Innovative Approaches to Enhancing Input Supply to Smallholder Farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Farmer adoption of improved seed, fertilizer, and other yield-enhancing technologies is the key to increased productivity.  The adoption of these technologies sets in motion other systemic changes, including better crop and post-harvest management.  In Africa, smallholder farms, averaging 1-2 ha, account for almost 80 per cent of agricultural production. A key constraint in achieving increased agricultural productivity is the absence of a reliable supply of improved seed and fertilizer among these farmers.

The majority of Africa’s farmers still live in small villages where improved seed and fertilizer supply is non-existent.  The limited access to inputs creates a number of barriers to their use, including knowledge, investment-decision, and accountability barriers.

To expand access to improved inputs among Africa’s smallholder farmers, AGRA began establishing input supply at village level in 2007, investing approximately $45 million in the recruiting, training, financing, and networking of rural agrodealers to stock and sell improved seed and fertilizer.

AGRA also invested $100 million in training over 600 crop breeders, seed scientists, soil scientists, and agronomists, from NARIs, to MSc and PhD levels, and provided follow-on funding for research to develop new technologies.  Over 500 improved crop varieties have been released over this period.  A further $60 million was invested in establishing 92 private seed companies. 

From an initial 500 agro-dealers in 2007, AGRA has established over 25,000 agro-dealers across 18 countries.  In the same period, seed production and sale by local seed companies has climbed from 2,500 to 125,000 MT in 2014, and fertilizer sales by agro-dealers have climbed from approx. 50,000 to 1,100,000 MT. The average distance travelled by farmers to purchase inputs in AGRA countries reduced from 60 to 11 km. Agro-dealers also provide extension and market information services, as well as output marketing outlets to farmers.