The document outlines the 7 steps (7S) of linking farmers to markets through capacity building. It discusses setting up marketing groups, selecting suitable products, conducting market surveys and analysis, and developing business plans. The key steps involve identifying market opportunities, organizing farmers into groups, collecting market and production information, analyzing costs and profits, and developing business plans to guide the agricultural enterprises. The overall goal is to help farmers adopt a business orientation and improve their market linkages and incomes through collective marketing approaches.

1. Seven Steps (7 S) of Marketing
Caritas Mongu and Partners
July,2016
DouglasMwasi
&
DavidMunthali
1

2. Step 0.1: CRS (Catholic Relief Services)
• NGO working with implementing partner Caritas Mongu or Mongu Diocese
• Implementing FAME Project: Farmers Advance through Market Engagement. Objective
– Promoting food security
– Linkages to markets
– Capacity development (Skills transfer)
• Capacity development (Skills transfer)
• SMART Skill Sets
– 5 Skills sets
2

3. Step 0.2: CRS Skills for MarketingAnd RuralTransformation
(SMART) Skills
• ..MaterialsSummary Skill Sets.pdf
3

4. Step 0.3: Skills Roll-out
• Stratification for rolling out of 7 S
– 1st level: Partner staff to LEAs (Livelihood Extension Agents) or Field Agents (FA)
– 2nd level: LEAs/ FA to Marketing Groups (MG) based in the community
• Intermediate beneficiaries (LEAs/ Field Agents) have undergone Marketing Basics. A Skill set
that focuses on the theory of marketing
• Having completed Marketing basics, the Field Agent (FA) will work with the community
(ultimate beneficiary) to role out the practical side of 7S
4
District F /Supervisors Field Agents/LEAs M/Groups
Nalolo 11 3 0
Mongu 8 5
Limulunga 4 4

5. 5
Step0.4:Objective:work withfarmerstobuildtheirMarketingandBusinessskillsin
ordertosucceed
5

6. Step 0.5: Training Outputs
Methods/ guides will help a Field Agent to:
• Provide farmers with a clear understanding of markets and marketing
• Identify products with market opportunities
• Conduct a basic market survey to determine demand for specific products
• Write a business plan and an implementation plan
• Collectively sell produce to an identified buyer
• Use results from one season to improve marketing activities in subsequent
seasons
• Trainers have confidence to replicate the Skill Set
6

7. Step 0.6: Seven steps (7S) in linking farmers to markets
7

8. Step 0.7: Focus Steps
Primary Focus Steps for this situation (case for Mongu):
• Step 2: Identify products and organizing groups
• Step 3: Collecting information for a business plan
• Step 4: Building a business plan
• Step 5: Marketing as a group
Secondary Focus Steps
• Step 1: Getting organized
• Step 6: Reviewing agro enterprise performance
• Step 7: Scaling up
8

9. Step 1.1: The agro-enterprise process: The 7 S
9
1 Getting
organized 2 Identify
products and
organizing
groups
3 Collecting
information for
the business
plan
4 Building a business plan
5 Marketing as a group
6 Reviewing
agroenterprise
performance
7 Scaling up

10. Step 1.1.1 Developing a new mind set: Business oriented mind
• Need to have a marketing and business approach, away from increasing production
• Aim to increase incomes. Thus need to think not only about yields but cost, income, and profit
• In order to succeed, get everyone to work in the same direction: have a new and same business
oriented mind set
• This requires discipline in making and implementing a business plan
10

11. Step1.2Developinga new mindset:Differencebetweenproductionandmarketbased
strategies
Production strategy Market-based strategy
Primary focus Increase production to meet
household food needs
Grow and sell products with an identified market
demand
Business outlook Sell surplus production to
opportunistic buyers
Aim to make a profit. Farmers produce to supply
identified buyers at a profit
Farmers’ group
formation
Farmers form group to learn new
technologies (e.g., as part of a
farmer field school)
Farmers’ group sets targets for production, sales
and profit. They work together to increase
productivity and incomes through collective
marketing
Targets Production levels based on new
technology (such as improved
seed)
Farmers set production and sales targets as part
of the business plan and do profit analysis
Collective action Evaluation of new technologies Focus on collective marketing
Technologies and asset
transfers, (seed,
fertilizer, agro-
chemicals,
Typically provided free to
farmers to boost production
All transfers come with a plan. Inputs paid by
farmers. If subsidies used, project should move to
co-investment and full payment, using lenders
Microfinance Not usually included Includes use of savings and of loans from group
or financial institutions to pay for input supplies
11

12. Step1.3Decidingwheretostarttheagroenterprise:Choosinganentrypoint
1. Production and NRM
2. Savings and Loans
3. Pre-selected commodity
4. Pilot testing
5. Support to farmers already in groups
6. Existing buyer or contract farming
7. Support for business
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Entry point Situation and focus
1 Production and
natural resource
management
Critical natural resource management
upgrading or production improvement
2 Start with savings
and loans
Help farmers to learn basic skills in group
formation, savings and internal loans.
Start agroenterprise after one year of
financial training
3 Pre-selected
commodity
Product and market are already selected.
Focus is on helping farmers organize and
plan how to market this product
4 Pilot testing Pilot testing of a marketing process. Scale
and investment are limited in first season
as learning exercise
5 Farmers already in
groups
Farmers have limited market experience.
Focus is on improving their market
linkages or identifying new products or
markets
6 Existing buyer or
contract farming
Existing buyer or contract arrangement
drives the value chain. Focus on
supplying the product in a competitive
way
7 Support for
business services
Weak business services are main
constraint. Focus is on strengthening
these services and helping farmers access
them

13. Step 2.1: Identifying products and organizing groups
• Link this decision making process to Choosing an Entry Point
• Commodity selection can be donor driven or community driven
• Pre-selected Commodity
– The decision has already been made: the project designers have decided to promote one particular product
– If so, you can start identifying farmers in the community who are interested in growing the product, and help them
form groups to improve their production and marketing
• But what if the product has not yet been chosen?
You need to help farmers form groups and learn how to identify market opportunities.
13

14. Step 2.2 Product selection criteria
When choosing an agricultural commodity, Consider:
• Has a good market:
• Price is favorable
• Cost of production
• Production Knowledge
• Food security crop and market cash crop
• Labour demands
• Number of farmers growing product: easy to bulk
• Favorable Weather
• Duration of production (harvesting)
• Gender aspects
• Risks associated with production and marketing
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15. Step 2.3 Product selection criteria: Sourcesofinputtoproductselection
• Farming community need to seek ideas from other actors in the commodity/ value chain:
– Agricultural extension staff
– Other government staff/ offices/ departments: Meteorological, Community Development, local government/
council and
– Service providers such as input suppliers, banks, NGOs and other development actors.
• They may be able to provide information and insights into opportunities and challenges in the
identified value chain
• Need information from the supply side (farmers) and from the demand side (market)
• Do a practical: visit a farming community and visit the market to collect information that will help
in decision making with regards to product selection
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16. Step 2.4: Product market risks
Existing product New product
Existing market
1 Market penetration
lowest risk
2 Product development
medium risk
New market
3 Market development
medium risk
4 Diversification
high risk
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17. Step 2.5: Working with farmergroups: Buildingonexistinggroups
Several groups are present in a farming community
• Farmer Field Schools (Community of Practice)
• Women’s group
• Youth groups
• Savings and Lending (SILC) groups
• Producer groups
• Marketing groups
• Cooperatives
17

18. Step 2.6 Marketing groups (MG) – produceasindividualsbutsellcollectively
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Category Things to check for
Group size 15–30 members
Members Self-selected
Similar backgrounds
Vision Clear business goals
Strong unity of purpose
Strong sense of ownership
Leadership Elected positions
Regular elections
Members evaluate performance
Meetings and records Regular meetings
Decisions documented
Financial records in order
Bylaws Rules clear and agreed
Rules enforced
Constitution Written constitution
Business plan Business plan prepared
Business plan followed
Review at end of production cycle
Plan adjusted as needed
Internal savings and lending Scheme established
Savings generated
Loans disbursed
Loans being repaid
Relationship with support agency Clear understanding of relationship
Regular meetings
Trust established

19. Step 2.7 Engaging with marketing groups
• Depending on the entry point and level of engagement with marketing groups, need the
following:
• Organize the group
– Introduce the concept/ idea of marketing : Distinguish it from production concept –as earlier
– Develop the selection criteria of members
– Develop visioning approach to held the MG
– Develop rules that will govern the operations of the MG (constitution)
• Facilitate Registration of the MG
– Assist the MG to register with the relevant authorities Ministry of Agriculture or Commerce or Com Dev?
• Develop a Plan the work with the group
• Design a curriculum
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20. Step 2.7.1 Characteristics of groups
• A group should have between 15 and 30 members – and never fewer than 10 members.
• But more farmers may want to join, and larger numbers may only be needed to fulfill larger
market requirements
• Transparent and open to all community members. The members should select themselves, not
be appointed or forced to join
• The members should establish a clear, shared idea and Vision about the purpose of the group,
what they expect to gain from it, and what they want to achieve within a certain timeframe
• By laws
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21. Step 2.7.2 Characteristics of groups
• Leadership: Elected positions
• The group should have a written constitution
• The group should develop a basic business plan.
• A system where members save money into a common
• Relationship with support agency (BDS)
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22. Step 2.7.3 Challenges with group
In addition, groups may fail for many reasons. Some examples of group problems include:
• Highly dispersed population: people cannot meet to share ideas and plan or invest in an effective
manner. Produce Bulking challenge for marketing (low volumes)
• Poor governance: weak rules, poor leadership, lack of record keeping, mismanagement of funds
• Inequalities: Dominance by the rich and powerful, or by a particular tribe or ethnic group
• High market access: where farmers do not need to bulk their products in order to access the
market e.g. open market
• Low barriers to entry within a specific market, for example farmers are all near to the market and
can easily get there to sell their produce, so forming a group to sell produce confers no real
income gains.
• Idea is to work towards addressing these challenges. How?
22

23. Step 3.0 Collecting information for the business plan
Key Points
• Review the production needs of selected product (s)
• Undertake a market survey
• Evaluate essential business service availability and costs
• Discussed credit terms with lenders
• Discuss agroenterprise (Value chains) options with farmers
• Select a product to invest in as part of your agroenterprise project
23

24. Step 3.1 MarketAnalysis & Market maps
• At the beginning of the project, make a list of the products and units used in the local area
• Decide which units and measures to use: Kg, Tins, 50kgs bags
• Guide farmers to prepare a market map for their products
o A diagram showing information about where a product is produced, processed and sold
o Find out what the farmers’ knowledge about their market
o Help the farmers understand how the value chain works
o Use market map to plan their market survey
o What information from the map can feed into the business plan
• Guide farmers to conduct a market survey
• Help farmers analyze the information from a market survey
24

25. Step 3.2 Market Survey
The market survey aims to gather information about the actual and potential markets for the
farmers’ products. It aims to answer three main questions:
-What is the demand for the products that the farmers are interested in?
-What are the buying conditions for these products?
-What other products are in high demand or scarce supply?
• The best way to answer these questions is to visit one or more markets
• Field Visit to be arranged:
-Preparations
-Type of information to be collected
-Analyzing the information collected and Reporting back
• Example of a questionnaire for a market survey.docx
25

26. Step 3.3Analyzing production
After this lesson you will be able to:
•Describe possible ways to improve production of a crop or livestock product.
•Help farmers to choose a set of production technologies
• Possible ways to increase productivity and sales prices of crops and livestock.docx
26

27. Step 3.4 Fostering Business Services (BDS)
• These include a range of services: input supplies, market information, transport, financial
services etc.
• Without them, the farmers would not be able to produce and market their products.
• Build demand for business services. Link farmers to the providers of services they need
27

28. Step 3.5 Tools for FinancialAnalysis: Cost and income
• It is vital for any business to keep track of costs and income.
• In order to make good decisions, business managers (farmers) have to know how much material
and labor cost, how much money comes in, and how much profit to expect.
• This information will enable the farmers to put together a viable business plan
• Gathering information on costs of the enterprise: Fixed and variable costs
o Production cost
o Marketing costs
o Labour costs
o Service fees (PSP, Vet. brokers)
• Income:
o Amount of the product the farmer expects to produce and sell.
o Price the farmer expects to get for selling the product.
o Multiply these together to get the total income
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29. Step 3.6 Calculating Cost, Income and Profit
• Calculate the costs of producing and marketing a particular product
• This helps to decide whether it is economical (makes profit) to produce this product or not
• Itemize all the materials needed to produce the product (inputs): Production Costs
• Itemize all the costs that will be needed for the product to be marketed: Marketing Cost
Total costs = Production costs + Marketing cost
• Calculate Income: how much of the product will be sold and at what price they will be sold
Total Income = Quantity x Unit Price
• Determine the profitability level of the enterprise
Profit = Total Income – Total Costs
29

30. Step 3.7 Choosing anAgro enterprise
• What product should they produce?
• Fundamental criteria
– Is there a good demand in the market for the product?
– Do we have resources: the land, soil and water resources without degrading these resources?
– Access to the inputs, the technical and business support and financial resources
– Will we cover all our costs and make a profit?
• If answer is Yes to all: then an agroenterprise is economically viable and sustainable.
• Additional Criteria
– Purpose: Food security or market
– External hazards (flood and drought)
– Cultural appropriateness
– Risks: new products, new markets
– Policies and incentives
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31. Step 4.0 : Building a Business Plan
• The farmers need to draw on the various pieces of information they have already collected and
the analysis thus far
Target is to:
• Help the farmers’ group understand why they should develop a business plan
• Help the group write a business plan
• Help the group to plan detailed activities for the production cycle.
31

32. Step 4.1 Tools for Business Planning (BP)
• The business plan provides a guide for the direction of the enterprise. It reminds the farmers
and others of the enterprise’s goals and directions. It is one of group’s key tools in managing its
activities.
• A business plan is a document about an enterprise’s future. It describes the enterprise, what it
produces and how it produces them, how it markets its products, the risks its faces and how to
deal with them, and its financial situation and financing needs.
32

33. Step 4.2 Components of a Business Plan
33

34. Step 4.3 Components of a BP
• A typical business plan consists of three parts, each with several subsections:
• Part 1: An outline of the business
1. Introduction
2. Business organization
3. Product
4. Marketing strategy
5. Risks
6. Business operation plan
34

35. Step 4.4 Components of a BP
Part 2: Financial data and analysis
7. Marketing costs
8. Income streams
9. Profit and loss analysis
• Part 3: A loan analysis (if the group wants to borrow money)
10. Financial requirements
• A typical plan for a farmers’ group is about 5-10 pages long, but plans can be 2-3 pages up to
50 pages depending on the need.
• Business plan.docx
35

36. Step 4.5 Why write a business plan?
• To guide the enterprise over the long term
• To facilitate common understanding and agreement of the enterprise
• Improve organization and decision making
• Measure performance of the enterprise
• To “sell” the enterprise: Marketing tool
• To convince lenders and or donors (Funders): Funding tool
• To guide implementation
36

37. Step 4.6 Pathway analysis for production and marketing
• Pathway analysis helps the farmers think through the specifics of how to get from their current
situation to their desired goal in production and marketing.
• The “pathway” is the route from “where we are now,” through a series of improvements, to
“where we want to be.”
37

38. Step 4.7 The Business Canvas
• Way of visualizing component parts of a business plan and how each part of the business plan
fits together
38

39. Step 4.8.1 Components of a business canvas
1. Customers. These are the buyers or customers of the product – such as traders or
consumers. For most products there is more than one type of customer. For example,
a supermarket market may buy the highest-grade output but the lower grades will
have to be sold in a local wholesale market, lowest quality used to feed animals.
2. Value proposition (product): This is a statement that clearly and concisely describes
the unique value of a firm or group’s products and services. It states the firm / group’s
core objectives, which sets it apart from the competition. In most cases the value
proposition will focus on a specific product or service that the farmers plan to
produce or sell – for example products may include things like maize or milk, and a
service may include drying and cleaning facilities or contract spraying.
3. Channels. These are how the group plans to deliver the product to the buyer – for
example by having members deliver to a village collection center ready for pick-up. (In
the Four Ps model (Lesson 9 in the Marketing Basics module), this corresponds to
Place.)
4. Customer relationships. These are how the group plans to identify buyers and create
and maintains relationships with them. (In the Four Ps model, this corresponds to
Promotion.)
39

40. Step 4.8.2 Components of a business canvas- cont’d
40
1. Income. This is the money the group earns from selling the product.
2. Key resources. These are the inputs and resources the group uses to produce the
product – including land, equipment, seed, fertilizer and labor, as well as the group’s
internal organization.
3. Key activities. These are the activities the group plans to do to produce the product –
such as planting, crop management, harvesting and drying.
4. Business services and partners. They are the services and partners that the group
uses to produce and market its product, such as input suppliers, the agricultural
extension service, and a microfinance institution.
5. Costs. These are the costs that the group incurs in order to produce and market the
product.

41. Step 4.8.3 Example of business canvas
41

42. Step 4.8. 4 Putting the business plan into effect
• Develop an implementation plan: putting the plan into practice
– People (who) should implement
– What (activity) to be done
– Time (when)
• Use the business plan to borrow money: Submit to potential funders of the enterprise
• Use the business plan to gather support from business services: BDS providers
• Revise the business plan accordingly
42

43. Step 5.0 Marketing as a group (MG)
• As part of their business plan, farmers will have decided to produce a certain amount of product
for a specific market. This step describes how the farmers should organize themselves to market
this product
• Elements of group marketing to be attended to
– Agreeing on a process to sell collectively
– Agreeing on a marketing strategy
– Identify possible storage sites
– Transport issues to be addressed
– Understand the advantages and disadvantages of collective marketing
– Gain agreement on how the produce will be bulked, sold and how revenue from the sale will be shared
43

44. 5.1Advantages of collective marketing
• Bigger volumes: Farmers can pool their output (this is called bulking) so traders can buy more at
the same time and can fill up their vehicles or stores more easily= Economies of Scale
• Uniform quality: Need for cleaning, sorting and grading the product
• Consistent supply: In case of a calamity on a single farmer, others may be able to make up
thereby maintaining the supply
• Consistent/ Reliable buyers: assured of supply
• Organization:
– Marketing collectively means that farmers have to get organized.
– Group members able to learn & improve the quality of their produce
– Able to set up savings-and-credit arrangements, buy bulk inputs
– Able to form committees: Specialization e.g. marketing committee, finance committee
44

45. 5.2 Variations to Group marketing
• The group may undertake additional tasks, such as storage, cleaning, drying, sorting, grading and
packaging.
• It may appoint members to handle specific tasks. For example, a store manager may handle the
weighing and record-keeping.
• If the group has capital, it may pay the farmers in part or in full immediately when they deliver
the product. The buyer (or a bank) may give the group a short-term loan to make this possible.
• If the deal is made before the season begins, the production manager can coordinate how much
each farmer plants and the timing of planting and harvesting, better planning.
• The group may accept deliveries from non-members in order to increase the amount that it has
to sell.
45

46. 5.3 Cost of Marketing
• The cost may include:
– The marketing team’s or committee members’ time (they could be earning money doing something else)
– Cleaning, grading and sorting
– Packaging and labeling
– Storage, loading and transport
– Communications and travel.
• The group should understand and approve these costs beforehand. The costs should be
covered by deducting a small amount for each kilogram or bag of produce sold.
46

47. 5.4. Finding a buyer
• It’s a good idea to identify and reach an agreement with a specific buyer for the product
beforehand – even before the farmers have planted the crop. That gives the farmers a degree of
certainty that they will be able to sell the crop – so makes them willing to invest in growing it. It
also gives the buyer some certainty that there will indeed be a crop to buy
• Make sure the buyer is reliable and trustworthy
• In some cases, farmers will need to identify more than one buyer, this is because, the buyer who
offers the best price, may have specific buying conditions, like size, quality, timing, packaging
47

48. 5.5.1 Negotiating with buyers
• Agreed fixed price:
– Fixing a price reduces the risk for both farmers and the buyer and this can be very useful for year round supplies
– But there are dangers: if the market price at harvest time is higher than the agreed level, individual farmers may be tempted to
side-sell to other buyers. Buyers can also do the same
• Auction:
– The farmers may deliver their product to an auction, where potential buyers compete to buy it.
• Reliable buyer
– Develop a relationship with a reliable buyer so that able to negotiate on the terms
• Pre-arranged Sale
– The group may agree to sell to a particular buyer before the harvest, at whatever the market price is at harvest time.
• Contract farming:
– The buyer signs a contract with a group of farmers to produce a certain product
– The buyer may provide loans for inputs, training, and guidance on how to grow the crop
48

49. 5.5.2 Things to negotiate with buyers
49

50. Step 5.6Agreements within the farmers’group
• Agreement to be made such as:
– Type of crop/ livestock
– Area (hectarage) to be covered
– Planting / harvesting time
– Expected quantity for sale
– Maintaining a consistent supply
– Post harvest handling
– Packaging
– Where to sell (buyer)
– Selling price
– Distribution of proceeds from sale of produce
50

51. Step 5.7 Types of market
Primary market Secondary market Tertiary market
51

52. 5.8 Problems with collective marketing
• Internal and external problems
• Social problems, emergencies:
– death of member, sickness resulting in sideselling and so reduced volumes by the group
• Repaying moneylenders.
– The farmer has borrowed from the local moneylender. But he owes so much that the moneylender takes his harvest
as repayment, and values it at a very low price. The farmer is not able to deliver the agreed amount to the group.
• It’s been a great year. Let’s spend
• Side-selling
• Bad weather
• Variable quality
• How to handle cots, loses and profits
52

53. Step 5.9.1 How do traders decide on prices?
• “The price is too low!” “The traders are cheating us!” common complaint from farmers
• But usually, a trader offers farmers a price based on the current price in the market, minus the
trader’s costs and profit margin.
• A trader calculates this price by :
53

54. Step 5.9.2 Factors affecting traders price to farmers
• Distance to collection centers
– The longer the distance, the lower the offer price due to increased transportation costs. Opt to deliver
• Quantity to be collected/ purchased
– The higher the volume the lower the cost: economies of scale
• Buyer’s market
– The lower the price the lower the buying price. Predetermined price from were the buyer sales the product
– The price effect is passed on to the farmer
• Seller’s market
– Farmers able to set higher price when product is scarce
54

55. Step 6: Reviewing agro-enterprise performance
• Framers get gross income after sale of produce. But is the agro-enterprise viable?
• Is the enterprise making enough money to cover all cost and remain with extra money or profit?
• There is need to look at how the enterprise performance. Indicator is PROFIT?
• Need to keep updated and accurate records of the group/ individual
• Compare target and actual production
– Ability to meet target production
• Compare target and actual sales volumes
– Ability to meet targeted sales volumes
• Review current year’s performance, documentation and plan for the next season
55

56. Step 7 Scaling up
• Scaling up: This means finding ways to extend the agro-enterprise approach
• Review the previous season’s experiences with the farmers’ groups.
• Help the farmers plan for the next season or production cycle.
• Explore ways to achieve a greater impact by scaling up the agro-enterprise approach
• Prepare to managing more groups in case of increased demand
• Training other facilitators/ Field Agents
• Working with second-order associations and cooperatives
• Working with buyers
• Promoting innovation
56

57. Next: Review of the process afterthree months
57