EDC
Enhancing Development through Cooperatives
A research-based curriculum on rural leadership
AIM
The EDC curriculum offers a set of tools for action research, capacity building and policy making in support of rural cooperation across the African continent.
APPROACH
Research-driven training and advocacy to improve the management of agribusiness, farmland and natural resources in organizations that are owned and controlled by rural smallholders.
ACTIVITIES
The EDC curriculum is implemented through Cooperative Learning and Leadership Events (CLLEs), which are designed to:
collect primary data on cooperative organizations from rural Africa
train their managers, leaders and members
develop inter-cooperative business plans
disseminate cross-country innovations in rural governance
ACHIEVEMENTS
Since 2013, EDC has organized 17 CLLEs in 9 African countries (see map below), reaching out to the representatives and stakeholders of about 1,000 rural cooperatives, and giving rise to:
a fully fledged curriculum
a cross-country dataset
a series of policy and scientific publications
an Africa-based network and international partnerships
success stories (pdf) (online) and development impacts