Agricultural transformation must start with the farmer
Mbubi says the conversation today should therefore identify what has worked, what has not, what can realistically be scaled and, most importantly, what farmers themselves are saying.
Solomon Mbubi
By Solomon Mbubi
When we talk about agricultural transformation in East Africa, the conversation often focuses on production, better seeds, irrigation, finance, digital technologies and access to markets.
All these matter.
But a more fundamental question deserves attention: what role does the farmer play in shaping that transformation?
Too often, farmers are treated as recipients of solutions designed elsewhere. Researchers develop technologies, organisations introduce projects, extension workers deliver messages, and farmers are expected to adopt them.
Yet farmers are not passive recipients of knowledge. They experiment, adapt, solve problems and make decisions every day.
This is central to Enabling Rural Innovation (ERI), an approach influencing farmer-led agricultural development in Africa for more than two decades.
ERI grew from work associated with the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture, combining participatory research, rural agro-enterprise development and natural resource management.
In Uganda, its development was strengthened through collaboration with BOKU University in Vienna and practical implementation by horizont3000 and partners.
Instead of beginning with, “What technology should farmers adopt?”, ERI asks: What opportunities do farmers see? What challenges are they facing? What does the market want? What can they test or produce profitably?
What can they change themselves? These are development questions, but also business questions.
A farmer may produce a good harvest and still earn very little. The problem may be low prices, poor storage, expensive transport, weak market information or failure to meet quality standards.
Agricultural transformation therefore cannot stop at increasing yields. Farmers need to understand the journey from soil to market: costs, quality, buyers, processing, certification, collective marketing and value addition.
Farmer organisations are important. A smallholder negotiating alone with a large buyer has less bargaining power than an organised group that can aggregate produce, understand costs, meet quality requirements and negotiate collectively. But collective action must create real value, not simply exist because a project requires groups to be formed.
The same principle applies to technology. Digital agriculture is expanding, giving farmers access to weather information, market prices, financial services and potential buyers through their phones. But technology is useful only when farmers can interpret information and use it to make better decisions.
Climate resilience is important. Farmers face changing rainfall patterns, declining soil fertility and growing production risks. Agricultural transformation cannot rely on practices that weaken the natural resource base on which farming depends.
Soil, water, trees and biodiversity are assets. Agroecology, agroforestry, soil fertility management and sustainable practices therefore deserve greater attention alongside enterprise development.
Young people present a challenge and opportunity. If agriculture is presented simply as digging and selling raw commodities, it will struggle to match the aspirations of a connected population.
Yet agriculture also includes technology, finance, logistics, processing, branding, marketing, data and trade. Showing this wider economy can open new pathways for employment and enterprise.
These issues will come into sharper focus this Wednesday, 30 September, when farmers, researchers, officials, development organisations and private-sector actors gather at Nican Resort Hotel for the ERI Annual Symposium.
Under the theme, “Farmer-Led Innovations, Partnerships, and Sustainable Agriculture: Pathways to Inclusive Agricultural Transformation in East Africa,” discussions will cover food safety, remunerative markets, agroforestry, soil fertility, youth participation, digital market linkages, organic certification and collective marketing. Farmers will share experiences alongside researchers and practitioners.
The value of such a forum will not be measured by speeches alone. East Africa does not lack conferences, projects, policies or ideas. The real test is whether useful knowledge reaches farmers, informs institutions and helps successful approaches continue beyond individual projects.
Development organisations cannot replace effective extension services, rural infrastructure, affordable finance, functioning markets or sound agricultural policy. But they can generate evidence, test approaches and create spaces where farmers, researchers, government and the private sector learn from one another.
The conversation today should therefore identify what has worked, what has not, what can realistically be scaled and, most importantly, what farmers themselves are saying.
If East Africa is to realise the full potential of its agricultural economy, farmers must be seen not simply as beneficiaries, but as entrepreneurs, researchers, innovators and development partners.
Agricultural transformation will be more sustainable when farmers are not merely included in the process, but recognised as its architects.
The writer is the Regional Director, Africa, Horizont3000