Agribusiness Academy is an education provider offering a blended learning program designed for Food & Agriculture graduates and professionals. We are partnering with Agribusiness Academy on the TFF Digital Labs (our first-of-its-kind digital accelerator and collaboration platform), launching October 16th, which also happens to be World Food Day! Our partnership will see their expertise in agrifood topics available to the global TFF Community.

Together with the Business School Netherlands, Agribusiness Academy are now seeking Champions to join their Africa Cohort in September 2019. The program is a learning model designed to enhance the ability of African professionals and entrepreneurs by training certified food and agribusiness trainers. Read the interview with Dr. Vijayender Nalla, Co-founder and Managing Director at Agribusiness Academy, to learn more about the program and the 25 scholarships they are exclusively offering to the TFF Community.

The Agribusiness Academy is the leading learning program in the food and agribusiness space. Can you share with us more details about your program?

Sure! We offer a blended learning program which has been developed over a 5-year period with digital content from 35+ leading experts in the agribusiness industry and with feedback from 2000 learners from around the world. The program is a study towards the Food & Agribusiness Management in a Digital Age certificate program which creates Champion trainers who then deliver their knowledge to others. 

We just opened the sign ups for the Africa Cohort and call on everyone wanting to create an impact in the world through education and those with a passion for solving the world’s problems from the ground up by training in the Food & Agribusiness sector to make positive changes. Launching in September, experts will deliver the program in a mix of on-location interactive sessions, self-paced digital learning content and 1-to-1 coaching over the course of six months.

Do your participants need any previous experience in the food and agribusiness field?

Yes, usually our participants – we like to call them Champion trainers – are consultants, professionals working for the industry and faculty members with local networks and considerable work experience. We train them and develop them as a trainer so that they can personalize the learning content and engagement to suit the local context. 

Our current project of developing 500 Champions will at least train 10,000 graduates and professionals each year by 2023. While the direct impact is expected to be on employment and business competitiveness the real outcome we are after is the food & nutrition security for the continent.

You mentioned your 5-year track record in delivering high-quality learning. Which aspects do past Champion trainers value most in your program?

Our past Champion trainers really enjoy the personalization element which creates relevance to the local and individual context. Because we provide 80% of the learning elements digitally, we are able to provide access to the best and the most relevant expertise at the learners convenience. The digital approach and the localization of the delivery enables them to offer affordability (contributing to scale). Lastly, learners found the action learning approach helps to formulate and resolve their business dilemmas in the food and agribusiness which ultimately enables better employment and/or entrepreneurship outcomes.

Part of your content will be made freely available on the TFF Digital Labs. Can you give us a snapshot of what to expect of you on the Labs?

We are very excited to join the TFF Digital Labs as a content partner and make part of our modules freely available to empower your community with our expert knowledge. The modules will cover topics such as AI in Agriculture, Dynamics of Digital Ag, Demand Forecasting in Food and Agribusiness, focusing on practical skill-building. The thousands of ambitious next-gen entrepreneurs which go through the TFF programs will eventually have the chance to be coached by Agribusiness Academy’s Expert Champions to help facilitate their business and team development at different stages of their business. We look forward to the launch on October 16th to connect with the TFF Community on the Labs!

Are you interested in becoming a Champion trainer in the Agribusiness Academy Africa Cohort? Submit your application and mention TFF to secure one of 25 exclusive 50% scholarships.