The Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA) and the German Cooperative and Raiffeisen Confederation (DGRV) are collaborating to deliver a series of Business Continuity Plan (BCP) trainings designed to strengthen the resilience and preparedness of farmers’ organizations. This Training of Trainers (ToT) is exclusively open to AFA members and farmers’ organizations under the Asia-Pacific Farmers’ Forum.
The series of training will be conducted on the following dates:
Session 1: Business Continuity Plan Overview: Introduction to Business Continuity Management System
23 July 2026 | 15:00 – 17:00 UTC+08:00 (Philippines) | Online
Session 2: Business Continuity Plan Framework
10, 11 & 14 September 2026 | Online
Practicum
On-site/TBA
I. Rationale
The Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA), in collaboration with the German Cooperative and Raiffeisen Confederation (DGRV), has been actively working to strengthen the capacities of farmers’ organizations (FOs) across Asia. In 2022, foundational trainings on financial management and governance were conducted and later cascaded by trained facilitators to their respective members. These efforts have demonstrated tangible, positive impacts at the grassroots level.
Building on this progress, AFA—through the Farmers’ Organizations for Asia (FO4A) program—carried out enterprise evaluations of various FOs, prioritizing those with FO4A-approved business plans. These assessments examined key operational areas including organizational management, financial stability and profitability, productivity and market access, inclusivity, and sustainability.
However, the findings revealed significant gaps, particularly in the area of climate resilience. Many FOs continue to face challenges in coping with climate-related disruptions that affect their production systems and capacity to meet market demands. Moreover, a key weakness identified is the lack of formalized management instruments such as Business Continuity Plans (BCPs), Strategic Plans, and Succession Plans—tools that are vital for ensuring operational sustainability amid external shocks.
The rationale of this activity is to provide a strategic framework that defines a detailed, forward-thinking approach to establishing procedures, guidelines, and processes necessary for maintaining an organization’s critical operations during and after unexpected disruptions. The purpose is to minimize downtime, protect essential resources, and strengthen business resilience in the face of unforeseen events driven by political, economic, and environmental factors.
II. Objectives
- To provide a platform for sharing insights, best practices, and experiences on business continuity planning among farmers’ organizations, while discussing practical strategies, tools, and partnerships that strengthen organizational resilience and ensure continuity of operations during disruptions.
- To enhance participants’ understanding of risk assessment, business impact analysis, emergency response, and recovery planning, enabling farmers’ organizations to identify potential threats, assess their impacts, and develop appropriate mitigation and continuity strategies.
- To strengthen the capacity of farmers’ organizations to integrate the results of the Farmers’ Enterprise Assessment Tool towards Resilient, Inclusive, Sustainable Enterprise (FEAT to RISE) into their Business Continuity Plans by identifying critical risks, prioritizing recovery actions, and building resilient enterprise operations.
- To provide a practicum where participating farmers’ organizations develop, present, and refine their own Business Continuity Plans through guided exercises, simulation of disruption scenarios, peer learning, and facilitator feedback, resulting in organization-specific and actionable BCPs ready for implementation.
III. Points of Discussion
| Session | Points of Discussion |
| Session 1: Business Continuity Plan Overview: Introduction to Business Continuity Management System | 1. Introduction to Business Continuity Management (BCM): concepts, objectives, and its importance in strengthening the resilience of farmers’ organizations (FOs). 2. Understanding risks and disruptions affecting FOs, including natural hazards, market fluctuations, climate-related events, and operational challenges. 3. Overview of the Business Continuity Planning (BCP) process, key components, and the expected outputs of the training series. |
| Session 2: Business Continuity Plan Framework | 1. Conducting Risk Assessment and Business Impact Analysis (BIA) to identify critical business functions, potential threats, and their impacts on operations. 2. Developing emergency response and business recovery strategies, including health and safety measures, communication protocols, supply chain continuity, and resource management. 3. Establishing monitoring, coaching, and continuous improvement mechanisms to support BCP implementation, track progress, address implementation challenges, and strengthen organizational preparedness through regular reviews and feedback. |
| Session 3: Practicum | 1. Presentation and review of FO’s draft Business Continuity Plan, with peer learning and facilitator feedback. 2. Practical exercises and simulation of disruption scenarios to test emergency response, decision-making, and recovery procedures. 3. Finalization of the Business Continuity Plan, including refinement of mitigation measures, implementation arrangements, and next steps for adoption and monitoring. |
Session 1 Program
| Time | Activity | Person-in-Charge |
| 3:00-3:05 | Acknowledgment of participants Photo | Junie Pandela, BDO, AFA |
| 3:06-3:10 | Opening message/Objectives Key message | Lany Rebagay, Deputy Secretary General, AFA Mr. Reinhold Hoernle, Project Director, DRGV Philippines |
| 3:11-3:14 | First Part: 1. Introduction to Business Continuity Management 2. Understanding the Risk Chain 3. Impact Categories Open Forum (10 mins) | Luis Herrera, Project Advisor, DGRV |
| 4:01-4:05 | Ice breaker/Quiz time | Junie Pandela & Leo Mendoza, BDO, AFA |
| 4:06-4:45 | Second Part: 1. Business Continuity Management System 2. Establishing the BCMS Foundation Open Forum (10 mins) | Luis Herrera, Project Advisor, DGRV |
| 4:46-4:55 | Lessons learned/key takeaways from the participants | Participants |
| 4:55-5:00 | Closing message (AFA) | Toolos Bostonbaev, AFA Chairman |
Session 2 Porgram
Facilitators during the breakout session:
Grains: Bernie/Lany; FO: team leader/presenter + documentor (3 days)
Crops: Junie/Irish; FO: team leader/presenter + documentor (3 days)
Livestock: Leo/Amir; FO: team leader/presenter + documentor (3 days)
| Time | Activity | PIC | Remarks |
| September 10, 2026: Business Impact AnalysisModerator: AmirTimekeeper: Bernie | |||
| 2:00-2:05 | Acknowledgment of ParticipantsPhoto | Junie | |
| 2:05-2:15 | Opening MessageBCP Session 2 Objectives | AFA | |
| 2:15-2:30 | Recap for session 1: orientation (July 23)(All participants) | Leo | |
| 2:30-3:00 | Introduction & Pre-workshop lecture | Luis | |
| 3:00-3:15 3:15-3:20 | Part 1: FoundationBusiness Continuity ScopeBusiness Continuity ObjectivesBusiness Continuity PolicyOpen Forum/Q&A | Luis | |
| 3:20-3:25 | Health break | ||
| 3:25-3:40 3:40-4:404:40-5:10 5:10-5:205:20-5:50 | Part 2: Business Impact AnalysisImpact MatrixBusiness Activities, Dependencies & Requirements Breakout Session – 60 minsPresentation per Group – 10 mins/group Impact Assessment & MTPDBreakout Session – 30 mins | Luis | Each group to present |
| 5:50-6:00 | FO ReflectionClosing | Amir | |
| September 11, 2026: Cont. of Business Impact Analysis & Risk AssessmentModerator: JunieTimekeeper: Leo | |||
| 2:00-2:05 | Acknowledgment of ParticipantsPhoto | Amir | |
| 2:05-2:20 | Recap for Day1 | Bernie | Blooket |
| 2:20-3:20 3:20-4:00 | Part 2: Business Impact AnalysisRecovery & PrioritiesResources NeededOpen forum | Luis | |
| 4:00-4:05 | Health break | ||
| 4:00-4:15 | Quiz | Irish | Blooket |
| 4:15-5:00 5:00-5:30 | Part 3: Risk AssessmentRisk CriteriaRisk IdentificationRisk RegisterOpen forum | Luis | |
| 5:30-5:45 | FO Reflection | Amir | |
| 5:45-6:00 | Closing | Junie | |
| September 14, 2026: Solutions, Strategies, ProceduresBCP & Testing & ImprovementModerator: Leo Timekeeper: Amir | |||
| 2:00-2:05 | Acknowledgment of ParticipantsPhoto | Bernie | |
| 2:05-2:20 | Recap | Leo | Blooket |
| 2:20-3:20 3:20-3:303:30-4:00 4:00-4:15 | Part 4: Solutions, Strategies & ProceduresFormulating Solutions & StrategiesBC Resources Open forumFormulating BC Procedures Open forum | Luis | |
| 4:15-4:20 | Health break | ||
| 4:20-4:50 | Part 5: BCPPart 6: Testing & Improvement | Luis | |
| 4:50-5:00 | Open forum | Leo | |
| 5:00-5:15 | Quiz (day 1- 3) | Junie | Blooket |
| 5:15-5:45 | FO Key Takeaway: What is your key takeaway from the BCMS training?In one word, how would you describe your experience during the BCMS training?What specific action will you take after this training to strengthen business continuity in your organization? | Irish | Mentimeter |
| 5:45-6:00 | ClosingAnnouncement of the next BCP Session (On site) – selected participants | DGRV | |
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