Question

Technology has improved on agricultural business and as a result new smart agribusinesses are enhancing agricultural value chain. Farmers are provided with marketing opportunities that help them link their products with potential customers. Other agribusiness entrepreneurs are adding value to raw materials and selling new products at competitive prices. There is the need to create an online trading platform for farmers to trade their commodities at favourable prices or store them to receive warehouse receipts. The receipt system will give farmers the opportunity to deposit goods (mainly grains) in order to acquire a warehouse; a financial instrument that shows deposit proof with the quality and quality of the goods in question. Farmers can delay the sale of their commodities to a period when prices are more favourable. Warehouse receipt systems can therefore mobilize credit for agricultural sector and improve agriculture trade.

One of the main criticisms of existing initiatives is that they do not cater for the needs of smallholder farmers and market Queens and traders. For example, to become a member of the Ghana Commodity Exchange, you need to have a valid business registration certificate and a business net worth of GHS80, 000.

The Ministry of Food and Agriculture in collaboration with National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) are at the forefront of leveraging technology to ensure an efficient agriculture value chain.

Required:

i) Develop a business case for the AgriMarket project.

ii) Identify stakeholders needs in AgriMarket project.

iii) Define the scope of the solution.

iv) Develop requirements, including a use cases diagram.

Answer 1

A business case is the way you prove to your client, customer or stakeholder that the product you’re pitching is a sound investment. Below, we illustrate the steps to writing one that will sway them.

The need for a business case is that it collects the proposal, outline, strategy and marketing plan in one document and offers a full look at how the project will benefit the organization.

There are four steps necessary to write a business case, which are as follows:

1. Research your market, competition and alternatives
2. Compare and finalize your approaches
3. Compile the data and present your strategies, goals and options
4. Document everything

Because everyone eats food, and because in the modern world foodstuffs are distributed across huge areas, any issue relating to agriculture ultimately affects a large and scattered range of consumers. The complexity of agricultural land use and food production systems also means that many different organisations have commercial or regulatory interests in farming and its possible health effects. All these need to be considered as potential participants in the assessment.

Type/role	Examples	Interest/role
Farmers and their agents	Land owners, farm workers, unions, farmers’ associations	Victims of exposure; risk management and reduction; potential victims/beneficiaries of risk response (e.g. loss of income)
Agricultural suppliers and services	Seed suppliers, pesticide manufacturers, fertiliser manufacturers, transport companies	Risk management and reduction; potential victims/beneficiaries of risk response
Food distributors and processors	Food wholesalers and retailers, transport companies	Potential victims/beneficiaries of risk response
National/regional health protection agencies	Public health institutions, food standards agencies, occupational health and safety agencies, local/regional health boards and environmental health departments	Risk management and regulation; risk communication
National/regional environmental protection agencies	Ministries of environment, environmental regulatory agencies, local authorities	Risk management and regulation
European and international agencies	European Commission (Directorates for Agriculture, Environment, Health); WHO, FAO	Risk management and regulation; risk communication
NGOs	Pesticide action groups, organic farming groups, animal welfare groups	Risk communication; representatives of victims of exposure; lobbyists for action
Others	1) Rural residents; 2) National and local media ; 3) Scientists (epidemiologists, toxicologists, environmental scientists)