AGRIDEA is a resource and capacity building organisation for professionals working in rural and agricultural development in Switzerland and around the world. It operates in two centres – one in Lindau and the other one in Lausanne. While our main work takes place in Switzerland, our Team for International Cooperation with broad working experience in developing countries, countries in transition and other industrialised countries, constitutes a competence centre for rural and agricultural development in international contexts.
Who we are
Around 15 professional staff with varied backgrounds such as crop production, animal husbandry, rural economics, environmental sciences, farm and home economics work for the AGRIDEA Team for International Cooperation to varying degrees. They bring along a broad spectrum of professional experience and diverse further trainings in social sciences, communication, coaching, facilitation, supervision, adult education, rural tourism etc. Some are fully engaged in international cooperation, while others work in Switzerland as well as abroad. We work in interdisciplinary teams that are carefully composed for each specific task. When required, we also draw in the specific knowhow of our colleagues who work only in Switzerland.
Our clients
Among our typical clients are rural development programmes, donor agencies, agricultural advisers, teachers and researchers, producer organisations, environmental organisations, policy makers, farmers and other rural entrepreneurs.
Activities in development cooperation
The AGRIDEA Team for Development Cooperation emerged in 1984 out of the need to gather, analyse, synthesise and make usable the experiences gained with rural extension in developing countries. Meanwhile the team developed into a competence centre for rural development in a broader sense, that combines thematic and process competencies. We offer consulting and capacity building services in all our areas of competence.
Agricultural and rural economic development
We develop concepts, approaches and strategies that contribute to enhancing the livelihoods of rural people and to promoting pro-poor growth in rural areas.
Agricultural advisory and other rural services
Access to know-how, means of production, business services is a pre-condition for agricultural and rural development. These services have been and are now one of the mainstays of our thematic competencies.
Programme cycle management
We provide support, coaching and backstopping in innovative and conventional approaches to programme cycle management. Our most recent acquisition in this respect is expertise in Outcome Mapping.
Facilitation, e-moderation
We facilitate workshops and learning events face-to-face and internet-based, and provide training in facilitation skills and e-moderation. We also coach and accompany all kinds of learning processes.
Knowledge management
We engage in exploring, and advising on, approaches and mechanisms for knowledge management, institutional learning and experience capitalisation.
Participatory processes
We apply, and we build capacity in, participatory processes, such as for example PLA (Participatory Learning and Action) and PID (Participatory Innovation Development).
Organisational development
We accompany organisational development and change processes.