Presentation by Dr Rebbie Harawa from AGRA, at the Regional planning meeting on ‘Scaling-Up Climate-Smart Agricultural Solutions for Cereals and Livestock Farmers in Southern Africa – Building partnership for successful implementation’,13–15 September 2016, Johannesburg, South Africa

1. ‫‏‬Scaling Resilient Agricultural Technologies
for Smallholder Farmers in Africa- Lessons
& Opportunities
‫‏‬CTA-SACAU Workshop, Birchwood Hotel, 13-15
September 2016

2. Presentation Outline
• About AGRA
• Scaling Resilient Technologies
• Lessons
• Opportunities

3. 3
‫‏‬ Established in 2006, AGRA is an African-led
alliance whose vision is a food-secure and
prosperous future for all Africans.
‫‏‬ Our mission is to catalyze and sustain an
agricultural transformation in Africa through
innovation-driven productivity increases and
access to markets and finance that improve
livelihoods of smallholder farmers.
Who we are

4. 4NAI-SRF-Management Update-20121206-PP Copyright © 2012 Monitor Company Group, L.P. — Confidential
Achievements………..
4
9,000 Farmers Organizations5 million farmers aware of ISFM
and 50% of them using
400 SMEs that purchased
farmers’ surpluses
Catalyzed changes in seed
and fertilizer policies
>100 seed companies -
120,000 MT of seed annually.
Over 500 crop varieties & 600
students trained.

5. 5
1. Double the incomes of 9 million farm households through the
direct result of activities of AGRA, grantees, and partners
2. Contribute to doubling the incomes of another 21 million farm
households through the contributions of AGRA, grantees, and
partners to policies, programs, and partnerships.
3. Support all focus countries on a pathway to attain and sustain an
agricultural transformation through sustainable agricultural
productivity growth and access to markets and finance.
AGRA is seeking to transform agriculture from low-yield
subsistence to a business that thrives
AGRA’s headline goals for 2020

6. 6
AGRA is moving to an integrated delivery approach to better
catalyze and accelerate transformation…
Previously AGRA’s programs were
designed and phased at different
times, with different business plans
and deliverables
AGRA now has country level strategies that
use an integrated packaged of support
tailored to specific needs and focus areas
Moving from a Programme-based
approach…
…to an Integrated approach
across three levels
National level
Systems
level
Farmer
level
• Government • Donors • Investors
• Input cost and availability
• Warehouses
• Markets• Financial services
• Extension services
• Value addition

7. 7
Implement a fully integrated set of activities to catalyze and sustain an agricultural transformation
across 11 countries
AGRA will deliver this new strategy through two programs:
1: The Agriculture Transformation Program
TANZANIA
MALAWI
MOZAMBIQUE
ETHIOPIA
UGANDA
KENYA
RWANDA
NIGERIA
MALI
BURKINA
FASO
GHANA
Guinea
Savannah
Zone
East African
Highlands
Zone
Miombo
Woodlands
Zone
6 countries to catalyze transformation
5 countries to sustain transformation
Focus agro-ecological zones that
overlap with targeted countries
Based on AGRA’s experience and
insights, these are the countries
where AGRA activities can best
achieve agriculture transformation

8. 8
2: The Farmer Solutions Program
Productivity
and
Resilience
Drive the innovations needed to develop holistic market based solutions and overcome key
technical and capacity barriers to agriculture transformation. Delivered through:
Human &
Institutional
capacity
development
Support research solutions that confront
local constraints to production and emerging
threats due to climate change, insect pests,
and diseases
Support government and partners build
capacity for independence

9. 9NAI-SRF-Management Update-20121206-PP Copyright © 2012 Monitor Company Group, L.P. — Confidential
On Scaling Resilient Agricultural Technologies

10. The Approach -Going beyond demos
9/14/2016
Access fertilizer
and improved
seeds at her local
agro-dealer
farmer group with
access to credit to
buy farm inputs
farmer group with
access to output
market
Knowledge from
demos – using
adapted science
crop yields & income
increases, and natural
resource base is well
preserved
+
+
+

11. ISFM technologies – leading to crop diversification
and resilience
Pigeon pea –maize intercrop in Tanzania: 70,000 ha; 500
USD/ton of pigeon pea to India

12. Cereal-Legume Intercropping
Maize/pigeonpea intercropping in, Babati Tanzania ; source AGRA database
3.0
1.0
2.6
0.9
1.7
-
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
5.0
Mono crop maize+
fertilizer
Intercrop without fertilizer Intercrop + fertilizer
Yeild(t/ha)
Pigeon pea Maize
Net income
234 $/ha
Net income
647 $/ha
Cereal legumes intercropping is economically beneficial to farmers; diversity
good for nutrition as well.
Net income
117 $/ha
• For mono crop maize all yield is high 3
t/ha net income is low
• For intercrop even with out fertilizer 1
t/ha maize and 0.9 t/ha pigeon pea net
income is high due to high price of
pigeon pea and low cost of production
• For intercrop even with fertilizer 2.6 t/ha
maize and 1.7 t/ha pigeon pea net
income is high due increased yield as
well as high price for legumes

13. Impact
• Yields are increasing, on
average:
o Maize up from 1 to 3
tons/ha
o Grain legume up from 0.5 to
1.2 tons/ha
• Uptake -1.7 million farmers in 13
countries
• 1.2 million ha of land is under
ISFM practices (42% with
legumes)

14. Conservation Agriculture Technology
Conservation agriculture practices such as residue retention
increasing yield by 123%
Maize yield in Laikipia county in Kenya; source AGRA database

15. 15
Confidential
Microdose Control
Sorghum yields increased by 3-4 fold with
fertilizer micro-dosing in the Sahel

16. Challenges/LessonsLearnt
• Taking a value chain approach is the best strategy to
scale.
• Strong farmers organizations are essential for scaling
up credit-based interventions
• Policy to support SME’s/ farmers’ access to finance,
landownership
• Research Gaps in adaptation of CSA technologies-
socially, biophysical

17. 17
Opportunities: Climate smart agriculture
CSA
Strengthen systems
to sustainably
increase farm
productivity,
responding to agro-
ecological realities
Address
women’s areas
of vulnerability
vis a vis climate
change
Strengthen
farmers’ access to
markets, finance
and risk
mitigation
mechanism
Support research,
capacity building
and policy
measures
Four principal areas of intervention • Soil fertility,
• SWC,
• Improve planning,
• Farmer access to
supply chain
• Extension Svces
Work to gain a real
understanding of women’s
particular needs
• Crop development
• Soil fertility measures
• Educating and equipping
next generation of
scientists and socio-
economists
• Governments’ agricultural
development
coordination mechanisms
• Improve market
information systems,
• Post-harvest
management and
storage
• Link farmers to
markets and viable
insurance schemes

18. Thank you!