Maravi

(HERALD) Revitalising smallholder agriculture

Revitalising smallholder agriculture
Friday, 02 December 2011 00:00
Charles Dhewa

As the 2011/12 farming season gathers momentum, Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV Zimbabwe) is improving the availability of inputs to smallholder farmers through the Rural Agro-Dealer Restocking Programme (RARP).

The programme was started in 2009 and is designed to encourage wholesalers to avail inputs to smallholder farmers through supplying inputs in large quantities (consignment stock) to agro-dealer stores close to rural farmers and promote contract farming.

According to SNV Zimbabwe's senior agricultural advisor, Mr Albert Jaure, RARP is operating in all eight rural provinces of Zimbabwe involving 622 agro-dealers, 11 contracting companies and 10 821 contracted farmers.

Over the years, SNV Zimbabwe has built the capacity of agro-dealers to become economic drivers in the agriculture value chain. Agro-dealers have acquired skills in business management and cultivating strong links with rural farmers.

They have also grouped themselves into agro-dealer associations.
One of the most successful associations is Masvingo Agro-Dealer Association (Mada), which comprises business membership organisations from Masvingo province's seven districts, namely Bikita, Zaka, Chivi, Masvingo, Gutu, Mwenezi and Chiredzi.

Most of the members are agro-dealers, general dealers and rural artisans (carpenters and welders).

According to Mada chairperson Mr Edward Madzivadondo, the organisation has used lessons learnt during the economic hardships experienced in 2008 to build relationships with many organisations such as MicroKing Finance, Rural Development Organisation (Rudo), N. Richards Wholesalers, SNV Zimbabwe, Care Zimbabwe, Pioneer Seeds, Seed Co (Pvt) Ltd, to mention just a few.

Mada assists that members finance their enterprises through promoting credit and saving schemes in district associations; linkages to seed houses for consignment stock and to wholesalers for 14-day accounts. Other member benefits include capacity building and group accountability that enables every member to get a loan from Micro King and wholesalers such as N. Richards.

One of the reasons why agro-dealers have survived economic hardships better than big wholesalers is that they are agile enough to move with trends as compared to big wholesalers and manufactures, who tend to be tied down by inertia and other blockages.

Some of the major skills agro-dealers have acquired include merchandising, marketing, record keeping, input handling, conflict management, leadership, cattle fattening, value addition as well as lobbying and advocacy.

Demonstrations through field days are used by agro-dealers to show how their inputs work.

Most agro-dealers are involved in output marketing such as buying maize, groundnuts and livestock from farmers.

Farmers are benefiting a lot from working with agro-dealers.
"When I began farming in 2003, I struggled to harvest a tonne of maize but once I started working with agro-dealers, my fortunes have improved.

"Agro-dealers are now a big market for our commodities and we no longer wait for buyers from far away," said Mr Francis Tizai, a farmer from Masvingo District Ward 10.

l Charles Dhewa is community development worker and can be contacted at charlesdhewa7@gmail.com or dhewac@yahoo.co.uk

Labels: AGRICULTURE, CONTRACT FARMING

posted by MrK @ 9:18 PM