388 Enabling Policies and Institutions for Sustainable Agricultural and Food Systems
- Participatory planning, analysis and facilitation of farmer-led experimenta-
tion, by support to processes of learning and exchange, and major changes in
the roles of research and extension staff. Such changes are partly underway in
many research and extension structures but require further commitment to
ensure their firmer establishment, and the integration of participatory
approaches within the way such organizations operate. - Institutional and organizational analysis to identify structures with which to
work and pathways along which the goal of improved soil-fertility manage-
ment can be achieved. For example, in Mali and Zimbabwe there is a much
greater role now being played by the private sector (traders, transporters, shop-
keepers) in the provision of inputs and purchase of crops. Organizational anal-
ysis needs to assess, for example, how best to build on the energy and flexibility
afforded by the local private sector to improve access to inputs and markets.
However, it takes a long time to change the ethos and skills base available to insti-
tutions such as government research and extension agencies. Hence, a long-term
programme for training and retraining may be required, as well as reliance in the
short term on other sources of expertise, such as the NGO community.
Developing a strategy for integrated soil-fertility management will also mean
making choices about level and strategy. Trade-offs and synergies must be assessed
between the following strategies:
- A local-level focus, based on a participatory learning approach which gradually
builds capacity at this level through the development of skills, pilot projects to
test out methods of working with farmers, training of trainers and methods of
spreading experience with possible partners. There may already exist a body of
organizations with considerable experience in this field on which to build.
Even if lacking within a given country, there may be useful experience in
neighbouring countries on whose skills such a locally focused programme
could be based. Support to networking amongst the various organizations
working on participatory soil-fertility management could be one among sev-
eral ways of spreading such approaches, through exchange of experience and
lesson learning. Attention must also be paid to structures of incentives faced by
researchers and extension agents to adopt new methods of work, other changes
underway in the agricultural research and NGO worlds, the space for local
fora to be established and opportunities for linking debate at local level with
higher levels. - A centralized approach with a technical focus, such as distribution of rock phos-
phate supplies for recapitalization of soils. This would require a well-planned
system for organization of delivery, instructions to farmers regarding its use
and methods for recouping costs. The newly completed National Strategy
for Soil-fertility Management for Burkina Faso provides an example of such
a technical focus involving the distribution of substantial volumes of rock
phosphate mined in the north of the country to farmers in the centre and