b"India is a country of small landhold- equipment, or providing other on-farm ers where growers traditionally have notservices. Its another level of diversifica-been able to be farming entrepreneurs,tion that supports the local community. Harnal says. Together with the farmers,BASFs India project with CINI also we transformed their agricultural modelaimed at giving women farmers deci-in such a way that they now grow andsion making power and control over farm sell vegetables in a way that is scalable,income. Shifting mindsets to include sustainable and creates a lasting impact inwomen in business conversations is the community. another key to scaling success.There are similar projects and partner- Empowering women is an important ships with other organizations in variouspart of creating a lasting impact in a farm-stages across the globe. Winter saysing community, Harnal says.public-private partnerships are one ofYouth also need motivation to con-the Syngenta Foundations main areas oftinue farming their inherited land. focus. Better farm profitability and rural Were able to use improved varie- employment opportunities could foster ties from breeders within the CGIARrural economic linkages and minimize the system, as well as universities, then workcauses for migration to urban areas, she with local seed companies to produceDiversifying and investing in new growth issays.the improved seeds and distribute themimparative for smallholder farmers. directly to farmers, Winter says. Invest in New GrowthA lot of consolidation has taken place Invest in Diversifying Income with a system before trying it themselves.over the last 10 years, but Leddin believes Smallholder farmers need to moveLeddin has seen success with farmersthat will lead to smaller, niche operations away from subsistence farming activitieswho are able to value-add to their busi- popping up. to commercial farming with tight valueness, such as joining together to create aI think well see a reshooting of chain relationship, Harnal says. In ordercoop.smaller companies, especially in the to achieve this, they would need to switchWhen they work together, they candeveloping world, filling those gaps where from staple crops to specialty crops andoffer more consistent supply and qual- bigger companies dont have as many a diversified, profitable offer. ity to provide larger amounts of seed tocontacts, Leddin says.Winter agrees that diversified crop- bigger companies, and they dont haveStill, scaling and replicating success ping systems unlock important next stepsto just accept any price they are offered,stories is a challenge. toward eliminating poverty because theyLeddin says. About 10 years ago, the International ensure cropland is not depleted of nutri- One example he has seen is a group ofPotato Center tested and developed seed ents through a monocropping approach. farmers in Nepal who came together tovarieties for potatoes that would grow Not only do soils get depleted overstart a finger mullet threshold operation,well in Kenya to meet the rapidly increas-time, but then entire regions are toowhich was greatly needed due to the dif- ing fast-food potato market demand. dependent on a single market, particularlyficulty of threshing that product. Through the Syngenta Foundation, they in the face of climate change. To addressNow, more farmers are growing thatwere able to partner with Kisima Farm that, we need market-oriented crop rota- crop again and they can supply a neededLtd., to grow and market those potatoes, tions, Winter says. end product to local market, Leddin says. Winter says. Unlike in the U.S. and in other moreThe company is now one of Kenya's robust agriculture economies, at-riskInvest in Women and Youth leading producers of certified seed pota-farmers in Asia and Africa do not haveEven with diversification, farmers cantoes, producing over 3,000 tons of certi-access to grants for cover crops.get hit by volatile weather or pests andfied seed potatoes, supplying over 4,000 We need to find financially stabledisease. The insecurity is why manysmallholder farmers each year. Winter says crop rotations instead of relying on cornyoung people do not stay in the farmingthe total domestic demand for seed pota-and wheat season after season. Wereindustry. toes in Kenya is closer to 50,000 tons, and looking at beans, soybeans, even veg- Compared to their friends or familywhile some companies have been able to etables if farmers have access to irriga- who have secured urban jobs, farmingreplicate Kisimas success, others have tried tion. Then we can start to develop reallydoesnt seem to provide a very satisfac- and failed.interesting, diverse cropping systems,tory existence, Winter says. The challenge is finding the right Winter says. He says efforts to build off-farm entre- kind of entrepreneurs with the right kind Still, even when presented with thesepreneurial success are aimed at encour- of investors behind them to take the risk opportunities, buy-in takes time. Farmersaging young people to add value andof a market that goes up and down, often want to see neighbors have successservices, such as retail shops, hiring outWinter says.60/ SEEDWORLD.COMDECEMBER 2020"