Technology Promotion and Scaling in Support of Commodity Value Chain Development in Africa

Abstract

Strengthening the production and processing of key food commodities forms the basis of agricultural development in Africa. These value chains follow a quasi-linear progression across seven main segments: farm planning > land preparation and crop establishment > field production > harvest > post-harvest handling > marketing > and value addition. Each of these consists of sub-segments whose improvement depends upon promotion and adoption of specific modernizing technologies. The technologies either have commercial application, as with the distribution of production input products and labor-saving equipment, or are related to management of farms and processing. For crop commodities, these products include improved varieties planted with more and better-formulated fertilizers and pest management materials. Management options are primarily directed toward the better conservation of resources and wiser integration of different farm enterprises. Key factors underlying value chain advancement include wider application of digital services, more effective incentives for climate-smart action, increased mechanization and irrigation, improved marketing efficiency and fairness, and incentives for value-creating agro-processing. An analogous set of factors also relate to value chains supporting animal enterprise. Attracting women and youth to meaningful careers in agriculture is particularly important since they are major stakeholders in the scaling of much-needed technologies and business models.

Agricultural Transformation in Maize Producing Areas of Africa

“…These technologies exist as production inputs, crop and land management options, and opportunities for contracted services. Combining these technologies into packages that result in improved yields offering reliable, profitable returns, and then scaling these packages to increasingly larger adopters may be viewed as central to agricultural transformation strategies, and major programs and institutional innovations are forming around this goal [11,[66][67][68]. In some cases, farmers are committed to older and traditional varieties for reasons other than their productive capacity or marketability, and efforts may be directed to convince them of a need for change [69].…”

“…The Agenda for the Transformation of Agriculture in the Democratic Republic of Congo (ATA-DRC) is fulfilling a Presidential promise to modernize agriculture [68]. The Government appointed IITA to lead this Agenda in early 2022.…”