Programs Regenerative Agriculture and Resilience

AGRICULTURE EXTENSION SERVICES: Establishing Good Agriculture Practices

In rural agricultural communities, a lack of education and technical training in agricultural best practices, coupled with the credit gap, hinders the shift of farmers from subsistence to commercially viable farming. To address this, Opportunity actively organizes and delivers tailored agricultural extension services to farmers, often facilitated by Farmer Support Agents or local market actors. These agents provide advice on Good Agricultural Practices tailored to specific crops or livestock, aligning with local agriculture policies.

Extension services empower farmers with crucial techniques and skills, including:

• Planting Techniques: Trialing Regenerative Agricultrure practices.
• Fertilizer Application: Timely and appropriate fertilizer application for enhanced soil and crop health.
• Implementation of Irrigation Systems: Guidance on cost-effective irrigation systems and identifying reliable water sources.
• Disease and Pest Management: Proper use of pesticides and crop pruning to prevent disease spread.
• Crop Rotation: Seasonal crop choices and rotation to preserve soil nutrients.
• Harvest and Post-Harvest Storage: Techniques for crop preservation and negotiating contracts for timely offtaking.

Types of Agriculture Extension Services and Trainings:

Good Agricultural Practices require juggling many techniques in order to ensure the highest quality outputs.

Resilience Strategy

Over the last few years, we have seen more flooding, droughts, and cyclones wipe out crops and destroy homes, leaving so many farmers without food or income. Families living in rural areas of low-income countries are disproportionately affected by the increasing number and severity of these climate events. As AgFinance focuses on empowering farmers to grow more and earn more, we have developed a Climate and Resilience Strategy that prioritizes climate adaptation – the ability to live with and minimize the damages that come from these climate shocks. Our goal is to ensure that our clients have access to the necessary tools and resources to maintain and grow their farms and businesses.

The adoption of these strategies can, however, be costly, especially as farmers transition from traditional farming techniques. Therefore, AgFinance also focuses on making climate finance available to our farmers. We are working with our network of banks and microfinance institutions to develop products that incentivize the adoption of RegenAg practices. We are supporting financial institutions with developing products and accessing low-cost capital to fund climate activities. 

It will be difficult, if not impossible, to eradicate global poverty and end hunger without building resilience to climate change in smallholder agriculture through the widespread adoption of sustainable practices

UN Food and Agriculture Organisation

INCREASING SMALLHOLDER RESILIENCE WITH RegenAg

This climate strategy builds on AgFinance’s current approach, ensuring high touch, high tech, and high impact without detracting from ongoing initiatives. Firstly, the strategy promotes Regenerative Agriculture (RegenAg) principles, fostering greater soil health. These core principles of RegenAg, Climate Smart Agriculture, and Nature-Based Solutions promote techniques that result in more resilient soil. RegenAg can be adopted, one principle at a time, with the maximum benefit coming from the combined use of all of them. When adopted, these practices can help improve the resilience of farmer’s lands and crops to weather volatility and pests, and reduce the dependence on external inputs, namely chemical/inorganic fertilizer.

Opportunity’s RegenAg pilot in Rwanda is an initiative with the potential for profound impact on farmers and crop yields. Operating with a straightforward structure, the program divides plots into halves, implementing conventional agricultural practices on one side while introducing regenerative practices on the other. Notably, regenerative plots exhibited superior germination rates during a challenging dry season, showcasing the program’s potential to enhance soil moisture retention. Successful endeavors, such as cultivating a cover crop with minimal watering and implementing no-till practices, underline the program’s commitment to reducing manual labor and promoting sustainable farming.

5 CORE PRINCIPLES OF REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE

Despite facing challenges like pest outbreaks and wind damage, the program emphasizes co-creation and local adaptation, aligning with the client-centric approach of Opportunity. The upcoming harvest season will provide key data on yields, but the focus extends beyond mere production, incorporating financial incentives to encourage the adoption of regenerative agriculture. With training modules designed for practical, in-field application, the program aims to ensure lasting knowledge retention among farmers.

RegenAg works by prioritizing five key strategies: minimizing soil disturbance, maximizing crop diversity, covering the soil, maintaining plant roots, and integrating livestock into farming practices.

Striking a balance between adoption and profitability, as well as promoting locally relevant practices, RegenAg emerges as a holistic solution, promising not only increased harvests but also more nutritious crops and sustained growth for smallholder farmers.