This book of cases, mostly of small to medium organizations, from west Africa, Thailand and India offers cases suitable for training of practicing managers of small and medium agricultural enterprises and public sector professionals engaged in agricultural development. The book comprises an introductory essay, 22 cases, two industry notes, and a chapter guiding how the cases may be used to develop a one- or two-week training program. The cases are situations in enterprises or sectors that require a decision to be made, written from the perspective of a protagonist, usually a high-level decision maker. The cases included in the book are predominantly from West Africa―Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, and Nigeria―and the rest are from India. In addition, two industry notes, one on tomato processing in Turkey and the other on the maize seed industry in Thailand are included. They offer contrasting situations to those addressed in some of the west African cases.
Case-based teachingis particularly suitable for training of practicing managers with limited formal training. The cases in the book are adequate to comprehensively address key issues in agricultural enterprise management and value chain development.
Shashidhara Kolavalli is a development strategist. As a Senior Research Fellow, he managed IFPRI’s strategy support program in Ghana for more than a decade. He was previously a professor at the centre for management in agriculture of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, India, and a principal scientist at the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Hyderabad, India. His research has encompassed user management of irrigation and forestry, private sector dynamics in input supply systems, structural transformation and downstream activities, effectiveness of value chain interventions and market reforms, including extensive work on Ghana’s management of its cocoa sector.
Gopal Naik, a professor at the Indian Institute of Management, Bengaluru, was previously at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. He teaches graduate courses on public policy, research methodology, and managerial economics. His research interests arerural and agriculture development focusing on public service delivery. He has helped Karnataka Government in developing Agri-business policy and on its agricultural market reforms.
Mathew Tsamenyi is Professor of Management Practice in Accounting at the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) and the Executive Director, CEIBS Africa. Before joining CEIBS, Mathew was Professor of Accounting at the Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham, UK. He was the former President of the African Accounting and Finance Association and former Chair of the British Accounting and Finance Association, special interest group on emerging economies.
Suresh Babu is a Senior Research Fellow at the International Food Policy Research institute, where as head of capacity strengthening, he has guided capacity development activities of regional and country programs. He has engaged in policy research, capacity development, and policy advocacy for morethan 30 years in the Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Central Asia, and other developing regions. His recent research has been on agricultural extension, nutritional policies, and agricultural competitiveness.
