AN END OF PROJECT REVIEW FOR THE AGRO-DEALER DEVELOPMENT PROJECT FUNDED BY AGRA IN TANZANIA FINAL REPORT Prepared by: Kobe Konsult Ltd JUED Business Centre, 34 Garden Road, Mikocheni A, P.O. Box 32187, Dar es Salaam Phone: +255 22 277 4436 / 0754 300 767 Fax: +255 22 277 4426 Email: [email protected] August 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................. iv LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................................... v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................................... vii Executive Summary ................................................................................................................ viii 1.0 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Background and Rationale ....................................................................................... 1 1.2 Evaluation Objectives and Scope ............................................................................. 1 1.2.1 Specific objectives ........................................................................................................ 2 2.0 METHODOLOGY AND APPROACH ............................................................................. 2 2.1 Review of Secondary Data ........................................................................................ 2 2.2 Primary Data Collection ............................................................................................ 3 2.2.1 Questionnaire survey .................................................................................................... 3 2.2.2 Key informant survey ................................................................................................ 7 2.2.3 Observation ................................................................................................................. 7 2.3 Composition of the Evaluation Team ..................................................................... 7 3.0 EVALUATION RESULTS ....................................................................................... 8 3.1 Performance of Agro – dealers ................................................................................. 8 3.1.1 Overview of planned activities ................................................................................ 8 3.1.2 Building Agro-dealers Capacity to Serve Farmers ................................................ 9 3.1.2.2 Technical training for soil fertility management and agronomic practices ... 11 3.1.2.3 Promotional seminars in product knowledge and safe use ............................ 12 3.1.2.4 Generation of market demand for improved inputs ........................................ 12 3.1.2.5 Demonstration plots establishment ..................................................................... 12 3.1.3 Improved financial services for agribusiness ....................................................... 14 3.1.4 Additional services to agro-dealers ........................................................................ 18 3.1.5 Programme Outputs and Impacts ........................................................................ 21 3.2.1 Improved seeds ......................................................................................................... 24 3.2.2 Effects of the Subsidy Programme on Input Sales ............................................... 26 3.2.3 Reduction of distance farmers travel to access inputs ......................................... 28 3.2.4 Improved yields as a result of using improved seed ........................................... 29 3.2.5 Extent to which TASP-E has impacted household welfare ................................ 30 3.2.6 Livelihood and rural economy impacts ................................................................. 32 3.2.7 Direct impact of the use of agricultural inputs on rural households ................ 32 4.0 Reviewers assessment on Relevance, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Impact and Sustainability of TASP-E ........................................................................................... 34 4.1 Overall Project Relevance ....................................................................................... 34 ii 4.2 Overall Effectiveness ............................................................................................... 34 4.3 Overall Efficiency ..................................................................................................... 35 4.4 Overall Impact .......................................................................................................... 35 4.4 Overall Sustainability .............................................................................................. 36 Key Lessons Learnt ................................................................................................................ 37 5.0 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................................... 38 5.1 Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 38 5.2 Recommendations .................................................................................................... 40 ANNEXES ................................................................................................................................... 42 iii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: TASP- E Phases and activities ........................................................................................ 9 Figure 2: Commercial Trainers Development .............................................................................. 11 Figure 3: Demostration plots established in the surveyed districts ............................................... 13 Figure 4: Percentage of demonstration plots established by different organizations ................... 14 Figure 5: Members of FISL groups .............................................................................................. 15 Figure 6: Number of Agro-dealers that attended businesss clinic training ................................... 19 Figure 7: Average working capital per Agro-dealer .................................................................... 21 Figure 8: Inputs sale by agrodealers in tonnes per district surveyed ............................................ 22 Figure 9: Overall input sales by agrodealer in the surveyed area in Tonnes ................................ 23 Figure 10: Total fertilizer, mean and standard deviation sold in off season under TASP E ........ 23 Figure 11: Average prices of different fertilizer brands purchase from main supplier ................ 24 Figure 12: Quantity of improved maize seeds supplied by Agro-dealers .................................... 25 Figure 13: Percent of farmers using improved seeds of main staples ........................................... 25 Figure 14: Number of smallholder farmers who access agricultural inputs through TASP - E agro-dealers ................................................................................................................................... 26 Figure 15: Total amount of inputs sold by TASP-E agro-dealers ................................................ 26 Figure 16: The distribution of agricultural inputs sold under the subsidy scheme in Kahama district ........................................................................................................................................... 27 Figure 17: Distance from the smallholder farmer to the nearest agro-dealer from average of 50km before TASP E in the surveyed districts ....................................................................................... 29 Figure 18: Production trend in Geita District Council .................................................................. 30 Figure 19: Food security in the surveyed Districts ....................................................................... 31 Figure 20: Average and source of income from the surveyed smallholder farmers ..................... 32 iv LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Agrodealers visited and the number of Agrodealers trained per district .......................... 4 Table 2: Agro-dealers interviewed by telephone ............................................................................ 4 Table 3: Proposed division and markets for agrodealers and farmers survey ................................ 5 Table 4: Agro-dealer associations supported by TASP-E ............................................................ 20 Table 5: Average distance covered by farmers to the nearest Agro-dealers ................................. 22 Table 6: Strength and Weekness of the National Input Voucher System (NAIVS) ..................... 28 v List of Acronyms and Abbreviations AD Agro - dealer AGRA Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa BRELA Business Registration and Licensing Authority CV Curriculum Vitae DALDO District Agriculture and Livestock Development Officer DASIP District Agriculture Support & Improvement Programme DC District Commissioner DED District Executive Director FGD Focus G roup Discusion FISL Farm Input Saving and Loan FIPS Farm Inputs Promotion Africa FSDT Financial Sector Deepening Trust HQ Head Quarters ISFM Intergrated Soil Fertility Management MAFC Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives