In the Nuffic OKP project with HollandDoor in Ethiopia “Strengthen, update and roll out of practical farming skills through vocational training with focus on creating jobs for woman and youth”, another online training was provided for participants from Alage ATVET, Wolaita Sodo, Alage ATVET Livestock and Animal Health Department, and the extension officers from Kebeles.
Q-Point colleagues Mark, calling in from the Netherlands, and Feline, calling in from Kenya collaborated with on-the-ground project partners Wondirad Abraham and Wegene Reta. Together they were able to provide training in the topic of Dairy Value Chain Management and Value Addition.
The current training aimed to increase the knowledge and skills of the participants in the field of value chain management, milk processing, and milk quality and safety. Throughout the project, participants have been working in groups on the development of a business plan that is ready to implement. Therefore, by providing assignments related to the training topics, the participants were enabled to improve their business plans:
- Stakeholder analysis, who are our primary stakeholders and who is part of the enabling environment?
- Network analysis, how are the goods, money, and information flowing through the value chain?
- SWOT analysis, what are our strengths, and what should we be careful about (threats)?
- Analysis of milk safety issues along the chain, how can we ensure safe milk or dairy products?
Besides the theory and assignments, what else helps to write a fantastic business plan? Of course, inspiration! The participants therefore went on a field visit to a farmer and a dairy processor, to gather all the inspiration they needed to make their business plans even more in line with a real-life situation.
Thank you to our co-trainers and all participants! Next up: the team is very excited to travel to Ethiopia for the final training, where the participants will pitch their business plans, so stay tuned!
