Ian BarkerHead Agricultural Partnerships

Supply of quality potato seed in Kenya: Social entrepreneurship at multiple levels

Landless workers

Commercial smallholder

Medium farm-holder

Large farm-holder

Income from agricultural activities

Number of land holdings

Syngentafarmers

Pre-commercial smallholder

Foundation farmers

Defining the ‘Foundation farmer’

• A non-profit organization established by Syngenta under Swiss law• Can access company expertise but is legally independent and has its own Board

Our mission (SFSA)

Increasing productivity of pre-commercial farmers

Enabling sustainable resource management

Linking farmers to input and output markets

Social sustainability is implicit in all aspects of our work (employment, livelihoods, long-term engagement with communities- 30 years in Mali)

3

Where do we work?

4

Potato production in Africa including Kenya

5

• Second largest crop after maize in Kenya • Important short-cycle cash and

subsistence crop in highlands of East Africa (2.5M farmers)

• Demand growing at 3.1% p.a.• Average yields of 7.8 t/ ha (FAOSTAT

2005) but many progressive farmers achieve 25t/ha

• Less than 1% of seed planted is quality seed, compared with 20% in India

Large commercial farms can be successfully linked to smallholder enterprises: in this case as seed suppliers and offering training (Kenya)

6

Large commercial farm as a social entrepreneur and a “good neighbour”

Kisima Farm:

• Supports the Ex Lewa, Saboiga, Kamiti, Ntirimiti communities by providing access to education, healthcare, water development and agricultural extension

• Employs 450 staff

• Significant input into local economy (salaries and local suppliers)

• Significant tax payer

• Supply of quality potato and wheat seed

7

Minituber production

Field multiplication

Small entrepreneurial seed multipliers can earn significant income and act as ambassadors at community level

10

Christine Nashuru, Transmara, Kenya

•Trained as secondary seed multiplier in 2008.•Sold KSh 247,900 ($3305 USD) of seed in long rain season 2010.•Now trains other women in the community.

Opportunities for youth: distribution of seed (small packs) at village level and training opportunities in prisons

Seed as an investment: small-holder farmers should be thought of as businesses too

12

John and Ann Njihia, Kiambu West, Kenya

•Bought 2 x 5Kg bags ofcertified seed for KSh 300 and harvested 200Kg.•Intend to sell half (worth KSh 2000) and retain other half to multiply seed to sell to neighbours (worth KSh 30,000).•Quality seed has a natural multiplier effect on livelihoods.

Empowerment of women: in community businesses and training of farmers

Beneficiaries

14

• Average planting by purchasers of 3G seed = 0.5 acre (0.2 ha).• Buyers repurchase after 4 seasons – no loss in yield from G4, G5, or G6.• 20% of crop sold on as clean seed.

733

2,676

6,616

13,849

Net benefit

• Marginal increase KES 81,500 per acre and season.

• Equates to USD 1,118 per season and acre, or USD 2’236 per year.

• However risk profile goes up significantly: SFSA currently looking at insurance, contract farming and storage to mitigate risk.

15

11,85088,000

198,000

93,350

Surveys of small-holder neighbour opinions

• Neighbourhood relations, impacts and engagement process (2012: D. M. King)

• 40 key informants interviewed

• Discussions facilitated with 100 people

• 171 respondents surveyed (36% women) in 3 local communities

• 90% of neighbours directly or indirectly dependant on farming (average farm size 2.9 acres)

• 41% of farmers mentioned supply of potato seed as increasing their yields (more than 2x yield: subject to follow-up impact study)

16

Production of seed by public and private actors has continued to grow beyond life of project- 10yr targets

17