New Partnership to Strengthen the Private Seed and Agricultural inputs Sector in Senegal, with Thousands of Farmers to Benefit

Posted on :Saturday , 5th December 2015

Action for Enterprise (AFE), the Argidius Foundation and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), have partnered for a new initiative to make it easier for Senegal’s smallholder farmers to access quality seed, complementary inputs and agricultural advice.

Through the partnership, AGRA and AFE will work directly with local seed companies and agribusinesses to develop, refine and test business strategies to help expand distribution networks in remote areas.

Over 7500 farmers are expected to benefit from the initiative, which has been funded by the Argidius Foundation and AGRA through the USAID-funded Scaling Seeds and Technologies Partnership (SSTP).

Chief of Party for SSTP, Dr. Richard Jones, says the initiative will help overcome some of the challenges holding back smallholder farm productivity in Senegal.

“Farmers in Senegal have indicated that lack of access to inputs including seed and fertilizer and a low uptake of good agronomic practices are the key factors holding back farm productivity.

“This initiative will expand the networks of distributors, traders, rural agents and agro-dealers throughout Senegal, helping increase smallholder farmer access to quality farm inputs and advice,” Dr. Jones said.

The new initiative will be implemented by AFE, a US-based non-profit organization that focuses on implementing private sector development programs in developing countries.

AFE’s Executive Director, Frank Lusby, says the organization will work directly with at least five seed companies who will implement initiatives to build the capacity of 75 small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) working in their distribution networks.

The SMEs will gain commercial access to improved quality seed as well as technical knowledge, which they share with thousands of farmers.

“There is a real opportunity for these agribusinesses to expand their operations into the remote parts of Senegal.

“What this initiative will do is support the seed companies to assess, implement, and scale-up business models for expansion,” Mr. Lusby said.

“But the project will more than up-skill these businesses, it will also support commercially viable relationships between the seed companies, the SMEs, and the farmers thereby generating a sustainable impact that will last well beyond the life of the project,” Mr. Lusby added.

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