**Abstract**

This chapter provides a synthesis of planning small-scale entrepreneurial skills to guide the current and prospective micro investors to harness wide ranges of agribusiness value chains in Nigeria. This initiative considered alternatives in business strategic options to harness the potentials therein, which involve production, distribution, processing of agricultural products and services integration for converting agricultural outputs for regular and timely supply of domestic and international needs. The current outcry for economic diversification couple with high rate of unemployment in Nigeria requires concerted efforts to boost the agriculture sector as a viable alternative for growth and development. Suffices to say, most agribusiness investors more often than not, experience failure because of the dearth of requisite business skills for planning the survival and growth of small-scale agribusinesses in the face of modern realities. In this wise, the chapter brings the benefits such as risk mitigation, cost savings, and income generation through combination of known production planning and business management skills. The chapter adopts discursive taxonomy, interpolating elicited facts from available literature plus the knowledge of 'on-the-job-experience' to promote and support the development of agribusinesses strategy for the transformation of the agriculture sector to generate employment, income, and promote food security, and competitiveness in the marketplaces.

**Keywords:** good business plan, micro investors, agribusinesses, management skills, diversification

### **1. Introduction**

The motivation and commitment to develop this write-up for planning micro investment in agribusiness value-chains emanates from rational observations and conviction. On the foremost, the youths' colossal neglects of agriculture business versus very high unemployment rates and the consequential poverty and misery in the country, for me, are unacceptable. More, so, this scenario is worsen by the population explosion demanding for food and the influx of imported food into the country, which further overstretched the country's balance of payment crises. Another observable and convincing scenario is the under developed agricultural

#### *Agricultural Economics*

food processing systems in Nigeria deserving cogent attention. Traditionally, the country produce primary crops like cocoa, cotton, tomatoes, grains, ginger, etc., but imports beverages, textile materials, canned tomatoes, malt-drinks, ginger drinks, etc. imposing unbalance trade of payments leading to constant devaluation of our currency, which has to stop. Furthermore, the perceived very high potentials of agribusinesses in Nigeria and, under tapped agro-industry value-chains in many states of Nigeria calls for strategic attention and investment. Indeed, the availability of management skills could be very much helpful in order to arrest these ugly trends by adding value to agricultural products thus, boost rural incomes, reduce youth restiveness, boost GDP and improve balance of payment deficit in the long-run.

The objectives of the paper is to give readers, policy makers, micro agribusiness investors, farmers and local government administrators a clear understanding of the following:

