Rural households typically generate income in a diversity of ways - from farming, from employment, from trading and other enterprises. Enterprise development is thus a normal part of life but it is also promoted as an important means of escape from poverty. Starting a new enterprise is invariably risky and failure is probably more common than success. This is a problem if credit is used to finance the activities and it is, therefore, important to help people take good decisions about new enterprises and particularly to assess the market for their products.

The growth of microfinance in recent years has provided many people with the opportunities to start new enterprises. However, much remains to be done to support these "micro-entrepreneurs" with advice, market information, product research and development, advocacy services, legal support and so on. This is particularly so in rural areas and the provision of business advisory services, complementing agricultural advisory services, has yet to develop in many places.