CLAASE: an interactive learning community for smallholder organisations

CLAASE is an innovative online learning platform focused on business training for smallholder organisations. It is the only such facility co-founded and co-owned by Latin American producer networks.

Developed by Twin in partnership with producer networks in Latin America, CLAASE currently operates 13 interactive learning modules and a training toolbox with over 120 training modules, materials and tools for smallholder organisations.

The toolbox comprises materials for the successful management, operation and governance of smallholder producer organisations across all key areas, including:

• Governance
• Gender
• Strategic and operational planning
• Financial administration and management
• Credit management
• Product quality control
• Export and risk management
• Certification

All the materials have been developed with and for smallholder producer organisations and are systematised using a standardised methodology, regardless of the original source of the material.

Background

We believe that technical support and training to strengthen smallholder producers’ position in the value chain should be an intrinsic cost that is financed by all the participants in the chain. However, in a highly competitive and changing market it is a challenge to distribute these costs through the chain, rather than just at the producer end.

In 2009, Twin in conjunction with Root Capital, began to develop an online training tool box with funding from the Rabobank Foundation, the Inter-American Development Bank and others. This enabled us to store training materials and methodologies and to make these freely available to producer partners and networks in the south. This learning community became known as CLAASE, ‘Comunidad Latino Americana de Aprendizaje y Servicios Educativos’.

CLAASE specialises in participatory training methodologies suited to smallholder democratic structures. It focuses on active learning (learning by doing) – proven as a much more effective approach for adult education in rural areas.

Achievements

• CLAASE now hosts a wealth of training modules, materials or tools for the successful management, operation and governance of smallholder producer organisations.
• We have created a clear working methodology to develop, implement and evaluate new training approaches and materials – so the training tools available through CLAASE can continue to grow and evolve to meet the needs of smallholder organisations.
• Over 100 ‘Knowledge Managers’ (Gestores de Conocimiento) have now been trained in Nicaragua, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras and Peru in the use of the platform and in knowledge exchange and training methodologies in general.

“I would like to comment that the Price Risk Management Course on CLAASE is helping me in my work and teaching me to take prudent decisions. My special thanks to CLAASE and to the organisations that have worked together to make this platform work so well.” – Dante Muriel, Cusco, CAC Valle de Incahuasi, Peru

Next steps

Having secured additional funding in 2011 from Progreso Twin is now working to make this valuable training platform financially sustainable over a five-year period.

We aim to generate income by offering training or systematisation services to other interested parties, in particular NGOs and institutions that provide support to producer organisations and are keen to utilise our tools, methodologies and expertise.

Any income will be reinvested in training and technical assistance, either in direct training activities with producer partners and their networks or in the maintenance of the training platform.

CLAASE is now in a transition period, where we’re seeking to transfer the platform and its resources from its original members to the CLAC, the Latin American and Caribbean network of smallholder producers in Fairtrade. Twin will be the only founding member that will maintain a collaboration agreement with the CLAC, where Twin will support it in the maintenance and improvement of the platform and in return Twin can make use of the platform as all other CLAC members can.

Visit CLAASE website

If you are interested in using the CLAASE training or systematisation service, please get in touch.