This plan aims at building Gender in Value Chain expertise to support organizations and programs to make value chain development gender sensitive.

From the experiences in the past years, AgriProFocus has learned that there is a general felt agreement amongst development organizations, and increasingly also amongst private sector actors, that gender sensitive value chain development contributes to better performing chains and benefits for men as well as women. The practical approach developed by AgriProFocus can be helpful for this. However, in most countries where AgriProFocus is active Gender in Value Chain expertise is lacking, there are very few experts combining gender expertise with knowledge and skills in value chain development.

This project plan aims at filling this gap by building national Gender in Value Chain expertise at large scale worldwide. The plan builds on the practical approach developed by AgriProFocus in the recent years. Key success factors AgriProFocus approach to gender inclusive value chain development are:
(1) A practical approach based on coaching and hands-on advice
(2) Resources in English, French and Spanish
(3) Region based (affordable) international experts

This plan builds on a strong track record of AgriProFocus and its members, notably with ICCO, HIVOS and KIT, dating back to 2008. From experiences AgriProFocus has learned that there is a general felt agreement amongst development organizations, and increasingly also amongst private sector actors that we have to work towards gender sensitive value chain development. Including women in value chains contributes to better performing chains and benefits for men as well as women.

1 . Network coordination/ pooling of resources/ contributing partners:
(A) Roll-out the AgriProFocus approach for GVC coaching , with special attention for: marketing and �branding� of the AgriProFocus GVC coaching approach; value propositions to potential clients (organizations and programs); the development of a business model for rolling out this approach
(B) Funding secured for program activities emphasizing: the strategic elements of the program in line with the theory of change presented in this project plan; the creation of synergy of initiatives taken (and funded) by different AgriProFocus members

2 . Expertise development/ Training of coaches
(A) Scale up the training of coaches, together with MDF Africa
(B) Include the training of coaches to guide a sector analysis
(C) Network development of coaches
(D) Follow up training of coaches Central America

3 . Coaching tracks/Innovation communities
(A) (Follow-up) coaching tracks
(B) Identify opportunities for piloting the coffee toolkit (produced by Hivos, IDH and AgriProFocus) for Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda, as well as for Indonesia.

4 . Platform for learning
(A) AgriProFocus Web platform used for increased interactivity on GVC
(B) Promote what is happening on GVC in AgriProFocus network
(C) Build business Arguments for women inclusive / gender sensitive development (to start with in dairy, coffee, poultry)
(D) Promote and distribute the coffee toolkit and pilot the approaches and tools

5 . Knowledge development
(A) Development of easy and practical material to be used in training of coaches and by coachees in the field in combination with e-modules
(B) Further development of the coaching approach (e.g. to include Guided Sector Analyses)
(C) Develop M&E for coaching tracks (qualitative and quantitative) and capture results

Results In 2013-2015
Publication of resources (Both available in English, French and Spanish):
(1) Challenging Chains to Chains, 2012, AgriProFocus, Royal Tropical Institute, IIRR
(2) Gender in value chain toolkit, 2013, AgriProFocus
(3) Two students of Van Hall Larenstein wrote their Bachelor thesis in cooperation with AgriProFocus on gender and coffee and gender in dairy

Coaching trajectories have been carried out in: Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, Niger, Mali Benin, Zambia, Bolivia & Peru (with ICCO and Hivos) Kosovo (with Swiss Contact-GIZ-USAID). Watch the movie Gender Unchained to learn about the APF approach to GVC coaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7k_Hecyc_h0

Training of Gender in value chain coaches:
(1) 2013 in Arusha for 20 coaches from Africa, Asia and Latin America
(2) 2014 in Nicaragua for Hivos Latin America staff
Four international experts are available to support (starting) national coaches. Besides we have some experts familiar with the AgriProFocus GVC approach based in the Netherlands.

AgriProFocus explore possibilities of cooperation with MDF to develop a joint GVC Training of Coaches to be delivered tailor made as well as in open registration form. Alternatively we will look to involve (in addition) local training institutes.

Further development of the AgriProFocus Gender in Value Chains approach responds to a felt need. Developing it into a market sustained service would contribute to scaling up of the the approach, its sustainability and its impact.

In line with Market Systems Development Approaches like M4P, promoted by the Donor Committee on Economic Development (DCED) this project intends to develop a Market Trigger:
High quality gender in value chain services become available in the market
Clients buy these services

Only if AgriProFocus manages to get this business model working, we will achieve scaling up of a Genders sensitive approach to value chain development worldwide.

OBJECTIVES

Activities and outputs
Pooling of resources by AgriProFocus members and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs feeds:
(1) expertise development of national coaches;
(2) coaching tracks in the countries and other approaches (e.g. guided value chain development);
(3) development of material to be used in the coaching tracks by coaches and coachees.

Service level output
This is expected to lead to the availability of financially sustainable high quality GVC services worldwide. More specifically the project aims at the availability in the market place of skilled and knowledgeable national coaches providing high quality services, coaching trajectories and joint events, while making use of high quality approaches and material.

Outcome
This is expected to result in organizations (development organizations as well as private sector actors) implementing gender sensitive value chain development programs.

Impact
This is expected to contribute to the desired farmer outcome and sector level impact at a large scale and in a sustainable manner: better performing value chain of which man and women benefit equally, resulting in the reduction of poverty, gender equality and sustainable agricultural production.

TARGET GROUPS

The target group for this project is professionals that provide services in value chain development or are engaged in business consultancy, like:
(1) Value chain development specialists
(2) Gender or inclusiveness specialists
(3) Business development coaches