This training manual designed by the International Labor Organization (ILO) for their MATCOM program is intended for the use of trainers who plan to facilitate this development program for coop leaders and administrators from agricultural cooperatives. It aims to improve the management abilities of those who head these kind of cooperatives, especially in areas of business that require added attention and expertise.

Specifically in this manual, managers and assistant managers from agricultural cooperatives, with the help of instructors, would have the chance to acquaint and educate themselves with the different forms of savings and credit opportunities available for farming communities. They would  be able to appreciate the importance of credit in enabling livelihood like agriculture and how they could initiate a credit union that would fund or assist their farming businesses. Aside from that, coop leaders would also be taught on how to identify their community's need for savings, how to set-up and run a cooperative that is involved in savings and grants loans, how to deal with loan application, evaluation and collection from its members, and how to partner with other crediting facilities. Using an "active-learning" type of methodology, program trainers are suggested and encouraged to use interactive modes of instruction aside from discussion or lecture. This manual is divided into sessions, and each session has a defined objective, as well as a proposed flow of program which can be followed or customized depending on the trainees' capabilities.