Smallholder farmers in the West African Sahel struggle with a range of problems – frequent drought, poor soil, lack of cash and labor, limited access to new technologies and extension services, lack of credit, poor infrastructure and undeveloped markets. Given that no single institution can become a panacea for all these problems, the answer is a partnership approach with various organizations pooling skills and resources to reach a common goal.

In 1999, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) funded a project titled Farmer-participatory testing of technologies to increase sorghum and millet production in the Sahel. The project was implemented by ICRISAT and the national agricultural research systems (NARS) of Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Niger and Nigeria in collaboration with the regional sorghum and millet networks (ROCARS and ROCAFREMI) various non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The goal was to reduce hunger and poverty by testing and promoting new agricultural technologies through farmer participatory approaches.

The governance of the partnership is open, transparent and inclusive. Activities in each country are led by a national coordinator, and at each research site managed jointly by farmers, researchers and extension staff.

So far the partnership has demonstrated success in several ways:Over 700 farmers in 100 villages in 3 countries covered in on-farm testing

• 15 millet and 17 sorghum varieties tested and selected by farmers
• Nearly 300 tons of seed produced to cover 180,000 ha
• Over 400 farmers and 100 technicians trained in seed production
• Seed producer associations, community-based seed systems and private seed growers emerging
• Through project local entrepreneurship, private seed companies such as SONICOSEM (Société Nigerienne de conditionnement et de vente de semence) emerging
• 46 villages in 3 countries and 3 agroclimatic zones characterized for better interventions
• Several varieties with good malting capacity identified
• In Kolokani, Mali, farmer associations created three eco-friendly IPM technologies
• Through the partnership, institutions from 5 countries worked together, providing training opportunities and guidance to strengthen R&D capacity in the region
• The partnership model facilitates scaling up to target more beneficiaries and encourages spillover benefits into non-project areas
• Farmer involvement ensures that appropriate technologies are developed and quickly promoted through community-based action plans.

During the last steering committee meeting donor representatives cited this project as a good example of successful partnership, describing the investment as “money wisely spent”.

For more information contact o.youm@cgiar.org

ICRISAT's move from business as usual to an approach that promotes an evolving research for development is clearly demonstrated by the project Promoting Growth in Malawi's Groundnut and Pigeonpea Trade through Technology and Market Improvement, which constitutes a new and innovative model to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers.

This USAID-funded initiative is aimed at providing support to the National Smallholder Farmer Association of Malawi (NASFAM) in the areas of crop production and marketing. It has resulted in substantial benefits for groundnut and pigeonpea producers. The model developed by the project team reconciles supply-and-demand interventions through five key action areas:

1. Identification of high-value market opportunities
2. Identification of grades and standards required by final markets, as well as the development of quality management systems
3. Development and dissemination of market-specific natural resource and crop management strategies
4. Structuring of sustainable (ie, private sector-driven) seed supply systems
5. Engineering of partnerships between smallholder organizations, NGOs and private sector agents

This model has been born from three fundamental premises.

First, adoption decisions are a function of both incentives and capacity. Previous efforts focused on capacity development through the generation and dissemination of agricultural technologies. However, technology adoption and improvements in the livelihoods have been uneven because of a lack of profitable marketing opportunities for surplus production.

Second, the development of improved crop varieties has focused on development and release of new varieties with improved tolerance for major diseases and pests. However, little attention has been paid directly to the traits that would appeal to final consumers.

Third, in the international markets, food safety and quality standards have become more stringent. For example, the reduction of maximum allowable levels of aflatoxin is expected to result in losses of $670 million in groundnut exports from African countries.

Right: In Malawi, as in many Sub-Saharan countries, groundnuts are a “women's crop”. This intervention puts money in their pockets via market mechanisms.

Recent achievements

1. Identification of high-value markets for groundnuts in the United Kingdom, Germany and the Republic of South Africa
2. Identification of groundnut varieties suitable for different market options
3. Assistance (to NASFAM) in the identification and selection of buyers, negotiation of concrete deals and logistics arrangements.
4. Capacity building of NASFAM's staff in crop management systems, and systems of grades and standards

In just eight months of implementation, this initiative has allowed NASFAM to sell quality groundnuts to South Africa and the United Kingdom at prices 100% higher than those achieved during the previous season (ie, $750/ton vs $350/ton).

The success of the model introduced by the project has prompted the interest of the UK's Department for International Development, USAID, and the NGO consortium in charge of the development and implementation of the Development Assistance Plan for Malawi, with whom the project team is currently negotiating potential themes of collaboration.

For more information contact j.estrada@cgiar.org