AGRA and UNDP train RFS country projects in greening agricultural food value chains


On 17-19 September 2019, AGRA and UNDP hosted a regional training workshop on greening agricultural food value chains for RFS country project teams in Nairobi.

The Regional Hub is the primary mechanism through which Resilient Food Systems partners are able to coordinate, build coherence and establish linkages within the programme’s 12 country projects. One of the primary objectives of the Regional Hub is to provide technical assistance and develop capacity within country projects to support the upscaling of the best practices for “greening” food value chains.  

In support of this objective, on 17-19 September 2019, AGRA and UNDP hosted a regional training workshop on greening agricultural food value chains for RFS country project teams in Nairobi. The purpose of the training workshop was to (a) build capacity in the application of value chain concepts to farming operations; (b) raise technical awareness of how to make food value chains more sustainable and resilient; and (c) identify the training needs within country-specific value chains. 

Over 30 people attended the workshop, including representatives from Hub partners and most RFS countries: Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria, Malawi, Senegal, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. Over the course of the 3-day workshop, participants used value chain mapping approaches to select their priority value chains, identify where and how to integrate resilience-building practices and brainstorm how build value chain actor capacities. 


Discussions focused on the various shocks and stressors that impact agriculture value chains. Participants identified climate change, environmental degradation and market volatility as the key factors that affect sustained agricultural productivity. They also discussed the ways in which unsustainable agricultural production practices are one of the main contributors to climate change and environmental degradation. RFS country teams received training on the ways in which climate-smart agriculture can be integrated into the development of value chains in order to both build the resilience of food systems and adapt to climate change impacts. 

Using the value chain mapping approach as a foundation, participants developed detailed action plans for building resilience and sustainability in their prioritized agriculture value chains. The action plans are an initial step in building agriculture value chains that are responsive to changes in climate, the environment and markets. 

Overall, the workshop provided an opportunity for participants to exchange knowledge and share experiences among themselves, and with the technical experts from AGRA and UNDP. The workshop laid a foundation for continued interactions at country level on value chain development. These interactions will intensify as country project teams begin to implement their value chain ‘greening’ action plans and require further support and consultation with technical partners.   


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