About BDS
Land O’Lakes employs a market-
driven value chain approach,
utilizing a business development
services (BDS) methodology
BDS refers to the wide range of services used by entrepreneurs to help them operate efficiently and grow
their businesses with the broader purpose of contributing to economic growth, employment generation, and
poverty alleviation. These services help to increase sales and reduce costs for small enterprises.
BDS provides answers to the internal constraints holding back enterprise growth such as poor management,
poor quality products, and lack of markets…
Services include:
INPUT SUPPLY - These services help small businesses improve their access to raw materials and production inputs. They
facilitate the creation of links between small scale producers and suppliers and enable the suppliers to both expand
their outreach to small scale producers and develop their capacity to offer better, less expensive inputs.
MARKET ACCESS - These services identify / establish new markets for small scale producer’s products. They facilitate
the creation of links between all the actors in a given market and enable buyers to expand their outreach to, and
purchases from, small scale farmers. They also enable small scale producers to develop new products and produce
them to buyer specifications.
TECHNOLOGY AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT - These services research and identify new technologies for small scale
businesses and look at the capacity of local resource people to produce, market, and service those technologies on a
sustainable basis. They also develop new and improved producer’s products that respond to market demand.
TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE - These services develop the capacity of producers to better plan and manage
their operations and improve their technical expertise. They develop sustainable training and technical assistance
products that producers are willing to pay for and they foster links between service providers and enterprises.
INFRASTRUCTURE - These establish sustainable infrastructures that enable producers to increase sales and income.
Examples include storage, processing facilities, transport systems, loading equipment, communication centers and
improved roads and market places.
POLICY/ADVOCACY - These services carry out sub-sector analyses and research to identify policy constraints and
opportunities for small businesses. They also facilitate the organization of coalitions, trade organizations or associations
to effect policies that promote the interests of small scale enterprises.
FINANCE - These services help small enterprises identify and access funds through formal and alternative channels that
include supplier or buyer credits, factoring companies, equity financing, venture capital, credit unions, banks, and the
like. They also assist buyers in establishing links with commercial banks (letters of credit, etc.) to help them finance
production directly.
CLICK to read about the critical challenges for BDS market
development
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