Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
area could be converted to FDP, it would result in savings of approximately $130
million in fertilizer costs and an increase in rice production by approximately 2 Mt.
Similar opportunities exist in Burma, Cambodia, Pakistan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
In Nigeria, rice yields average 1 Mt ha −1 , which is 30% less than the global aver-
age. Recent FDP trials have enabled farmers to nearly triple their yields using one-
third less urea N. This increase in yield could also substantially decrease the nearly
2 Mt of rice imported to augment domestic production of 2.8 Mt, thereby generating
significant savings.
3.5 ENABLING ENVIRONMENT—ROLE OF MARKETS
AND POLICY IN SUPPORTING SMALLHOLDER
FARMERS' ACCESS TO NUTRIENTS
Agriculture offers the best opportunity for generating sustained economic growth
among the rural poor. Such growth requires expanded integration of smallholder
farms into markets with timely access to information, services, and agro-inputs,
such as fertilizers, seeds, and crop protection products. Despite the investment
in agricultural development since the 1960s, persistent social, economic, politi-
cal, and ecological impediments have slowed innovation and market integration
of smallholders, particularly in SSA. However, there are numerous and increas-
ing examples of success throughout the developing regions. For example, in SSA,
IFDC assists progressive smallholder farmers to transition from subsistence agri-
culture to commercial farming using the Competitive Agricultural Systems and
Enterprises (CASE) solution.
3.5.1 case a pproach For m arket D evelopment
The ultimate goal of CASE is to give smallholder farmers the knowledge and tools
they need to intensify the quantity and quality of their crops, and then to link the
farmers to profitable markets where they can sell their surplus production. This
market-oriented agriculture encourages farmers to invest in their farms to increase
yields while decreasing production costs. Once production issues are addressed, CASE
integrates farmers into value chains organized around specific crops or commodi-
ties, where all value chain stakeholders required to move the product from the farm
to the consumer are linked. In these value chains, IFDC not only helps strengthen
and professionalize the smallholders but also provides technical support to facilitate
agribusiness expansion (i.e., agro-dealer development, processing, and marketing
industries), including advocacy by the various private sector stakeholders to work
with the government to create an enabling institutional environment for agribusiness
development. In summary, CASE is built on agribusiness cluster formation, value
chain development, and strengthening the capacities of public and private institu-
tions to produce a favorable policy environment for the growth of agribusiness and
trade. In West Africa, CASE facilitated the emergence of agribusiness clusters that
linked >700,000 smallholder farmers to markets in Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana,
Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and Togo over a 6-year period (IFDC 2012).
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