Skills Guides¶
Six standalone guides, each teaching one discrete skill for Value Chain Analysis. Designed to be read in order as a progression or referenced individually when needed for a specific task.
The Six Skills¶
| # | Skill | Framework Step | What You Learn |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mapping a Value Chain | Map | Identifying actors, roles, relationships, and parallel channels. The hourglass shape of commodity chains. |
| 2 | Breaking Down Value Flows | Breakdown | Tracing costs, revenues, and margins from farmer to export. Building a waterfall chart. |
| 3 | Unit Conversion and Price Analysis | Breakdown | Converting local currency/weight/product form to international standards. The Rwanda conversion worked example. |
| 4 | Benchmarking | Benchmark | Comparing yields, prices, farmer share, and costs across countries and time periods. |
| 5 | Prioritizing Recommendations | Action | The impact-feasibility matrix. Segmenting interventions by producer type. |
Format¶
Each guide follows the same structure:
- What It Is — One-paragraph definition
- Why It Matters — Why this skill is essential
- How to Do It — Step-by-step with coffee examples (Vietnam, Rwanda)
- Common Mistakes — 5 pitfalls with explanations
- Practice Prompt — An exercise to test understanding
How to Use¶
- Before the lecture: Read Skills 1-3 to understand the basic framework
- During the lecture: Skills 1-5 correspond to the Map / Breakdown / Benchmark progression in the slides
- For assignments: Skill 6 is the full methodology guide for conducting your own VCA
- As reference: Each guide is self-contained — jump to the one you need
Cross-References¶
- For country-specific applications of these skills, see the Case Studies
- For the underlying data, see the Data Pack