The ballooning world population requires an increase of 70% on food production to feed 5.2 billion people in the continent and 9.2 billion in the world by 2050, according to Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Food production and supply in crops, livestock, and aquamarine sectors are hindered by the loss of farmland to urbanization, shifting weather caused by climate change, deforestation, and low-end technologies.
Coincidentally, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are significant players in the agrifood sector who can manage food production. Providing assistance to the agribusiness sectors may potentially result in developing globalization on food and agriculture.
Looking into this possibility, the Asian Productivity Organization (APO), in cooperation with Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), is offering the “Self-Learning e-Course on Agribusiness Management,” a free course that provides advance training in agribusiness management.
The course targets chief executive officers (CEOs), managers, and officers of agribusiness companies including SMEs, government officials, and non-government organizations (NGOs); academics, extension officers, consultants, and other technical personnel engaged in planning, training, extension, and/or promotion of agribusiness.
The agribusiness sector involves farming and farming related activities, including production, processing, and distributing of goods. Among the objectives of this course are advanced understanding of frameworks and principles on agribusiness and Asian Agribusiness and its sustainable growth among the APO member countries. This uses a well-crafted approach to train students to critically assess their organization’s challenges, and make decisions rapidly because of the fast-paced environment.
The following are the prepared modules for the e-course: value chains in Asian Agribusiness; environment-friendly concepts in food value chains; agrifood innovation; strengthening PPPs in agribusiness; innovative finance for agribusiness development; managing entrepreneurial growth in agribusiness enterprise; engaging small Asian farmers and entrepreneurs for inclusive agribusiness value chain development; sustainability assessment for agribusiness SMEs, and final examinations. An APO e-certificate will be provided to qualified student who completed their self-learning e-modules, quizzes, and examination.
Advanced learning and effective use of the knowledge gathered in this e-course will benefit not just the domestic but global market.
Interested participants can register directly in the APO web portal at http://www.eapo-tokyo.org until December 2018; call the APO/DAP Secretariat at 631-2126, or e-mail Mr. Michael Del Mundo or Ms. Bonna Frias at