News

• Fertilizer and Seed Recommendation Map for West Africa (FeSeRWAM) to be launched virtually on September 22, 2020 
• FeSeRWAM is an innovative approach and tool for providing key site-specific technical information on improved seeds, appropriate fertilizer blends and good agricultural practices. 
• The initiative is funded by USAID/West Africa and led by Feed the Future PAIRED and EnGRAIS, projects implemented by CORAF and IFDC respectively.

A new online tool designed for producers, farmers and other actors in selected value chains to access essential information on agricultural input recommendations/packages will be virtually launched on September 22, 2020. The Fertilizer and Seed Recommendation Map for West Africa (FeSeRWAM) is a geographic information system and web platform that captures, stores and provides information regarding seed and fertilizer data visualization recommendations.

The platform aims to increase demand for and use of appropriate fertilizers and improved seeds to boost agricultural productivity in West Africa.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for West Africa is funding this initiative through the Feed the Future Enhancing Growth through Regional Agricultural Input Systems (EnGRAIS) and the Partnership for Agricultural Research, Education and Development in West Africa (PAIRED) programs, implemented respectively by the International Fertilizer Development Center(IFDC) and CORAF.

"Farmers across the West African region, as in other parts of sub-Saharan Africa, continue to face very low yields due to difficulties in accessing vital information on improved seeds and appropriate fertilizers. FeSeRWAM is a major solution to address this challenge in a sustainable way", says Prof Abdulai Jalloh, Director of Research and Innovation at CORAF.

"For players in the agricultural sector, particularly in the seed and fertilizer value chains in West Africa, FeSeRWAM is a one-stop online tool that will provide key site-specific technical information on improved seeds, appropriate fertilizer blends and good agricultural practices," explains Dr. Oumou Camara, IFDC Regional Director for North and West Africa.

The FeSeRWAM platform should support decision-making and enable farmers to increase their agricultural productivity and improve their general well-being.

Thanks to a collaborative process that lasted almost two years, the development of the platform involved over 350 stakeholders from various national and regional organizations.

FeSeRWAM is designed and targeted to benefit :

• Agricultural commodity traders and extension agents to determine the set of agricultural input packages (AIPs) adapted to their specific agro-ecological zones (AEZs), which can be used as support and training material for local farmers
• Decision-makers and policy-makers must select PSIAs for subsidy programs
• Researchers adapt one country's AIP to another country's specific ZEA
• Fertilizer blenders must use nutrient requirements to select appropriate raw materials for site-specific fertilizer blending.

In addition to supporting decision-making, farmer support and training provided by agricultural traders and extension workers, FeSeRWAM will produce annual action plans that have been drawn up by experts from national agricultural research systems and validated by national and regional stakeholders.

The use of these modules will improve agricultural productivity and reduce food insecurity in West Africa.