All managers of ACP horticultural companies (“operators”) are responsible for production (conventional or organic), protection of the harvest, and the transport and packaging of exported products. In particular, they are responsible for ensuring respect for the environment and compliance with specifications, and verifying the conformity and traceability of batches placed on the market through the documents accompanying their products.

Target audience : Executives of companies responsible for:

• regulatory compliance of product batches (operations managers, crop/production managers, quality and traceability managers, packaging station managers)
• respect for the environment (water, soil, biodiversity, air quality)
• sustainable energy and waste management.

Rationale : Production managers are responsible for choosing production and crop protection methods (chemical or alternative methods). They must ensure compliance with good agricultural and phytosanitary practices (sustainable production, health and safety rules for staff, storage rules, respect for the environment, etc.). They must also ensure compliance with local legislation and standards for plant protection products (PPPs) and maximum residue levels (MRLs) for harvested products, as well as the requirements of voluntary private norms (VPNs), particularly in the environmental field.

Enhanced skills :

• Manage production units in such a way as to meet productivity and efficiency requirements, while taking into account changes in regulatory and commercial requirements (particularly sustainability)
• Ensure the continuity of operations, production compliance with hygiene and quality standards, and traceability
• Continually evolve and improve the means of production and the sustainability of practices
• Collect and interpret data to manage the company; measure deviations from the sustainability objectives set by the company’s strategy and profitability
• Organise and facilitate internal training to strengthen the skills of production staff

Target audience: Service providers who deliver technical assistance to managers and company executives to implement integrated production and/or sustainable environmental management strategies.
Service providers who act as trainers and/or trainers-of-trainers or coaches to these people.

Rationale: Provide technical assistance with extensive skills in environmental protection (water, soil, biodiversity, air quality), sustainable energy and waste management; and with complementary training skills (coaching and communication) to be able to lead a project team.
Providing training (or training-of-trainers) requires the mastery of technical skills (in agronomy and the environment) and training skills (communication skills, group facilitation, coaching, skills assessment). In line with COLEACP’s cascading training system, ACP experts trained in this field are also needed, for example to strengthen the communication skills of middle managers in companies (internal training, e.g. through field training workshops).

Enhanced skills :

• Be aware of the regulatory requirements and main private voluntary standards in the field of environmental protection (in the broad sense)
• Identify agricultural practices presenting a risk to the environment (use tools such as COLEACP’s Sustainability Self-Assessment System)
• Analyse and control risks by implementing GAP and environmental restoration methods
• Develop and/or manage an environmental training programme
• Facilitate training-of-trainers, coach and evaluate participants