The wheat seedling grows well thanks to the combination of adapted variety, fertilizer and cultivation technology
GIZ
Packages of seeds and agrochemicals
The farmers together with the technical advice by the agricultural extension service by the cooperative "Agra va Iqlim" get the opportunity to purchase directly the appropriate packages of seeds, fertilizer, pesticides and other agrochemicals. As these purchases are needed at the begin of the growth season, when financial means are scarce, they are partly provided on loan basis under affordable conditions (interest rate below normal market rates).
Enabling factors are:
- Packages of seeds and agrochemicals are adapted to local growth conditions and all components are complementary;
- Inputs are made affordable during the time when they are needed, but typically farmers cannot afford them;
- Loans can be returned when farmers have income from the harvest.
The combination of agricultural extension providing side-specific advice with tailored packages of agricultural inputs and the financial mechanism (part loan at affordable conditions) are key for the adoption of new and adapted agricultural technologies and practices. If one or two of these elements would be missing the rate of adoption and succesful application would massively drop. Without specific technical advice farmers do not have the awareness and capacity to purchase suitable combinations of complementary inputs. Advice without the opportunity of direct purchase leaves too much a barrier in terms of the farmers having to find suppliers on their own and having high opportunity costs, and possibly sometimes purchasing suboptimum combinations or insufficient quality and quantity of inputs. And only the availability of a timely and affordable loan enables the farmers to purchase the full quantity of inputs and to apply the adapted technologies.