Impact of RTIMP Interventions on beneficiaries compared to

Impact of RTIMP Interventions on beneficiaries compared to controlled non-‐beneficiaries Scope and enabling platforms The RTIMP by design used the DSF as an entry platform and conduit to galvanize actors around GPCs to deliberate on industry-‐wide problems and to find solutions, fashion out business deals between producers, buyers and processors, information exchange and as a capacity building platform for skills upgrading and technology transfer. Technical services were jointly provided by Supply Chain Facilitators (SCF), MoFA subject matter specialists and BACs as project partners. The target RTIMP interventions beneficiaries for the purpose of this assessment will focus on FFF cassava farmers, FFF Yam farmers and FFF cassava processors against non-‐
beneficiaries in the control within the same communities. 1.0 Improvement in business and marketing skills across the GPCs •
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The use of Enterprise Records Books and ledgers has become a regular feature to keep records on operational activities to track costs and revenue to facilitate profitability assessment. Worthy of mention is at Cassacoxa GPC where business records were available months after the closure of the factory. Increase use of the Esoko platform to access gari orders by Amadu Farms GPC in Atebubu. 2.0 Impact in the operations of FFF on Yam farmers 2.1 Increased use of technology in production •
Mini sett multiplication technology Participating farmers have become self-‐sufficient in planting material required for yam farm expansion as a result of training acquired under the commodity forum as wastage has reduced as yam sett sizes have decreased by 20 to 25%. •
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2.2 The use of insecticidal treatment of yam setts before planting Without treatment in the control, spoilage due to insect damage can be as high as 50%, compared to 5 to 10 % loss with FFF yam farmers Fertilizer use improves yields Split application with 20grmas of N: P: K (15:15:15) per mound has been shown to improve yield by 30% at demonstration sites but yet to be adopted across the board Herbicidal use to control weeds makes for farming large tracts of land compared to manual weed control in the traditional cropping system encountered Improved land preparation imparts intensity of production Compared to the control there has been increased of mechanization services to plough and ridge before planting on ridges. Plant stand per acre has an increase from 1500 to 4,000 per acre, representing a 2.6 – fold increase compared to the control. 2.3 Yield improvement By adopting intensive planting of 4000/acre and a reduction of insect damage due to insecticidal treatment before planting, yield in yam production has increased by as much as 50 % compared to the control. 2.4 Improvement in intensity of cropping Double cropping has become widespread compared to mono cropping in the control, whilst early adopters in the Nkoranza Nkosuo Yam farmers group are doing three times cropping per year. 2.5 Staking cost reduction In the control by traditional practice, stakes are positioned between 4 mounds to take care of 4 sprouting yam setts whereas by the RTIMP intervention 10 to 12 sprouting yam setts may be directed to 2 short stakes with a 2 metre-‐cross bar positioned in between ridges. Stake and staking cost reductions range between 25 to 30 %. 2.6 Yam storage practice improves shelf life Storage of harvested yams by the traditional approaches as in the control are by one of two methods; namely on dry straw or kept in lowly placed storage bins without rodent guard. This approach predisposes yams in storage to heat buildup and attacks by mice. Losses by this method in the control range from 20 to 25 %. The RTIMP storage bins are well ventilated and provision has been made for rodent guard to ward off rodent attack as shown below: Yam storage bin under construction at Fiaso (RTIMP Zone 2) Yam Storage facility (rodent proof) for Brahoho Yam Farmers’ Association (RTIMP Zone 2) Overnight storage facility for marketing yam It is a common practice under the traditional system to store yam along major road network but unlike RTIMP support producers’, yams are stored in bins and warehouse awaiting buyers as shown below: Open yam storage (control at Fiaso) Yam bulking warehouse (RTIMP Zone 2) 2.7 FFF yam farmers production is market oriented The FFF yam farmers produce for selected yam export clearing houses and local traders and aggregators, unlike in the control that produce for uncertain market. Through the SCF intervention, the Nkosuo yam farmers group at Jerusalem in Nkoranza, Brong Ahafo sold GHC 20,000 worth of fresh yam through the K Laast value chain for the 2013 crop year. 2.8 Increase access to financial intermediation Under the K Laast fresh yam value chain, the yam SCF developed a project proposal and got approval for the release of GHC 1,800,000 from the out grower (KfW) funded facility in the MoFA to support fresh yam cultivation for export through selected product associations. Due to late approval and unwillingness of local PFIs to handle huge sums of money to farmers, the funds provided could not be disbursed. However the Kwabre Rural Bank, through its Kintampo branch approved and disbursed a GHC 60,000 facility to the Nkosuo Yam Farmers group. Due to its late approval the facility was used to procure a Massey Fergusson tractor shown below. The farmers are arranging to make 100% payment at the end of this year cropping season by the end of December 2014. MF 188 Tractor with accessories to support Yam farmers at Jerusalem, near Nkoranza 3.0 Impact in the FFF Cassava Farmer operations 3.1 Increased use of technology in production •
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The use of demo sites to multiply improved germplam for mass distribution has impacted positively on availability at the door steps of farmers unlike the traditional farms where more than one variety may be under cultivation. Herbicidal use to control weeds makes for farming large tracts of land compared to manual weed control in the traditional cropping system encountered 3.2 Improved land preparation methods impacts positively on intensity of production Increase of use mechanization services providers aids ploughing, harrowing and ridging before planting on ridges at a spacing of 1m x 1m to obtain a plant stand of 10,000 per hectare. The RTIMP approach compare with the control practices lends itself for large scale cultivation. Improved cropping systems-‐increased use of improved planting materials on ridges spaced at 1metre by 1 metre leading to improved productivity. 3.3 Yield improvement Yield figures common to traditional cultivation practices as in the control is 12MT per ha, compared to RTIMP intervention improvements of 26MT and 39MT per hectare, corresponding to 2 and 3 KIA loads of cassava per acre of cassava. This translates to a 2.2-‐
fold and 3.3-‐fold yield improvements recorded as a result of capacity building during FFF and by the SCF. Yield increases seem to suggest that the cassava production system is being transformed from an extensive system to an intensive commercial system. Factors driving the change are high yielding varieties introduced and multiplied for farmers and the adoption of improved land preparation practices including ploughing, harrowing and ridging before planting. 3.4 Commercial linkage development across district borders Improvement in inter-‐actor relationship as a result of SCF facilitation did open window of opportunity for Nkosuo Farmers Association of Jerusalem in the Nkoranza South Metropolis to sell 20 KIA loads of cassava to the Asuogya-‐Agro Processing Facility at Asueyi in the Techiman North District. During the RTIMP evaluation mission, the Integrated Management Consult Zone 2 team discovered excess capacity to supply raw cassava by the Nkosuo Farmers Group and the raw material supply gaps of nearly 240,000MT of raw material at St Baasa (Ghana) located at Chiraa in the Sunyani West District in order to meet an export inquiry order for 3,000MT of dry cassava chips on monthly basis. This inter-‐actor dialogue is ongoing to the point where supply and payment arrangement s will be completed in due course. All this support to FFF cassava farmers are not available to the control group producing cassava for the traditional processing facilities dotted around the zone. 3.5 Increase access to financial intermediation for FFF cassava farmers The active business linkages between Amantin/Kasei Rural Bank and Amadu Farms GPC at Atebubu yielded positive dividend with the approval and disbursement of GHC 25,000 in 2013. The facility which was structured over a 24-‐monthly payment will fully be liquidated in 2015. Through the MEF facility the Asuogya-‐Agro Processing at Asueyi received a grant of GHC16, 000 plus a personal loan of GHC 14,000 to acquire a KIA truck in 2012. ”Because the GPC operates on a weekly basis we have been able to make repayment in full over a 10-‐monthly installment payment plan”-‐says the GPC owner Mrs. Faustina Sakyi. Additionally through a tripartite agreement between its bankers(Kwabre Rural Bank-‐
Techiman), 35 farmers and the owner of Asuogya GPC (Mrs. Faustina Sakyi) has supported each farmer with GHC 300 towards land preparation and weed control using herbicides. Repayment have been spread over 3 installment payments in kind with cassava when farm matures for harvesting. 4.0 Impact in the FFF cassava processing operations 4.1 Bird’s eye view of RTIMP processing and typical traditional Processing (Control) The RTIMP facilitated environs are congenial and clean compared to the control below Typical traditional gari processing centre-‐control Typical upgraded cassava processing facility 4.2 Cassava washing methods after peeling Washing with limited access to water (control) compared with liberal amounts used under RTIMP suggests high adoption of best practices taught by the SCF. Peeled cassava washing bay (Charity & Co GPC) Leg-‐aided washing of peeled cassava-‐ Awutu Bontrase control 4.3 Upgrading of processing infrastructure Upgrading improves throughput several folds in the RTIMP GPC compared to the control Grating before RTIMP Stainless steel cassava grater after RTIMP (Charity & Co GPC Amanase) 4.4 Efficient frying infrastructure Inefficient frying method is wasteful compared to improved frying with stainless steel pan (RTIMP) 4 stage open inefficient /drudgery frying-‐1/2 bag per day Frying using rectangular stainless steel pan (Dannes GPC) 4.5 Improvement in the fermentation bay Indoor fermentation dewatering and pressing are indoor operations and effluents properly discharged under RTIMP compared to the open discharges to contaminate the environment as is in the control. Indoor fermentation, dewatering and pressing processes under RTIMP Open fermentation and walk through fermentation contaminate the dough and effluents are discharged without drains (Control shots above) Foot prints of cockerel on open fermented cassava dough (control) Open dewatering and pressing methods leads to environmental pollution under control systems 4.5 Environmental friendly and unfriendly effluent disposal practices Effluent from washing cassava, dewatering and pressing outflow and discharging into septic tank (RTIMP) 4.6 Efficient fuel wood use efficiency Long term exposure to heat and smoke may have upper respiratory health implications for women and children under the control system as compared to RTIMP working ambience 4.7 Access to portable water for cassava processing Easy availability of portable water for processing at the GPCs leads to a higher quality products compared to the control using limited amounts of water. Charity & Co –well water pumped into overhead tanks for washing Water harvesting at Asuogya GPC for washing 4.8 Increase capacity to diversify operations due to RTIMP support through SCF Improvement in the fortunes of RTIMP supported GPC spurns diversification into allied business as St Baasa GPC diversifies into oil palm processing and Dannes Anointed GPC packs surplus water above its needs to the general public. The control processing entities do not have capacity to generate extra funding to trigger further investments. Oil palm processing at St Baasa GPC Installation and packing processed water (Dannes anointed GPC)

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