When the Weak Win: Role of Farmer Groups in Influencing Agricultural Policy Outcome; a Case of Nkhate Irrigation Scheme in Malawi

The knowledge today recaps that’s livelihood of many African farmers are constrained by poor access to both inputs and output markets, limited entrepreneurial skills for adding value to produce and to bargain for better prices and finally limited technical skills in agricultural production. Despite a tremendous attention to salvage this through government interventions and research, there is still a big problem in addressing the smallholder farmer’s needs. Farmer organizations open up opportunities for farmers to better overcome the above mentioned constraints through lobbying and collective action. Drawing from results of Participatory diagnosis and participatory market research done in Nkhate irrigation scheme in 2007 and 2008 this paper examines the effect of effective farmer groups in influencing rice price formation. Results demonstrated that farmer groups have the potential to effectively influence policy outcomes in their favour. This was however achieved through reorganization and mobilization of farmer groups to improve lobbying efficiency and reduce the inefficiencies caused by free riding. The results indicate that from the participatory gross margin analysis which was done by CIAT ( 2007) with rice farmers at the irrigation scheme, it was revealed that farmers have been making losses in the marketing of Kirombero and Super Fire rice varieties and have been realizing a very small positive margin for Mtupatupa a local rice variety. The analysis revealed gross margins of 36.78 US$ha-1, -182.50 US$ ha-1, and 60.36 US$ha-1, for Super fire, Kirombero and Mtupatupa varieties respectively. This shows that farmers were making losses when they sold rice to traders at a price dictated to them. However, after farmers were effectively organised in a group and linked to markets, farmers realized gross margins of 681.84US$ ha-1, 664.23US$ha-1 and 1,028.69US$ ha-1 for Mtupatupa, Super fire and Kirombero rice varieties respectively. The paper further recommends that such farmer groups need to better articulate and deliver benefits to members hence ensuring that these members subscribe to the group and hence finance lobbying efforts which are often costly.Farmer groups, Profitability, input and output markets, participatory market research, lobbying, Farm Management,

ANALYSIS OF EFFECTIVE MARKET LINKAGES IN PROMOTING INVESTMENTS IN NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN THE RICE-BASED FARMING SYSTEM IN MALAWI: A CASE OF NKHATE IRRIGATION SCHEME

N° ISBN - 978-2-7380-1284-5International audienceThis study focuses on assessing how effective market linkages have promoted investments in natural resource management in the smallholder rice-based farming systems in Nkhate Irrigation Scheme, in the context of the Enabling Rural Livelihoods approach. As both income and investment in natural resource management is linked to the wealth status of the farmers, a participatory wealth ranking exercise was done to group farmers into resource groups. Farmers were grouped into three resource-endowment classes; high resource-endowment (RG 1), intermediate (RG 2) and resource-constrained (RG 3), on the basis of cattle ownership, use of mineral fertilizers and land ownership. The study used household data on these resource groups to address two specific objectives in influence of enhanced farmer market linkages: (i) to assess the profitability of rice (ii) to assess farmer decisions on allocation of income from rice to natural resource management. The results indicate that from the participatory gross margin analysis which was done by CIAT ( 2007) with rice farmers at the irrigation scheme, it was revealed that farmers have been making losses in the marketing of Kirombero and Super Fire rice varieties and have been realizing a very small positive margin for Mtupatupa a local rice variety. The analysis revealed gross margins of 36.78 US$ha-1, -182.50 US$ ha-1, and 60.36 US$ha-1, for Super fire, Kirombero and Mtupatupa varieties respectively. However, after farmers were effectively linked to markets, farmers realized gross margins of 681.84US$ ha-1, 664.23US$ha-1 and 1,028.69US$ ha-1 for Mtupatupa, Super fire and Kirombero rice varieties respectively. The results further showed that a lot of investment from money gotten from rice sales has gone into improving food security and the accumulation of household assets as well as improving the dwelling houses. This was regardless of farmer's wealth status

Creating impact oriented bean seed delivery systems for the poor in Mozambique: a baseline study

In Mozambique, farmers experience severe constraints in accessing quality bean seed at planting time, because the seed industry hardly supplies seed of legume crops. To address this issue, a project on bean seed production and delivery systems was launched in the country to improve farmers’ access to seeds of improved bean varieties. This poster characterizes the existing seed systems in Mozambique with the objective of identifying how farmers acquire and disseminate bean seed. It explores problems farmers faced in seed acquisition and dissemination before project implementation. A total of 116 smallholder bean farmers were randomly sampled from six pilot sites across Tete and Zambezia Provinces. Results showed that on average farmers realised below 900 kg ha-1 from growing local varieties and using their management systems, which is far below the potential average yield of improved varieties of 1500 - 2500 kg ha-1 under optimal management conditions. The majority of households (90.1%) found it difficult to access seed of improved bean varieties because of limited sources and lack of information on the varieties. The most common means of seed acquisition was farmer to farmer (72.7%), either for free, cash or in kind – exchange for labour or other products. The majority of men (45.9%) preferred varieties with a potential market while women (46.4%) preferred high yielding varieties meeting both consumption and market qualities. Bean production was markedly affected by pests and diseases (47.5%), as well as drought, poor soils, and inadequate knowledge of bean production technologies. Farmers lacked skills and knowledge that could enable them meet expected produce standards for the markets. The majority of smallholder farmers needed basic training (45.0%) and access to improved seed and other new technologies (53.8%) to gain greater knowledge of bean production, and build more productive and sustainable bean seed systems

Economic Efficiency of Rice Productionin Smallholder Irrigation Schemes: A Case of Nkhate Irrigation Scheme in Southern Malawi

This study used a parametric frontier approach to analyze technical, allocative and economic efficiency of smallholder rice farmers. It further explored the factors that influence the efficiency levels of the rice farmers. The study used a trans-log stochastic production function to analyze the technical efficiency. It used the trans-log cost frontier to analyze the economic efficiency. Results from these efficiencies led to the derivation of the allocative efficiency levels. It further used the inefficiency model to analyze the factors underlying efficiency differentials among the sampled farming households. Results revealed an average technical, allocative and economic efficiency levels of 65%, 59% and 53% respectively. This suggests that farmers have a rice yield potential of 35% to be exploited. The average economic efficiency level entails that farmers can raise their profitability or rice production by 47% by adjusting input use. Soil fertility status, access to credit, household size and farmers experience were the factors that influence the efficiency levels of smallholder rice farmers. It is thus recommended that for improved efficiency levels there is need for better policies and strategies that address input and output markets. Furthermore, farmer groups or associations can play a great role in ensuring that farmers get relevant technical advice, credit access as well as learn and share knowledge from each other

When the Weak Win: Role of Farmer Groups in Influencing Agricultural Policy Outcome; a Case of Nkhate Irrigation Scheme in Malawi

The knowledge today recaps that’s livelihood of many African farmers are constrained by poor access to both inputs and output markets, limited entrepreneurial skills for adding value to produce and to bargain for better prices and finally limited technical skills in agricultural production. Despite a tremendous attention to salvage this through government interventions and research, there is still a big problem in addressing the smallholder farmer’s needs. Farmer organizations open up opportunities for farmers to better overcome the above mentioned constraints through lobbying and collective action. Drawing from results of Participatory diagnosis and participatory market research done in Nkhate irrigation scheme in 2007 and 2008 this paper examines the effect of effective farmer groups in influencing rice price formation. Results demonstrated that farmer groups have the potential to effectively influence policy outcomes in their favour. This was however achieved through reorganization and mobilization of farmer groups to improve lobbying efficiency and reduce the inefficiencies caused by free riding. The results indicate that from the participatory gross margin analysis which was done by CIAT ( 2007) with rice farmers at the irrigation scheme, it was revealed that farmers have been making losses in the marketing of Kirombero and Super Fire rice varieties and have been realizing a very small positive margin for Mtupatupa a local rice variety. The analysis revealed gross margins of 36.78 US$ha-1, -182.50 US$ ha-1, and 60.36 US$ha-1, for Super fire, Kirombero and Mtupatupa varieties respectively. This shows that farmers were making losses when they sold rice to traders at a price dictated to them. However, after farmers were effectively organised in a group and linked to markets, farmers realized gross margins of 681.84US$ ha-1, 664.23US$ha-1 and 1,028.69US$ ha-1 for Mtupatupa, Super fire and Kirombero rice varieties respectively. The paper further recommends that such farmer groups need to better articulate and deliver benefits to members hence ensuring that these members subscribe to the group and hence finance lobbying efforts which are often costly

Food security impacts of improved bean varieties adoption in Malawi

By 2013, there was remarkable achievement in Malawi in terms of bean varietal output, but information on farm level use of these varieties, their contribution to bean productivity and household food security was lacking. An ex-post study was conducted to assess the extent of adoption of improved bean varieties and their associated impacts on food security among the adopting bean growing households. The study also generated sex disaggregated data on labour contributions, access to extension services & credit, group networks and control over income from beans; that was used to examine gender biases in bean production and identify feasible interventions to enhanced gender equality. Also of interest was to understand the progress on seed systems measured by improved seed availability and affordability by those who need it as well as the degree of bean commercialization. The information was gathered through a survey of a sample of 611 households selected from 48 villages across twelve bean producing districts across the three regions (northern, central and southern) of Malawi. The sample design was motived by the need to identify representative samples of adopters and non-adopters so as to draw inferences on impact while controlling for confounding factors. A stratified multi stage sampling was followed in selecting the households for the surve

Food security impacts of improved bean varieties adoption in Malawi

By 2013, there was remarkable achievement in Malawi in terms of bean varietal output, but information on farm level use of these varieties, their contribution to bean productivity and household food security was lacking. An ex-post study was conducted to assess the extent of adoption of improved bean varieties and their associated impacts on food security among the adopting bean growing households. The study also generated sex disaggregated data on labour contributions, access to extension services & credit, group networks and control over income from beans; that was used to examine gender biases in bean production and identify feasible interventions to enhanced gender equality. Also of interest was to understand the progress on seed systems measured by improved seed availability and affordability by those who need it as well as the degree of bean commercialization. The information was gathered through a survey of a sample of 611 households selected from 48 villages across twelve bean producing districts across the three regions (northern, central and southern) of Malawi. The sample design was motived by the need to identify representative samples of adopters and non-adopters so as to draw inferences on impact while controlling for confounding factors. A stratified multi stage sampling was followed in selecting the households for the survey (2014

Economic Efficiency of Rice Production in Smallholder Irrigation Schemes: A Case of Nkhate Irrigation Scheme in Southern Malawi

This study used a parametric frontier approach to analyze technical, allocative and economic efficiency of smallholder rice farmers. It further explored the factors that influence the efficiency levels of the rice farmers. The study used a trans-log stochastic production function to analyze the technical efficiency. It used the trans-log cost frontier to analyze the economic efficiency. Results from these efficiencies led to the derivation of the allocative efficiency levels. It further used the inefficiency model to analyze the factors underlying efficiency differentials among the sampled farming households. Results revealed an average technical, allocative and economic efficiency levels of 65%, 59% and 53% respectively. This suggests that farmers have a rice yield potential of 35% to be exploited. The average economic efficiency level entails that farmers can raise their profitability or rice production by 47% by adjusting input use. Soil fertility status, access to credit, household size and farmers experience were the factors that influence the efficiency levels of smallholder rice farmers. It is thus recommended that for improved efficiency levels there is need for better policies and strategies that address input and output markets. Furthermore, farmer groups or associations can play a great role in ensuring that farmers get relevant technical advice, credit access as well as learn and share knowledge from each other