In this regional course given in South Africa, professionals in the field of rural economic development will increase their knowledge, improve their skills and enlarge their toolkit in a highly interactive course. You will bring in your own case and design an intervention strategy to take home. We use an adapted economic model to analyse the competitive advantage of local sub-sectors. And how to make use of that advantage through targeted interventions aimed at agribusiness cluster development, focussing on the role of local communities and youth.
What will you learn?
Upon completion of the course you will:
- Have a good understanding of conceptual frameworks to identify development opportunities for rural communities and spin-offs for rural wealth creation;
- Having gained a better understanding of the linkages livelihood strategies, the role of agribusiness development and effective services delivery, and the potential of rural markets, local trade and value chains to ‘work for the poor’;
- Be able to facilitate participatory approaches and methodologies for innovation and change processes;
- Be able to apply tools and instruments for strategic and effective interventions catalysing processes that boost rural economies.
Course programme in more detail
Market demand and agribusiness clusters are considered to be important vehicles for poverty reduction, attaining food security and creating rural wealth. The focus tends to be on high-end markets and international trade. However, for most smallholder producers, local entrepreneurs and poor consumers, rural economies and the dynamics of rural fresh produce markets & local trade are far more important!
How to register:
For who is this course?
This regional course is designed for mid-career professionals of government departments, non-governmental and civil society organisations, business associations, development agencies, universities and colleges for higher education, and for other professionals working in the domain of market-driven local economic development. Proficiency in English is required.
To register, please visit the following link.
The Application Procedure
- Register for the course of your interest by clicking the ‘apply’ button on the webpage of this course. A registration form will open;
- Fill in the required fields of the registration form. Please note to write your date of birth without a zero (e.g. 1-5-1980 instead of 01-05-1980);
- Before you submit, check your details on the final page of the registration form;
- After submitting, you will receive a confirmation email. Make sure to directly click on the link in the email to confirm your registration. Without your confirmation, your registration cannot be processed;
- If you apply as an OKP or MSP-scholarship candidate, you will receive a registration letter for the scholarship at the beginning of the scholarship cycle.
- If you apply as a self-funded participant: we will forward your request for acceptance to the course leader. This can take some time as it depends on the coordinators' schedule (1-3 weeks);
- If you’re accepted into the course programme, we’ll send you an admission letter by e-mail;
- You receive all required travel documents from us after you are selected for the scholarship (OKP/MSP-scholarship candidates) or when we’ve received your payment (self-funded participant).
Technology Requirements Online Learning
Minimum technical and software requirements for online learning courses are:
- Stable internet connection: required to access the online learning platform and assignments (at least 3G mobile network).
- Hardware requirement: acces to a laptop, smartphone, tablet or a personal computer with webcam and microphone.