Level 9
Negotiation
Reach fair deals you can keep
Negotiation is simply two sides agreeing on the terms of a deal. A good deal is one both sides can keep, so that the buyer returns and you are paid. This level shows you how to prepare, what to agree, how to stay fair and firm, and why a written record protects you.
Farmers, processors, traders and group leaders who sell to buyers, buy inputs or services, or deal with transporters and partners.
How this level is written
The lessons are practical teaching suggestions written by AfricAgric. The reading list is background reading, not the source of every sentence. Examples with numbers are invented and say so. Use the level as a way to think, then check facts and rules for your own place.
What you will learn
- Prepare for a negotiation: know your costs, your options and the buyer's needs.
- Agree the terms that matter: quantity, quality, delivery, price and payment.
- Negotiate fairly and firmly, and recognise when to walk away.
- Put agreements in writing, keep records and know the first steps if there is a dispute.
Where this level fits
Levels 1 to 8 gave you your costs, your product, your quality, your transport and your customers. Now you turn them into deals. Level 10 looks at the money side of running the business.
Parts of this level
- Part 1Prepare before you talkMost of a negotiation is won or lost before the meeting, by knowing your costs and your options.
- Part 2The terms that matterPrice is only one term. Quantity, quality, delivery and payment decide whether the deal works.
- Part 3Fair dealing, firmness and walking awayBe honest and clear, hold your limits, and know when to say no.
- Part 4Written agreements, records and disputesA short written record protects both sides. Keep it simple and keep it safe.
- WorkbookAll exercises from this level in one place, with space to think and a printable layout.
- QuizCheck what you learned. Answers and short explanations are hidden until you choose to show them.
Not advice
This level is educational. It is not legal, financial, regulatory, nutritional or medical advice. Rules, fees and programmes change, so check every requirement with the authority named before you act.
Background reading
- Market Research for Agroprocessors (Marketing Extension Guide 3) — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Andrew W. Shepherd, 2003
- Legal Guide on Contract Farming — UNIDROIT, FAO and IFAD, 2015
- Agricultural and Food Marketing Management — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), I. M. Crawford, 1997
- Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) — International Labour Organization (ILO)