none Technology and Service Bundling and Bundle Performance among Maize Farmers in Eastern DR Congo none

Abstract

Approaches to the bundling of production inputs and accompanying farmer services continues to attract attention as an agricultural development tool. A package of modernizing production inputs consisting of improved and hybrid maize seed and preplant (DAP) and top-dressed (urea) fertilizers targeting 0.25 ha each was assembled and distributed to 2340 small-scale farmers in the Ruzizi Plain and adjacent highlands. Those packages cost about US $138,060 to assemble and distribute (at $59 each). These farmers were also linked to additional services including training on Good Agricultural Practice, access to field and post-harvest support, and the marketing of production surpluses. In total, package installation resulted in 2,661 MT of maize, equivalent to 4.6 MT per ha and worth about US $997,718 (at $375 per MT).  This resulted in an average 111% yield improvement over farmer practice across all packages. Hybrid maize outperformed a biofortified OPV with WSC Haraka producing 5.5 ± 0.5 MT per ha. Taking into account what the farmers would have otherwise produced using their current practice providing 2.1 MT per ha, a benefit-to cost ratio of 4.2:1 was realized, but does not include farmers’ labor and local delivery costs. Services assisted farmers in treating fields attacked by Fall Armyworm and to mechanically shell their maize harvest, the latter allowing for collective marketing of surpluses. These findings were linked to a desk study on the design and assessment of more complete technology and service bundles as they relate to agricultural transformation in DR Congo.