MIR Plus Newsletter June 2010 English

ECOWAS and UEMOA Mobilize the Regional Scientific Capacity to update Fertilizer Recommendations In West Africa ••••ECOWAS

and

UEMOA

mobilize the regional scientific capacity to update fertilizer recommendations in West Africa ••••Testing of Urea Deep Placement technology in West Africa shows encouraging results ••••ECOWAS to promote integrated soil fertility management in West Africa with IFDC's technical assistance ••••ECOWAS

and

On

2010, the MIR PlusApril project 6-7, and IFDC's Natural Resource Management Program (NRMP) facilitated an orientation and planning workshop held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso to update fertilizer recommendations in West Afric'a.

To strengthen the regional ownership of this initiative, the project also collaborated with the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF /WECARD).

This event was led by the Economic Community of West African States

Cont'd on pg 2

UEMOA

assess the quality of pesticides traded in West Africa Mr. Ismail K. Binguilcha FARE,

••••ECOWAS and UEMOA member States validate trial protocols

for

pesticide

registration in West Africa .~ Agri-input market information will soon be available in West Africa under AGRIS

(ECOWAS) and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA). The purpose ofthe workshop was to mobilize regional scientific capacity to update fertilizer recommendations for major crops in the

Commissioner for Rural Development, Natural Resources and Environment UEMOA

Commission

Dear Partners, Following the official launch of the MIR Plus project at the ECOWAS headquarters in November 2009, the project team set out to deliver the ambitious results with the support of the ECOWAS and

U E M 0 A

Commissions.

Much has been in accomplished in the past seven months and the field activities, partners' and stakeholders' feedback show good progress in input market development in West Africa. Important milestones are being reached in the validation of legal instruments that will govern agri-input production and trade, new agricultural technologies are being tested, the collection of technical and market information is being

organized

fo! _dissemination.

to

M.A.RKETING INPUTS REGIONALLY (MIR)

stakeholders, and farmers are being linked with agro-dealers (agro-dealers is the approved IFDC terminology) .in/Ghana, Mali and Nigeria.

It is particularly encouraging to see that this project is giving' ~ boost policies to theat implementation of agrio'pltural both national and regional levels, particularly in the agri-input sector.

Nevertheless, we still have a long way to go. Importantly, for the project to achieve its expected results, more active participation from partners and stakeholders is needed to facilitate and speed the project performance in the field.

I wish to remind the project team that the region expects much from them in regard to increasing agricultural productivity through improving availability, accessibility and affotdability of quality inputs. I therefore encourage them to keep up the momentum of the good and hard work with our full support •

Cont. from front pg

region. About 60 partIcIpants from ECOWAS member States, representing the National Agricultural Research System (NARS), regional and sub-regional organizations and West African farmers, attended the workshop.

recommended doses are not adapted to specific local bio-physical and/or socioeconomic agricultural production conditions and are often not profitable.

Few farmers have actually adopted these outdated recommendations.

Dr. Lompo Franyois, Deputy Director General of the Burkina Faso National Institute for Environment and Agronomic Research (INERA), chaired the opening ceremony of the workshop. He said, "To facilitate the adoption of fertilizers by smallholder farmers, agronomic effectiveness must increase. This requires more appropriate and timely applications and farming practices to improve the amount of organic nutrients in soils.

Fertilizer recommendations must also take into account agricultural practices and propose optimal doses based on fertilizer prices and targeted speculations. "

After more than three decades of cropping, the amount of nutrients in soils has changed and so have crop varieties, yield expectations and relative prices. This joint ECOWAS/UEMOA initiative is therefore based on the recognition that fertilizer recommendations must be updated and tailored to fit each individual crop and soil type.

For decades, most recommendations for fertilizer use in all West African countries have been uniform for each crop . . throughout each country. As a result, the

The workshop enabled ECOWAS and UEMOA to: (a) make an inventory of past or current initiatives on this issue in the member States; (b) share experiences, particularly those from the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) on its Soil Health Program and the modelling approaches of IFDC's NRMP and their applications in various countries and on some major crops; (c) facilitate a

discussion on the current fertilizer recommendations in the various West African agro-ecological zones (Sahel zone, coastal zone and irrigated area); and (d) identify the basic elements for a regional action plan for updating fertilizer recommendations.

In particular, participants agreed on the use of modelling using various complementary tools (GIS, DSSAT, QUEFTS, etc.). In addition, the workshop recommended establishing a technical committee with the mandate to propose a regional action plan for updating fertilizer recommendations.

This proposed plan would be validated by the end of 2010 at another ECOWAS/UEMOA regional workshop with the support of technical partners.

The ECOWAS and UEMOA representatives at the workshop restated their respective Commission's commitment to provide the necessary support to this effort •

Testing of Urea Deep Placement Technology in West Africa 'shows Encouraging Results ~~-+.:~ Resources Management Program Building on the IFDC (NRM) activities carried Natura! out in 2008, the MIR Plus project is supporting the testing of Urea Deep Placement (UDP) technology in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo. The MIR Plus and NRMP staff visited Mali and Senegal in February, and Niger and Burkina Faso in April to meet with UDP partners to discuss implementation of the 2009 work plan, subcontracting for 2010 activities and UDP-related socioeconomic surveys in the test sites.

In 2010, 286 UDP demonstration plots were set up in Burkina Faso, 113 in Mali, 130 in Senegal and 127 in Niger. The objective was to compare the yield effect and profitability associated with the use of prilled urea (PU) broadcast at the recommended rate (300 kg/ha) with those obtained when using UDP at 115 kg/ha.

The crop has not yet been harvested. But in 2009, although more than twice as much urea was used in the PU-based rice fields than in UDP ones, yields obtained in UDPbased plots were higher than from PUbased plots with the yield advantage averaging 1,860 kg/ha in Mali and 1,070 kglha in Senegal. The same year, trial results in Burkina Faso and Niger produced a yield advantage of 977 kglha and 2000 kglha, respectively.

The trials in Burkina Faso and Niger are particularly encouraging in terms of

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Farmers deep placing urea super granules

farmers' interest in the technology, sparked by promising agronomic results and their demand for additional urea super granules (USG) to expand trial plot areas in Niger and the, Kou Vallee in Burkina Faso.

Preliminary assessment of the technology by trial farmers sheds light on the constraints to be alleviated, especially the labor-intensive deep placement of the urea granules which is being addressed with some indigenous strategies (invitation labor, specialized youth labor groups).

In addition, research was conducted to adapt UDP to rain-fed rice and maize cropping and direct rice sowing systems.

Available data show that UDP may have applicability in other cropping systems such as rain-fed rice and maize cropping systems, in addition to the classical irrigated rice and hold promise where water contro 1is poor.

If trial results are confirmed by further testing, there are very good prospects for scaling up the technology. Niger and Burkina Faso could be candidates for a -:' regional ECOWAS promotional tour to showcase the technology. However, special and steady efforts under ECOWAS and UEMOA leadership will be necessary for the dissemination phase, not only technically and financially, but also on the political and business sides to draw wider policy support and private sector involvement through promotional campaIgns.

To carry out UDP-related activities as set in the 2010 NRM-MIRPlus work plan, more USG manufacturing machines should be acquired and placed in trial sites to ensure the regular provision of granules for the trials and to assess the profitability of the machines' operation. To promote the local production of USG by agro-dealers, the project ordered six USG machines from Bangladesh as a start. In addition, a project-funded training program is scheduled to take place next July 2010 in Burkina Faso to aadress USG production, the maintenance and operation of the briquetting machines and the use of a USG hand applicator recently released in Bangladesh. A total of 30 participants will come from Burkina Faso, Madagascar, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo, where the technology is also being tested.

ECOWAS to promote Integrated Soil !Fertility Management in West Africa with IFDC's Technical Assistance

II

IFDC,

facilitated a regional training through the MIR Plus project, workshop organized

by ECOWAS on Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) in WestAfrica in Cape Verde,from the 31st of May to the 4th ofJune 2010. The main objectives of this workshop were to: (a) train participants in ISFM strategies, methods and tools; and (b) discuss the modalities for the development and implementation of a regional ECOWAS training program on ISFM that includes a step-down transfer of knowledge and skills in the member States.

• Cross Section of Participants

To facilitate and run this training program, the project assembled a team of experts from the IFDC NRMP.During the training, these experts devoted particular attention to approaches for adapting ISFM options to the agronomic and socioeconomic needs and interests of farmers, as well as to ways to use adult learning methods in the process of ISFM diffusion. They presented a holistic view of rSFM through a series of computer-based decision support tools and direct interaction with farmers and researchers during field visits.

The program enabled about 40 participants from member States (including some ECOWAS staff) to acquire theoretical and practical knowledge on ISFM. Participants were also divided into agro-ecology-based groups (Sahelian, coastal area and irrigated area) and used the acquired knowledge to discuss the major soil fertility problems in their respective zones, propose solutions and identify corresponding training needs.

Two major recommendations arose at the end of the training: (a) particular importance should be devoted to ISFM in the implementation of the National Agricultural Investment Programs (NAIP) and the Regional Agricultural Investment Program (RAIP); and (b) an ECOWAS-Ied regional action plan for the promotion of ISFM should be developed, adopted and implemented in the member States.

Participants agreed that wider adoption of rSFM strategies and practices will contribute to the sustainable development of agricultural production systems in West Africa. Complementary interventions needed for a successful ISFM approach are: support for rural credit systems and market-oriented institutional changes; strengthening farmers'knowledge and skills; improving linkages between research and extension support institutions; and developing fertilizer supply channels.

at the ISFM Training

Workshop in Praia, Cape Verde

Participants urged the ECOWAS a key role in facilitating the process Commission to continue current efforts to through the implementation of the support the development of fertilizer aforem~tioned recommendations. The supply channels and the updating of project specifically plans to have, by the fertilization recommendations in the end of this year, some training modules member States. They also urged the developed for the three ecological zones Commission to continue its efforts in for: (a) step-down training at national levels for extension agents; and also for (b) support of the implementation of the specifically tailored high-level training for NAIPs and the promotion ofISFM in the researchers at both regional and national member States. levels. The ECOWAS Commission reiterated its full commitment to provide The MIR Plus project will continue to play the necessary support to this initiative.

ECOWAS

and

UEMOA Clissessthe

quality of pesticides Iraded~!in West Africa A written report of survey results will be project embarked on an assessment produced and will constitute a working Starting in Mayof2010, the MIR Plus of the quality pesticides traded in document for an ECOWAS-UEMOA WestAfrica. sensitization workshop to be held by the end of 2010 on products' quality and This assessment, which will help associatedrisks. determine the baseline situation prior to the implementation of the regional legal The report is expected to contain the framework, is being carried out by national following data and information: the regulatory services based on terms of institutional organization of pesticides reference the pr9ject developed. The management in the country, the resources assessment is fully funded by the MIR Plus and constraints of official services in project and covers eight ECOWAS charge of pesticide control, the legal and member States: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote regulatory instruments on the production d'Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal and trade of pesticides in use in the and Togo. country, the proportion of non-registered products among all the¡products sold by In each ofthe countries, a survey is being the agro-dealers visited, the proportion of done on a sample of five major markets counterfeit products among all the selected in consultation with the national products sold by the agro-dealers visited, institution in charge of pesticide the proportion of outdated/expired management. products among all the products sold by the agro-dealers visited, the quality of the The investigation focuses on the physical storage conditions of the sale points factors affecting the quality of pesticides visited, the quality of the sale conditions such as product's expiration date,product's of the sqops visited, the level of registration status, the expertise of the qualification of the agro- dealers visited, sellers and storage and sales conditions. and the legal status of the agro-dealers Data are collected through visits to sales visited. points and the use of questionnaires.

Participants

from ECO WAS member States reviewing

to develop a common TheUEMOA resolve of inECOWAS pesticide market West Africa and has moved another step forward as 30 protocols required to test products submitted for registration under the

the trial protocols

validated in May 2010 in Bamako, Mali. regional legalparticipants framework including regime Plant were Thirty-eight Protection experts and agricultural researchers from the member States validated these protocols at a regional

Agri-input market information will soon be available in West Africa under AGRIS Togo (AFITO).

This effort focuses on working within the framework of the ECOWAS agricultural market information system (MIS) initiative - AGRlS - to facilitate adequate inclusion and treatment of agri-inputs in this grand scheme.

A group of farmers accessing agri-inputs market iriformation

Africa will soon have access to in West market information on agri-inputs that will empower them to make informed decisions on which agri-inputs to buy and where to buy them. MIR Plus initiatives to provide technical and market information to farmers and agro-dealers include an agri-input data mining survey that was launched in early February 2010. The objective of this effort is to gather up-todate datasets available within ECOWAS related to the fertilizer, seed and pesticide value chains (over the last 10 years whenever possible). Field activities which are fully funded by the MIR Plus project are being conducted with the RESIMAO network, one of the project's strategic partners in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d:Ivoire, Mali, Niger and Senegal and with national agro-dealers' •. associations in Ghana' ,(GAABIC),," Guinea Republic (APIDIA), Nigerja f(N0CAIDA) and

Farmers agro-dealers timely and technical and

The information (collected through this activity will be used as initial agri-input data in AGRlS, the agricultural MIS that ECOWAS is organizing in West Africa, as well as baseline data for project monitoring and evaluation. For effective implementation of the system in each country, the proj ect organises a preparatory technical meeting that involves key stakeholders in the fertilizer, seeds and pesticide value chains, followed by a national roundtable to validate the recommendations of the technical meeting and the training of enumerators and input dealers for effective information collection.

The objectives of these technical meetings are to discuss the mechanism to be set up for information collection, the list of products to be monitored and information collection points. Preparatory technical meetings have already been held in eight countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal) out ofthe 10 to be covered in the first phase.

Mr. Sy Alain Traore, who declared the four-day workshop open on behalf of the ECOWAS Commission, reiterated the Commission's commitment to the process of harmonizing the national legal frameworks governing pesticide registration in the region, stating: "This process will ultimately lead to common and harmonized regulations that will be applicable to the 15 member States. " He also acknowledged that the harmonization process has been quite challenging and stressed that the "validation of the protocols will enable ECOWAS to implement the Regulations on pesticides that were enacted in 2008. " The workshop enabled ECOWAS and UEMOA to sensitize and educate participants on the contents of the Regulations and the implications for stakeholders (including member States) of the legal instruments the Commissions will adopt for pesticide registration in West Africa. This workshop was a major step in the harmonization process as all the specific trial protocols presented were reviewed and validated. In addition, the models of administrative documents proposed for the registration of pesticides in West Africa were also reviewed and validated.

Participants congratulated the _ECOWAS and UEMOA commissions and called for the acceleration of the harmonization process. They urged the Commissions to promptly adopt the Supporting Regulation on the mission, composition and functioning of the West African Committee for Pesticide Registration (COAHP).

Francis

Dablr~

Vera Onyeaka

Communication

Specialist

Communication

Specialist

IFOC BURKINA: Kolado Bocoum

Rui Silva

Georges Dimithe

Bocar Diagana

Malick Lompo

Email: silva_rui@yahoo.com Tel: +234 - 80 73 81 4446

Email: gdimithe@ifdc.org Tel: +234 - 70 38 974713

Email: bdiagana@ifdc.org Tel: +226 50 37 450305

Email: mlompo@ifdc.org

Email: kbocoum@uemoa.int

Tel: +233 - 54 5224905

Tel: +226 - 50 32 88 59