This document summarizes an approach to capacity development for market-oriented agricultural development. It discusses how participatory processes are used to assess knowledge and skills gaps, and then a range of strategies are employed for capacity building, including training, coaching, mentoring, and self-learning materials. Between 2013-2015, over 37,000 value chain actors and service providers received training and coaching. Standard training manuals and cascading training approaches help ensure consistency and quality across different levels of training. Mixed-group training and household coaching improve knowledge transfer and application.

1. Capacity development for market-oriented agricultural
development: Approaches, experiences and lessons learned
Mamusha Lemma, Dirk Hoekstra, Berhanu Gebremedhin and Azage Tegegne
m.l.woldegiorgis@cgiar.org Po box 5689 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia www.ilri.org
• Capacity development plays a critical enabling role in facilitating the
adoption and scaling out of value chain development interventions and
approaches by addressing attitudinal, knowledge and skills gaps in value
chain actors, service providers and value chain supporters.
• Using participatory processes to assess knowledge and skills gaps of
value chain actors and service providers, the project designs and
implements capacity development interventions using a range of
strategies, including training, coaching and mentoring, and the
development of self-learning materials, such as manuals and guidelines.
• Between April 2013 and September 2015, LIVES has trained
and coached a total of 37,614 value chain actors and
service providers.• Training-of-trainers training
focusing on approaches which
can be generalized and applied
in a wider context.
• Mixed-group training focusing
on skills based practical
training for male and female
farmers and development
agents.
• Household coaching and
mentoring which address the
needs of both members of
households.
• Self-learning materials which
are complimentary ways to
acquire knowledge and skills.
Introduction
• The development of standard training manuals and cascading strategies help ensure consistency and quality of training at other levels,
leading to increased training reach and impact.
• A mixed-group training approach fosters interaction among farmers and development agents, getting to know each other better, deepens
their learning experience, leading to increased follow-up, knowledge acquisition, and skills application.
• Couples training and household coaching improve women’s access to information and knowledge, leading to improved understanding,
appreciation, and cooperation between household members, and increased knowledge acquisition and skills application.
• Formal capacity development training also contributes to the informal farmer-to-farmer exchange of skills and knowledge.
Approaches
Conclusions and lessons learned
Outputs
0
5
10
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45
50
Extension staff Research staff Competive fellowships
Number of LIVES graduate fellows by type and gender
M F
• 154 (36% female) public sector staff have benefited from the
200 BSc/MSc fellowship opportunities offered by LIVES.
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
No. of farmers trained No. of input/ service
providers trained
No. of other value chain
actors trained
M F
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
No. of input/service
providers coached and
mentored
No. of other value chain
actors coached and
mentored
M F
This poster is licensed for use under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.
April 2016