Behavior Profile: Subsistence farmers use improved agronomic practices
Economic Growth Goal: Catalyze growth of the country’s Domestic Productive Resources to create economic opportunity for all
Subsistence farmers use improved agronomic practices to increase yields and quality of value chains
Percentage of farmers and others who have applied improved technologies or management practices with USG assistance

Behavior Analysis

Strategy

BEHAVIOR AND STEPS

What steps are needed to practice this behavior?

Subsistence farmers use improved agronomic practices to increase yields and quality of value chains

  1. Decide to increase yield and improve quality of target crops
  2. Seek information about improved agronomic practices, including improved inputs, mechanizations and technology such as weather and pricing information
  3. Obtain relevant training and experience
  4. Obtain financing
  5. Purchase needed inputs and mechanization and technology services
  6. Consistently adopt and apply improved agronomic practices from field preparations to storage

FACTORS

What factors may prevent or support practice of this behavior?
Structural
Accessibility: Subsistence farmers do not use improved agronomic practices because they can not access financing as financial institutions are risk averse in agriculture sector.
Accessibility: Subsistence farmers do not use improved agronomic practices because they are unable to find quality inputs in their local markets.
Accessibility: Subsistence farmers do not use improved agronomic practices because proper harvesting and handling technologies or storage facilities are too expensive.
Service Experience: Subsistence farmers do not use improved agronomic practices because they feel improved varieties do not always increase yield.
Social
Gender: Female subsistence farmers do not use improved agronomic practices because they are disempowered and do not have control over productive resources such as improved inputs and mechanization.
Internal
Attitudes and Beliefs: Subsistence farmers do not use improved agronomic practices because they because they believe there is a high risk to adopt new technology.
Knowledge: Subsistence farmers do not use improved agronomic practices because they because they do not have sufficient knowledge of the market demand for quality products.
Knowledge: Subsistence farmers do not use improved agronomic practices because they do not understand that the benefits of using improved inputs will offset the high cost of inputs.
Skills: Subsistence farmers do not use improved agronomic practices because they do not have the skills to determine the appropriate production package to implement improved technology have undergone no hands-on training and/or practiced the new technology.

SUPPORTING ACTORS AND ACTIONS

Who must support the practice of this behavior, and what actions must they take?
Institutional
Policymakers: Retrict their role in input markets to regulatory oversight.
Policymakers: (Varietal Release Committee) Ensures new varieties are providing substantial yield gain and/or quality improvement for farmers.
Policymakers: Allow high private sector participation in input markets.
Agro-dealers: Assure farmers of the value of delivering high quality products.
Agro-dealers: Offer extension services to farmers.
Agro-dealers: Expand their services to more communities.
Seed Producers: Multiply quality seeds.
Seed Producers: Provide farmers with quality seeds.
Processors: Communicate their quality standards to farmers.
Commercial banks, Rural banks, Savings & Loan banks, Funds: Diversify their loan portfolios.
Commercial banks, Rural banks, Savings & Loan banks, Funds: Learn about agriculture sector.
Commercial banks, Rural banks, Savings & Loan banks, Funds: Loan money.
Community
Community Leaders: Sensitize household heads on allocating land to women.
Community Leaders: Provide tenure security to women.
Community Leaders: Agree to allocate productive land for women.
Household
Male Partners: Agree to allocate productive resources to women.

POSSIBLE PROGRAM STRATEGIES

What strategies will best focus our efforts based on this analysis?

Strategy requires Communication Support

Enabling Environment
Institutional Capacity Building: Expose financial institutions to the opportunities in the agriculture sector through new modalities.
Policies and Governance: Continue to work with the Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate and Crops Services Directorate to transfer regulatory capacity over the input systems to the private sector while increasing their capacity to monitor and regulate the sector.
Policies and Governance: Partner with Seed Inspection Divisions and Varietal Release Committees to increase and maintain capacity to accurately evaluate varieties.
Systems, Products and Services
Products and Technology: Work with agro-dealers to identify and provide access to low-cost technologies (like seed vans) that enable agro-dealers to transport their products and services to villages.
Products and Technology: Partner with the private sector to identify and introduce low-cost harvest, drying, and storage technologies that can be used by smallholder farmers, youth, and women.
Products and Technology: Work with agro-dealers to identify appropriately sized and packaged inputs that are attractive to smaller farmers and women.
Supply Chain: Together with agro-dealers, identify available business opportunities to expand input sales outside commercial centers including providing basic extension services to customers so that they appropriately use their products will result in increased trust by customers and repeat purchases.
Quality Improvement: Partner with agro-dealers to have training centers that may include demonstration plots to showcase their new products and provide hands-on training to farmers so they can build their skills and confidence to apply and benefit from the new technology.
Demand and Use
Collective Engagement: Eucate all members of the household, especially young men and women about the importance of women's empowerment and how it relates to improved health outcomes and increased household incomes.
Collective Engagement: Work with the supporting actors to put in place transparent and straightforward processes to enable women to seek control over productive resources (for example, a process that women can approach community leaders to request access to land and associated land tenure).
Collective Engagement: Work with communities and households to sensitize the importance and benefits of empowering women to have control over productive resources.