Preparing Farmer Groups to Engage Successfully with Markets: A Field Guide to Five Key Skill Sets

The field guide aims to provide pointers for program managers and field staff on how to foster several skill sets crucial for preparing groups of poor farmers who are at a very early stage of engaging in markets and who aspire to successful agro-enterprise development. It is written for facilitators and community leaders working in poor rural communities who want some practical advice on strengthening the five skill sets among poor farmers aspiring to engage successfully with markets. 

The advice given in this guide is not written in stone. We are still learning about enterprise development with the very poor. For this reason, it is important that users of this guide experiment with and adapt its suggestions to their own circumstances. We encourage users of the guide to document their experiences, especially any adaptations developed, describing the context and the reason(s) why the adaptation was needed, and how the adaptation performed. These experiences can be shared through the CRS and RII-CIAT agro-enterprise Learning Alliance