Training Agenda and new document with basic information about VC Approach

Thanks for those that have participated actively in our Blog. I've seen very good comments and also some questions and I promise you we'll be talking about all of that during the training. Now I invite all of you to read our second document that you can have access in the link bellow. Please read just the first part (p. 1 - 22).

http://sds.ukzn.ac.za/files/handbook_valuechainresearch.pdf

Also you can see bellow the Value Chain Training Agenda which eventually could suffer small adjustments.

Small Enterprise Development Training:
Using Value Chain Approach for Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction for Small Farmers
KENYA APLI – ADRA International
July 16 – 19 2008

Module I: Introduction to Economic Growth with Poverty Reduction (Mon 16 - Morning)
Introduction (8:30 – 9:00)
Part 1: Globalization and the Small Firm (9:00 – 10:30)
Part 2: The Value Chain Framework (10:45 – 12:30)

Module II: Value Chain Selection (Mon 16 - Afternoon)
Program Management (2:00 – 3:00)
Part 1: Value Chain Selection (3:00 – 5:15)
Evaluation (5:15 – 5:30)

Module III: Value Chain Analysis (Tue 17 - Morning)
Part 1: Introduction to Value Chain Mapping (8:30 – 12:30)

Module III: Value Chain Analysis (Cont…) (Tue 17 - Afternoon)
Program Management (2:00 – 3:00)
Part 2: How to Conduct Value Chain Analysis (3:00 – 5:15)
Evaluation (5:15 – 5:30)

Module IV: Design for Competitiveness (Wed 18)
Part 1: Design for Competitiveness (8:30 – 4:15)
Program Management (4:15 – 5:15)
Evaluation (5:15 – 5:30)

Module V: Implementation Action Plan (Thu 19 - Morning)
Part 1: Implementation Action Plan (8:30 – 12:30)

Module VI: Monitoring Performance (Thu 19 - Afternoon)
Performance Measurement (2:00 – 3:30)
Program Management (4:00 – 5:00)
Final Evaluation (5:00 – 5:30)

It's time to start reading some documents about VCA

Dear colleagues welcome to the Africa APLI Introductory Session (Food Security - Value Chain Development Training). For the next two weeks we'll need to read some papers that will help us know a bit more about the Value Chain Approach (VCA), so please access the link bellow and read the paper that you find there. After this nice reading we encourage each of you to post in our blog some comments or questions about the VCA, we expect during this first week at least one post from each participant. During the week we'll be posting questions about the document and we hope to receive feedback from all of you.

We look forward to seeing yours posts soon.

http://www.microfinancegateway.org/files/31825_file_46.doc

PRE-TRAINING INTRODUCTORY SESSION

Workshop objectives

The objective of this training is to enhance the ability of ADRA workers (project practitioners) to identify and develop strategies that increase small producer’s participation in the national and international markets. The training curriculum is designed to provide participants with a practical review of the value chain approach and its applications. Following this training, participants will be able to use the value chain approach as a tool for understanding trends in globalized markets and conditions under which micro- and small enterprises can benefit from the increased competitiveness that globalization requires.

Workshop immediate objectives

• Provide participants with a deep understanding of value chain frameworks to analyze and deal with value chain development issues;
• Provide participants with a deep understanding in how the value chain framework can be integrated into program design (understanding the conceptual foundations of the VC approach, selecting promising value chains, analyzing the structure and dynamics of value chains, developing strategies to overcome constraints and increase value chain competitiveness, etc.);
• Analyze some experiences that ADRA has had in value chain development, in order to extract best practices;
• Promote the utilization of value chain approach as a tool for formulating and implementing agricultural development projects in ADRA’s network.

Questions driving the training session

• What is a value chain?
• Why conduct a value chain analysis?
• How to conduct a value chain analysis?
• How can value chain analysis help policy makers and development project practitioners?
• How to use value chain analysis to make an impact?