The Sesame Business Network (SBN) is a largely informal innovation network that is driven by local entrepreneurs and other stakeholders for developing a more competitive, sustainable and inclusive sesame sector development for farmers’ income improvement and spill-over effects.

SBN strategies and activities
To achieve its overall goal, the SBN and Benefit-SBN focus on three major strategies. Under these three strategies there are three specific strategies or intermediary outcomes:

1. Production cost price reduction: a) Yield and quality improvement b) Harvest, transport and storage loss reduction c) Improved farmers access to input credit
2. Product and market development: a) Post-harvest value creation, b) Improved market linkages and sales c)Improved access to marketing credit
3. Strengthening the enabling environment for the Ethiopian sesame sector:  a) Evidence-based information sharing  b) Stakeholder capacity development  c) Enhanced stakeholder collaboration

The three primary outcomes reflect the project strategy to combine production-push and market-pull value chain development, with strong stakeholder collaboration, both at the local and strategic level. This is at the heart of the agribusiness cluster and network approach that Benefit-SBN applies for sesame sector development.

One of the main purposes of the SBN support programme is to facilitate stakeholder collaboration at different levels and to improve the competitiveness, profitability, sustainability, and inclusiveness of the sesame sector.

Approach and services

Benefit-SBN provides different services and facilities that help stakeholders to work together to realise their individual and common economic objectives. The programme organises its work in four complementary ways.

1. Innovation development
2. capacity development
3. Scaling and
4.  Network and policy development