Sustainable Farm Management Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Farm Managers, Agricultural Extension Officers 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-058

Before you join: Participants should have basic familiarity with farm operations, crop or livestock production, agricultural extension, agribusiness, rural finance or development programmes.

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

Farm managers must make production decisions while controlling costs, conserving soil and water, meeting buyer requirements, protecting workers and responding to drought, pests and volatile prices. Poor records, weak enterprise budgeting and reactive input use can reduce margins while creating avoidable environmental and compliance risks. Sustainable farm management requires disciplined planning that connects field operations, livestock care, finance, labour, market access and resource stewardship.

This course develops the management methods needed to run productive, profitable and resource-efficient farms. Participants assess whole-farm systems, interpret soil tests, plan nutrient and water use, apply Integrated Pest Management, manage livestock systems, prepare enterprise budgets and forecast cash flow. They also examine climate risk, post-harvest handling, traceability, farm safety and buyer standards. The course uses realistic cases from commercial farms, producer groups, development programmes and outgrower schemes.

Instructor-led teaching combines short technical briefings with case work, group analysis, farm-management simulations and guided planning. Participants work with crop, livestock, financial and operational data to make decisions under practical constraints such as rainfall variability, limited working capital and quality specifications. Each participant leaves with a structured Sustainable Farm Management Action Plan, supported by reusable planning templates, checklists and performance measures. Successful participants receive a certificate of completion.

The course suits professionals responsible for farm performance, farmer support, agricultural lending, extension services, procurement or rural development programmes. It is particularly relevant where farms need to improve yields and margins without increasing soil degradation, water stress, unsafe work or post-harvest losses.

What you will be able to do

  • Assess whole-farm performance using enterprise, resource, stakeholder and baseline indicator analysis
  • Interpret soil test results and prepare 4R nutrient stewardship decisions
  • Develop irrigation and water-budget plans using crop demand and supply data
  • Apply Integrated Pest Management methods using scouting records and action thresholds
  • Prepare enterprise budgets, gross margins, cash-flow forecasts and break-even calculations
  • Design climate-risk, livestock welfare and biosecurity controls for farm operations
  • Establish traceability, post-harvest and food-safety records aligned with buyer requirements
  • Produce a 90-day Sustainable Farm Management Action Plan with measurable priorities

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Make better input, production and investment decisions using farm records
  • Build credible enterprise budgets and seasonal cash-flow forecasts
  • Identify soil, water, pest and climate risks before losses occur
  • Communicate farm improvement priorities clearly to owners, workers and funders
  • Apply recognised buyer, safety and traceability requirements with greater confidence

For your organisation

  • Improved crop and livestock margins through disciplined enterprise analysis
  • Lower input waste from planned nutrient, water and pest management
  • Reduced exposure to erosion, water shortages, disease outbreaks and climate shocks
  • Stronger buyer confidence through traceability, quality and post-harvest controls
  • Clearer farm records for lending decisions, audits and management review

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can assess a farm as an interconnected production, financial, environmental and social system.

  • Whole-farm systems map linking enterprises, resources, seasons and household objectives
  • Triple-bottom-line criteria for profit, people and environmental stewardship
  • Farm boundary, fields, water points and infrastructure mapped from records
  • Enterprise gross margins compared against land, labour and capital constraints
  • Stakeholder mapping for workers, outgrowers, buyers, communities and regulators
  • Baseline indicators selected for yields, costs, soil and water

Participants can interpret soil information and select practical soil fertility and erosion-control measures.

  • Representative soil sampling plans using zones, depth, timing and chain-of-custody
  • Laboratory reports interpreted for pH, organic matter, nutrients and salinity
  • USDA soil texture triangle used to estimate drainage and water holding
  • Cover crop selection matched to erosion risk, nitrogen needs and rainfall
  • Contour farming, grass strips and minimum tillage for erosion control
  • 4R nutrient stewardship rates, sources, timing and placement decisions

Participants can plan water use and identify irrigation controls that reduce losses.

  • Field water balance calculated from rainfall, evapotranspiration, storage and crop demand
  • FAO CROPWAT scheduling concepts for crop coefficients and irrigation intervals
  • Drip, sprinkler and surface systems compared for uniformity, energy and losses
  • Distribution uniformity checks identify pressure, clogging and application defects
  • Farm water budget assigns supplies to crops, livestock and domestic uses
  • Buffer strips and drainage controls reduce nutrient and sediment runoff

Participants can plan crop production using rotation, scouting, pest thresholds and safe input controls.

  • Integrated Pest Management thresholds combine scouting records, beneficial insects and controls
  • Crop rotation sequence breaks pest cycles and balances nutrient demand
  • Seed selection considers varietal resistance, maturity, germination and market specification
  • Field scouting sheets record pest incidence, disease symptoms and weed pressure
  • Pesticide label interpretation covers active ingredients, pre-harvest intervals and PPE
  • Good Agricultural Practices protect produce hygiene, traceability and worker safety

Participants can manage livestock production through feeding, welfare, grazing and biosecurity controls.

  • Body condition scoring guides feed allocation, breeding and animal-health decisions
  • Feed ration calculations match dry matter, energy and protein requirements
  • Rotational grazing plans set stocking rates, rest periods and residuals
  • Biosecurity protocols control visitor access, isolation, cleaning and vaccination records
  • Manure storage and composting reduce pathogen, odour and nutrient losses
  • Livestock welfare checks cover housing, water, handling and mortality records

Participants can identify climate and energy risks and prepare practical response measures.

  • Climate risk register scores drought, floods, heat, pests and market disruption
  • Seasonal calendars align planting, labour, input purchases and harvest windows
  • Climate-smart agriculture options assessed for productivity, adaptation and emissions
  • On-farm energy audit identifies pumping, cooling, drying and fuel costs
  • Solar pumping appraisal compares demand profiles, capital costs and maintenance
  • Contingency triggers define actions for delayed rains and extreme heat

Participants can assess enterprise profitability and plan seasonal financing requirements.

  • Enterprise budgets separate variable costs, fixed costs, depreciation and family labour
  • Gross margin analysis compares crop and livestock enterprise performance
  • Cash-flow forecast schedules input purchases, sales receipts, debt and payroll
  • Break-even yield and price calculations test seasonal production assumptions
  • Partial budget analysis tests proposed changes without rebuilding whole-farm accounts
  • Working capital needs identified from seasonal cash deficits and credit terms

Participants can protect product quality and meet market requirements through controlled post-harvest processes.

  • Market specification sheets define grade, moisture, packaging, volume and delivery terms
  • Post-harvest loss map traces handling, storage, transport and processing losses
  • HACCP principles identify hazards at harvesting, packing and storage stages
  • Traceability records link field, harvest lot, inputs, buyers and invoices
  • Buyer due diligence checks payment terms, quality claims and contract obligations
  • Value addition decisions compare processing costs, shelf life and price premiums

Participants can establish labour, safety and compliance controls for accountable farm operations.

  • Farm safety risk assessment ranks hazards using likelihood and consequence matrices
  • Safe Work Procedures cover machinery, chemicals, confined spaces and manual handling
  • Labour plans match task calendars, skills, supervision and legal requirements
  • Worker training records document inductions, competency checks and refresher dates
  • GLOBALG.A.P. control points translated into farm records and inspection routines
  • Grievance channels address worker concerns, community impacts and corrective actions

Participants can use farm records and performance reviews to prioritise measurable operational improvements.

  • Farm record system captures field operations, inputs, labour, yields and sales
  • Key performance indicators link productivity, costs, resource use and profitability
  • Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle structures monthly management review and corrective actions
  • Variance analysis compares budget, actual results and seasonal causes
  • Annual farm plan prioritises investments, milestones, owners and review dates
  • 90-day application plan assigns practical improvements, evidence and follow-up measures

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

What you take back to work

  1. Whole-Farm Performance Assessment Template
  2. Soil and Nutrient Management Plan
  3. Seasonal Water Budget Template
  4. Enterprise Budget and Cash-Flow Forecast Model
  5. Farm Safety and Traceability Checklist
  6. 90-Day Sustainable Farm Management Action Plan

Who should attend

  • Farm Managers — responsible for production, costs, people and resource-use decisions
  • Agricultural Extension Officers — need practical methods for advising farmers and producer groups
  • Agribusiness Managers — oversee farm supply, procurement, quality or outgrower operations
  • Rural Development Programme Officers — support climate-resilient and commercially viable farm activities
  • Agricultural Loan Officers — assess farm plans, seasonal cash needs and production risks
  • Producer Organisation Leaders — coordinate shared services, market access and member performance

Skills and tools covered

Farm systems analysisSoil fertility planningWater managementEnterprise budgetingClimate risk planningTraceability management

Tools and standards

4R Nutrient Stewardship, FAO CROPWAT, HACCP, GLOBALG.A.P. Integrated Farm Assurance

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings to introduce methods, standards and decision criteria, followed by case work using realistic farm data. Participants analyse soil reports, seasonal calendars, enterprise budgets, water requirements, pest records and buyer specifications. Group exercises test decisions on cropping, livestock, finance and climate-risk scenarios. Simulations examine trade-offs between production targets, cash constraints and environmental controls. Facilitated application planning helps participants translate course methods into priorities for their own farms, producer groups or agricultural programmes.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have basic familiarity with farm operations, crop or livestock production, agricultural extension, agribusiness, rural finance or development programmes. They should be comfortable reading simple production records, input invoices and basic financial figures. Experience managing a farm, advising farmers or supporting agricultural value chains is helpful. The course does not require an agriculture degree, advanced agronomy, accounting qualifications, specialist software skills or prior knowledge of GLOBALG.A.P., HACCP or irrigation design. Participants should bring examples of the farm systems or agricultural programmes they support where permitted.

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

Participants should understand basic farm operations or have experience in agricultural extension, agribusiness, rural finance or development programmes. Advanced agronomy, accounting or specialist software knowledge is not required.

Bring a laptop if available, a calculator and examples of farm records, production plans or operational challenges you may discuss without breaching confidentiality. Course materials and working templates are provided.

It is designed for farm managers, extension officers, agribusiness staff, programme officers, producer organisation leaders and agricultural lenders. Participants should have a role in production, advisory services, farm investment or supply-chain management.

Agronomy courses usually focus mainly on crop science and production techniques. This course connects technical production choices with finance, labour, water, livestock, compliance, market requirements and management records.

Participants can use the supplied templates to review farm performance, prepare budgets, track resource use and set operational priorities. The 90-day action plan identifies practical changes, responsible owners and evidence of progress.

Training runs from 08:30 to 16:30 each day, with about 6.5 contact hours daily. The five days cover ten modules in teaching order, combining technical briefings, applied case work, group analysis 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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