When MBA learning moves from the classroom to the field
- Miel Hooijdonk
- Programme Manager Executive Education
“In Rwanda, food systems were no longer an abstract concept. They became visible in the field, across value chains and in the conversations with the people shaping them every day.”
During the Rwanda International Module, participants of the WUR-TIAS Executive MBA in Food & Agribusiness explored food systems where they are actually taking shape: in the field, across value chains and in conversation with the people building them every day.
For one week, Rwanda became the classroom. As part of the Food & Agribusiness track, participants visited farms, cooperatives, processing facilities and local enterprises to connect the strategic and leadership themes of the MBA to the realities of food and agribusiness on the ground.
Rather than discussing strategy and leadership only through models or cases, the international module placed these themes in context. What does responsible growth look like when farmer livelihoods, product quality, market access and community development are closely connected? And what kind of leadership is needed when decisions in one part of the value chain affect many others?
Throughout the week, participants met farmers, entrepreneurs, cooperative leaders and local partners working on resilient value chains, sustainable growth and long-term community impact. These visits brought familiar concepts into sharper focus: entrepreneurship, systems thinking, collaboration, leadership and the responsibility that comes with making decisions in food and agribusiness.
Seeing the system up close
One visit that stayed with many participants was Dukunde Kawa, a coffee cooperative in Rwanda. Here, the group saw how quality coffee production is closely connected to farmer livelihoods, social sustainability and future generations.
The conversations at the cooperative went beyond coffee alone. They showed what becomes possible when farmers are able to invest in their families, their communities and the next step forward. Better production, stronger market access and higher value creation are not only economic outcomes. They can also create space for education, local development and long-term resilience.
For the MBA participants, this made the idea of “investing in the farmer” much more tangible. It was not only a social choice, but also a strategic one.
“Investing in the farmer became visible as both a social choice and a strategic one.”
Following the value chain
At Hollanda Fair Foods, participants followed the Winnaz potato chips value chain and explored how good agricultural practices, close farmer partnerships and market access can contribute to strengthening the potato sector in Rwanda.
The visit showed how value chains are shaped by more than production alone. Quality, trust, logistics, entrepreneurship and long-term relationships all play a role. For professionals working in food and agribusiness, these are familiar themes, but seeing them in context gave them a different weight.
It also made the complexity of food systems visible. Decisions made at one point in the chain can have consequences elsewhere. A stronger connection between farmers and markets can influence income, product quality, business growth and the development of the wider sector.
The learning was in the questions
What made the international module especially valuable was not only what participants saw, but how they engaged with it. They asked sharp questions, shared their own professional experience and connected the visits to the challenges they face in their own organisations. They reflected on what responsible leadership means in a sector where business decisions, farmer livelihoods, sustainability and long-term food security are closely connected.
In that sense, the Rwanda module reflected the core of the Executive MBA track. It was not about observing food systems from a distance, but about understanding them from within: through people, places, decisions and trade-offs.
“The real learning happened in the questions participants brought back to their own leadership practice.”
A milestone in the MBA journey
With this international module, the group completed the first quarter of their Executive MBA journey. It marked an important milestone, but also a strong foundation for what comes next. The week in Rwanda gave participants the opportunity to test ideas, challenge assumptions and broaden their perspective on leadership in food and agribusiness. It showed that systems thinking is not only a framework. It is something that becomes clearer when you stand in the field, follow the chain and listen to the people working within it.
Learning by doing, in the field, in conversation and in context.
About the Executive MBA Track: Leadership in Food & Agribusiness
The Executive MBA Track: Leadership in Food & Agribusiness is designed for professionals who want to strengthen their leadership, strategic perspective and systems thinking in the food and agribusiness sector.
The programme helps participants navigate complex challenges, connect business decisions to wider food system dynamics and develop the skills needed to contribute to responsible change in the sector.