I guess last time I rather haphazardly laid down my thoughts about some challenges in the agriculture sector without really explaining how my placement fits into it. I’m partnered with both a private sector seed firm and the PROFIT project. Over the past five years, PROFIT has worked with firms in the input sector, promoting a rural agent system—formerly, farmers had to travel long distances to town to purchase inputs, resulting in a significant mark up from transportation costs. The difficult and costly journey also contributed to late planting, which often leads to poorer yields, making it even harder for a small-scale farmer to get the inputs for the next planting season. In the agent system, input firms select entrepreneurial farmers within remote communities to act as franchise representatives. They’re responsible for organizing customers in the region to bulk orders, as well as providing education and extension services. Farmers are then able to get the products and information they need within their communities. By reaching out to small-scale farmers, and not only commercial, through agents, input firms have been able to considerably expand their markets. In turn, farmers receive inputs at lower costs, and agents earn a healthy commission.

The good news is that the agent network system has really taken off. Particularly interesting is the amount of collaboration between businesses linked horizontally in the value chain (for instance, seed companies and herbicide companies). Many are leveraging each other’s networks to provide bundled services to farmers at lower cost. However, as the networks grow in size, agent management, monitoring, and evaluation are becoming a bigger challenge. While the networks began with personal relationships and informal agreements, as the networks get more complicated some more standardization may be required. How is data recorded? Can it be organized and displayed in a way that is helpful to the firm? Are learning and innovation being captured and rewarded? Are there opportunities that are being missed for better market forecasting, and service provision to ultimately benefit rural farmers? Part of my placement is working with input firms to explore these questions and develop data management, and monitoring and evaluation systems.

Unfortunately, my internet access is kind of sporadic, as we spend most of our time in the field (I’ve started to think of “the office” as my counterpart’s pickup truck). I’m going to take advantage of the good internet connection right now though and share some highlights from our adventures on the road (where road is kind of a euphemism for bumpy, bumpy dirt paths).

On our way to a community meeting in Bungashiya, a village in Choma district. Hours of bad roads, and occasional stops for cattle and goat crossings. (Goats are adorable, but sound kind of awful, as noted by my fellow EWB volunteer Amir in Ghana.)

Farmers gather at the meeting to find out more about advantages and disadvantages of new seed cultivars.

Proud local farmers share their experiences with different maize varieties and show off their harvest. The device in the front is a boom sprayer, for safely applying herbicide.

My counterpart, Ernest, standing in front of a field of seed maize, ready for harvest. Due to the high degree of quality control, hybrid seed can only be economically produced by commercial farmers. We were out to inspect the 44 hectares of seed maize on this farm. 

Unfortunately, a lot of the seed was ruined by cob rot.

A “combination pack” which includes seed as well as herbicides required for good yield. By bundling the products, farmers pay less.

The overflowing granary of a successful maize farmer.