New project – new results. The project "Support to private agricultural sector in cooperation with colleges in Uzbekistan"

The project was launched in April 2009. The project is implemented by staff of “МВМ Guruhi” in partnership with Representative Office of dvv international.

The Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan declared the year 2009 the “Year of Rural Development and Improvement.” Undoubtedly, improvement of situation in rural areas, further gains in efficiency of the agricultural sector at this stage become especially important and topical. 

Currently, Uzbekistan has very few companies rendering consultation services to agricultural producers. Thus, this niche is relatively unoccupied. Farmers mainly obtain occasional support under various international projects and sometimes via government programs. There is no regular consultation agency able to render services with regard to economic, export, financial, legal and other issues to farmers. 

The project aims to train teams of trainers at seven vocational colleges to promote farming development.  

Objectives of stage one:

• Training of teachers – business trainers at three colleges. 

Objectives of stage two:

• Co-training of the trained trainers at four new colleges. 

Objectives of stage three:

• Coaching of the trained trainers at seven colleges during organization and carrying out of the “Summer School for Farmers.”  

To date, this project has trained three teams of business trainers: the first training aimed to upgrade them in methodology. To achieve this goal, the training of trainers (ToT) in “Interactive adult training techniques” was delivered in May.

Another training “Business planning for farms” pursued two primary goals: 

• Develop business planning skills;  

• Develop a program of three-day training in “Business planning” for farmers. 

This training was intense, animated and made use of interactive training methods. The training process was organized by the leading trainers of “МВМ Guruhi” so that participants had to take entrepreneurial decisions in specially tailored situations. It is the outcomes of such situations that promote acquisition of knowledge through feelings. 

The participants will use the obtained knowledge and skills when delivering training at the Summer School of Farmers, which is planned to be organized in three regions next winter.  

M.S. Kochkarova,

Project Coordinator 

Trainer-Consultant, “MBM Guruhi”