Recommendations

Strengthening farm agribusiness linkages has many dimensions and a wide range of interventions can be applied on different levels. The following recommendations were made:

Government Level

• enforcement of appropriate policies to improve general business climate;
• encourage private sector participation;
• build capacities in agriculture and agribusiness;
• provision of enabling conditions for investment;
• facilitation of farm-agribusiness linkages.

Agro-processing Level

• training and skills development: improvement of management, organizational, marketing and general entrepreneur-ship skills; assistance in product diversification;
  
  
• reduction of transaction costs in raw material supply-direct buying from farmers by identification/collaboration, contract negotiation, etc;
  
  
• improvement of market access to higher value products through better market information for processors and farmers and improving quality management skills;
  
  
• financial support to agriculture and agribusiness.

Farming Level

• training and skills development: improvement of capacities in entrepreneurship and farm management;
  
  
• encouragement of farmers’ organizations: to take over extension role i.e. training, technology acquisition, input supplies, co-ordination of harvesting and delivery schedules.

Donors/International Organizations

Specific projects focusing on agribusiness development including:

• formulation and implementation of adequate macroeconomics and sector policies;
  
  
• institutional support: focusing on development of entrepreneurship in farming and processing sector, improving national and international market access;
  
  
• farm enterprise/processors' level: training/education in general business management, quality control, management, technical advise for processing skills, access to finance, market research and development, product development etc.;
  
  
• continuation of institutional facilitation of farm-business linkages by NGOs like Technoserve, Ghana.