PLANTAIN AND SWEETPOTATO SEED ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN HUMANITARIAN SETTINGS REPORT ON TRAINING OF TRAINERS COURSE Prepared by Bebel Nguepi and Margaret McEwan 26–30 June 2023 CPF Mbouo, Bandjoun, Cameroon PLANTAIN AND SWEETPOTATO SEED ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN HUMANITARIAN SETTINGS. REPORT ON TRAINING OF TRAINERS COURSE 26–30 June 2023 CPF Mbouo, Bandjoun, Cameroon Prepared by Bebel Nguepi and Margaret McEwan © International Potato Center 2023 DOI: 10.4160/cip.2023.08.002 CIP publications contribute important development information to the public arena. Readers are encouraged to quote or reproduce material from them in their own publications. As copyright holder CIP requests acknowledgement and a copy of the publication where the citation or material appears. Please send a copy to the Communications Department at the address below. International Potato Center P.O. Box 1558, Lima 12, Peru cip@cgiar.org • www.cipotato.org Citation: Nguepi, B.; McEwan, M. 2023. Plantain and sweetpotato seed entrepreneurship in humanitarian settings. Report on training of trainers course. International Potato Center. 32 p. DOI: 10.4160/cip.2023.08.002 Design and Layout: Communications Department August 2023 CIP also thanks all donors and organizations that globally support its work through their contributions to the CGIAR Trust Fund: www.cgiar.org/funders This publication is copyrighted by the International Potato Center (CIP). It is licensed for use under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License Acknowledgements This work was made possible through support provided by the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, U.S. Agency for International Development, under the terms of Award No. BHA 720BHA22IO00136. The opinions expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the US Agency for International Development. This study was also supported by the CGIAR Seed Equal Initiative; we thank all donors and organizations who globally support its work through their contributions to the CGIAR Trust Fund. 4 Plantain and Sweetpotato Seed Entrepreneurship in Humanitatian Settings Contents Acknowledgements .............................................................................................................................................. 4 List of acronyms .................................................................................................................................................... 6 Executive summary ............................................................................................................................................... 7 Background ........................................................................................................................................................... 8 About the trainers ................................................................................................................................................. 9 Day 1: Official launch and overview of seed systems in humanitarian settings ................................................. 10 Seed production technologies: key points ............................................................................................... 12 Day 2: Plantain and sweetpotato pests, disease, agronomic practices and agribusiness .................................. 14 Introduction to agribusiness training ....................................................................................................... 15 Key points on business, family and gender .............................................................................................. 15 Banana seed multiplication ...................................................................................................................... 16 Sweetpotato seed multiplication ............................................................................................................. 17 The business game ................................................................................................................................... 18 Day 4: Knowledge acquired so far and entrepreneurship skills .......................................................................... 19 Entrepreneurship ..................................................................................................................................... 20 Day 5: Cascading the training: preparation and review of action plans ............................................................. 21 Annex .................................................................................................................................................................. 24 Plantain and Sweetpotato Seed Entrepreneurship in Humanitatian Settings 5 List of acronyms BHA USAID Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance CIP International Potato Center CPF Centre Polyvalent de Formation IDPs Internally Displaced Persons EGS Early Generation Seed ILO International Labor Organization IRAD Institut de Recherche Agricole pour le Développement MINADER Ministère de l’Agriculture et du Développement Rural RCA Regional College of Agriculture RMT Rapid Multiplication Technique RTB Roots, Tubers and Bananas ToT Training of Trainers 6 Plantain and Sweetpotato Seed Entrepreneurship in Humanitatian Settings Executive summary In post-conflict, complex humanitarian situations, there is consensus for the need to “build back better” and support efforts to strengthen resilience among farmer groups who are vulnerable to the impact of climate- related shocks. Root, tuber, and banana (RTB) crops are versatile, nutritious staples that produce more food per unit area of land compared to many other crops, contribute directly to household food security, are often under women’s management, and are projected to be more climate resilient than grain crops. Despite this, there is often limited awareness among humanitarian actors of the current role and contribution of RTB crops for local farming systems to re-build better, sustainable livelihoods. The RTB Toolbox was launched in 2021. In 2022–2023 the team have been working to understand the capacity needs of humanitarian partners to strengthen their root, tuber and banana interventions in Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Haiti, and Bangladesh. In response to the capacity needs assessment, the objective of this training was to train trainers on rapid quality seed production technologies for sweetpotato and plantain. They also learned about pest and disease management and agribusiness principles around the establishment of sustainable seed enterprises. The goal is that they will become trainers who will pass this knowledge to the communities with which they are working. The training took place on 26–30 June 2023 at the Centre Polyvalent de Formation, Mbouo (CPF), Bandjoun, West Region, Cameroon. Twenty-two participants (45% women) were drawn from government institutions (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Institut de Recherche Agricole pour le Développement), NGOs (Nascent Solutions and INTERSOS) and other organizations funded by the USAID Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) to assist refugees and internally displaced people who have been affected by various conflicts within the country and from the neighboring countries to recover from those conflicts. The participants developed action plans to follow up with establishment of the demonstration plots and to share the training with their communities. Sweetpotato cuttings of Ejumula and Vita varieties were distributed to the participants to take back to their organizations and communities to establish demonstration plots. Extension materials (orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) passport, root production pamphlet, seed production pamphlet) were also shared with the participants. Participants joined the RTB seed systems Cameroon training of trainers (ToT) community of practice WhatsApp group to share experiences, challenges and to discuss solutions. Technical support was continued virtually through the RTB Seed System WhatsApp group and online sessions every two weeks for question-and-answer sessions with principal trainers and peer-to-peer experience sharing. Pre- and post-training assessments were conducted. Participants evaluated the course (relevance of content, ease to follow content, time and location of training, better prepared to apply the skills in my work, worth my time to participate on a Likert Scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree)) and average scores ranged from 3.8 (ease to follow content) to 4.8 (worth my time to participate and I would recommend the training to others). Plantain and Sweetpotato Seed Entrepreneurship in Humanitatian Settings 7 Background In post-conflict complex humanitarian situations, there is a consensus for the need to “build back better” and support efforts to strengthen resilience among farmer groups who are vulnerable to the impact of climate- related shocks. In many contexts (e.g., the Great Lakes region in sub–Saharan Africa), roots, tubers, and bananas (RTB) are crucial crops for food security, nutrition, and income. RTB crops are versatile, nutritious staples that produce more food per unit area of land compared to many other crops, contribute directly to household food security, are often under women’s management, and are projected to be more climate resilient than grain crops. Despite this, there is often limited awareness among humanitarian actors of the current role and contribution of RTB crops in local farming systems to re-build better, sustainable livelihoods. The RTB Toolbox was launched in 2021. In 2022–2023 the team have been working to understand the capacity needs of humanitarian partners to strengthen their root, tuber and banana interventions in Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Haiti and Bangladesh (see Tools4SeedSystems: Working towards resilience through root, tuber and banana crops in humanitarian settings. Capacity needs assessment for root, tuber and banana seed interventions in humanitarian settings: Cameroon and DRC. Technical Report (cgiar.org)) In response to the capacity needs assessment, the objective of this training was to train trainers on rapid, quality seed production technologies for sweetpotato and plantain. One male and one female trainee were drawn from government institutions (MINADER, IRAD), NGOs (Nascent Solutions and INTERSOS) and other organizations funded by the USAID Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) to assist Photo: Dr. Kwame Ogero (CIP): Principal trainer refugees and internally displaced people who collecting expectations from participants. have been affected by various conflicts within Credit: Bebel Nguepi the country and from the neighboring countries to recover from those conflicts. In some of the targeted areas, the main crops are roots, tubers, and bananas; therefore, the aim was to train the staff from these organizations to learn the basics of seed production for plantain and sweetpotato. They also learned about pest and disease management and agribusiness principles around the establishment of sustainable seed enterprises. The goal is that they will become trainers who will pass this knowledge to the communities that they are working with. 8 Plantain and Sweetpotato Seed Entrepreneurship in Humanitatian Settings About the trainers Name T raining topics I nstitution R ole Core training team Ms. Victorine Fornkwa Seed systems International Potato Center Assistant Trainer Dr. Kwame Ogero Sweetpotato seed International Potato Center Principal Trainer production and agronomy Dr. Bonaventure Aman Plantain seed production Alliance of Bioversity and Principal Trainer Omondi and agronomy CIAT Dr. Srinivasulu Agri-business and seed International Potato Center Principal Trainer Rajendran entrepreneurship Ms. Sarah Mayanja Gender and inclusion International Potato Center Advisor and virtual contributions Ms. Margaret McEwan Sweetpotato seed International Potato Center Coordinator, Advisor systems Virtual contributions Mr. Innocent Plantain seed production Alliance of Bioversity and Participation in training Nduwimana and agronomy CIAT materials, delivery Development of training materials Dr. Charles Ntale Agri-business and seed Shoreline Services Limited Development of training entrepreneurship materials and virtual contributions Mr. Saadan Edson Agri-business and seed International Potato Center Review of training entrepreneurship materials and virtual contributions Communication and knowledge management Mr Bebel Nguepi Knowledge management International Potato Center Knowledge management Mr. Alain Ngono Communications International Potato Center Communications Finance, administration, and logistics Ms. Ingrid Fogue CIP Finance and Admin Support Mr. Patrick KOM CPF Assistant Trainer Dzitchueng Demonstration plots Ms. Ruth Makoudjou CPF Assistant Trainer Plantain and Sweetpotato Seed Entrepreneurship in Humanitatian Settings 9 Day 1: Official launch and overview of seed systems in humanitarian settings On Monday 26 June 2023, the first day of training, the regional delegate from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MINADER) represented by Mr. Nguimatsia Rodrigue; the Centre Polyvalent de Formation, Mbouo (CPF) Director Mr. Daniel Ngwanou; and the International Potato Center (CIP) representative Dr. Kwame Ogero officially welcomed participants to the training to strengthen RTB seed systems in humanitarian settings project. Beyond the expected results of the training, three key points were mentioned: • Seed certification standards in operation within the country should be observed. • Talent of the participants is expected to make the training a success. • The BHA-supported project is intended to strengthen RTB crop seed systems in humanitarian settings working with all the stakeholders from the production of early generation seed (EGS) to commercial seed. Twenty-two participants (45% women) coming from 11 organizations active in humanitarian contexts attended the training, including representatives from MINADER Southwest, MINADER Northwest, MINADER Adamaoua, NGO INTERSOS, NGO Nascent solutions, Djoro-Nova Cooperative, IRAD Bambui, IRAD Ekona, RCA Bambili and Internally Displaced People (IDPs) association from Foumbot. Photo: Participants in the first Plantain and Sweetpotato Seed Entrepreneurship Training of Trainers, CPF Mbouo, Cameroon; June 2023. Credit: Membong Epie (MINADER) Participants indicated they were expecting to learn about the seven following points: 1. Improved techniques for quality sweetpotato seed production. 2. Diseases that affect sweetpotato and plantain and their management. 3. New varieties of sweetpotatoes. 4. In-depth understanding of sweetpotato and plantain seed production to train others. 10 Plantain and Sweetpotato Seed Entrepreneurship in Humanitatian Settings 5. Their role as ToT and who to train. 6. Processing. 7. Agribusiness principles for seed enterprises including marketing. The importance of the source of seeds was highlighted in the presentation on background to sweetpotato and plantain. The question “Where to find seed if someone wants to create a sweetpotato or plantain farm?” led to an understanding of seed sourcing. IRAD (RESEARCH) MINADER (EXTENTION) SEED MULTIPLICATORS (FARMERS) FARMERS (CROP Dr. Aman Omondi (Alliance of Bioversity & CIAT) PRODUCERS) Photo: Dr. Omondi invites participants to consider how a farmer who does not own a piece of land could engage with this system. Credit: Bebel Nguepi On the other hand, it is important to analyze the seed system from the perspective of different users before intervening. Farmer-based and formal seed systems have complementary roles. RTBs are relevant in humanitarian contexts due to their adaptability to climate change, flexibility in the production timing and high nutrition values. Gender should be incorporated in RTB interventions in such a way that anybody, regardless of their gender or age, has equitable access to resources and benefits. Plantain and sweetpotato are good for business and food security. Planning plantain and sweetpotato seed production requires some skill. It is necessary to consider the actors (who), location (where), goal (why), timing (when) and technology (how). The multiplication plan is linked to farmers’ planting period because seeds are multiplied to be available at the planting time in the targeted area. Below are some critical questions to consider while planning: • What are the seasons in your area? • When do farmers start planting? • What is the multiplication rate of my variety? • What quantities of seed are required? • In response to these questions, work backwards to determine the quantity of starter material needed and when to begin seed production. Participants were asked to build the calendar for sweetpotato and plantain seed production according to their location. Plantain and Sweetpotato Seed Entrepreneurship in Humanitatian Settings 11 • A good planning tool: Helps in calculating quantity of starter material needed. • Varietal differences in multiplication rates. • Helps describe which activities need to be done when, how and by who and what they cost Example of calendar illustrated by Dr. Kwame Ogero Photo: Participants focused during the indoor theoretical part of the training. Credit: Bebel Nguepi Seed production technologies: key points Sweetpotato varieties are recognized by flesh color, vine and leaf characteristics. Selection of varieties and sourcing of seed should be managed carefully. It is especially important to build the bridge between researchers and farmers to ensure that the varieties being developed meet farmers' expectations. Participatory varietal selection may facilitate the adoption of varieties. Furthermore, site selection should consider water availability, 12 Plantain and Sweetpotato Seed Entrepreneurship in Humanitatian Settings soil fertility, fencing (to avoid grazing livestock), size (big enough to allow rotation), and observe local by-laws and regulations. For sweetpotato, it takes 60 to 80 days to be able to harvest vines using the rapid multiplication technique (RMT) in an open nursery or 40 days in a screenhouse with each plant producing five to seven cuttings. One root can give 37 sprouts, but roots maintain higher concentrations of sweetpotato virus diseases compared to vines. The spacing for vine multiplication is 10 x 20 cm compared to 30 x 100 cm for root production. Nitrogen is important to boost vine production, whereas phosphorus and potassium will boost root production. Three- node cuttings (10–15 cm) are used to produce planting material and are planted in a vertical position in flat beds. Six-node cuttings (30 cm) should be used to produce sweetpotato roots planted in an oblique position in ridges or mounds. Locally sourced planting material may carry more diseases, and insufficient quantities are available at the start of the planting season. In contrast, rapid multiplication techniques in the off-season starting with disease-free material can increase availability and quality and ensure the optimal timing of planting material for root producers. Record keeping is important. Data are kept for further decision making and to assess your profits and losses. The day closed with end-of-day reflections and discussion of follow-up action plans for participants. This training course on sweetpotato and plantain seed production is a great opportunity for the CPF. The young people at our center will benefit from training in crops that are in short supply, such as plantain and sweetpotato. Thank you to the CIP and USAID for choosing our center for this training. Photo: Mr. Daniel Ngwanou, Director CPF Mbouo Credit: Bebel Nguepi Plantain and Sweetpotato Seed Entrepreneurship in Humanitatian Settings 13 Day 2: Plantain and sweetpotato pests, disease, agronomic practices and agribusiness The second day started with a recap of the first day. Participants shared their field experience, where a lot of urea causes tubers to rot quickly after harvesting. The trainer reminded participants that fertilizers must be applied based on understanding the existing soil fertility conditions. Participants also explained that they find it difficult to get new technology adopted by farmers who want evidence. The training continued with an explanation of pests and diseases. Sweetpotato’s first enemy is the sweetpotato weevil, which occurs more in the dry season. Weevils can be managed by filling in the cracks in the soil around plants, known as “hilling up”. Water management is also key with beds and mounds needing to be kept at a certain level of moisture content. Site selection for seed production should consider soil fertility and the site should not be waterlogged. Land preparation, soil fertility management, timing of production activities, variety selection and rotation are recommended good agricultural practices. For plantain, it is important to distinguish symptoms from diseases (such as sweetpotato feathery mottle virus (SPFMV)), from those resulting from agronomic issues (deficiency symptoms, water stress, etc.). Black sigatoka, Fusarium, banana streak virus and banana bunchy top are some of the diseases prominent in areas where banana is produced. Avoiding moving seed away from the area of infection is the first step to avoid spreading diseases to other areas. The TUMAINI APP is downloadable on Google Play and was developed to identify diseases. To get training manual on macro-propagation and register for online disease management training courses, contact Bonaventure Aman Omondi (Alliance Bioversity-CIAT) b.a.omondi@cgiar.org. 14 Plantain and Sweetpotato Seed Entrepreneurship in Humanitatian Settings Introduction to agribusiness training Agribusiness management requires skills and discipline, especially when the family is involved. A business model is how you do business. You should have a business plan, a strategy. You should market your product to the person in need, differentiate between the market and the client, observe good record keeping and determine the price wisely. Photo: Dr. Srinivasulu Rajendran (CIP). Credit: Bebel Nguepi Day 3: Business, gender, and practical Key points on business, family and gender First of all, sex is different from gender; sex is biological but gender is about society norms, expectations, and the power relations between men and women, which may influence access to opportunities and benefits. Ensuring that gender-related needs and expectations are considered may make the business more effective and profitable. The business basket in the family should feed the family basket and dialogue is especially important in that process. In business, nothing is free, so you should strategize to be paid for your service or product. A business is like a child to be nurtured. Educating clients, relatives, and neighbors that the business and the family are separate matters is important. In a humanitarian context, business should be adapted to the local situation, for example, sweetpotatoes and plantain are the staple crops in the target areas for this project. Mr. Ngoteh, an IDP representative revealed that food shortages are increasing due to the increasing number of IDPs in Foumbot, which is leading to increases in the price of sweetpotato as well. There are some limitations in starting a business as an IDP in the new area. For instance, lack of capital, land access, no legal status for seed certification, access to loans is legally difficult, farmer-grazer conflict (animals (cows) invade farms and destroy crops), access to farm inputs and training, as well as building confidence and trust. Photo credit: Kwame Ogero Mr. Ngoteh (IDP) Mrs. Pascaline (IDP) Plantain and Sweetpotato Seed Entrepreneurship in Humanitatian Settings 15 Suggestions to help overcome challenges include creating a group, meeting directly with the local authorities, and learning from other’s experiences. Forming an association is an alternative to a company, as one cannot run a company alone. To grow, one must associate with other people; the success of a business relies on teamwork. The training was very interactive, participants were committed, and they were more excited about the practical phase. Banana seed multiplication Macro-propagation is one technique that can help to solve the main problems in banana seed system. Seed is only available off-season and only in low quantities with just a few per mother plant. Macro-propagation offers a low-tech technology that can be undertaken even behind the house to multiply planting material and make it available for the planting season at the correct time but in fairly small numbers. You may get ten plantlets per sucker instead of just one. Hence you can delay availability of suckers that would have been discarded three months before the planting season. However, there is a high probability of disease transfer from the old plantation to the new plantation and it is possible to propagate diseases over a wider area. Therefore, with macro-propagation one needs to have sufficient control to ensure that one produces planting material for oneself and at the same time, you are able to healthy looking plants. It is a very easy technique that can be done by most people who have observed it a couple of times. This technique gives the farmer the opportunity to confirm the sucker’s variety on the mother plant and to guarantee the quality through the multiplication process. Photo: Dr. Aman Omondi. demonstrating the macro-propagation technique for banana. Credit: Bebel Nguepi 16 Plantain and Sweetpotato Seed Entrepreneurship in Humanitatian Settings Sweetpotato seed multiplication Sweetpotato rapid multiplication technique is simple. To select planting material from the farm you have to look at the leaves (checking for yellowing color, misshapen leaves, signs of insect damage) to identify those that have viruses and those that are healthy. You then cut the vine from the healthy plant ten to fifteen centimeters above the ground level to avoid weevil eggs. You then divide the vines into three-node cuttings, remove the leaves, and take these cuttings to the rapid multiplication bed. Once planted, they just require regular monitoring like watering, and removal of any diseased plant and weeds. You can expect to harvest vines for planting for root production two to three months after initial establishment. Photo: Dr. Kwame Ogero and participants applying the sweetpotato seed multiplication technique. Credit: Bebel Nguepi The key technical success factors in sweetpotato seed multiplication include, first of all, the quality of the planting material (source EGS from trusted suppliers like research institutes). Furthermore, if farmers have their own farm, they should practice negative and positive selection to collect healthy material. The second factor is site selection to emphasize soil fertility and ensure access to water. Then thirdly, day-to-day management is crucial from the time you plan to the time for harvest and, of course, site security to avoid damage by grazing livestock. The main challenges may come from the marketing side. Farmers tend to recycle their planting material, and a change of mindset is required for them to seek seed from a trained seed producer. It will definitely help to Plantain and Sweetpotato Seed Entrepreneurship in Humanitatian Settings 17 provide evidence to farmers if the seed producer has demonstration plots showing the characteristics and benefits of different varieties and comparing root yields using farmers’ recycled seed and quality seed. The business game çç Photo: The Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) game by ILO. Played by participants under Dr Srinivasulu’s coordination. Credit: Bebel Nguepi The business game is a practical simulation to enable participants to understand the realities of starting and operating a successful business. Participants were placed in the position of an entrepreneur and were challenged to plan, organize, produce, compete, negotiate and cooperate to ensure good business results. Photo: A group of participants coming together as a company to discuss business management. Credit: Bebel Nguepi 18 Plantain and Sweetpotato Seed Entrepreneurship in Humanitatian Settings Day 4: Knowledge acquired so far and entrepreneurship skills Day three was reviewed, including the skills acquired by participants in seed production and challenges foreseen in implementing their demo plots once back in their respective organizations. From the participants’ interventions, it was clear that they had acquired extensive knowledge. Photo: Mr. Charles Nkyimbeng, Nascent Solutions representative, sharing his take-away messages with the audience. Credit: Bebel Nguepi Here are the main key points captured by the trainees on seed multiplication. Sweetpotato • Sourcing good planting material • How to plant (spacing etc.) • Preparation of planting beds • Disease management • When to bulk seed • Preparation of vines for planting • Seed production agronomic practices • Selecting roots for seed • Isolation of seed garden, diseases/pests, cultivars • Economic varieties • Planting practices • Site selection and preparation Photo: Participants identifying healthy sweetpotato vines and counting the nodes to prepare the seeds. Credit: Bebel Nguepi Plantain and Sweetpotato Seed Entrepreneurship in Humanitatian Settings 19 Plantain • Timing in plantain seed production • Sucker type selection • Methods of seed multiplication • Techniques to maximize production • Organic products for treatment • Sanitation in seed production • Healthy sucker identification • Medium preparation • Placement in propagator • Mother plant/mother garden • Cultivar selection • Relevance to market needs • Tweaking seed quality versus seed production • Potential mistakes • Monitoring propagation Photo: Participants applying plantain macro-propagation techniques. Credit: Bebel Nguepi The expected challenges highlighted by the participants included accessibility to sites due to blocked roads for an unknown period in the Northwest, Bui division, and in that context, it will be difficult for the representatives to first go back, and later bring together field staff/delegates for restitution. There is a long distance from the base to the seed production area for INTERSOS in the far north. Passing the training on to communities will require land, finances, and logistics. In addition, security in sites, weather uncertainty and risk taken by farmers to invest in this innovation should be considered. The business game revealed the key points businesses must master to survive. Negotiation skills, planning, setting goals, record keeping, timing, money management and reaction in emergency were the main points highlighted by the participants. Entrepreneurship The entrepreneur should understand the market before selling their product. Customer segmentation allows you to identify your client and market your product to the right audience. Who could be the right audience for the sweetpotato seed market? Think from the client’s perspective: does s/he need your product or what does s/he need? Where will you find customers? Identify the channel to reach customers and pay attention to customers’ feedback. Take advantage of the competitor’s problem by solving it and better serve those unsatisfied clients. Costing and pricing should be handled carefully to give the best offer to the client while remaining in profit. A business plan is the core guidance for the entrepreneur. For example, customer segmentation for sweetpotato seed will identify farmers facing high virus pressure, those lacking facilities to conserve planting material in the dry season or, those in the dry zone and those looking for new varieties (early adopters/progressive farmers). 20 Plantain and Sweetpotato Seed Entrepreneurship in Humanitatian Settings The business development and management processes include the following: 1. Create value 2. Deliver (the value to a previously identified customer) 3. Capture value (cost effectively) 4. Defend values (marketing) Do not be emotionally attached to a business, you might be trapped in a business that is not profitable. Day 5: Cascading the training: preparation and review of action plans Friday, 30 June 2023, was the last day of training. All the knowledge acquired during the intensive week was to be subsequently cascaded or passed on in different areas by participants. For that purpose, participants needed to draft action plans. At the beginning of the week, the knowledge management specialist had shared an action plan template to fill and advised them to update it every day with the new knowledge as it was acquired. Therefore, the action plans were almost ready and the last modifications, mostly regarding timing and resources needed, were easier to add. Prior to the course, information had been shared with the organizations that this project would not be able to provide any financial support to cascade the training. On the other hand, the technical support would continue virtually through the RTB Seed System WhatsApp group and online sessions every two weeks for question and answer session with principal trainers and peer-to-peer experience sharing. Plantain and Sweetpotato Seed Entrepreneurship in Humanitatian Settings 21 Photo: Mr. Bebel Nguepi discussing knowledge acquired and action plans with participants. Credit: Kwame Ogero Action plans prepared by the two representatives of each organization were presented and reviewed. A pre-training assessment had been conducted on the first day of training to understand the current state of the skills and knowledge of participants in the respective subjects covered by this training, for instance agronomic, pest and disease and the agribusiness skills. After the event, a post-training assessment was conducted to understand how those skills had been improved due the training. The communication specialist, Mr. Alain Ngono, also captured participants’ experience of the training. Participants were reminded to share their progress on RMT as soon as they start the process once back in their respective organizations. They were reminded about the CIP communication channels from the website to social media including LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, which will help them access more information, interact with and share informative posts. They also received some tips on how to hold the camera, shoot useful photos, and post in the newly created ToT WhatsApp group. All the presentations and many other extension materials (such as OFSP passports, root production pamphlets, seed production pamphlets) were shared with the participants. The last point was the evaluation of the training by the participants facilitated by Mrs. Victorine Fornkwa. The participants’ experience is compiled in Table 1 below. 22 Plantain and Sweetpotato Seed Entrepreneurship in Humanitatian Settings Table 1. Synthesis of the participants’ training evaluation. Question Strongly disagree (1)–Strongly agree (5) The content of the training was relevant and Score: 4.5 helpful for my job. Comment: The presentation of the content held my Score:3.8 interest and was easy to follow. Comment: The time and location of the training session Score:4.5 were convenient and fitted within my schedule and travel budget. Comment: I feel better prepared to apply the skills and Score:4.6 concepts from the training in my work. Comment: I feel the experience was worth the time, Score:4.8 effort, and/or expense required to participate. Comment: I would recommend this training to others in Score:4.8 my position. Comment: Other comments: Globally very good to excellent Points of improvement: • Some of the content was not relevant in the context; • More emphasis should be placed on the practical and a complete business plan example for plantain or sweetpotato should be demonstrated; • Time should be better managed and the program should be designed taking into account translation; • The menu proposed for feeding should take into account participants’ identities and diversity. Participants’ medium age was 37, with 12 men and 10 women. Plantain and Sweetpotato Seed Entrepreneurship in Humanitatian Settings 23 Annex Annex 1. Course schedule Training of Trainers PLANTAIN AND SWEETPOTATO SEED ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN HUMANITARIAN SETTINGS 26–30 June 2023 CPF Mbouo, Bandjoun, Cameroon Time Topic/activity Facilitator Sunday 25 June Arrivals Day one: Monday 26 June 8.00 –8.15 Registration Victorine Fornkwa, Ruth Makoudjou 8.15 – 8.30 Opening remarks M. Dénis Larois AMIGUIM Délégué Régional – DRADER, Ouest Director CPF & CIP 8.30-9.00 • Introductions and participants' Victorine Fornkwa expectations? Kwame Ogero • Training of Trainers: agenda and objectives-what do we want to achieve? 9.00 – 9.30 Srini Rajendran Pre-assessment of plantain and sweetpotato seed production agribusiness skills: all 9.30 – 10.15 participants Bonaventure Aman Omondi and Kwame Ogero Participants’ experiences: describe the sweetpotato & plantain seed system in your area. Discussion: How does the humanitarian crisis in your area affect seed availability, access and quality. Who is affected? 10.15 – 10.45 Tea/coffee break 10.45- 11.30 Sweetpotato and plantain background: Kwame Ogero and Aman Omondi characteristics, importance and gender division of labor and power relations in seed and crop production systems in humanitarian contexts. 11.30 – 12.00 Integrating the sweetpotato and plantain Srini Rajendran seed business into the humanitarian contexts 24 Plantain and Sweetpotato Seed Entrepreneurship in Humanitatian Settings Time Topic/activity Facilitator Planning plantain and sweetpotato seed Bonaventure Aman Omondi Kwame Ogero production (cropping season, seed Srini Rajendran production calendar, inputs, and related costs) in humanitarian contexts. 13.00 – 14.00 Lunch break 14.00 – 14.45 Gender responsive seed production Bonaventure Aman Omondi and Kwame technologies in humanitarian contexts Ogero • Macro-propagation for plantain • Rapid multiplication technique for sweetpotato • Triple S for sweetpotato 15.00 – 16.00 Practical training on rapid multiplication Bonaventure Aman Omondi, Kwame Ogero technologies and Patrick Kom 16.00 – 16.20 Tea/coffee break 16.20 – 16.45 End of day reflection: Bebel Nguepi How will I use the new skills and knowledge? What activities do I need to include in my follow up action plan? What is not yet clear for me? End of day 1 Day two: Tuesday 27 June 8.30 –10.00 Recap of Day 1: participants’ reflections Patrick Kom and Bebel Nguepi Gender responsive agronomic practices for Bonaventure Aman Omondi and Kwame plantain and sweetpotato seed production: Ogero site selection, land preparation, isolation distances, rotation, irrigation, gap filling, weeding, nutrient management in humanitarian contexts 10.00 – 10.30 Tea/coffee break 10.30 –13.00 Sweetpotato pests and diseases and their Kwame Ogero management in humanitarian contexts Plantain pests and diseases and their Bonaventure Aman Omondi management in humanitarian contexts Gender responsive principles for managing Srini Rajendran plantain and sweetpotato seed businesses in humanitarian contexts: • Introduction of the agribusiness training in humanitarian context 13.00 – 14.00 Lunch 14.00 – 16.00 Practical training on pests and diseases Bonaventure Aman Omondi Kwame Ogero and Patrick Kom 16.00 – 16.30 Tea/Coffee break and end of day reflections End of day 2 Day three: Wednesday 28 June 8.30 –10.00 Recap of day 2: participants’ reflections Victorine Fornkwa & Bebel Nguepi Business, Family and Gender Srini Rajendran • Gender in Business and Enterprise • The Enterprise and Individual Plantain and Sweetpotato Seed Entrepreneurship in Humanitatian Settings 25 Time Topic/activity Facilitator • The relation between business and family • The Enterprise and The Immediate Environment The Enterprise and The Community 10.00 – 10.30 Tea/coffee break 10.30 – 13.00 Marketing Srini Rajendran • Marketing vs market, market research, the marketing-mix, distribution, distribution channels and management, sales promotions, advertising, public relations, sales techniques 13.00 – 14.00 Lunch break 14.00 – 16.00 Costing and Pricing Srini Rajendran • Direct and indirect costs • Pricing and pricing strategies Business Game 16.00 – 16.20 Tea/Coffee break 16.20 – 16.50 Business Game 16.50 – 17.00 End of day reflections Bebel Nguepi Day four: Thursday 29 June 8.30 –10.00 Recap of day 3: participants’ reflections Aman Omondi and Bebel Nguepi Business planning theory Srini Rajendran • Steps in business planning • Business Canvas model • PEST analysis • Production and budget plan • Marketing plan 10.00 – 10.30 Tea/coffee break 10.30 –13.00 Business planning theory (cont.) and Srini Rajendran Practical business planning 13.00 – 14.00 Lunch break 14.00 – 16.00 Record keeping Srini Rajendran 16.00 – 16.30 Tea/Coffee break and end of day Bebel Nguepi reflections End of day 4 Day five: Friday 30 June 8.30 – 8.45 Recap of day 4 Patrick Kom and Srini Rajendran 8.45 – 10.00 Preparation of Action Plan and next steps Bebel Nguepi and Victorine Fornkwa including: a) Establishing demo plots and cascading the training. b) Joint monitoring and learning plan (key indicators, WhatsApp group) c) Virtual technical drop in and peer to peer sessions 10.00 – 10.30 Tea/Coffee break 26 Plantain and Sweetpotato Seed Entrepreneurship in Humanitatian Settings Time Topic/activity Facilitator 10.30 – 13.00 Presentation and review of Action Plans Bebel Nguepi and Victorine Fornkwa Srini Rajendran Post-training assessment Bebel Nguepi Participants’ evaluation 13.00 – 14.00 Lunch break 14.00 – 15.00 Planning for communication activities and Alain Ngono and Victorine Fornkwa group photos Distribution of planting materials and training resources Recap of next steps and close of training Kwame Ogero and Srini Rajendran Departure Saturday July 1st Annex 2. List of participants N0 Name Organization Email 1 Ndougue Eveline MINADER ndougueeveline@gmail.com 2 Abbo Aminou MINADER aminouabbo@yahoo.fr 3 Fondzemo victor Verla MINADER solarvictor76@gmail.com 4 Makoundjou Mbah Ruth CPF ruthmakoundjou@yahoo.com 5 Kodji Koda Edwige SCOOPS DJORO-NOVA kodjikodaedwige@gmail.com 6 Ngong Noah IRAD ngongnoah61@gmail.com 8 Martin Koue SCOOPS DJORO-NOVA martinkoue456@gmail.com 9 Sikeh Japhet MINADER japhetsike@yahoo.com 10 Kola Job INTERSOS kolabaya@yahoo.fr 11 Ojong Agbor IRAD klexiojong@yahoo.com 12 Siiri Emilia MINADER emilia.siri@yahoo.com 13 Kom Patrick CPF kompatrick@gmail.com 14 Palai Roland INTERSOS ct.secal.kousseri.cameroun@intersos.org 15 Mbuen Vera IRAD vmbuen@gmail.com 16 Bah Olivier RCA baholivierkeming@gmail.com 17 Levai Lewis IRAD d oolevai@yahoo.co.uk 18 Ngoteh Ndimanjeh IDP 19 Membong Epie MINADER membongepieo@gmail.com 20 Nche Nkyimbeng Nascent Solutions inc. cnche@nascents.org 21 Fouozong Mireille RCA fouozongmireille@gmail.com 22 Tatah Karen Nascent solutions karen19jai89@gmail.com Plantain and Sweetpotato Seed Entrepreneurship in Humanitatian Settings 27 Annex 3. Action plan template ACTION PLAN Link to participants’ action plans here Establishment of varietal demo plot, rapid multiplication plot, cascading seed production training Name of the organization: Name of the representatives: Activity Timeline Materials Resources Responsibility Success required indicators De-brief organization management on course and action plan Annex 4. Layout of demo plots 28 Plantain and Sweetpotato Seed Entrepreneurship in Humanitatian Settings Plantain and Sweetpotato Seed Entrepreneurship in Humanitatian Settings 29