2SCALE Thematic Papers Not By Technology and Money Alone | Page 9

1. Agricultural advisor:
New challenges for an
old profession
By Bernard
Dédjélénou,
trainer-mentor
and coordinator of
URP-AL, Benin
Key themes: Cluster relationships, Functional capacities
Soya-Benin PPP Summary
Soya bean processing
into various marketable
soya products is at the
heart of the partnerships.
The CTAE is an SME
connected to producers
to ensure reliable quality
soya beans. This story is about the author’s challenges advising the
soya partnership in Benin as a trainer-mentor. CTAE, the
soya processing company recognises the importance of
addressing quality challenges in order to get sustainable
markets. For that purpose, CTAE developed a direct
relationship with their supplying farmers’ organisations and
other local actors, thanks to cluster development. Building
strong relationships allowed for better coordination and
made capacity strengthening on issues such as quality
improvement and contracting easier.
Being a paid staff member of a producers’ organisation of-
ten presents new and formidable challenges to agribusiness
coaches. They are working very intimately with the produc-
ers, and the best way they can support them in thinking
strategically is to keep coming up with new ideas for action.
The coaches need to keep their eyes open to innovative op-
portunities that can shake them out of their old habits and
ways of thinking – which can also mean having to extend
their roles and terms of reference. This was the case for me
over the last four years as I have needed to extend my job
into new directions. From being a purely technical advisor I
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learned my way into my new position of facilitator and then
of trainer-mentor for 2SCALE. How did this evolution come
about, all the while staying committed to the farmers? And,
how is it that soya came to be a treasure for the producers
of the region? These questions are what my story is about…
Today, even the smallest child knows that the big challenge
is not to produce but to sell, and to sell well! But, sell what?
Cotton, the “white gold” that provides a living to many pro-
ducers in other rural areas of West Africa, generating state
revenue as well as jobs - can somehow not be produced in