Read/Download Full Paper (pdf)

Scaling up production and marketing is a demanding task: it involves working with many more farmers and organizations, and undertaking different activities from a pilot project. The responsibilities for supplying inputs, providing extension services, managing production and marketing, quality control, etc., lie with different institutions. Cooperation and networking among stakeholders is vital for effective coordination and implementation. This case study demonstrates strategies for scaling up in the context of navy bean production in Ethiopia, and discusses both challenges encountered and lessons learned. This case is one in a series that describes how CRS and its partners work with farmer groups and other stakeholders to develop agroenterprises. CRS and its partners created the series to share what they learned from their experience, what new skills were developed, and what team members discovered in reviewing their approaches. The series draws from a range of value chains and across a range of countries; each one focuses on a particular stage in the agroenterprise development process. 

Principal Author: Legesse Dadi and Shane Lennon, 2009