In developing countries, many smallholders have no access to appropriate farming knowledge, technologies or commercial markets. Partially because of their limited production volumes, smallholders often suffer from weak links to both input and output markets. Linking smallholder farmers to Agri services Centers will enhance their capacity to improve the quality and quantity of the produce they offer, leading to increased income. On the input side, use of machines for plowing, sowing or harvesting is often too expensive. Lack of storage forces smallholders to sell their products quickly after harvest, when prices may be low. These constraints, in turn, can lead to an uneven distribution of income and profit among contributors along the value chain. 

The rapid rise of mobile phone use across the world presents smallholder farmers with a wide range of new opportunities, such as easier access to farming advice and market information. Modern communications technology has the potential to offset some of the problems encountered in developing countries from deficient infrastructure systems. For this reason, the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture (SFSA) is developing several mobile communication products, both directly for smallholders and to help food companies buy from them.

Furthermore, the SFSA has developed commercially viable business models to facilitate access to a range of agricultural services from production to market, including input and output Agriservices Centers. Machinery rental options form a part of these business models. Greater mechanization enables farmers to raise productivity, reduces drudgery, and frees up time for additional off-farm employment. The services also cover training on agronomy and compliance with the quality standards required for access to more lucrative markets, input buying and output sales.

Agriserivces Centers are based on empowering rural entrepreneurs to fulfill the needs of the farming community. SFSA identifies needs and develops scalable solutions which are delivered by rural entrepreneurs on a commercial basis. Entrepreneurs are identified, trained and linked to value chain players to provide services and build businesses in their communities. The fully integrated business models enable smallholders to sustainably achieve higher yields and increase their profit. The business models entail the following benefits:

• Building capacity by providing advisory services on agricultural production systems and marketing
• Better access to mechanization in a timely manner for land preparation and harvesting
• Augmented productivity and quality of produce through access to quality inputs, technologies and post-harvest handling
• A more efficient value chain as a result of linking smallholders to markets
• Enhanced access to services thanks to mobile phone technology
• Improvement in income, employment generation and livelihoods

Farmers’ Hubs Agri-Marketing Enterprise in Bangladesh

Access to quality inputs, knowledge, modern technologies, and markets is limited for smallholders, making agriculture less profitable and less attractive to the younger generation. In Bangladesh, we aim to transform the agricultural market ecosystem by promoting agri-entrepreneurship among rural youth through the Farmers’ Hub agribusiness model. The model serves as an input-output marketplace that enables efficient technology transfer, leading to sustainable agri-businesses.

Pancer Tani in Indonesia

In Indonesia, we are committed to provide added value to smallholders through sustainable agriculture innovation and value chain activation. We focus on developing sustainable business models called Pancer Tani, which create opportunities for women and young entrepreneurs in rural areas. Pancer Tani offers a rang of off-farm services, including mechanization for land preparation, transplanter, harvest and post-harvest activities, seedling nursery, ag-inputs, organic fertilizer production, buying and selling of fresh produce, and seed production contract. This ecosystem helps farmers increase their livelihood and profitability.

Find our social media address below for more activities: https://agrisustineri.org/

Farmers’ Hubs in Senegal

To improve the profitability, resilience, and inclusion of smallholders, we have established a sustainable small agri-enterprise called the Farmers-Hub (FH). FH provides smallholders with a comprehensive package of relevant agri-services and innovations, including seedlings, mechanization, advice, harvest, training, and solar equipment. The FH businesses not only create job opportunities for the youth in rural areas but also promote sustainable practices and empower smallholders.

Farmers’ Hubs in Nigeria

Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country, with over 216 million inhabitants and an annual growth rate of 3% in 2022. Rural areas, where poverty is particularly severe, are home to 53% of the population. Young people face limited economic opportunities, and sporadic civil unrest exacerbates poverty and malnutrition. To address these challenges, we have developed a commercially viable business model called the Farmers’ Hub. This model facilitates smallholder farmers’ access to a range of agricultural services from production to market, including machinery rental options, training on agronomy and compliance with quality standards for access to more lucrative markets, and input and output market access.

We support rural agri-entrepreneurs through the establishment of the Farmers’ Hubs model, which help farmers access input and output services. Through the Farmers’ Hub, smallholder farmers can access first and last mile services such as advisory, mechanization, inputs, and markets. We aim to commercialize farming systems and enhance the resilience of smallholder farmers by providing them with farmer aggregation, market access, digital tools, skills, and technology dissemination.

PADAER in Senegal

We offer technical support through PADAER (Support Program for Agricultural Development and Rural Entrepreneurship), a program funded by IFAD, to promote youth employment and boost agricultural productivity by setting up small and medium enterprises in mechanization. The plan is to establish 12 mechanization centers, called CEMAs, in Matam, Tambacounda, Kolda, and Kedougou regions to address the issue of low agricultural productivity due to limited access to agricultural services, practices, and innovations. This initiative aims to reduce poverty and enhance resilience to climate change for women, youth, and men.

Gansu Vegetables in China

Smallholder farmers can increase their income through vegetable production with the help of a comprehensive solution thanks to a carefully selected basket of new and improved vegetable varieties that have better commercial value and are resilient to climate change. Additionally, capacity building is offered to improve cultivation technology and facilitate market linkages to ensure success. It addresses the challenges of limited access to good vegetable varieties, weak marketing capabilities, and poor cultivation technology. With this support, smallholders can improve their farming practices and increase their income.

Gansu Goji Berry in China

Our demo farm showcases innovative solutions for effective water management in deserted areas. We collaborate with processing factories to increase the commercial value of goji-berry and establish sales channels, including e-commerce. By introducing alternative crop options suitable for deserted areas, we have successfully processed goji-berry for the national market while also addressing goji root rot disease. The goal is to improve the technical capacity of goji growers and water management, ultimately increasing farmers’ income through efficient market linkages.

Agri-Entrepreneur Growth Foundation in India

The Agri-Entrepreneur Growth Foundation (AEGF) takes a decentralized approach to drive socio-economic development in the Indian agricultural sector by collaborating with national and international institutions to offer capacity building, training, and skill development programs to rural youth. AEGF creates a network of capable Agri-Entrepreneurs (AEs) across the country who act as focal points for smallholder farmers in their communities. AEs provide previously inaccessible services across the value chain, including credit procurement, cutting-edge cropping practices, market linkages, high-quality agri-inputs, and vital crop advisory services, to increase farmer incomes.

10,000 Women Agri-Entrepreneurs in India

Syngenta Foundation India has partnered with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the State Rural Livelihood Mission of Madhya Pradesh & Bihar to develop 10,000 women agri-entrepreneurs in rural areas. By levering existing Self-Help Group platforms, the aim is to economically empower women farmers and increase their income by 40-50% over the project period of 3 years. The project intends to train 10,000 women entrepreneurs who will, in turn, reach out to at least 2 million farmers and help increase their income from agriculture and allied activities through the adoption of advanced farming techniques.

Nutrition in City Ecosystems

The Nutrition in City Ecosystems (NICE) Project, supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and a consortium of Swiss organizations, aims to improve health and nutrition and reduce poverty in six secondary cities in Bangladesh, Kenya, and Rwanda. The project works with city local authorities to strengthen urban governance structures, increase the availability and production of healthy, local, agroecologically produced foods, and increase knowledge and demand for nutritious foods. City-knowledge hubs facilitate exchange between urban and rural food environments and inform national and global policies. The project prioritizes women, youth, and vulnerable groups.

Soluta-ag

SFSA has introduced Soluta-ag, a digital tool based on ERP+ technology, to improve the efficiency of agri-business. The tool aims to connect smallholders to markets and finance, facilitate data-driven decisions, and streamline the operations of Farmers’ Hubs and Network Managers (master franchisees). Farmers’ Hubs are ‘one-stop-shops’ offering a range of services to farmers, e.g. access to quality inputs, mechanization, advisory services and a market place for sale for produce. The application is available both on mobile and web platforms and can maintain records of business transactions in both online and offline modes. It provides real-time marketplace facilities and automated business analytics to help farmers make informed decisions. More information on: https://soluta-ag.com/

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Disclaimer: This write-up was created by the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture (SFSA), now rebranded as the Sustainable Agriculture Foundation (SAF).