FAO : Education for rural people (ERP) Tool Kit Agriculture - Rural finance

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Tool Kit

Agriculture - Rural finance, agrobusiness and marketing

Rural Finance Learning Centre Training of trainers - Non-formal education by Heney, Jennifer Agricultural Management, Marketing and Finance Service (AGSF) Agricultural Support Systems Division (AGS) FAO Rome, 2004 English, French and Spanish www.ruralfinance.org This is a tool for facilitators of the Farmers' Life School who have graduated from a Farmers' Field School and a Farmers' Life School, by adult educators or NGOs and community-based organizations with experience in participatory learning and people interested in introducing the Farmers' Life School course into their own programmes. The Farmers' Life School can be used in either community-based programmes or it can be adapted for formal educational settings. The website is dedicated to providing access to the best materials for capacity building in the field of rural finance. Rural finance is about providing financial services such as deposit and money transfer facilities, insurance and loan products, for people living in rural areas. Finding ways to increase the availability of appropriate financial services in rural areas is a challenge. Perceptions of high costs and high risk divert banks from operating in rural areas and micro finance institutions face difficulties dealing with highly seasonal farm incomes, uneven demands for credit and a dispersed clientele. To assist organisations seeking ways to increase the availability of rural financial services, the Rural Finance Learning Centre contains a database of resources organised into topics, online self study lessons and session guides for training programmes. Users of the Learning Centre can suggest new resources, take part in discussions and find out about training opportunities and events related to rural finance. The emphasis is on sharing experiences and providing information about useful innovations. Related articles by FAO News Room http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/index.html FAO Rome,18 November 2004 http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2004/51590/index.html Contact: Heney, Jennifer Agricultural Management, Marketing and Finance Service (AGSF) Agricultural Support Systems Division (AGS) FAO Via delle Terme di Caracalla 00100 Rome, Italy Jenifer.heney@fao.org

Understanding and using MARKET Information. Non-formal education by Marketing and Rural Finance Service (AGSF) Agricultural Support Systems Division (AGS) FAO Rome, 2003 English, French, Spanish http://www.fao.org/ag/ags/subjects/en/agmarket/understanding.html This is a tool for facilitators of the Farmers' Life School who have graduated from a Farmers' Field School and a Farmers' Life School, by adult educators or NGOs and community-based organizations with experience in participatory learning and people interested in introducing the Farmers' Life School course into their own programmes. The Farmers' Life School can be used in either community-based programmes or it can be adapted for formal educational settings. This Guide been prepared to assist extension workers and others in regular contact with farming communities, to advise farmers on how best to use market information. The Guide emphasizes the necessity to understand why farmers need information, how they can use it and benefit from its use, and what the available sources of market information are. Why prices change, both in the short term and in the long term, how to interpret prices provided by a market information service, and how to calculate marketing costs between farmer and market are also covered. In addition, the Guide provides a number of practical ways in which extension officers and others throughout the world can work to improve their support to farmers’ marketing efforts. Related links Agricultural Support Systems Division website http://www.fao.org/ag/ags/index.html More Marketing Extension Guides http://www.fao.org/ag/ags/resources/en/marketExtension.html Contact: Andrew W.Shepherd Marketing and Rural Finance Service (AGSF) Agricultural Support Systems Division (AGS) FAO Via delle Terme di Caracalla 00100 Rome, Italy Andrew.Shepherd@fao.org

Planning and designing RURAL MARKETS: Marketing Extension Guide. Non-formal education By John Tracey-White Marketing and Rural Finance Service (AGSF) Agricultural Support Systems Division (AGS) FAO Rome, 2003 English, French, Spanish http://www.fao.org/ag/ags/subjects/en/agmarket/rural.html pdf http://www.fao.org/ag/AGS/subjects/en/agmarket/ruralmarkets.pdf This is a tool for facilitators of the Farmers' Life School who have graduated from a Farmers' Field School and a Farmers' Life School, by adult educators or NGOs and community-based organizations with experience in participatory learning and people interested in introducing the Farmers' Life School course into their own programmes. The Farmers' Life School can be used in either community-based programmes or it can be adapted for formal educational settings. This Guide is designed to assist community planners, rural engineers and agricultural extension units to formulate and implement relevant market-development plans. Upgrading rural markets is one way to improve access to marketing opportunities. The issues covered in this Guide include: - designing markets that meet a community’s social and economic needs; - working with communities to identify the marketing problems and to choose a site for a new market; - using appropriate and simple methods to survey and plan the site layout and to design market buildings; - preparing a market development proposal and making budget estimates; - undertaking simple social and economic feasibility studies; - looking for financing and constructing the market; - managing, operating and maintaining the market. Related links Agricultural Support Systems Division website http://www.fao.org/ag/ags/index.html More Marketing Extension Guides http://www.fao.org/ag/ags/index.html Contact: Andrew W.Shepherd Marketing and Rural Finance Service (AGSF) Agricultural Support Systems Division (AGS) FAO Via delle Terme di Caracalla 00100 Rome, Italy Andrew.Shepherd@fao.org

A guide to MARKETING COSTS and how to calculate them. Non-formal education by Andrew Shepherd Marketing and Rural Finance Service (AGSF) Agricultural Support Systems Division (AGS) FAO Rome, 1993 http://www.fao.org/documents/show_cdr.asp?url_file=/docrep/u8770e/u8770e00.htm This is a tool for facilitators of the Farmers' Life School who have graduated from a Farmers' Field School and a Farmers' Life School, by adult educators or NGOs and community-based organizations with experience in participatory learning and people interested in introducing the Farmers' Life School course into their own programmes. The Farmers' Life School can be used in either community-based programmes or it can be adapted for formal educational settings. This Guide explains basic concepts of agricultural marketing costs and marketing margins. Farmers seeking to produce new crops need to be aware not only of their likely production costs but also of the costs of marketing these crops. Extension workers need to be able to advise them on such matters. In identifying the main types of marketing costs,the Guide provides brief advice on how to calculate them and discuss the interpretation of marketing margins. The aim of the Guide is to correct some of the widely held misundestandings over marketing costs and it will be particularly useful to marketing officers and extension workers who are called upon to advise farmers on marketing and prices. Moreover, governments officials concerned with monitoring the efficiency of agricultural markets can have, thank to the Guide, a full vision of marketing costs and margins. Related links Agricultural Support Systems Division website http://www.fao.org/ag/ags/index.html More Marketing Extension Guides http://www.fao.org/ag/ags/resources/en/marketExtension.html Horticultural marketing - a resource and training manual for extension officers Agriculture/FAO Agricultural Services (AGS) Bulletins No 76 http://www.fao.org/documents/show_cdr.asp?url_file=/docrep/S8270E/S8270E00.htm Contact: Andrew W.Shepherd Marketing and Rural Finance Service (AGSF) Agricultural Support Systems Division (AGS) FAO Via delle Terme di Caracalla 00100 Rome, Italy Andrew.Shepherd@fao.org

MARKET Research for agro processors: Marketing Extension Guide. Non-formal education By John Tracey-White Marketing and Rural Finance Service (AGSF) Agricultural Support Systems Division (AGS) FAO Rome, 1993 English, French, Spanish http://www.fao.org/ag/ags/subjects/en/agmarket/research.html pdf http://www.fao.org/waicent/faoinfo/agricult/ags/AGSM/markres.pdf This is a tool for facilitators of the Farmers' Life School who have graduated from a Farmers' Field School and a Farmers' Life School, by adult educators or NGOs and community-based organizations with experience in participatory learning and people interested in introducing the Farmers' Life School course into their own programmes. The Farmers' Life School can be used in either community-based programmes or it can be adapted for formal educational settings. This Guide describes, in fairly simple terms, the market research that agro processors can carry out, and some of the ways of doing such research. Market research is essential before embarking on any agro processing venture. It is addressed to entrepreneurs and companies who are planning to develop medium sized agro processing business. It is also intended to be used by banks who need to understand the potential market before lending for agro processing, by consulting firms and individuals offering market research services in developing countries. Extension workers and NGOs who are supporting rural processing ventures could also use parts of this Guide Related links Agricultural Support Systems Division website http://www.fao.org/ag/ags/index.html More Marketing Extension Guides http://www.fao.org/ag/ags/resources/en/marketExtension.html Contact: Andrew W.Shepherd Marketing and Rural Finance Service (AGSF) Agricultural Support Systems Division (AGS) FAO Via delle Terme di Caracalla 00100 Rome, Italy Andrew.Shepherd@fao.org

A Guide to MAIZE MARKETING for extension officers: Marketing Extension Guide. Non-formal education by Andrew Shepherd Marketing and Rural Finance Service (AGSF) Agricultural Support Systems Division (AGS) FAO Rome, 1999 English, French, Spanish http://www.fao.org/ag/ags/subjects/en/agmarket/maize.html This Guide has been designed to be used by extension officers working with small farmers in those African countries that liberalized in the 1990s their maize marketing system. As a result of the move away from marketing by grain boards, extension officers will have to develop new skills. They will need to advise farmers on what crops to grow, on how and where to sell their crops and how to store them. They will also need to answer farmers’ questions about prices, about where to store their crops or sell them immediately and how to pay for them. Extension workers can play an important role in ensuring that marketing systems work to the benefit of both farmers and consumers and promote food security. As it covers the basic principles of private sector grain marketing, as well as on-farm crop drying and storage, this Guide should also be valuable for extension workers elsewhere in Africa. Related links Agricultural Support Systems Division website http://www.fao.org/ag/ags/index.html More Marketing Extension Guides http://www.fao.org/ag/ags/resources/en/marketExtension.html Contact: Andrew W.Shepherd, Marketing and Rural Finance Service (AGSF) Agricultural Support Systems Division (AGS) FAO Via delle Terme di Caracalla 00100 Rome, Italy Andrew.Shepherd@fao.org

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