CmiA Farmer Business Schools

21.02.2014

Business management training courses for smallholder cotton farmers

Since May 2012, Cotton made in Africa and the Competitive African Cotton Initiative (Compaci) invest in business management trainings for smallholder cotton farmers. Farmer Business Schools aim to provide farmers with support in making decisions when it comes to managing their farms and empower them with a sense of business. Farmers also benefit from this knowledge in the private sector, such as in managing their own family budgets.

Having a good sense of business and making farms more productive with management skills is the goal of the Farmer Business Schools. “The Farmer Business School has given us perspective. We will now plan everything precisely and follow up on matters and also implement a financial calendar . This will enable us to send our children to school with a greater deal of security and have money available for financial emergencies,“ says Vamissa Sayda, 51 years old and participant of a Farmer Business School.

By means of the courses, farmers are taught in correctly assessing crop fields to better determine the annual demand for inputs. They learn to manage their income and expenditure for agricultural activities and for managing the family budget. Another important feature of the trainings is to teach them how to estimate market and production risks as well as benefits and risks of loans. The need for reserve funds as a prerequisite for loans and for building up capital are further topics treated in the curriculum of the schools. The tasks to identify suitable foods that ensure that children in particular receive quality nutrition complete the schedule.

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