iCRA - building trust

28/05/2026

𝐢𝐂𝐑𝐀 𝐀𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐧𝐢: 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐰? 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐃𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐟!

Before joining iCRA, Dorsaf Ben Hassine, a passionate teacher-researcher from Tunisia, was already asking bold questions. In 2022, as an Assistant Professor at the National Agronomic Institute of Tunisia, she wanted to do more than deliver lectures. She wanted her students to connect, think systemically, and be ready for the real-world complexity of agriculture.

That search led her to iCRA’s Making Education Work course and sparked a shift not just in methods, but in mindset.

Through Making Education Work, Dorsaf began designing learning experiences instead of simply delivering content. Her classes became more interactive, grounded in real-life challenges, and focused on collaboration.

Satisfied and inspired by this experience, she decided to go further by joining iCRA’s Making Leadership Work course. There, she strengthened her skills in motivating teams, building trust, delegating effectively, and working across complex systems.

Then came a turning point.

Shortly after, in 2024, Dorsaf stepped into new roles as Internship Director at the National Agronomic Institute of Tunisia and Associate Professor, or Maître de Conférences. The leadership tools she gained proved essential, helping her connect academia with the professional world, coordinate diverse actors, and build meaningful partnerships.

Today, she is actively involved in building trust through several partnerships with the socio-economic sector and key stakeholders. As International Mobility Coordinator, she works to create better opportunities and a brighter future for students at the National Agronomic Institute of Tunisia (INAT).

Her ambition is to keep building adaptive, system-oriented, and future-ready learning environments for future agricultural engineers.

We are proud to have been a small part of Dorsaf’s journey and inspired by the impact she continues to create. 🌱

12/05/2026

🌱 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝐔𝐏! 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐰𝐢 🌍

"Women look up to you, and encourage their kids: 'Be like that officer, she's among men."

That line, shared by a female District Council officer in Malawi, comes from the GIZ Malawi Step UP! Gender Scan, conducted across Dedza, Mzimba, and Chikwawa districts by iCRA and MDF - Empowering People, Creating Impact as part of our strategic alliance. It captures the power of visibility, and what it means for women in communities to see one of their own in a position of authority.

Last month, we brought 30 women working in Food Systems at district and national level together for a two-day reflection and leadership event to share the scan findings, build peer connections, and draw energy from women leading change at every level.

Director Sphiwe Msiska Mauwa of Malawi's Ministry of Agriculture spoke about keeping long-term goals in view when the environment pushed back, never losing sight of what was actually happening on the ground, and about building her own food business alongside her public service career. A concrete example of sustainable leadership.

Day two took participants into the field, visiting two community groups in Dedza facilitated by Self Help Africa Malawi: the Mnyanga Community Grain Bank, where women lead collective governance of food storage, and the Sikanadze Group, which built livelihoods through vitamin A-enriched baked goods. Proof in action of what women-led food systems leadership delivers.

The Gender Scan is clear that structural barriers remain real. But so is this: when women lead, others notice. And some of those people are mothers telling their daughters who to look up to. ✨

GIZ Malawi, Self Help Africa, MDF | Empowering People, Creating Impact, Fyness Lydia Ching'oma, Alinafe Irene Nonhlanhla Gama, Brenda Kacheche, Elizabeth Molloy

20/04/2026

𝐢𝐂𝐑𝐀 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤 | 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬: 𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥?

We invest a lot in technical training, but is it enough to build strong and successful agribusiness clusters? In this iCRA Expert talk, we unpack how technical training and agribusiness cluster formation can reinforce each other.

Join us on May 11 for this session led by Susan Wabocha, agribusiness and food systems specialist and member of iCRA’s Supervisory Board

👉 Register here for free: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/technical-training-in-agribusiness-clusters-essential-or-optional-tickets-1987379856650?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true

iCRA Expert talk on Monday, May 11

16/04/2026

We are happy to welcome Behanzin Samson as Bid Manager & Business Development Officer for the MDF-iCRA alliance!

Based in Benin, Samson brings close to 20 years of experience in partnership building and resource mobilization across the African continent, with a strong focus on turning ideas into meaningful collaboration and impact.

At iCRA, we believe strong partnerships are built on trust and shared purpose, and Samson’s track record reflects exactly that. His experience in bringing diverse partners together and turning ideas into action strengthens the way we work and the impact we aim to create together.

Curious to learn more about Samson and his background? Take a look at his profile on our website: https://www.icra.global/team/samson-behanzin/

Welcome to iCRA, Samson. We are really glad to have you on board! 🤝

Meet Samson Behanzin: Experienced development professional with 20+ years in partnerships, fundraising, and program design across Africa.

07/04/2026

🌱 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐚! 🌍

One of the key challenges in strengthening agribusiness clusters is ensuring that coaches don’t just understand concepts, but can apply them in real market conditions. In AgriEco, iCRA addresses this by putting learning into practice from the very start.

From February 24–26, 2026, iCRA, as part of the COLEAD.link –iCRA consortium, supported the launch of the first learning cycle for cluster coaches in Mamou, Guinea, under the Enabel -implemented AgriEco project. This cycle combines classroom training, field coaching with clusters, and reflection & learning sessions.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞: to strengthen the capacities of internal and master coaches supporting pineapple, potato, and vegetable clusters in the Kindia and Mamou regions, with a focus on developing business relationships and market structuring.

Over three days, iCRA guided participants through key business-oriented topics, including:
✔ Market orientation of clusters
✔ Collective supply organization
✔ B2B facilitation
✔ Contracting and managing commercial tensions
✔ Marketing and market positioning

Through participatory method, blending practical tools, group reflection, and exercises, coaches prepared for the next phase: accompanying clusters in the field, where these tools will be tested and adapted to local realities. A field visit to the UGAS cluster marked an important first step, allowing participants to directly apply selected tools with cluster actors!

A big thank you to Enabel, COLEAD, and all participating coaches for their strong engagement! 🚀

26/03/2026

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩? 🤔

Not every partnership gets to the point of standing strong on its own. And sometimes, despite real effort, things just don’t move forward. So, what do you do then?

In iCRA Expert bite no. 36, the final piece in our 3-part series on phasing out, we explore when it makes sense to stop supporting a partnership and how to do that in a clear and respectful way.

Curious how to handle this moment well? You’ll also discover a practical checklist to guide you and help you communicate it with care.

👉 Read the full Expert bite here: https://www.icra.global/when-it-makes-sense-to-stop-supporting-a-partnership/

19/03/2026

𝐃𝐨 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞, 𝐰𝐫𝐚𝐩 𝐮𝐩, 𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞?

Most agribusiness partnerships don’t stand still. They evolve. And at some point, the question comes up: what kind of support is still needed now?

In this iCRA Expert bite no. 35, the second in our 3-part series on phasing out, we explore how to:
• adapt and continue when support is still needed
• consolidate and gradually phase out external support
• or recognize when it’s time to wrap up

And there’s one visual that can guide you through all three paths…Curious?
👉 Read the full Expert bite here: https://www.icra.global/agribusiness-partnership-check-up/

05/03/2026

💡 𝐢𝐂𝐑𝐀 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐧𝐨. 𝟑𝟒: 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐞-𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬

Projects often start with a lot of energy. New partnerships, new ideas, new momentum. But what about the end?

In agricultural development, the closing phase of a project is often the least planned. When external support suddenly stops, farmer organizations, agri-SMEs, and service providers can be left wondering what comes next. 🌱

At iCRA, we see phase-out differently. Not as an exit, but as a transition. A moment to consolidate what has been built and support partners to continue the journey independently. 🤝

A well-managed phase-out can make the difference between a project that ends and partnerships that continue to grow.

Curious how this works in practice? Read the full article on our website: https://www.icra.global/why-a-good-phase-out-matters/

26/02/2026

🌱 Project in Action: What cluster immersion in Benin really showed us 🌍

Last month, iCRA, in collaboration with RAD ONG, facilitated an immersion and exchange visit for the Country Director of Swisscontact, exploring two agricultural clusters supported in Benin. The goal? To ground the cluster approach in real-life dynamics:
🔍 How business relationships truly function
🔍 How actors organize themselves
🔍 How markets are accessed
🔍 How collective energy drives progress

The visit spotlighted two clusters:
🍃 , a pineapple cluster backed through the Ananas project, with a strong focus on processing, marketing, and structuring economic relationships
🍃 Zè, a vegetable cluster supported via SafeVeg West Africa, working on off-season production, market access, and collective governance

Beyond visible results, the immersion reaffirmed a core insight: sustainable clusters don’t come from projects. They emerge from existing relationships and market dynamics. Local markets, active product flows, and real business ties are the bedrock. Support efforts must aim to reinforce, structure, and secure these connections, not reinvent them.

Discussions with producers, processors, aggregators, distributors, and internal coaches underscored:
✔️ The central role of trust among actors
✔️ The need for coordination functions within the cluster
✔️ The power of collective learning
✔️ Ongoing progress in market and financial access

For iCRA, this experience was a powerful reminder of how clusters take shape in practice: through facilitation and learning, deeply rooted in the local economy. A big thank you to Swisscontact, RAD ONG, and all local stakeholders for their openness and contributions!

12/02/2026

🌱 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩, 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 - 𝐀𝐂𝐌𝐀𝟑 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧🌍

In any multi-stakeholder program, internal coordination is the backbone of external impact. For iCRA, that challenge took center stage during our recent support to the ACMA3 program in Benin.

From January 20–23, 2026, our iCRA team facilitated an intensive capacity-building workshop in Dassa. The mission? Strengthen the leadership skills of ACMA3’s diverse team, technical staff, facilitators, managers, and support personnel, so they can drive agricultural transformation with more cohesion and confidence.

💡 The challenge: How can a team with varied roles and responsibilities align, communicate, and lead effectively to ensure stronger field impact?

Our answer: experiential learning, grounded in participants’ real-life work situations. Over four days, we co-explored practical tools for:
🔹 Team management
🔹 Professional communication
🔹 Time and priority management
🔹 Situational leadership

And beyond technical skills, we focused on what truly fuels sustainable team energy: the 4 pillars of happiness at work—purpose, people, progress, and positivity. These were not just concepts, but the foundation for action plans that each team will take forward in their daily work.

✅ Immediate outcome: Energized participants, relevant tools, and a shared commitment to change from within.

This is iCRA’s work in action: building leadership to multiply the impact of agricultural programs. Thank you Roland Fadina and Laurent Glin, Ph.D.