Small doses of fertilizer combined with an inventory credit system called warrantage has led to increased yields and incomes for farmers in several countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The innovation involves applying a small amount of fertilizer, about 2-6 grams, in the seed hole at planting time. This microdosing technique has increased sorghum and millet yields by 44-120% for about 25,000 smallholder farmers. Warrantage allows farmers to store grain after harvest and take loans, then repay after selling the grain which enables them to buy inputs for the next season.

1. Small doses of fertilizer applied at the right place at the right time,
combined with an inventory credit system (warrantage), lead to
large benefits in yields and incomes in several countries
of sub-Saharan Africa
Fertilizer Microdosing
July 2012
A three-finger pinch of fertilizer is placed in
the seed hole.
The microdosed plot on the left gives much better yield than the
non-fertilized one on the right.
Improved sorghum varieties do better
than traditional ones, and more so when
microdosed. (Source: INERA, Burkina Faso.
2010. AGRA Microdosing Project Report)
Warrantage allows for storage of grain until prices are better.
Overview
Land degradation leads to estimated
losses of US$42 billion in income and
5 million hectares of productive land
in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) each
year. Poor soil fertility, in particular low
phosphorus and organic matter, cause
low grain and biomass production.
A combination of strategic fertilizer
application and an inventory credit
system, called warrantage has helped
farmers obtain good grain yields,
improve their livelihoods and access
finance and markets.
The innovation
Microdosing involves the application of
small, affordable quantities of inorganic
fertilizer with the seed at planting time,
or as top dressing 3 to 4 weeks after
emergence.
Farmers apply 2 to 6 grams of fertilizer
(about a three-finger pinch) in or near
the seed hole at the time of planting
(equivalent to about 20 to 60 kg of
fertilizer per hectare).
Microdosing, adapted to
traditional water management
known as Zaï, where small
planting holes are dug early
in the season and filled with
manure, doubles crop yields.
Warrantage
Inventory credit or warrantage
allows farmers to store their
grain at harvest time for sale
when prices are better, and
take a loan against the stored
grain. After sale of the grain,
the farmers pay back loans
and buy inputs for the new
season.
The Impact
About 25,000 smallholder farmers in
Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have
learned the technique and increased
sorghum and millet yields by 44 to
120%. Their family incomes increased
by 50 to 130%.
Fertilizer use has been reintroduced
in Zimbabwe, Mozambique and
South Africa. Although microdosing
is time consuming and laborious,
its use in Zimbabwe resulted in
170,000 households increasing cereal
production levels by 40,000 tons,
saving US$7 million in food imports.
A regional project of the Alliance for a
Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) is
targeting 360,000 households with the
microdosing technology by the end of
2012.
Researchers are looking at
packaging the correct dose of
fertilizer and exploring the use of
seed coating and an animal-drawn
mechanized planter as options in
collaboration with other institutions.
Partners
NARS, farmer organizations,
NGOs, FAO, local agricultural
centers, a network of international
donors, CORAF/WECARD, USAID,
AGRA.
2000
1500
1000
500
0
Control
Improved variety
Traditional variety
Official rate Microdose
Grainyield(kg/ha)
Treatment
Benefits generated from loans given through the
warrantage system in Mali.
NGOs managing
farmer groups
in Mali (2010)
Loans given
to farmers
(CFA)
Benefit
generated
(CFA)
ADAF Galle 850,000 365,000
EUCORD 10,082,000 4,536,900
KILABO 540,000 243,000
SG2000 14,072,395 3,685,261
Source: IER, Mali. 2010. AGRA Microdosing Project Annual Report.