Agroenterprises
Linking Farmers to Growth Markets
 Once
rural communities have bolstered their food security and raised
incomes by adopting new crop varieties, the improved crops
can then serve as entry points for economic development. Through
rural processing, for example, farmers and local entrepreneurs
can add value to agricultural produce and thus compete more
effectively in growth markets. Moreover, as new agroenterprises
emerge, rural communities will be better able to invest in
preserving the natural resources on which rural livelihoods
depend.
Small-scale
Seed Enterprises
Private seed companies in Africa tend to focus on a few highly
commercial crops and on a few varieties for which there is
a large market. As local demand for the many new varieties
of various crops takes off, farmers will gain new economic
opportunities in small-scale seed production. During recent
years CIAT research has shown that, with adequate support,
small farmers are capable of producing high-quality seed of
improved varieties. In this way they can contribute importantly
to crop intensification while preserving agrobiodiversity.
Based on that experience, CIAT has developed training materials
on the principles and procedures of establishing small-scale
seed enterprises. In addition to raising farm income and promoting
the adoption of improved varieties, these should make agriculture
more resilient in the face of natural disasters. During times
of drought, for example, farmers will have reliable, local
sources of seed to replenish damaged supplies, instead of
receiving poorly adapted seed from elsewhere through standard
seed and tools emergency programs. As part of its effort to
promote alternative approaches to strengthening seed systems,
CIAT and other Future Harvest centers are working together
in Africa to provide advisory services to the growing number
of national programs and NGOs interested in this work.
Sharing
Latin American Experience
In search of new opportunities for Africa's rural communities
to achieve a more competitive, market-oriented agriculture,
CIAT is expanding its work on agroenterprise development in
the region. In doing so we can draw on many years of experience
in helping Latin American farmers add value to traditional
crops, analyze market opportunities, and diversify into new
enterprises.
One vehicle for sharing that experience is the Latin American
and Caribbean Consortium to Support Cassava Research and Development
(CLAYUCA).
Established in 1999, CLAYUCA unites private and public sector
organizations from seven countries of the Americas with two
international centers, CIAT and France's Center for International
Cooperation in Agricultural Research for Development (CIRAD).
The common cause of these diverse organizations-one they consider
highly relevant to Africa as well-is the promotion of cassava
as an entry point for local industrial development.
As a further means of strengthening its work on rural agroenterprise
development in Africa, CIAT has placed a senior specialist
in the region. His primary tasks are to: (1) gauge demand
and identify partners for this work; (2) adapt and apply new
knowledge and tools (e.g., for designing agroenterprises that
link small farmers to growth markets) through action research;
and (3) scale up the work through wide dissemination of R&D
products and intensive training for staff of African government
organizations and NGOs.
New
Alliances and New Markets
Good progress is being made in all three of those tasks.
For example, CIAT has recently entered into "learning
alliances" with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and Foodnet,
an ASARECA-sponsored
regional network, which is coordinated by IITA and funded
by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
In cooperation with CRS, Foodnet, and Uganda's NARO, CIAT
scientists have helped organize courses in eastern Africa
on agroenterprise development. With help from local organizations,
farmer groups have begun developing the agroenterprises they
consider most promising.
In addition, CIAT and CLAYUCA have forged a broad agreement
with IITA for collaboration with the International Potato
Center (CIP)
and national partners through the USAID-funded Southern Africa
Root Crops Research Network (SARRNET).
A first challenge is to establish a consortium of public and
private sector organizations-based on the CLAYUCA model-for
supporting sweet potato and cassava R&D. Toward this end
contacts have been made with industries in Kenya, Malawi,
and Tanzania that are interested in using cassava and sweet
potato products.
Another key task is to gain a better understanding of the
region's market opportunities. For this purpose surveys are
being conducted to characterize the market chain for cassava
and sweet potato in Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia. Researchers
are also establishing pilot plants in several countries to
develop processing technologies (e.g., to make cassava and
sweet potato into poultry and cattle feed) that are appropriate
for farmers and industry. Most important, the collaborating
institutions will form teams of trained professionals who
can pursue market-driven strategies for agricultural development
across the region.
Contact
Rupert Best
E-mail: r.best@cgiar.org
|
Related Web Sites
Download
PDF Documents
Participatory
methods for action research figure prominently in the Center's
approach. Such research, conducted with partner organizations
in selected rural communities, is our primary means of ensuring
that valuable lessons learned about improving food security,
building agroenterprises, and managing natural resources are
widely relevant and can be readily adapted and applied in
other communities.