CONCEPT NOTE
INTERNATIONAL TRAINING ON AGRI-PRENEURSHIP 101
COURSE BACKGROUND
Agribusiness plays a vital role in driving economic growth, food security, and job creation, especially in rural areas. However, many aspiring and existing agri-preneurs struggle with identifying viable opportunities, understanding market needs, and managing the financial and operational demands of a successful business.
Agri-preneurship 101 is designed to equip learners with practical skills and knowledge to launch or enhance an agribusiness venture. This course demystifies the agri-preneurship process by breaking it down into clear, manageable steps—from identifying unmet needs in the agri-food value chain to developing customer-focused solutions and managing business finances.
Offered by Environmental Capacities and Sustainability (ECAS), this course is part of a broader initiative to strengthen agri-business capacity and promote sustainable development across the region. The training emphasizes real-world application, personal initiative, and strategic thinking to help learners unlock and scale agribusiness opportunities.
COURSE OBJECTIVES OF THE TRAINING
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Understand the foundational steps to start or grow an agribusiness.
- Apply tools to identify unmet needs and turn them into business opportunities.
- Develop and test customer-focused agribusiness ideas.
- Analyze market needs and assess product-market fit.
- Understand basic business financials and apply them in planning.
- Set short and long-term goals for agribusiness growth and sustainability.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
Participants will gain practical skills and knowledge on:
- The complete process of starting and managing an agribusiness.
- How to cultivate personal initiative for success in entrepreneurship.
- Identifying unmet needs and transforming them into business opportunities.
- Understanding customer behavior and preferences for market alignment.
- Creating and testing business prototypes.
- Managing financial aspects such as costs, pricing, and budgeting.
- Setting actionable and measurable business goals.
DURATION AND PROGRAM
TARGET PARTICIPANTS
This course is intended for a wide range of learners and professionals with interests in agriculture, entrepreneurship, and rural development. It is especially suitable for individuals looking to start a business in agriculture, current agribusiness owners seeking to improve their operations, university students and faculty in agricultural disciplines, extension service providers, NGO staff, UN agency professionals, and development practitioners working in agri-food systems and value chain development.
TRAINING MODULES
| No | Module | Details | |
| 1. | Introduction to Agri-preneurship |
This introductory module sets the stage for understanding the concept of agri-preneurship and its importance in transforming the agricultural sector. It explores the mindset, opportunities, and core principles needed to succeed in launching or growing an agribusiness.
The key topics include:
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| 2. | Identifying Agricultural Needs and Business Opportunities |
This module focuses on identifying unmet needs in the agriculture sector and translating them into viable business opportunities. Participants will be guided through the process of problem identification and market gap analysis as a foundation for innovation.
Key topics include:
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| 3. | Understanding Your Customers |
In this module, participants will learn how to profile their target customers and stakeholders, analyze market segments, and use customer feedback to shape their offerings. Emphasis is placed on customer-centered thinking as a driver of business success.
Key topics include:
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| 4. | Developing a Prototype for Your Agribusiness Idea |
This module guides learners through the process of developing and testing a prototype of their agribusiness concept. It emphasizes the value of experimenting, gathering feedback, and iterating based on real-world data to ensure product-market fit.
Key topics include:
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| 5. | Financial Planning and Goal Setting |
The final module helps participants understand the financial foundations of running a successful agribusiness. It introduces basic financial principles and tools to help new agri-preneurs plan, budget, and set achievable goals for growth and sustainability.
Key topics include:
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TRAINING STYLE
The modules will be taught through PowerPoint presentations, and lectures and will include a case study/field visit, breakout sessions, case studies and other interactive discussion components.
The course will also include a few guest speakers, both in person and via Zoom and other online learning platforms for overseas speakers. This provides useful real-world insights alongside the more theoretical aspects of the course.
The conference faculty shall consist of experienced decision makers, as well as practitioners and representatives from established educational and research institutions active around climate change, engineering and international development. Throughout the course, theoretical presentation of concepts will be moderated and more group discussions and plenary engagements will be optimized. PowerPoint presentations will be made by facilitators and resource persons, to highlight key concepts before embarking on group work.
GENERAL NOTES
- Training manuals and additional reference materials are provided to the participants.
- Upon successful completion of this course, participants will be issued with a certificate.
- We can also do this as a tailor-made course to meet organization-wide needs. Contact us to find out more: info@ecasiafrica.org.
- Payment should be sent to our bank account before the start of training and proof of payment sent to: info@ecasiafrica.org.
ABOUT ECAS INSTITUTE
The ECAS Institute designs and delivers independent and targeted training, research, and consulting services. Our work focusses on climate change and resilience building, carbon markets, renewable energy, nature-based solution, biodiversity conservation, agriculture and food systems, We are located in Nairobi Kenya and work across the African region. We have implemented training and research assignments in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan, Somalia, Malawi, Rwanda, Congo, and South Africa. Globally, we have supported our partners from the UK, Denmark, Italy, Sweden, Germany, and USA.