Service providers(SPs) are individuals or organizations that deliver critical services to actors along the value chain. They may be public or private. companies, NGOs, or farmers’ organizations that offer a range of services such as dissemination of knowledge and skills on technologies, innovations and management practices; business development advisories; facilitation of market linkages, organizational management among others.
Ideally agricultural service providers should be equipped with knowledge and skills in various disciplines ranging from production & post-production management; entrepreneurial knowledge and business plan development; organizational development; marketing; coordination and advocacy; and value addition among others. However, this is not always the case as there is emerging evidence that both public and private service providers face limitations related to advancing their knowledge base in their respective areas of specialization.
The programme’s approach to increasing productivity is first to enhance the technical capacity of service providers on identified value chain opportunities in each of value chains after which the service providers will build the capacity of value chain actors (VCAs). In addition, the programme also supports adoption of innovations/ technologies and practices that are geared towards improving VC productivity.