From thousands to millions: Accelerating Agricultural Intensification and Economic Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa

Agricultural growth rates of about 6% are required in sub-Saharan Africa to fuel economic growth. It is generally acknowledged that this will require sustainable agricultural intensification through the increased use of external inputs, in combination with locally available soil amendments, i.e., integrated soil fertility management (ISFM). Over the last five years and in 16 pilot areas in West Africa, IFDC and its partner organizations in the Agricultural Intensification in Sub-Saharan Africa (AISSA) network have developed the Competitive Agricultural Systems and Enterprises (CASE) approach. The approach is holistic in the sense that it involves all stakeholders of the agribusiness system at the grassroots level, including smallholder farmers, local entrepreneurs, traders, bankers, and facilitating agents. It is dynamic as it fosters both technological and institutional change through experiential and social learning processes. ISFM and Commodity Chain Development are basic concepts and all project activities purposely foster empowerment and strengthen the innovative capacities of local stakeholders, without substituting for the market. We estimate that about 60,000 farmers and 200 local entrepreneurs have benefited from AISSA-related activities on agricultural intensification in West Africa. To accelerate and extend processes of agricultural intensification, bottom-up grassroots approaches have an important role to play. However upscaling can only be sustainable when, at both local and regional scales, enabling institutional and policy environments for market development exist. IFDC is involved in a number of projects that aim to improve the conditions for ISFM-based agricultural intensification at the regional level, by means of partnerships with farmer-based organizations, traders' associations and government structures (the fertile triangle). Collaboration with the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is also instrumental in reinforcing efforts to establish common agricultural policies for West Africa, to improve the transparency and competitiveness of agricultural inputs markets, and to nurture the expansion and professionalism of the private sector. The interests of small-scale farmers are safeguarded and the environment is protected. The approach - combining bottom-up and regional-level projects to promote and scale-up agricultural intensification processes - is not a blueprint package. It offers opportunities for effective participation of all stakeholders involved, partnerships with facilitating institutions, and perspectives to move from thousands to millions of farmers.