Work

My principle responsibility is to build a better understanding of and implement the Agriculture as a Business strategy in the Bongo district.

At the core of Agric as a Biz, there is the farmer and the mindset to undertake and interact with the different aspects of running their farm as a business. Surrounding the farmer, there is an enabling environment that provides the farmer with resources and opportunities. An intervention could take place at either level.

Previous experience from the pilot project found that farmer groups/farmer-based organizations (FBOs) were more likely to change and improve their group if the MoFA agriculture extension agent (AEA) facilitates well and encourages the group to make decisions for themselves, take ownership over their work, and find solutions to their own challenges together.

This means that the AEA needs to ask good questions and let the group members participate fully in discussions on what actions need to be taken. The tool I’m working with (which is Agric as a Biz) is aimed at doing exactly that – identify areas that FBOs need/would like to work on, the questions they should consider, and how AEAs can facilitate a plan for them so they can improve.

This program is a series of meetings with farmer groups with activities that are designed to help MoFA extension staff to encourage more groups to become well organized and improve MoFA’s overall performance. The activities include 1) Improving Group Meetings, 2) Improving the Group’s Work, and 3) Improving Management of Finances.
















During my first few days with MoFA I accompanied AEAs to FBO meetings to better understand how things work and check out the potential for use of Agric as a Biz. I also gave a presentation/workshop at the District Meeting to introduce myself, clarify my roles/goals, and introduce Agric as a Biz. I got the audience (MoFA staff and AEAs) to do an activity which involved them drawing what successful agriculture/farming means to them or what it involves. Although they were hesitant at first, they all produced great drawings and explained them well. All 4 drawings included only inputs (water, a borehole, rain, seeds) and outputs (healthy livestock, flourishing fields, bags of crops, children going to school, happy families). I was surprised to see that none of the drawings included the activities involved in going from inputs to outputs. When I mentioned this, they were silent. When I asked if well organized farmer groups would catalyze this, there was a flush of realization and agreement. It's interesting because in one way it could be reassuring to think that AEAs really need to work more on developing FBOs' organization and that Agric as a Biz has definite potential, in another way I'm questioning if this tool is as useful as we think. Time will tell...

My next moves involve going to the field, meeting more AEAs and FBOs, determining a criteria for selecting 2-4 AEAs and 1-3 FBOs each who would benefit most from Agric as a Biz, and figuring out the approach I will take with this. Overall, I think there is potential for Agric as a Biz - for FBOs to use it, as well as for us (EWB volunteers) to learn from it and change and improve it. I’m excited to see it develop.