The Fertilizer and Seed Recommendations
Map for West Africa

Agro-input packages contain site-specific information on improved seeds, appropriate fertilizer recommendations, and good agricultural practices. These packages have been developed by experts from the National Agricultural Research Systems in various countries of the West Africa sub-region and validated by national and regional stakeholders. The use of these packages will allow farmers to increase yields, improve agricultural productivity and contribute to reducing food insecurity in West Africa.

ABOUT US

About FeSeRWAM

The Fertilizer and Seed Recommendations Map for West Africa (FeSeRWAM) is an interactive, digital, online and georeferenced web-based platform that offers key technical, operational, and site-specific agricultural input recommendations targeted at various potential users, particularly smallholder farmers in West Africa. The FeSeRWAM platform was developed through a participatory and inclusive approach, from data collection in countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) plus Chad and Mauritania through five regional and sub-regional validation workshops and an experts’ meeting. The process, which lasted from October 2018 to July 2020, involved more than 350 individuals from various national and regional organizations, private and public sector stakeholders, as well as individual consultants and experts. FeSeRWAM is a digital solution to accelerate yield increases and agricultural productivity across West Africa.

FeSeRWAM is a product of the collaboration between the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) www.ifdc.org and the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF) www.coraf.org, through their respective USAID-funded projects, the Feed the Future Enhancing Growth through Regional Agricultural Input Systems (EnGRAIS) for West Africa and the Partnership for Agricultural Research, Education, and Development (PAIRED) with support from other regional and national public and private sector partners.

FeSeRWAM

Background

Low agricultural productivity in sub-Saharan African countries is related to low use of appropriate agricultural inputs, including improved seed varieties and appropriate fertilizers. PAIRED and EnGRAIS are USAID-funded projects with the common goal of developing agricultural input packages, including improved seeds and appropriate fertilizer recommendations for principal crops and making them available to producers in West Africa. These packages incorporate good agricultural practices (GAPs) and consider the different agro-ecological zones (AEZs) to increase agricultural production in a sustainable, localized manner.

Goal

FeSeRWAM is expected to become the preferred electronic platform for delivering key technical site-specific information on improved seed, appropriate fertilizer blends, and GAPs for various crops to a variety of users across West Africa to support decision-making and to enable farmers to increase their agricultural productivity.

Objectives

  • Increase farmers’ yields by providing key technical agricultural information to better grow crops for maximum yields.

  • Provide a platform to support decision-making, farmer backstopping, and training by agro-dealers and agricultural extensionists, who are the closest partners of the farmers

FeSeRWAM Data Content

FeSeRWAM integrates data on Location (AEZs, countries, towns, specific locations); Soil (texture, average depth, organic matter, pH); Plant (crops, varieties, local names, specific characteristics); Fertilizer (nutrient recommendations, fertilizer, rate, timing, organic fertilizer); and Crop Management (tillage, water harvesting techniques, crop residue, organic matter, amendments). Roughly 1034  agricultural input packages can be generated from the database of 806  varieties of 27 crops and over  64 fertilizer recommendations across West Africa. It is expected to cover all 15 ECOWAS countries plus Chad and Mauritania.

FeSeRWAM

Know User Guide

Download User Guide documentation

FeSeRWAM

How it works

Step 1.
The user selects the appropriate choices on the dropdown menu on the top side of the screen. Choices include West Africa regional agroecological zone (humid, semi-arid, and sub-humid) or the country-specific agroecological zone; Soil parameters include: soil type, texture, average depth, pH, organic matter content and Phosphorous); Crop specification comprises; Variety, local/common name, quantity of seed per hectare, grain color, spacing; and Fertilizer includes: Nutrient recommendation, types of fertilizers, rate, time and method of application.

Step 2.
This query results in a file that can be downloaded (PDF, CSV, or Excel) with the agro-input packages suitable for the specific site.

Anticipated Users

Agro-dealers and agricultural extension agents can determine agricultural input packages suitable for their specific sites, which can be used as backstopping and training material for local farmers.

Policy- and decision-makers can use the information to select inputs for subsidy programs based on the number and type of existing input packages.

Researchers can adapt one country’s agricultural input package to the specific AEZ of another country.

Fertilizer blenders can use the nutrient requirements to select appropriate raw materials for blending site-specific fertilizers.

FeSeRWAM

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is FeSeRWAM?

“Fertilizer and Seed Recommendation Map for West Africa“. FeSeRWAM is a digital, interactive, geo-referenced, online platform that conveys Agricultural Input Packages (AIPs) and makes them available to users. FeSeRWAM is therefore a digital solution accessible at any time and any place to access key agricultural information, which, when implemented, will help boost agricultural yields and productivity in West Africa , Chad and Mauritania.

Speaking of agricultural inputs, the AIP, sometimes called a “Kit” or “Package”, is a combination of information including seeds of improved varieties, appropriate fertilizer recommendations, good agricultural practices (GAP) specific to an agro-ecological zone (AEZ). The AIP is therefore a compendium of technical and operational information specific to a zone, which, when implemented, will allow the producer to increase the yield of his crops.

The Fertilizer Recommendations for West Africa Map (FeRWAM) of the West Africa Fertilizer Program (WAFP), implemented by the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), (2012-2017) is the ancestor of FeSeRWAM. IFDC and West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development, (CORAF) have been working closely since 2018 with all their partners to develop FeSeRWAM under the two USAID-funded projects EnGRAIS, “Enhancing Growth Through Regional Agricultural Input Systems” and PAIRED, “Partnership for Agricultural Research, Education and Development.” FeSeRWAM is therefore a product of the two organizations IFDC and CORAF and remains a public good because of the nature of these two organizations as well as the nature of the funding source, USAID.

To enable farmers in West Africa , Chad  and Mauritania to access key agricultural information, AIPs, including improved seed varieties, fertilizer recommendations, and GAP specific to agro-ecological zones in order to sustainably increase agricultural yields and productivity.

FeSeRWAM acts as a vehicle that transports AIPs anywhere, at any time, and everywhere to make them accessible. FeSeRWAM also acts as a decision support tool for the different users to access the different technologies, to make their choice or to guide their activity of fertilizer blending/manufacturing, seed production, development of agricultural input subsidy programs, research, teaching. FeSeRWAM thus acts as a source of agricultural technical knowledge that targets a diversity of actors.

FeSeRWAM functions as a digital database with a total of 680 agricultural input packages already developed from 27 crops, 806 improved seed varieties and 64 fertilizer recommendations across three major agro-ecological zones (AEZs), Semi-arid, Sub-humid and Humid from 15 West African countries, plus Chad and Mauritania.

7. Who is the FeSeRWAM platform for?

The platform addresses the needs of a diversity of stakeholders. The final beneficiaries of the AIPs and the platform are agricultural producers through public or private extension agents, but also agricultural input dealers/retailers who are in daily contact with these producers. In addition to agro-dealers and extension agents, other potential users include researchers, agricultural input subsidy program managers, fertilizer manufacturers/mixers, seed producers, producer associations, Non-Governmental Organizations, projects, agricultural policy makers, Technical and Financial Partners, financing services, agricultural training centers (schools, universities), Agri-entrepreneurs, and media, etc

The FeSeRWAM platform is online and therefore accessible if you have a working internet connection from a desktop, laptop or smartphone. Access to the platform is free. To access it, simply go to: https://feserwam.org/.

The default language of the platform is English. But it is also available in French, and the user can switch to French from the button at the top right. In addition, it will gradually offer the option in Portuguese, to ensure that the three official languages of ECOWAS are considered.

The platform is expected to cover all 15 ECOWAS countries, plus Chad and Mauritania, for a total of 17 countries. Currently, the data collected covers a little more than ten countries. Gradually, other countries will be covered as soon as it is possible to obtain reliable data from the authorized national structures of these countries.

The varieties of the platform are those provided by the national experts, most often popular varieties with several specific interests (high productivity, nutritional quality, climate-sensitive, resistance, tolerance, …). Therefore, they often exist on the market. However, the platform also aims to highlight new creations, particularly high potential materials (hybrids, etc.) so that they can be shared to boost agricultural yields in the sub-region.

Just like the varieties, the fertilizers are generally what is available on the market, most often imported, but more and more from local manufacture, complexes (Compound), but also blends (Blend).

13. Is there a mobile application?

For the moment there is no mobile application of the platform, but it is planned to develop a mobile application to contribute to the improvement of its access to contribute to a wide diffusion and use.

The initial version of the platform considered the priority crops of ECOWAS. It was not provided with vegetable crops for example, but gradually vegetable crops have been integrated especially since they have a high-income potential and contribute highly to the nutritional quality of food. In addition, the updates will make it possible to cover a wide range of crops. In total, more than twenty crops, covering dry and irrigated cereals, tubers, legumes, market garden crops, cash crops (cotton, coffee, cocoa,), fruit trees, etc., are considered.

To reach the end users, i.e., producers, two key actors must be placed at the center of the AIP dissemination system. These are the agricultural extension agents, whether from the public or private sector, and the agricultural input dealers/retailers, since these two categories are in direct contact with the farmer. Therefore, these two types of actors are targeted in the dissemination strategy as primary targets. They will be trained in the knowledge and use of the AIPs and the platform, as part of the cascade training that has started at the regional level and will be operationalized quickly in each country.

The platform data were provided by national experts from the countries, usually from national research and extension systems (SNRA), soil scientists, fertilizers, breeders, private actors, and other individual consultants.

IFDC and CORAF through the two projects EnGRAIS and PAIRED have planned an annual update of the platform data. For the beginning, the teams of these projects ensure this update with the support of the consultant developer of the platform. It is planned to gradually train the teams of the two projects but also the country focal points, especially from the SNRA to ensure the transfer of skills, the country liaison and ensure sustainability after the end of the projects. The national focal points will then be able to update their country’s data with the new technologies (varieties, fertilizers, agricultural practices).

The EnGRAIS and PAIRED teams are aware of and have been taking steps since the beginning of the process to ensure the sustainability of the platform. This sustainability includes technical aspects such as data update, platform maintenance, but also the financial aspects such as maintenance, security, and hosting costs of the platform. They also anticipate actions to maintain traffic on the website, i.e., making sure that users find their interest and that the platform continues to meet their expectations. The participatory and inclusive approach to the development of this platform is an asset because it has involved the private sector, the public sector and civil society to ensure that the interests of these parties are considered. In addition, the EnGRAIS and PAIRED teams have also been working since the beginning to strengthen the capacity of key actors in these three sectors of activity so that they are able to technically take charge of the management of the platform through initial support to facilitate, sensitize, and train all these actors to enable them to take full control of the platform.

This process which was participatory and inclusive started in October 2018 and continued until the online deployment of the platform in August 2020.  In total over 300 stakeholders from the three main sectors of activity (Public, Private and Civil Society) were involved at different times throughout the period. These stakeholders were regional, national, actors from various specialties: Soil Science, Breeders, Agronomists, Economists, Managers, Private Fertilizer Manufacturers/Importers/Mixers, Seed Producers, Agricultural Policy Makers, Farmers… Stakeholders from 17 countries, i.e., 15 of ECOWAS, plus Chad and Mauritania took part in at least one of the stages.  Indeed, series of workshops, expert meetings, virtual workshops have been the major steps and are listed below: 1) October 2018, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso “Development and Validation of the strategy, PIAs”; 2) December 2018, Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire “Development and validation of the concept note and the roadmap for the implementation of the agricultural inputs recommendation map”; 3) June 2019, Abuja, Nigeria “Validation of the data English-speaking countries” 4) July 2019, Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire “Validation of the data French-speaking countries” ; 5) August 2019, Dakar, Senegal “Validation of data and prototype of the fertilizer and seed recommendation map in West Africa and Chad”; September 2019, Dakar, Senegal, “Development of PIAs” and 6) August 2020, virtual “Launch of the FeSeRWAM platform”.