Workbook
Level 7 · Logistics
Work through these exercises with your own product, market and numbers. Review your answers with a mentor, a farmer group or a business adviser. Print this page to fill it in by hand.
Exercises in this level
- 7.1 · Map your journey
- 7.2 · A loading checklist
- 7.3 · Plan one delivery
- 7.4 · The true cost of my trip
Part 1 · What logistics includes
Exercise 7.1 · Map your journey
- Choose one product and one regular buyer.
- Draw the journey step by step from pick-up to payment, and write the way of moving used at each stage.
- Mark where the product waits, where it is handled roughly, and where it could be delayed.
- Mark with a star the point where you most often lose time, product or money.
Part 2 · Handling and loading
Exercise 7.2 · A loading checklist
- Write a ten-point checklist for loading and moving your product.
- Test it on the next trip and note what you missed.
- Write one change that would reduce damage and cost little to make.
Part 3 · Routes, timing and coordination
Exercise 7.3 · Plan one delivery
- Choose one delivery you do or could do regularly.
- Write the agreement you would make with the buyer: time, place, quantity, quality, who receives.
- Write the timeline backwards from delivery to harvest or packing.
- Write one backup plan and one person you could share a trip with.
Part 4 · The cost of a trip, and who pays
Exercise 7.4 · The true cost of my trip
- Choose a trip you make or could make and list every cost, with your own figures from a recent trip or a quote.
- Divide by the units that arrive in good condition to find the transport cost per unit.
- Write two ways to lower the cost per unit: for example sharing, a return load or better packing.
- Compare the cost per unit with the price you receive, and write what you learn.