E-SAPP TO SUPPORT FARMERS THROUGH MATCHING GRANTS

By HAPPY MULOLANI ONE of the ways of empowering smallholder farmers in their farming and business enterprises is to strengthen their access to finance and capacity building. This is premised on the argument that most smallholder farmers lack adequate support in their enterprises thereby affecting their production levels. Against this backdrop, Matching grants is one of the facilities initiated through the Enhanced Smallholder Agricultural Business Promotion Programme (E-SAPP) meant to support smallholder farmers in their Intervention Plans (IPs). The programme is funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). Matching grants are being offered to smallholder farmers over three windows under E-SAPP which draws lessons from its predecessor programme, the Smallholder Agricultural Business Promotion Programme (SAPP). The different windows are referred to as Category A, Category B and Category C farmers. Category A farmers refers to smallholder farmers who are identified and placed in Farming As A Business schools (FaaBs). Through these FaaBs in focal districts of the programme, smallholder farmers are equipped with knowledge in the different Intervention Plans (IP) which includes legumes, groundnuts, soya beans, and common beans. Others include: livestock, rice and aquaculture that the programme supports. Then, farmers graduate to Category B where they are now confident and emergent. In this category, they can engage in different enterprises after going through the process of capacity building. Lastly, Category C refers to farmers whose commercial viability is key and also possesses appropriate governance skills. This category is not restricted to smallholder’s farmers nor the programme’s supported commodities. The advantage of this category is that it broadens support offered for various commodities. This will enable a steady progression of beneficiaries in their enterprises. In retrospect, it is envisaged that even post E-SAPP, the idea is these businesses will keep flourishing and positively impact on smallholder farmers entrepreneur endeavours. The programme’s support towards this category of smallholder farmers is not restricted in terms of the enterprises the programme supports unlike category A and category B which specifically caters for smallholder farmers. This is workable through establishing linkages with programmes which offer support to farmers tailored to their intervention plans. Through providing finance to smallholder farmers, they are able to not only diversify in various intervention plans to enable them attain increased food security, nutrition and self- sustainability. In an E-SAPP Matching Grant Facility and category selection guidelines orientation workshop, Ministry of Agriculture Director of Policy and Planning John Kalumbi says E-SAPP is a more inclusive programme meant to build capacity in subsistence farmers to allow them not only produce for consumption but also actively participate in the prioritised agricultural value chains. Unlike its predecessor programme which focused on economically active farmers. “The programme goals is in line with the seventh national development plan which focuses on an inclusion approach in the development process”, Mr. Kalumbi. And E-SAPP Programme Coordinator Kwibisa Liywalii says the programme supports Intervention Plans (IPs) specifically in the programme’s 30 focal districts countrywide which translates to 61, 000 smallholder farmers. Accordingly, Mr. Liywalii points out smallholder farmers need to own the programme by contributing 40 percent towards their own enterprises as a committment to succeed in their endeavours. He retaliates that E-SAPP builds on lessons learnt from the predecessor programme known as Smallholder Agribusiness Promotion Programme (SAPP). The key difference between SAPP and E-SAPP is the former contributed both in kind and cash towards their farming enterprises, whereas the latter considers cash contribution as committment towards their own enterprise. This is premised on the understanding that both smallholder farmers and partners need to show commitment and ensure their enterprises succeed. E-SAPP Matching Grants Management Officer Elemson Muyanga gives an insight into how benefitting smallholder farmers will access grants to support their intervention plans in the value chain. These grants vary across three windows. The first window is only meant for subsistence farmers who are expected to benefit from the programme’s intervention and are specifically smallholder farmers. This window will exhaust 45 grants available in focal districts translating to 30 districts, whereas, window two will only exhaust 24 grants. In addition, the first window will go through scrutiny via the District Agricultural Coordinator’s office and finally at Programme Coordinator’s Office. While window two will also follow the same route. For window three, the approach is different from the first and second windows in the sense that grants will be implemented through service providers. This implies service providers will be tasked with mobilization and engagement of the different intervention plans of smallholder farmers. Mr. Muyanga explains that the only applications that will be considered are those from farmer groups in focal districts where the programme is targeting smallholder farmers engaged in E-SAPP’s commodities of focus. It is for this reason that staff need to consider and prioritise viable farmers who meet the selection criteria. He emphasizes that not every good proposal is viable for E-SAPP hence the need for staff to assist smallholder farmers come up with feasible proposals to not only facilitate value addition to their products but also be an investment to their aspirations and visions. He points out that the next criteria will look at whether smallholder farmers have graduated from farming as a business schools (FaaBs) whose aim is to build capacity in farmers concerning their commodities of focus. “In 116 districts, FaaBs will become centres where farmers will be organized and anchor farming as a business endeavour” says Mr. Muyanga. Southern Province Senior Marketing and Development Cooperatives Officer Sandonda Tembo holds the view that E-SAPP has a more inclusive approach given that its taken on board more commodities of focus. This, he says broadens the scope of the programme’s support towards farmers intervention plans. In this way, more smallholder famers will be supported particularly in the focal districts which is likely to have a spill-over effect to other non focal districts in the ten provinces in the country. Mr. Tembo observes that the programme’s categorisation of farmers allows farmers to be well-grounded and also assess the capacity of the farmers before they graduate to the next category. Such an approach will enable staff and service providers to track farmers’ progression in their commodities of focus. And Pemba Acting District Marketing and Development Officer Kuheza Chitula is elated with E-SAPP’s matching grant intervention, as the funds will allow smallholder farmers to improve their commodity crops being supported within the E-SAPP value chain. Mr. Chitula also adds that the inclusion of agriculture field staff from the inception of the programme intervention is key to its success as opposed to the predecessor programme SAPP where staff were brought on board after the programme had already gained ground. He is optimistic that the conceptualization of E-SAPP which is premised on lessons learnt from SAPP is a good starting point which is likely to yield positive results if properly implemented. The programme’s intervention is meant to focus on building capacity in smallholder farmers to become very viable. Through FaaBs, the programme endeavours to re-think its approach from training to empowering smallholder farmers in their different commodities of focus in their respective farming communities. With E-SAPP’s anticipated support to smallholder farmers in various enterprises, it is hoped that smallholder farmers will be able to steadily progress in their enterprises in order to improve their livelihoods through increased food security, nutrition and incomes.