University-Industry Linkage and Entrepreneurship Development Directorate of Haramaya University in collaboration with Entrepreneurship Development Center (EDC)-Ethiopia delivered Business Development Service (BDS) training to 25 farmers invited from different districts of Eastern Hararaghe Zone.
The training was delivered by professionals from EDC-Ethiopia and Haramaya University.
According to Dr. Mitiku Eshetu, Director for University-Industry Linkage and Entrepreneurship Development (UILED), these farmers had taken entrepreneurship training workshop and this round they took a training which is continuation of the previous training.
According to the Director, the current BSD training has different training parts in which the famers acquire knowledge and skill about business plans, agricultural products marketing, human resource development and management, and financial planning and management.
He added that the training is practice-oriented planned to solve farmers’ business bottlenecks such as lack of financial transaction record keeping, financial liquidity, lack of know how about financial management and cash flow.
Dr. Mitiku addressed the participants of the training to give due attention to the training as the training is meant to promote agricultural transformation through the concept of farming as a business.
Mostly farming is done to feed that farming household, but it should be seen as a business that can be done by applying personal entrepreneurship competencies as well as BDS, it was indicated.
BDS teaches about the importance of business plan which include market analysis, customer analysis, financial planning and management, human resource management and development, and application of financial record keeping to monitor and control profitability of agricultural business, it was highlighted.
Trained farmers were also advised to share what they acquired in this training to their families, neighbors, kebeles and district farmers so that others could learn and multiply the concept of BDS.
Finally, the participants of the training gave their feedback by emphasizing the role of Haramaya University to bring tangible economic development to their agricultural business and they requested the University to continue such trainings and consultancy services while applying knowledge and skill they acquired from this training.
Moreover, the farmers appreciated and praised the University and EDC-Ethiopia for such game changing training.”If I had received this training 10 years ago, I would have been at higher level as an investor,” one of the trainees said.
It was stressed during the occasion that this training can bring breakthrough in agricultural business development and in transforming the agricultural sector of the country from subsistence oriented to business oriented agricultural activity.