Deep Roots

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During the pilot period, WFP has bought more food from smallholders in

Ethiopia than any other country, much of it maize

Image: WFP/Stephanie Savariaud

Poor crop quality can have a negative impact on health

and nutrition. The consumption of the toxic chemical

compound aflatoxin is particularly dangerous, as it can cause

liver cancer and may also be linked to stunting in children.

Inadequate crop quality initially posed a major challenge for

WFP purchases from smallholder farmers. However, WFP’s

insistence on quality standards generated results, leading

to a decrease in overall default rates by farmers’ organi-

zations, which improved the quality of their crops. Many

smallholders and their families previously consumed the low

quality grain they were unable to sell. However, thanks to

awareness-raising campaigns on the dangers of doing so, P4P

observed a reduction in this practice.

In Kenya, WFP’s high quality standards triggered invest-

ment in the development of low-cost methods for reducing

occurrences of aflatoxin. On national and regional levels,

continuous advocacy for the enforcement of national quality

standards, the establishment of quality monitoring protocols

and the adoption of best practices are critical. One of the

innovative tools created to address food quality and safety

was the Blue Box, a portable field testing kit which allows

farmers’ organizations in remote rural areas to avoid the

costly and time-consuming process of sending their crops

off for quality testing.

Moving forward

While significant accomplishments and learning have been

generated by the P4P pilot, further support is needed to

overcome the many complex, contextual and operational

challenges. Lessons learned throughout the pilot imple-

mentation period have identified priority investment areas

to more effectively and sustainably connect smallholder

farmers to formal markets. Smallholder farmers’ techni-

cal skills and organizational capacity must be at the centre

of investment, while investing in policy and institutional

reform is essential for future programming.

Though the five-year P4P pilot treatment period

concluded in December 2013, efforts to support smallhold-

ers will continue as WFP mainstreams key innovations and

best practices. In the 2014-2017 Strategic Plan, WFP has

committed to further increasing the amount of food it buys

from smallholder farmers, and working with governments

and private sector buyers to support these farmers to access

sustainable markets beyond WFP.

The WFP commitment to support smallholder farmers

is global, but the potential impacts of linking smallhold-

ers to formal markets can be seen most clearly in Africa.

Across the continent, demand for quality food commodi-

ties is rising, driven by rapid urbanization, income growth

and the increased consumption of processed foods and

livestock products. Currently, the majority of these quality

food commodities are imported from outside Africa. With

the majority of sub-Saharan Africa employed in agriculture,

assisting family farmers to access growing quality markets has

the potential to create more inclusive growth. Investments in

smallholder-friendly procurement can directly contribute to

improving food security, boosting local economies, lowering

unemployment and decreasing poverty.

Improving income and nutrition

Women farmers in West Africa have been encouraged to increase

their productivity and consumption of a nutritious legume similar

to cowpea called niébé. Because niébé is traditionally grown and

marketed by women, it can increase their income while improving

household nutrition. In Mali, thanks to support from male family

members and traditional leaders, women have been able to access

land individually and as groups to increase their productivity of and

profit from sales of niébé.

Image: WFP/Ken Davies

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