National Cooperative Business Association

Agriculture and Nutrition Development Program for Food Security in Senegal

Despite relatively sufficient supplies of food, Senegal suffers from chronic food insecurity and like many neighboring sub-Saharan and Sahelian countries, is classified as “serious” on IFPRI’s Global Hunger Index. Senegal is a country with rich agricultural opportunity and yet imports nearly 70% of its food. Current production cannot keep pace with increasing demand from a growing population and rising food prices are limiting families’ ability to provide a diverse and healthy diet.

To combat food insecurity in Senegal, CLUSA has embarked on a five-year, $40 million USAID-funded program to accelerate the participation of the very poor in rural economic growth and to catalyze sustainable development with Senegal’s agriculture sector and improve the key dimensions of food security – access, availability, utilization and stability. As one of the original programs of the Feed the Future Initiative, USAID|Yaajeende is predicated on the United Nation’s Rome Principles for Sustainable Global Food Security, and employs an innovative, country-led and integrated approach to tackle the underlying issues which hold back the very poor from becoming integral and active members of the rural, agricultural marketplace.

USAID|YAAJEENDE attacks the endemic food security problem through an integrated approach that does not only work with rural producers, but also with:

Entrepreneurs who buy, resell, store, transport and transforms agricultural products.

Microfinance Institutions and Banks who provide loans and services for the producers and the entrepreneurs.

Suppliers that provide: fertilizers, improved seeds, and agricultural equipment.

Cooperatives and Civil Society Members that are involved in decision making and local policy-making on topics related to food security and nutrition.

Consumers improve their knowledge of better food practices, increasing the need for nutritional products.

CLUSA will improve the food security and nutrition of 1,000,000 individuals across 60 rural communities in four regions of Senegal. The team will establish a network of 1,000 Community Based Service Providers (CBSPs) to provide input supplies, agricultural services and nutritional products to rural people on a commission basis. Total sales of inputs and services provided through the CBSP network plus the total commodity sales of produced outputs will equal $30 million by Year 5. Household incomes will be improved by 250%. Stunting will be reduced by 25% in USAID|Yaajeende target zones and the number of underweight children will be reduced by 35%.

An Improved Staple Crop for Senegal

Senegal has been deeply affected by the current global food crisis. As global rice production has dropped, prices have risen dramatically in recent years, causing a reduction in local food security and an increase in social tensions, particularly in urban areas. Rural populations have begun to return to millet as a prominent staple cereal. More than fonio, corn or sorghum, millet is the principle alternative to rice in Senegal because it is cheap, nutritious, widely cultivated and part of the traditional diet. Farmers surveyed in the Kaolack region of Senegal recognize the opportunity to increase the production of millet in this current economic climate. However, they face several barriers including reduced levels of soil fertility, lack of access to inputs, and few credit and financing opportunities.

Through USDA’s Food for Progress funding, CLUSA is implementing a four-year, $5 million program that will work with 9,000 millet farmers to increase food security and address production barriers in rural Senegal by developing the millet value chain. CLUSA will establish or reorganize 260 producer organizations and 60 inter-producer group associations to provide training and services to rural farmers. The program raises funds through the monetization of 4,200 MT of soybean oil that are then put towards training and technical assistance to millet farmers. Its monetization does not undermine the local economy and in fact, provides employment opportunities through the refinement process required, and complements commercial imports in a country where foreign exchange remains scarce. With the proceeds from this monetization, CLUSA is working to:

• Strengthen Producer Organizations through training in business and financial management.
• Enhance Millet Production through the provision of improved seeds, training in more efficient production methods, and promotion of conservation farming.
• Improve Market Linkages through the development of a market information system and training in processing technologies, marketing, and business development.
• Improve Access to Financial Services by establishing a guarantee fund with a Senegalese financial institution. 

The Program applies a holistic approach to improving producers’ abilities and livelihoods. Trainings are held for producer organization leaders in cooperative governance and institutional management, while organization members are trained in basic cooperative education.

As local communities are empowered in their decision making abilities, assistance is provided along the millet value chain to improve producers’ yields and incomes. Seed production and seed business planning and marketing is emphasized, and training is provided in soil fertility management and improved millet cultivation practices.

Using cell phone technology, farmers also receive market information, increasing farmers’ confidence and participation in the market. Average millet yields are expected to increase by 75% and average farmer sales revenue from millet are expected to increase 90% with the Program.

The Zimbabwe Agriculture Production and Agribusiness Development (ZAPAD) project improves household livelihoods in communal areas of Zimbabwe by increasing farm incomes and food security and improving agricultural production and productivity. ZAPAD works with the local communities to improve access to inputs and markets, increase agricultural production and productivity, create a network of agricultural service providers and strengthen farmer organizations.

ZAPAD determined that establishing a solid cash crop would enable local communities to fund crops that provide food security and could lead to diversification of cash crops.  Cotton is the primary cash crop for the ZAPAD project.

In Zambia, income for rural small scale farmers is often limited by obstacles such as low productivity, paucity of skills, gender inequality, weak value chain links, capital and policy constraints, and the threat of HIV/AIDS.  Faced by such challenges, the farmers often are more concerned with meeting their day-to-day needs than maximizing the value of their output. 

The Production, Finance, and Technology (PROFIT) program is increasing industry growth while alleviating household poverty.  This is accomplished through enhanced value-added production and service technologies and increased access to financial and business development services.  Program are developed around objectives to improve the capacity and competitiveness of high potential industries in which large numbers of micro and small agricultural and natural product based enterprises , including producers and processors, contribute and benefit in order to effectively compete in the near, medium, and long term.

New Approach to Feed a Nation

Niger will soon face a serious challenge feeding its citizens if agricultural and economic needs are not effectively addressed.  NCBA/CLUSA has analyzed the country’s agricultural needs and highlighted Molinga oleifera, or the horseradish tree (Moringa), as an ideal platform to address the larger economic and nutritional problems facing Niger. 

Despite the fact that 57% of Mozambicans over 10 years old work in agriculture and livestock production, there are very few medium sized farms. Ninety-nine percent of the country’s holdings represent small farms, with average size of just 1.68 hectares. Nampula and Zambezia provinces account for 43% of all of Mozambique’s small and medium holdings, and since 2002 the percentage of farms over 3 ha has actually decreased.

CLUSA Mozambique currently supports 20 selected small farmers in the Nampula, Zambezia and Tete provinces, helping them increase their production to become successful, medium sized farmers.  The goal in Mozambique strives toward developing a solid platform for future agricultural development.