and evaluation);
2. Describe the participation and benefits of different actors in the full range of activities of a product or service from start through the intermediary phases of production, delivery to the final consumer and final disposal after use;
3. Conduct a value chain assessment (VCA), mapping, and determination of opportunities and constraints, value-adding prospects, and opportunities for small farmers’ participation; 
4. Discuss specific activities/interventions (policy, rules and regulations, core transactions and supporting functions) through which value-addition may be created and distributed; and
5. Develop a value chain that will promote value creation, profits, efficiency and competitiveness that are mutually beneficial to all actors.

Who Should Attend

• Representatives from government and non-government organizations engaged in the promotion of inclusive and sustainable agricultural and rural development through policy interventions, regulations, provision of support services like R&D, extension services, infrastructure services, social protection and rural institution/organizational development.
• Farmer-leaders; agribusiness operators; program/project designers, service delivery system innovators, social enterprises and non-profit organizations working on value chain research and development.
• Commodity-based agencies, industry; international, regional and national agencies
• Undertaking value chain development projects; cooperatives; market-driven small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs).
• Faculty, researchers and staff of state colleges and universities (SCUs)

Expected Outcomes

• Value chain development plan for a commodity/sector/value chain (sector situationer; value chain analysis and mapping; value chain development strategy; organization/institutional arrangements for VCD; monitoring and evaluation)
• Re-Entry Action Plan (REAP)

Training Methodologies

The training course combines lecture-discussions and interactive training techniques to engage the participants. A number of workshops will promote open communication among participants cultivate their skills in the different phases of value chain analysis and development. This will also provide the learners the ability to apply the tools and techniques in analyzing and developing value chain system. Workshop outputs will be presented in plenary to help improve presentation and communication skills of the participants.

Hands-on training or experiential training will characterize the workshop on VCA and VCD formulation of a particular sector or value chain.

The various phases of the VCD will be demonstrated to showcase the steps and use of various tools in the VCD process.

Participants will submit a re-entry action plan (REAP) outlining how they will use, in their workplace or industry, the learning gains in the course.

A pre- and post-test examination will be given to the participants to evaluate knowledge acquired about the course. Participants will also demonstrate their learning outcomes based on the quality of their workshop outputs and REAP.

Course Structure

The five-day course focuses on the fundamental framework, principles, components and processes of the value chain system and their practical skills and application in: 1) VCD in the context of ISARD; 2) sector and value chain selection; 3) value chain analytics and mapping; 4) VCD and intervention design thinking; and 5) value chain system implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and sustainability. Course integration and discussion of REAP are provided in the last day for further application.

Additional Information

Program Flyer
Training Course Agenda