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Certification rubric

The fixed rubric every plan is scored on.

Nine criteria, 100 marks, three gates. Every plan is assessed the same way, so a certified plan means the same thing in every market.

Submit a planBuild the CapstoneVerify a certificate
A venture plan with a pegged land map on the table in front of a bank

Scoring

CriterionMarksLender-ready (full marks)Sound (75%)Thin (40%)Missing (0)
1. Land and tenure
Taught in C1		10States hectares, the exact land right, who holds it and what it proves to a lender; uses the lease value as the opportunity cost to beat.States the land right and hectares, with a lease value.Names the land but not the document or its effect on finance.No tenure position.
2. Enterprise choice and market logic
Taught in Major U1-U3		10Enterprise fits the hectares, the market and the country data, with dated figures cited from the data layer.Enterprise is sound for the land and market, with some figures cited.Choice is asserted rather than argued from the market.No reason given for the enterprise.
3. Buyer and route to market
Taught in C4, Major U4		15A named buyer or buyer type, the price basis, payment terms and the farm-gate price from T-C-05.A credible buyer and price, terms partly stated.A general market named with no price basis.No buyer.
4. The numbers
Taught in C2, C3, T-C-04, T-C-06, Enterprise Budget		15Own figures throughout; enterprise budget, twelve-month cash flow and break-even are consistent with each other and with the land.Own figures, minor inconsistencies.Figures partly left at the worked example or not reconciled.Worked example figures unchanged.
5. Financing plan
Taught in C2, T-C-02, T-C-03		10Start-up capital, funding gap and source of money stated; repayment fits the cash flow.Funding stated, repayment shown.Capital stated with no source.No financing.
6. Logistics, standards and access
Taught in C5, C6, Major U5		10Delivered cost, the standards and permits the buyer requires, and how the farm will meet them.Main requirements named.Mentions access without the specific requirement.Not addressed.
7. Risk and resilience
Taught in C9, T-C-07		10Risk register costed, the single biggest risk answered, and the plan survives prices down 20% and costs up 20%.Main risks costed, stress test passed.Risks listed but not costed.No risk register.
8. Entry route realism
Taught in Major U6		10The real minimum capital, input choke points and offtake are dealt with in the plan, with who to call.Entry route mostly covered.Entry route assumed rather than planned.Not addressed.
9. People, community and labour
Taught in C10, C11, T-C-08		10Every role costed with contracts and pay, a training and safety plan, the share of jobs held locally, and a written community benefit plan agreed with local leadership.Team costed and a community benefit named.Labour mentioned without cost or community plan.Not addressed.
Total100Pass mark 80. Distinction 90.

Gates, pass mark and resubmission

Gates come before marks.

The rubric scores a plan only after it clears three gates. The gates protect what the certificate means to a lender: a real plan, on real land, in the student's own numbers.

Three gates a plan passes before it is scored: readiness, own figures and integrity, then a score of 80 out of 100 certifiesReadiness1Own figures2Integrity380+of 100certifies
1Gate one: readiness
T-CAP-01 must read 6 of 6. A plan below 6 of 6 is returned without scoring and the submission is not counted.
2Gate two: own figures
Every yellow input that still matches the Chegutu worked example is flagged. A plan built on the example figures fails criterion 4 and cannot pass.
3Gate three: integrity
A plan that matches another submission, or a workbook whose formulas have been overwritten with typed answers, is flagged and fails.
4Scoring
Each criterion is scored at one of four levels. The nine scores add up to 100.
5Pass and distinction
80 and above certifies. 90 and above certifies with distinction.
6Feedback and resubmission
Every assessed plan receives a written note against each criterion. One resubmission is included on the same code.

What the certificate states

  • Holder name and designation: RIMAI Certified Agribusiness Professional
  • Major and country
  • Venture name, location and hectares
  • Score, and distinction where earned
  • Reference code in the form RIMAI-ZW-M12-2026-0001
  • Date of issue and expiry, two years later
  • Data layer date the plan rests on
  • Verification at the RIMAI verification page