Agricultural Extension Services
Extension Services
We offer agricultural extension and advisory services, through our Farm Pod digital extension platform, young agricultural advisors who are supported by a team of agricultural technical experts in our back office and curated service packages that include access to inputs, aggregation and market facilitation including linkages for logistics and implementation of standards needed by clients to meet market requirements.
Tradecare has since 2018 worked to curate and test the most comprehensive extension packages.
Clients are provided an opportunity to select the combination of packages of interest to them. The extension services are relevant for companies and projects that rely on wide network of smallholder farmers as their supply base. To ensure that these farmers access knowledge affordably and that the extension projects achieve their objectives, we have developed an e-learning platform through which training and coaching is offered on a continuum to a network of young agricultural advisors.
Our extension packages include:
1. Extension and Advisory Packages
We use a digital platform Farm Pod which is an inhouse developed extension services data registration platform to Register, Analyze, Share, Train and coach farmers to adjust action on the ground (RASTA). Clients can choose either the digital tools and back-end support while working with their own front line staff, or working with Tradecare young graduate extension agents that are onboarded through an e-learning platform to offer extension services to farmer while relying on Tradecare digital tools and back end support.
Our e-learning platform is our educational and learning site for graduates who are interested in, among other areas, advancing their skills in the delivery of Agricultural Extension services. Courses offered on our e-learning platform include the Agricultural Extension Delivery using the RASTA Model, Integrated Pest Management and various sustainability certification courses. On subscription and registration, student are able to access a great deal of educational resources developed by expert professionals which include the RASTA manual, Crop Calendars and Factsheets, Integrated Pests Management (IPM) manual among others. Through the self-paced mode of learning, the students are able to own the responsibility for their learning and self-evaluate through our various assessment methods available.
2. Inputs and Technology Package
At Tradecare Mazao Safi, we understand how important it is for modern farmers to have the best and latest inputs and technology available to them. That’s why, through partnership with input and technology service providers, we offer a wide range of inputs and technology packages tailored to the needs of the agricultural sector. This package allows for baseline registration of input providers interested in collaborating pre-competitively with the ESPs to improve production practices as a high-level objective and increase accessibility, availability, and affordability of different types of inputs. As the ESPs interact directly with farmers, the ESP Company negotiates for a percentage of revenue from sale of inputs to be paid to the ESP for the service provision. In return the ESP receives capacity support and backstopping services from input and technology providers.
3. Aggregation & market facilitation Package
This service package is offered to the aggregators and buyers who may be the main client of an extension project. The package central to the setup of an extension project. At the heart of result-based extension and the RASTA model is the private sector / commercial buyers who can sustain demand for products grown in the extension project. The set-up of result-based extension however does not require ESPS to work with only one buyer. With farmers involved in multiple commercial crop and livestock enterprises, it is possible to work with multiple aggregators or buyers if the extension project works with them pre-competitively. An example is a situation where an extension project works with an avocado buyer in an area where farmers also grow macadamias and tomatoes. It is advisable for the ESP to reach out to multiple buyers to ensure that the farmers can sell their macadamias as well as tomatoes. This allows for lowering of costs and increased commercial viability and sustainability of the extension project.
4. Sustainability certification Package
This service package is offered to buyers who need to demonstrate not only general sustainability issues in the cross-cutting extension themes but implementation of specific certification standards. The ESP through the extension digital platform can offer implementation services towards certification and maintaining of the certification system.
