The marketing exercises in this Facilitator’s Guide began as a complement to the Conservation Agriculture (CA) promotion under the Scaling Up Conservation Agriculture (SUCA) project. Canadian Foodgrains Bank Members and Partners implemented this project from 2015-2020 with funding from Global Affairs Canada. SUCA staff promoted collective marketing as a means to enhance adoption of CA. Many Foodgrains Bank-funded projects continue to use this approach today.
The goal of the CA4Markets approach is to empower groups of farmers to be active sellers rather than passive “price-takers.” Marketing groups should make marketing decisions long before they plan to sell, in order to identify the best markets and to increase their net returns through increased sale volumes and quality of products. This Facilitator’s Guide will help marketing groups identify the best strategies to improve their market advantage.
Farmers should engage in learning activities and then capture their learning in a Planning Book.