Good Seeds, Better Lives: Seeds, Supplies, and Advice for Rural Farmers

Sebulega John Bosco is standing in a field flowering with life. Sebulega, a soft-spoken farmer, lives in Mityana, a small village in rural Uganda whose name means “40 trees.” In the background are a giant jackfruit tree and a stand of orange trees. On this patch of land are bean plants and banana trees that provide Sebulega and his family with food and income.

Nature has provided Sebulega with good health and a good piece of farmland. But he needs supplies like quality seeds and fertilizer—as well as knowledge—to make the most of his labor and land. For that, he turns to Annet Mubiru.

Annet is an “agro dealer,” a businesswoman who sells agricultural supplies to the community. Her shop is modest in appearance: 15 by 20 feet, dimly lit, furnished with simple shelves and a long wooden counter. It’s what’s on the shelves and behind the counter that matters.

On the shelves are essentials such as quality seeds, fertilizer, and pesticides. Behind the counter is Annet, who, in addition to selling these products dispenses advice to farmers about how and when to use them. “People don’t come into my shop with no knowledge,” she explains. “They come in with ideas they’ve gathered from their neighbors.” These ideas may be correct; they may not.

Annet has gone through extensive training, supported by AGRA, to make sure she can provide accurate advice about farming products and practices. She’s also received specific professional training including bookkeeping and business development, to make sure she can keep her shop up, running, and serving small farmers.

Because of her training and certification, farmers know they’re getting genuine products and sound advice. Of course, the proof is in the yield. Sebulega, for example, recounts that before working with Annet-he used no fertilizer on his bean plants. But after Annet explained the need to replace the nutrients in his soil, he applied a bottle-cap-size amount of fertilizer when he planted the bean seeds he bought from her store. The combination of supplies and advice helped him increase his yield from approximately 1 ton per acre to 2.5 tons per acre.

Too many farmers like Sebulega don’t get the chance to work with well-stocked, well-informed agro dealers like Annet. There are three major obstacles: knowledge about the importance of quality supplies and farming practices; the distance to an agro dealer; and the affordability of products.

Sebulega’s success is one of the most powerful answers to the first problem—farmers’ lack of knowledge about good farming products and practices. When friends and neighbors see the difference between his harvest and theirs, their interest grows. Annet also works directly with farmers in Mityana to determine which products she stocks, increasing farmers’ awareness. “When somebody comes with a new seed,” she says, “they give us a bit for demonstration. We identify farmers [to grow the seeds] to see how that new variety works.” If it’s good, she’ll sell it—and farmers will have evidence on which to base their decisions.

AGRA is also working to help reduce the distance farmers need to travel to get to an agro dealer. Since 2006, AGRA support has helped train and certify more than 5,000 new agro dealers, and aims to reach 9,000 by 2011. These agro dealers are reaching deeper into rural areas, cutting down on the time and cost it takes for farmers to get quality supplies and information. The efforts are already helping make a difference. In 2006, the average farmer in western Kenya had to travel 17 kilometers to get to an agro dealer. Today the average trip is only five kilometers. Other innovative efforts will further cut down the distance. In Zambia, for example, agro dealers receive bicycles to travel to farmers who may not be able to get to a store in town.

Cost is the third challenge for small farmers. Two years ago, agricultural suppliers generally delivered 50-kilogram packages of fertilizer, seeds, and other farming supplies to agro dealers. These packages were too big and too costly for farmers with only a few acres of land—and too bulky for them to get back to their farms easily. Now, producers make bags in 10-,5-, and 1-kilogram sizes as well. The smaller sizes far outsell the original size. In addition, AGRA is building partnerships with local banks and agro dealers to provide low-interest loans for small farmers who would like to purchase supplies that will boost their yields and incomes, but who don’t fall into the traditional target market for banks. By providing loan guarantees, AGRA has helped unlock $100 million in financing that will allow millions of farmers in sub-Saharan Africa to purchase quality seeds, fertilizer, and other basics.

Together, these efforts are helping make it easier for farmers to invest in their land, and to realize the full potential of their labor.

As a farmer, there are many things Sebulega John Bosco can’t control. He can’t make it rain. He can’t wish away diseases and pests. He can’t change the policies that guide agriculture in his country. But with the help of his local agro dealer, he can ensure that he is planting quality seeds, and using effective farming practices to raise his crops, renew his soil, and preserve his land. And that can make all the difference in the world for him and his family

Reproduced with permission from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation