Sustainable Agriculture Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Agricultural Extension Officers, Programme Managers and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 9 Nov 2026 Course code SD-AA-045

Before you join: Participants should have basic familiarity with crop or livestock production, farm operations, agricultural projects, extension services or food supply chains.

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 producers, development programmes and agribusinesses must improve productivity while reducing soil loss, water stress, pesticide dependence, climate exposure and unequal access to resources. The difficulty is not choosing a single “green” practice. It is diagnosing farm constraints, selecting combinations of practices that fit local ecology and markets, and proving that changes improve environmental, social and financial performance.

This course develops the applied skills expected from agroecology and sustainable farming training. Participants assess agroecosystems; interpret soil and water evidence; design crop rotations, intercropping and agroforestry arrangements; apply Integrated Pest Management; and plan crop-livestock nutrient cycles. They also examine farm economics, market access, certification options, gender and land-tenure issues, climate risk and farm-level monitoring. FAO TAPE provides a structured reference point for assessing agroecological performance and planning improvement.

Teaching combines short instructor briefings with farm cases, field-data interpretation, group design work, budget calculations, pest-management scenarios and implementation planning. Cases can be adapted for smallholder projects, commercial estates, producer cooperatives, food-security programmes and agricultural finance portfolios. Participants leave with a completed sustainable farm transition dossier containing diagnostic findings, priority practices, budgets, indicators, risks and a sequenced action plan. A certificate of completion is issued to participants who complete the course.

The course is suited to professionals who already work with farms, rural communities, agricultural supply chains or development investments and need a structured method for improving farming systems.

What you will be able to do

  • Assess farm sustainability using agroecosystem boundaries, trade-off analysis and FAO TAPE criteria
  • Diagnose soil health constraints from field observations, soil tests and erosion-risk mapping
  • Design water, crop diversification and agroforestry measures suited to farm conditions
  • Select Integrated Pest Management and biodiversity measures using scouting and threshold data
  • Prepare enterprise and partial budgets for proposed sustainable farming changes
  • Calculate farm-level nutrient, feed and water balances for mixed production systems
  • Establish sustainability indicators, baselines and monitoring protocols for farm transition plans
  • Produce a sequenced sustainable agriculture action plan with costs, risks and responsibilities

Benefits of attending

For you

  • A repeatable method for diagnosing sustainability constraints on farms
  • Confidence interpreting soil, water, pest and farm-record evidence
  • Practical designs for crop diversification, agroforestry and livestock integration
  • Stronger ability to justify farming changes with budgets and risk analysis
  • A documented action plan for immediate use with farms or projects

For your organisation

  • More consistent technical advice across farm-support and extension teams
  • Lower production risk through soil, water, pest and climate planning
  • Better evidence for agriculture programme design and donor reporting
  • Clearer business cases for sustainable practice investments
  • Improved monitoring of environmental, social and financial farm results

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can assess a farm as an agroecosystem and identify priority sustainability trade-offs.

  • Agroecosystem boundaries, functions and feedback loops mapped at farm scale
  • Four sustainability dimensions assessed: environmental, economic, social and governance performance
  • FAO TAPE principles linked to locally defined farming objectives
  • Trade-offs between yields, labour, biodiversity and cash flow quantified
  • Farm typologies distinguish subsistence, commercial, mixed and pastoral systems
  • Seasonal calendars identify weather, labour, market and food-security constraints

Participants can diagnose soil constraints and specify practical soil health interventions.

  • Soil texture, structure, organic matter and biological activity interpreted together
  • Field sampling plans specify depth, timing, replication and laboratory tests
  • Soil-test results convert into nutrient budgets and amendment recommendations
  • Cover-crop species selected for nitrogen, biomass, rooting and pest breaks
  • Compost maturity, carbon-to-nitrogen ratios and application rates checked
  • Erosion-risk mapping combines slope, ground cover, rainfall and runoff pathways

Participants can plan farm water measures and drought responses using crop and site data.

  • Water balances relate rainfall, evapotranspiration, storage, irrigation and crop demand
  • Contour bunds, swales and terraces matched to site conditions
  • Drip irrigation scheduling uses crop coefficients and soil-moisture observations
  • Mulches and residue cover reduce evaporation, splash erosion and weeds
  • Farm ponds evaluated for catchment yield, seepage, safety and access
  • Drought contingency triggers define irrigation priorities, planting changes and destocking

Participants can design biodiversity measures and pest-management decisions that reduce harmful inputs.

  • Functional biodiversity supports pollination, natural enemies and nutrient cycling
  • Habitat strips, hedgerows and flowering margins designed around field operations
  • Integrated Pest Management thresholds guide scouting, intervention and pesticide decisions
  • Pest life-cycle analysis identifies vulnerable stages and prevention measures
  • Seed selection weighs local adaptation, diversity, quality and farmer rights
  • Pesticide hazard labels, pre-harvest intervals and protective measures interpreted

Participants can create diversified crop and tree systems matched to production objectives.

  • Crop rotation sequences interrupt pests, balance nutrients and spread risk
  • Intercropping designs test spatial arrangement, maturity timing and compatible crops
  • Legume integration plans nitrogen supply, inoculation and residue management
  • Agroforestry arrangements compare shade, fodder, timber and competition effects
  • Climate-resilient variety criteria include duration, heat tolerance and market acceptance
  • Planting calendars align rainfall windows, labour peaks and market timing

Participants can plan nutrient, feed and grazing systems for mixed crop-livestock farms.

  • Mixed crop-livestock systems cycle manure, fodder, residues and grazing
  • Feed budgets compare seasonal supply, animal demand and purchased inputs
  • Rotational grazing plans set paddock recovery periods and stocking rates
  • Manure management controls nutrient losses, pathogens, odours and methane
  • Animal welfare indicators cover housing, water, health and handling
  • Biogas feasibility considers feedstock volumes, slurry use and maintenance capacity

Participants can assess whether sustainable farming changes are commercially viable and marketable.

  • Enterprise budgets separate variable costs, fixed costs and family labour
  • Partial budgets test profitability of proposed practice changes before adoption
  • Gross margin comparisons inform crop, livestock and diversification choices
  • Value-chain mapping identifies buyers, aggregation points, grades and transaction costs
  • Participatory Guarantee Systems and third-party certification requirements compared
  • Market-risk plans use price scenarios, storage options and contract terms

Participants can identify social risks and engage farm communities in sustainable practice change.

  • Gender analysis identifies unequal access to land, labour, credit and training
  • Stakeholder mapping clarifies interests, influence, conflicts and collaboration opportunities
  • Free, Prior and Informed Consent principles guide community engagement
  • Farmer field-school facilitation supports observation, testing and peer learning
  • Land-tenure risks assessed before perennial planting, irrigation or infrastructure investment
  • Safeguarding measures address child labour, grievance channels and inclusion

Participants can build a practical monitoring system for agroecological and farm-business results.

  • Results chains connect practices, outputs, outcomes and sustainability indicators
  • FAO TAPE criteria structure farm-level agroecology performance assessment
  • Indicator definitions specify units, sources, frequency, responsibility and disaggregation
  • Baseline protocols combine field measurements, farm records and participant interviews
  • Simple dashboards track soil cover, input use, yields and margins
  • Adaptive management reviews evidence, assumptions, risks and course corrections

Participants can prepare a feasible, monitored transition plan for sustainable farming practices.

  • Farm diagnostics prioritise constraints by severity, feasibility, cost and ownership
  • Transition pathways sequence quick wins, seasonal changes and longer investments
  • Action plans assign activities, resources, dates, indicators and accountable persons
  • Risk registers cover weather, pests, finance, labour and social harms
  • Financing options compare cash flow, grants, credit and producer groups
  • Peer review sharpens assumptions, feasibility and monitoring commitments before implementation

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

What you take back to work

  1. Agroecosystem diagnostic template
  2. Soil health and nutrient budget worksheet
  3. Farm water and drought contingency plan
  4. Integrated Pest Management decision checklist
  5. Sustainable farm enterprise budget model
  6. Farm transition action plan

Who should attend

  • Agricultural Extension Officers — need practical methods for advising farmers on sustainable production changes
  • Programme Managers — need to design and monitor agriculture and food-security interventions
  • Agronomists — need integrated soil, crop, water and pest-management planning skills
  • Producer Cooperative Managers — need profitable transition options for member farms and market requirements
  • Agribusiness Sustainability Managers — need credible farm-improvement plans for sourcing programmes
  • Agricultural Finance Officers — need to assess technical and financial viability of farm investments

Skills and tools covered

Agroecosystem assessmentSoil health managementWater management planningIntegrated pest managementFarm enterprise budgetingSustainability monitoring

Tools and standards

FAO Tool for Agroecology Performance Evaluation (TAPE), FAO Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture Systems (SAFA), Integrated Pest Management (IPM), Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS)

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short technical briefings followed by farm cases, field-data interpretation, group exercises and structured design tasks. Participants work with soil-test results, seasonal calendars, pest observations, enterprise budgets and sustainability indicators. Simulations test decisions under drought, pest pressure and changing market prices. Facilitated discussions address trade-offs between yield, labour, biodiversity, cash flow and household food security. Each participant applies the methods to a relevant farm, producer group or agricultural programme context and prepares an implementation plan.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have basic familiarity with crop or livestock production, farm operations, agricultural projects, extension services or food supply chains. They should be comfortable reading simple farm records, discussing seasonal production decisions and working with basic arithmetic for costs, quantities and yields. Prior study in agronomy, environmental science or economics is useful but not essential. The course does not require soil laboratory experience, advanced statistics, geographic information systems, organic certification qualifications or prior use of FAO assessment tools.

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 understand basic farm operations, agricultural projects or food supply chains. You do not need advanced agronomy, laboratory, statistics or certification experience.

Bring a laptop if possible, plus any non-confidential farm records, project documents or production questions relevant to your work. Course materials and calculation templates are provided.

It is designed for extension staff, agronomists, programme managers, cooperative managers, sustainability staff and agricultural finance professionals. It is most useful for people who advise farms or make decisions about agriculture investments and programmes.

Organic farming courses usually focus on production rules, permitted inputs and certification requirements. This course addresses wider agroecological farm design, including soil, water, biodiversity, livestock, economics, social inclusion, climate risk and performance measurement.

Participants use farm diagnostics, budgets, monitoring indicators and transition plans that can be adapted for advisory visits, producer-group support, sourcing programmes or development projects. The methods can be applied to both smallholder and commercial farm settings.

Training runs from 08:30 to 16:30 each day, providing about 6.5 contact hours daily. Time is divided between instructor input, case analysis, group work, technical calculations, decision simulations and action planning.

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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