Coulibaly Maimouna Sidibe on February 07, 2011
So much has been said about Africa’s potential to feed itself, but unless we help the millions of smallholder farmers to actually grow more food, we will never go from potential to reality. And farmers cannot increase their yields without better inputs.
Building a Business
It is for this reason that I am extremely passionate about the issue of getting seeds into poor farmers’ hands. I believe that farming starts with a seed, and we cannot eradicate poverty in Africa unless we deal with the challenges millions of farmers face in trying to get seed to plant on their farms. Allow me share my own personal experience because it demonstrates this fact.
I started selling seed out of my house after many of my neighbors kept coming to ask for some of my seed. Here in my country, Mali, it has always been difficult for farmers to get good seed, and yet one cannot increase production without better seed. The sad news is that though better seeds are being developed by our national research institutes, we have no structures to get these seeds into the hands of farmers. This is one of the biggest problems faced by farmers across Africa.
I built up a seed company on that very demand from farmers in Mali. My company, Faso Kaba, has grown since those days of selling seed out my back door. I realized then that to be successful, I had to move closer to farmers, and so I opened a shop in a rural area. The first year, I sold just less than 10 metric tons of seed compared with around 300 metric tons sold last year. Five years down the line, my company has grown from one shop to two retail outlets, 150 resellers, 20 certified seed producers, 6 full-time and 30 part-time employees that sells 200 tons of seeds. We currently supply 35-40 percent of the private certified seed in Mali. The secret of my success is that I made sure that the seeds were packaged in quantities that a farmer with a hectare or less of land could afford.
I know I am helping people. Indeed, just the other I was very humbled when one farmer said to me the other day; “Madame Coulibaly, before you were here with your seed company, we always had to buy food, but now with your seed we can grow enough food and sometimes we even have extra to sell.”
Putting High-Quality Seed in the Hands of Farmers
I believe that it is that extra bit of produce to sell that will move Africa’s small-scale farmers out of poverty, enabling them to change from subsistence farming to profitable farming. The impact will be great as it will ensure that farmers will be able to feed their families and send their children to school.
But this has not been possible in Africa because of our lack of support systems – access to high-quality seed that will produce a good crop despite pests and drought, access to fertilizer to improve soils that have been degraded over the years, access to a loan to buy seed and fertilizers at planting season, and access to a market and a fair price for any surplus left over.
Through our business, we are trying in our own small way to make a lasting difference to poor farmers in our locality. We not only provide the best products to farmers but we also help farmers to understand how to use such products. Further, part of our business strategy is to promote new varieties with better qualities through field demonstrations – then farmers can see for themselves.
Companies like Faso Kaba are critical if Africa is to feed itself. It is important for our leaders to remember that farmers want to improve their lives and like everyone else, they want a better life for their children. And it is that extra bit of produce going to a market that will feed others. The demand for seed from farmers is there. Imagine if our governments and development partners would provide the support needed to enable us meet the growing demand across Africa. Only then would we beat hunger and poverty for good. It can be done.
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/foundationnotes/pages/coulibaly-maimouna-sidibe-110207-ending-hunger-and-poverty.aspx
So much has been said about Africa’s potential to feed itself, but unless we help the millions of smallholder farmers to actually grow more food, we will never go from potential to reality. And farmers cannot increase their yields without better inputs.
Building a Business
It is for this reason that I am extremely passionate about the issue of getting seeds into poor farmers’ hands. I believe that farming starts with a seed, and we cannot eradicate poverty in Africa unless we deal with the challenges millions of farmers face in trying to get seed to plant on their farms. Allow me share my own personal experience because it demonstrates this fact.
I started selling seed out of my house after many of my neighbors kept coming to ask for some of my seed. Here in my country, Mali, it has always been difficult for farmers to get good seed, and yet one cannot increase production without better seed. The sad news is that though better seeds are being developed by our national research institutes, we have no structures to get these seeds into the hands of farmers. This is one of the biggest problems faced by farmers across Africa.
I built up a seed company on that very demand from farmers in Mali. My company, Faso Kaba, has grown since those days of selling seed out my back door. I realized then that to be successful, I had to move closer to farmers, and so I opened a shop in a rural area. The first year, I sold just less than 10 metric tons of seed compared with around 300 metric tons sold last year. Five years down the line, my company has grown from one shop to two retail outlets, 150 resellers, 20 certified seed producers, 6 full-time and 30 part-time employees that sells 200 tons of seeds. We currently supply 35-40 percent of the private certified seed in Mali. The secret of my success is that I made sure that the seeds were packaged in quantities that a farmer with a hectare or less of land could afford.
I know I am helping people. Indeed, just the other I was very humbled when one farmer said to me the other day; “Madame Coulibaly, before you were here with your seed company, we always had to buy food, but now with your seed we can grow enough food and sometimes we even have extra to sell.”
Putting High-Quality Seed in the Hands of Farmers
I believe that it is that extra bit of produce to sell that will move Africa’s small-scale farmers out of poverty, enabling them to change from subsistence farming to profitable farming. The impact will be great as it will ensure that farmers will be able to feed their families and send their children to school.
But this has not been possible in Africa because of our lack of support systems – access to high-quality seed that will produce a good crop despite pests and drought, access to fertilizer to improve soils that have been degraded over the years, access to a loan to buy seed and fertilizers at planting season, and access to a market and a fair price for any surplus left over.
Through our business, we are trying in our own small way to make a lasting difference to poor farmers in our locality. We not only provide the best products to farmers but we also help farmers to understand how to use such products. Further, part of our business strategy is to promote new varieties with better qualities through field demonstrations – then farmers can see for themselves.
Companies like Faso Kaba are critical if Africa is to feed itself. It is important for our leaders to remember that farmers want to improve their lives and like everyone else, they want a better life for their children. And it is that extra bit of produce going to a market that will feed others. The demand for seed from farmers is there. Imagine if our governments and development partners would provide the support needed to enable us meet the growing demand across Africa. Only then would we beat hunger and poverty for good. It can be done.
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/foundationnotes/pages/coulibaly-maimouna-sidibe-110207-ending-hunger-and-poverty.aspx
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