Training

Our training courses aim to make our participants problem solvers of their business challenges. We offer training based on real-life cases geared to business advisors and value chain practitioners to enhance their knowledge, skills and attitude.

1. Value Chain Development

Maximising impact Value

Chain Development (VCD) is a two-week course that provides key theoretical concepts and research tools to understand the value chain framework as well as key tools for practical implementation. Participants will learn to strategically plan interventions crucial to livelihoods and enterprises using established techniques. It enables participants to practise their new skills in a real life case. Match Maker has delivered its flagship Value Chain Development (VCD) course over 30 times to participants from Europe, Africa and Asia.

2. Improving Value Chain Performance (IVCP)

Sustainable, long-term economic impact

This four-day course offers advanced knowledge, skills and tools to measure the performance of value chains and reposition them for enhanced competitiveness. Themes include building successful coalitions through business modelling, financing options, and monitoring and evaluation.

3. Business Growth Training

Position your business for growth

This six-day course helps you improve your business and management skills and to position your business for growth. The training is very practical and covers:

Entrepreneurial capabilities
Market research and marketing
Bookkeeping and financial management
Costing and Pricing
Staff management and motivation
Operational management
Business and cash flow planning

4. Contract Farming Facilitation

Successful contract farming design

This two-week course focuses on determining the FATE (factors, actors, technology, enterprise) of outgrowers’ schemes or contract farming systems and how to design a successful scheme. These skills will be applied in a real-life case study, supplemented by a presentation of findings at the end of the course.

5. Farming as a Business (FAAB)

Business principles maximise farming profits

This one-week course centres on shifting subsistence farming towards more profitable enterprise by encouraging farmers to critically examine the risks and rewards of commercialisation. It entails a critical examination of the costs and benefits of on-farm investments such as inputs, tools, equipment and storage as well as analysing market opportunities. It is aimed at non-government, government and private sector staff who work directly with producers.