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Background
The Agro-Inputs Project (AIP), funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by CNFA, aims to increase smallholder production and productivity in order to reduce rural poverty and improve food security in the southern delta of Bangladesh. CNFA's approach to AIP will result in the creation of a sustainable Agro Input Retailers Network (AIRN), which will deliver training, improved inputs and related services to an expanding network of input retailers and smallholders.
AIP will establish an AIRN with 3,000 certified retailers in 20 districts that Feed the Future works. These retailers will supply improved agricultural inputs to over 1 million farmers. Over the life of the project, the certified retailers will generate more than $ 100 million in sale.Thus, AIP wants to improve the capacity of agricultural inputs retailers and wholesalers; AIP will provide an array of training focused on business management, safe and responsible use of agricultural input products, agronomic practices, and business ethics. This will ultimately enable AIRN retailers to provide high-quality embedded services to their customers, and thereby increase the safe, responsible use of quality agricultural input products in project areas.
Tasks
The role of the "Sub–recipient", GMark Consulting Limited, that are in practice as follows:
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Conduct training needs assessment (TNA) of retailers at upazila & district level,
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Retailers’ training module development,
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Training conduct/delivery and,
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Documentation of lesson learned from the training modification of retailer training module & report writing (documentation of the lesson learnt from the training process and modification/fine tuning of the module if necessary).
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Specific tasks are:
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GMark will assess the specific knowledge gaps of the retailers, particularly to business management and high value nutritious crops.
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GMark will capture the knowledge gaps of the agro-input wholesalers/distributors/retailers, who are a part of the supply chain of input companies or members of the Bangladesh Seed Association (BSA), the Bangladesh Fertilizer Association (BFA), and the Bangladesh Crop Protection Association (BCPA).
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GMark will train to both women retailers and male retailers. Focus areas of training are agri-business management, agronomic practices and safe use of agro inputs and a high value crops for nutrition improvement.
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The training will cover 40 batches (20-25 retailers in each batch) in the 122 upazila under 20 FTF districts.
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