Worldwide, farmers are increasingly confronted with global challenges. These challenges include climate change, pressure on food prices, political and societal sensitivities, and so on. More than ever, farmers have to play various roles: business people, HR managers, marketeers and entrepreneurs. The new MOOC: "Sustainable Business Models: Guidance for Future Farmers" aims to support farmers in dealing with challenges and inspires especially young people in creating future-proof agribusiness.
The MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) is a free online course created by the KU Leuven Division of Bioeconomics in collaboration with ILVO, Rikolto, Fachhochschule Südwestfalen and Odisee.
While there is no one-size-fits-all answer to these challenges, this free online course aspires to give insights into the development of future-proof business models. The second run of the MOOC titled “Sustainable Business Models: Guidance for Future Farmers”, will be available on the EdX platform from the 18 of April 2022 onwards.
In this MOOC, you will meet Jimson J. Kivuyo from Tanzania. He is one of the young entrepreneurs involved in Rikolto´s Generation Food project in Arusha. Jimson runs the Kaizari farm, located at the foot of Mount Kijenge on the outskirts of Arusha.
You will also meet Solomon, a farmer member of Kuapa Kokoo, a cocoa farmer organisation in Ghana, partners of Rikolto. Kuapa Kokoo was created in 1993 to strengthen the position of farmers in the Fairtrade cocoa industry.
Solomon will take you through his experience dealing with supplier power, buyer power, threat of new entrants and threat of substitutes.
By registering with the course, you will learn from young people such as Jimson and older people such as Solomon, their successes, setbacks, lessons learned and how they use them to build a sustainable viable business.
Watch the trailer and dive into the experience!
The course will also look at the local and global supportive environments and learn to develop an appropriate business strategy. Moreover, the participants will reflect on the added value that products and services offer to a target group or customer segment. Finally, at the end of the course, they will bring everything together in the ‘Business Model Canvas’.
The MOOC visits different farms from all around the world, thereby looking into successful business models and marketing frameworks in the agri-food sector.
This MOOC was made in collaboration with the following partners and projects:
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