Two years after the Training of Trainers (ToT) for the b|u|s 3 module started in India, December 2024 finally witnessed its completion: the b|u|s 3 trainer candidates had gained sufficient practice in applying the module to be certified.
To mark this important milestone, our b|u|s 3 master trainer Dr. Anton Bojanovsky travelled to India and undertook the long journey inland and to the south. As our trainers are spread across central and southern India, two evaluation courses were organised – one at the Don Bosco Educational Complex in Ahmednagar and one in Kuttikanam near Kochi.
The b|u|s 3 module provides participants – from individual smallholders to leaders of Farmer Producer Organisations – with the crucial skills required to build and secure their businesses. By the end of the course, participants are able to create a concise, workable business plan that will enable them to approach local banks for the necessary investment.
Our eight newly certified b|u|s 3 trainers are highly qualified specialists from various professional fields. Three of them, for example, work for the Lipok Social Foundation, a non-profit organisation in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, which promotes sustainable living. The organisation promotes organic farming, water management and rural entrepreneurship Lipok Social Foundation. A further two trainers are employed by PDS Organic Spices, a unit of the Peermade Development Society in Kerala, which is dedicated to promoting organic spices and supporting smallholders PDS Organic Spices.
Following the two evaluation courses, a large certification ceremony was held in the port city of Kochi. Attendees included a senior representative from NABARD – the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development India – and other representatives from the Spice Board in Karnataka, RubFarm Producer Company in Kerala and the President of Inter-Continental Network of Organic Farmers (INOFO), Ms. Shamika Mone (herself a b|u|s 1 and 2 trainer in India). They enhanced the event thanks to enlightening discussions on b|u|s in India and future training opportunities.
Our special thanks go to the dedicated trainers themselves, Dr. Anton Bojanovsky, the Don Bosco Educational Complex in Ahmednagar and PDS Organic Spices in Kerala, who hosted the evaluation courses.
With a view to the upcoming b|u|s training courses in India as part of a GIZ develoPPP project, we wish the newly certified trainers much success and fulfilment in their new roles. Together, we are promoting business development and empowerment in India!
