Tech Adoption without the Inputs?

I spent the past two days in rural communities in the Tolon/Kumbungu District of Northern Ghana. Both Kunguri, and Wantugu are communities that have farmer groups participating in an AGRA funded Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) project. The project aims to educate farmer groups on improved soil management practices by demonstrating various packages of …»

3 comments | Category: From The Field |

Market Research and What Does It Mean?

If a business in Canada wishes to expand, grow and succeed, a piece of frequent advices it will certainly get is captured in two words: market research. Essentially, know your customers and know your niche. Business planning experts will tell you never to underestimate the importance of market research. They will tell you that …»

Comment | Category: From The Field |

Competition Between Yendi Input Dealers

I am working with input retailers in Yendi district to understand their challenges and facilitate change that is beneficial to their business and beneficial to farmers. Input retailers sell agriculture chemicals, seeds and/or fertilizers to farmers. Farmers have witnessed that the chemicals can have adverse affects on crops and the user’s health.

One …»

3 comments | Category: From The Field |

AVC’s hidden dilemma

In the constantly changing world of aid, many people will tell you that there is right now a clear trend towards value chain projects in development organisations around the planet. It is now assumed that investing in the private sector of emerging countries, particularly in agriculture, is the best way to help small-holder farmers …»

1 comment | Category: Questions | Tags: - - - - .

Involving businesses in market facilitation M&E

Let me be completely honest. I’ve been quite skeptical of the effectiveness of the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) systems on the big value chains project I’m currently working on. My main observations involved an M&E officer at a field office screaming at field staff to fill in forms, go interview smallholder farmers and “reach …»

3 comments | Category: From The Field |

Equipment breakdown

For the last 2 months I have been working with a small-scale nucleus farmer in Wa, in the Upper West region. To give a very general explanation, a nucleus farmer is someone who provides inputs to a certain number of outgrowers, who have to repay him in kind at the end of the harvest.

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6 comments | Category: From The Field | Tags: - - - .