Training

Match Maker staff are skilled and experienced trainers who have delivered courses to producer groups, non-profit facilitators and private companies. We offer regular and tailor-made courses at our offices in Arusha and around the world.

Value Chain Development (VCD)

Match Maker has delivered its flagship Value Chain Development (VCD) course over 30 times to participants from Europe, Africa and Asia. The course is broadly divided into two modules.

Module 1
Sub Sector and Value Chain Analysis provides key theoretical concepts and research tools to understand the value chain framework. Highlights include sub sector selection and mapping, profitability and sensitivity analysis, constraints and opportunities analysis, value chain identification, industry and market segment analysis, and simplified gross margin calculations.

Module 2
Value Chain Upgrading provides key tools to practically implement the findings of Module 1. It includes a discussion of different upgrading strategies, vertical and horizontal linkages, the roles of non-profit facilitators, identifying and engaging stakeholders, organising and chairing stakeholder workshops and building coalitions such as public-private partnerships.

The modules are offered over five full training days and are typically followed by a further five days of field research into a relevant market sector.

Tailor-made VCD

The standard VCD course can be tailor-made to a client’s requirements. Popular additional content has included contract farming facilitation and business planning but could also include increased emphasis on monitoring and evaluation, food standard certification or gender.