Agricultural Project Management Training Course

Duration 10 days 20 modules · 65 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Agricultural Project Managers, NGO Programme Officers and others
Fee from USD 2,200 KSh 190,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 9 Nov 2026 Course code SD-PM-079

Before you join: Participants should have experience supporting, coordinating or managing agricultural, rural development, food security or community-based projects.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Agricultural projects face conditions that change faster than many conventional plans allow: rainfall patterns shift, input prices move, planting windows close, pests spread and field access can be disrupted. NGOs, government programmes, agribusiness partners and rural development teams must still deliver agreed outputs, protect funds, meet donor requirements and demonstrate credible results for farmers. Project managers need plans that connect seasonal production realities with clear scope, workable budgets, procurement controls, risk decisions and measurable outcomes.

This course develops the practical project management methods used for agricultural and rural development programmes. Participants learn to analyse community needs, build a theory of change and logical framework, define scope through a work breakdown structure, sequence activities around crop calendars, estimate costs, manage grants and procurement, and control risks. The course also addresses stakeholder engagement, gender and safeguarding, monitoring and evaluation, data quality, environmental management, adaptive management, partner coordination and project closure.

Teaching combines short instructor briefings with agricultural project cases, team-based planning tasks, scheduling simulations, budget reviews, risk discussions and peer critique. Participants apply each method to a selected agricultural project idea or an active assignment from their organisation. They leave with a structured agricultural project management package containing a results framework, work plan, budget, risk register, monitoring plan and implementation controls that can be refined for field use.

The course suits professionals responsible for farmer support programmes, food security projects, irrigation schemes, value-chain initiatives, climate adaptation work and agricultural grants. It is particularly relevant where projects involve multiple communities, delivery partners, donor reporting obligations and seasonal deadlines.

What you will be able to do

  • Develop a theory of change and logical framework for an agricultural project
  • Define agricultural project scope using a work breakdown structure and deliverable acceptance criteria
  • Build seasonally realistic schedules using activity networks, dependencies and critical path analysis
  • Prepare activity-based budgets, cash-flow forecasts and cost-control reports
  • Establish procurement, grant-management and partner-control processes for field delivery
  • Create risk registers covering climate, market, operational, safeguarding and fiduciary risks
  • Design monitoring, evaluation and learning plans with indicators, baselines and data-quality checks
  • Present a complete agricultural project implementation package for management or donor review

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Produce field-ready plans aligned with planting, harvest and procurement cycles
  • Lead donor and management reviews using clear results, budget and risk evidence
  • Identify delivery risks before they disrupt farmer services or seasonal activities
  • Manage implementing partners with defined roles, milestones and reporting requirements
  • Build a reusable portfolio of agricultural project planning documents

For your organisation

  • Improves alignment between project activities, agricultural seasons and farmer needs
  • Reduces late procurement, unspent funds and missed field delivery windows
  • Strengthens donor compliance through clearer budgets, indicators and reporting controls
  • Provides earlier warning of climate, market and partner-performance risks
  • Creates more consistent project documentation across agricultural programme teams

Course modules

20 modules over 10 days

Participants can frame an agricultural project around seasonal, institutional and operational delivery conditions.

  • Agricultural project life cycles from appraisal through handover and closure
  • Seasonal calendars linking land preparation, planting, harvest and market activities
  • Farming-system analysis covering crops, livestock, labour and household income
  • Project constraints created by weather, roads, input supply and field access
  • Donor, government and community expectations translated into delivery requirements
  • Problem statements distinguishing symptoms, causes, constraints and affected groups

Participants can use field evidence to define priority problems and intended beneficiaries.

  • Stakeholder mapping of farmers, cooperatives, traders, extension agents and authorities
  • Participatory rural appraisal methods for community needs and resource analysis
  • Farm household segmentation using gender, assets, production and market access
  • Seasonal labour calendars identifying workload peaks and participation barriers
  • Problem-tree analysis separating root causes from visible agricultural constraints
  • Baseline evidence requirements for production, income, adoption and food security

Participants can create a results chain and logical framework with testable assumptions.

  • Theory of change linking interventions, behavioural changes and livelihood outcomes
  • Results chains distinguishing inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes and impacts
  • Logical framework hierarchy with objective statements and vertical logic
  • SMART indicators matched to agricultural production and market objectives
  • Assumptions analysis testing weather, policy, adoption and price conditions
  • Means of verification specified for each results-level indicator

Participants can define project scope, deliverables and boundaries for agricultural interventions.

  • Scope statements defining beneficiaries, locations, commodities and service packages
  • Work breakdown structures decomposing outputs into manageable work packages
  • Deliverable acceptance criteria for inputs, infrastructure, training and advisory services
  • Scope exclusions preventing unapproved additions during field implementation
  • Requirements traceability matrix connecting needs, outputs and verification evidence
  • Change-control thresholds for revised targets, sites, quantities and specifications

Participants can build a schedule that protects agricultural deadlines and delivery dependencies.

  • Activity sequencing around rainfall onset, planting windows and harvest dates
  • Precedence diagrams showing finish-to-start and start-to-start dependencies
  • Critical path method identifying tasks that threaten seasonal delivery deadlines
  • Milestone plans for procurement, distribution, demonstrations and farmer enrolment
  • Lead and lag time allowances for approvals, transport and supplier delays
  • Gantt charts communicating district, partner and field-team responsibilities

Participants can match people, equipment and inputs to planned agricultural activities.

  • Resource breakdown structures for staff, vehicles, equipment, inputs and services
  • Extension-worker workload estimates based on farmer groups and travel time
  • Input distribution capacity planning using beneficiary lists and delivery routes
  • RACI matrices assigning accountable, responsible, consulted and informed roles
  • Resource levelling across concurrent demonstrations, trainings and monitoring visits
  • Field deployment plans accounting for security, distance and seasonal accessibility

Participants can prepare an activity-based budget and cash forecast for field delivery.

  • Activity-based costing for seeds, tools, training, transport and technical support
  • Unit-cost assumptions documented with quantities, rates and price sources
  • Budget narratives explaining cost drivers and allocation decisions
  • Monthly cash-flow forecasts aligned with procurement and implementation schedules
  • Variance analysis comparing approved budgets, commitments, actuals and forecasts
  • Contingency provisions for inflation, exchange movements and weather disruption

Participants can plan controlled procurement and distribution of agricultural goods and services.

  • Procurement plans aligning specifications, lead times, approvals and delivery milestones
  • Technical specifications for seed, fertiliser, irrigation equipment and services
  • Supplier due diligence covering capacity, quality history and conflict risks
  • Bid evaluation matrices applying price, quality, delivery and compliance criteria
  • Receiving inspections documenting quantity, condition, certification and storage requirements
  • Distribution controls using beneficiary registers, signed receipts and reconciliation

Participants can identify, assess and treat priority agricultural project risks.

  • Risk breakdown structures covering climate, pests, markets, operations and governance
  • Probability-impact scoring calibrated for project objectives and delivery windows
  • Risk registers assigning owners, triggers, responses and review dates
  • Climate risk scenarios for drought, flood, heat stress and rainfall failure
  • Market risk responses addressing input shortages, price volatility and buyer default
  • Contingency plans protecting farmer support during access or security disruptions

Participants can plan inclusive engagement and safeguarding controls for agricultural activities.

  • Stakeholder influence-interest analysis guiding engagement priorities and communication methods
  • Community entry protocols involving local leaders, committees and extension structures
  • Gender analysis identifying access barriers to land, finance, training and markets
  • Participation targets disaggregated by sex, age, disability and household category
  • Safeguarding risk controls for training events, distributions and field visits
  • Grievance mechanisms recording complaints, escalation routes and resolution timelines

Participants can design a monitoring and evaluation plan that supports management decisions.

  • Indicator reference sheets defining numerators, denominators, sources and frequencies
  • Monitoring plans linking indicators to responsible staff and reporting cycles
  • Baseline, target and endline design for agricultural outcome measurement
  • Output tracking for farmers reached, inputs delivered and demonstrations completed
  • Outcome measurement for yield, adoption, income and market participation
  • Learning agendas capturing implementation questions, evidence needs and review points

Participants can establish practical data collection and quality-assurance procedures.

  • Data collection protocols covering consent, sampling, storage and enumerator conduct
  • Sampling approaches for farmer surveys, demonstration plots and beneficiary verification
  • Mobile data forms designed with validation rules and skip logic
  • Data-quality assessments checking accuracy, completeness, timeliness and consistency
  • Spot checks and back-checks verifying reported field activity evidence
  • Data cleaning logs recording corrections, exclusions and unresolved anomalies

Participants can establish governance arrangements that maintain accountability across delivery partners.

  • Project governance structures defining steering, management and field coordination forums
  • Terms of reference for committees, technical groups and partner meetings
  • Partner work plans linking deliverables, budgets, milestones and evidence
  • Subgrant monitoring procedures for advances, expenditures and narrative reports
  • Performance review meetings using scorecards, action logs and escalation criteria
  • Decision logs recording approvals, changes, accountabilities and due dates

Participants can apply financial control and reporting processes to agricultural project funds.

  • Budget-holder responsibilities for approvals, commitments, coding and expenditure review
  • Segregation of duties across requesting, approving, receiving and payment functions
  • Supporting-document checklists for procurement, travel, training and distributions
  • Allowable-cost tests against grant agreements, budgets and donor conditions
  • Financial reports reconciling ledger balances, commitments and delivery progress
  • Donor narrative reports connecting expenditure, outputs, variances and corrective actions

Participants can make evidence-based adjustments without losing scope, budget or accountability control.

  • Adaptive management cycles using monitoring evidence, reflection and documented decisions
  • After-action reviews following distributions, campaigns, field days and emergencies
  • Change requests defining rationale, effects, approvals and implementation actions
  • Scenario planning for delayed rains, crop failure and supplier nonperformance
  • Decision thresholds distinguishing local adjustments from donor-approved project changes
  • Lessons logs converting field experience into revised plans and guidance

Participants can incorporate environmental and social controls into agricultural project plans.

  • Environmental screening for irrigation, agrochemicals, land use and waste risks
  • Integrated pest management principles reducing reliance on hazardous chemical controls
  • Soil and water conservation measures incorporated into activity design
  • Environmental management plans assigning mitigation measures and monitoring responsibilities
  • Land-use and tenure considerations affecting site selection and beneficiary eligibility
  • Social risk assessments covering exclusion, conflict and resource-access tensions

Participants can plan control measures for agricultural infrastructure, equipment and transferred assets.

  • Bill of quantities review for irrigation, storage, roads and market facilities
  • Construction supervision checkpoints for materials, workmanship, safety and completion
  • Asset registers recording serial numbers, location, custodian and condition
  • Handover procedures confirming ownership, maintenance duties and user training
  • Operations and maintenance plans for community-managed agricultural infrastructure
  • Defect-liability tracking for contractor corrections and final acceptance

Participants can produce useful communications and reports for communities, managers and donors.

  • Communications matrices matching stakeholders, messages, channels and reporting frequencies
  • Field progress reports summarising activities, outputs, issues and planned actions
  • Dashboard design combining schedule, budget, risk and indicator status
  • Management briefings presenting exceptions, decisions required and response options
  • Donor reporting calendars coordinating narrative, financial and results submissions
  • Community feedback updates closing the loop on commitments and complaints

Participants can close agricultural projects with verified results, accountable handover and documented learning.

  • Closure checklists confirming deliverables, finances, contracts and outstanding obligations
  • Endline reviews comparing results against baseline values and approved targets
  • Sustainability assessments covering ownership, financing, skills and maintenance arrangements
  • Exit plans transferring responsibilities to cooperatives, authorities and service providers
  • Final evaluations documenting relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability findings
  • Lessons-learned reports identifying repeatable methods and unresolved delivery issues

Participants can build, review and present a complete agricultural project implementation package.

  • Project charter defining need, beneficiaries, objectives, governance and constraints
  • Theory of change and logical framework aligned with proposed interventions
  • Work breakdown structure, seasonal schedule and milestone plan assembled
  • Activity-based budget, cash forecast and procurement plan integrated
  • Risk register, safeguarding controls and environmental measures finalised
  • Monitoring plan, reporting calendar and partner accountabilities documented
  • Peer review against donor, management and field-delivery requirements
  • Management presentation defending priorities, assumptions, trade-offs and implementation decisions

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Agricultural project charter template
  2. Theory of change and logical framework
  3. Seasonal work breakdown structure and Gantt chart
  4. Activity-based budget and cash-flow forecast
  5. Agricultural project risk register
  6. Monitoring, evaluation and learning plan

Who should attend

  • Agricultural Project Managers — need disciplined planning and control methods for field programmes
  • NGO Programme Officers — coordinate farmer-facing activities, partners and donor commitments
  • Rural Development Officers — manage public agricultural investments across districts and communities
  • Food Security Coordinators — plan integrated production, market access and resilience interventions
  • Agricultural Extension Managers — organise field teams, demonstration activities and farmer services
  • Grants and Partnerships Officers — oversee partner budgets, reporting and delivery accountability

Skills and tools covered

Agricultural project planningLogical framework designSeasonal schedulingGrant budget controlField risk managementMonitoring and evaluation

Tools and standards

Logical Framework Approach, Theory of Change, Work Breakdown Structure, Critical Path Method

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short briefings followed by agricultural project cases, facilitated group work, planning simulations and review sessions. Participants examine examples such as seed distribution, irrigation rehabilitation, farmer field schools and market-linkage projects. They apply logical frameworks, work breakdown structures, schedules, budgets, risk registers and monitoring plans to a realistic project scenario or their own assignment. Instructors provide structured feedback through peer reviews, management-style decision meetings and implementation planning discussions.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have experience supporting, coordinating or managing agricultural, rural development, food security or community-based projects. They should understand basic project terms such as activities, budgets, stakeholders and reporting, and be comfortable working with spreadsheets. Familiarity with farming systems, crop calendars or farmer organisations is useful but not essential. No formal project management qualification is required. Participants do not need prior experience with specialist scheduling software, donor proposal writing or advanced statistical analysis; required methods are introduced and applied during the course.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

You should have basic experience of projects, programmes or agricultural service delivery. A formal project management qualification is not required, and the course introduces each planning method before participants apply it.

Bring a laptop if possible and, where permitted, a current project concept note, work plan, budget or donor reporting format. Participants can also work from the agricultural cases supplied by the instructor.

It is designed for staff managing or supporting agricultural, food security, rural livelihoods and climate adaptation projects. It also suits grants, monitoring, extension and partner-management personnel who need stronger planning discipline.

The methods are applied to seasonal production cycles, farmer engagement, agricultural inputs, field logistics, climate risks and donor-funded delivery. General project management courses may not address crop calendars, extension systems, rural data collection or agricultural procurement.

Participants build an implementation package that can be adapted to an active project or upcoming proposal. The templates support immediate use in work planning, budget reviews, partner meetings, risk reviews and donor reporting.

The first week establishes project design, scope, schedules, resources, budgets, procurement and risk controls. The second week focuses on monitoring, governance, financial controls, adaptive management, sustainability and a capstone presentation; each day runs 08:30-16:30 with about 6.5 contact hours.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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