We introduce you to AgriBusiness Forum Insights, a series of short interviews with a selection of the AgriBusiness speakers who answer 5 questions about their particular field of expertise that they will be presenting in Kampala.
Meet Dr. Marco Ferroni
Executive Director and Board Member of the Syngenta Foundation
EMRC: Your organisation focuses on the support, development and up-scaling of smallholder farming in Africa. Why is it so important that agricultural and rural development initiatives focus on small farmers? 
Marco Ferroni: The short answer is that smallholders are vital for food security. That is true not only in Africa, but globally: approximately one-third of the world’s population depends on smallholder farming for at least part of its livelihood. In Africa, average farm sizes vary widely between countries, but smallholders there play a similar role to those in Asia and Latin America: they produce part of their own food needs, and a surplus that helps feed their countries and often supplies international markets. Small farmers’ ability to earn incomes from farming and in turn pay for inputs, consumer goods and, for example, education, also affects general development prospects and the nature of economic transformation.
EMRC: What role do you believe Africa can play in easing the global food security issue, and what are the core drivers required for this to happen? MF: Africa has an absolutely central role to play – not least because of its sheer size, and the fact that crop yields there now lag seriously behind those in Asia, for example. There is therefore considerable scope for gains in smallholder productivity. With the right kinds of agricultural technologies and supporting services such as extension, credit and microinsurance, smallholders could increase their production significantly and sustainably. Further ‘core drivers’ for improving food security in Africa include good governance and its consequences: investments in infrastructure and education, rising business confidence, suppression of corruption and the avoidance of armed conflict.
EMRC: To which successful case studies can the Syngenta Foundation point in its own work with African smallholders? MF: The Foundation has been active in Africa for many years. We work mainly in Mali, Kenya and Ethiopia, and are involved in projects in several other countries. To take just two examples: our ‘Precad’ project in Mali focuses strongly on access to output markets, and smallholders’ ability to access these reliably with a range of produce in suitable quality. The project includes the creation of smallholder cooperatives and the diversification of income sources. In Kenya, one of our projects concentrates on a different kind of market: smallholders there are now able to insure their crop inputs against bad weather. We piloted this ‘Kilimo salama’ insurance last year in cooperation with commercial partners. By early 2010, some 11,000 farmers had already bought into the scheme. The insurance’s creation and rapid uptake have only been possible thanks to the Foundation’s catalytic lead.
EMRC: How does a small farmer with no current contact to the Foundation access its services? MF: It is important to remember that the Foundation does not run projects on its own. We always work with suitable national and international partners. Combining complementary skills and strengths significantly increases the reach of our projects. For many farmers, local development organizations will usually be the easiest way to learn more about an existing project in their country, or suggest possible future activities. Organizations keen to contact us will find our address on www.syngentafoundation.org
EMRC: What role do you believe that a forum such as AgriBusiness plays in the value chain of sustainable economic and agricultural development, and what do you hope to gain from attending? MF: The Syngenta Foundation is convinced that public-private partnerships are essential for agricultural development. Events such as the AgriBusiness Forum help enable these partnerships by bringing together delegates from across the public and private sectors around the world. We look forward to many fruitful contacts in Kampala. As well as gaining from attendance, we will also actively contribute our own suggestions and insights.
The Syngenta Foundation is based in Basel, Switzerland. Its mission is to create value for resource-poor small farmers in developing countries through innovation in sustainable agriculture and the activation of value chains. Dr. Ferroni will be presenting at this year’s AgriBusiness Forum.