Fertilizer micro-dosing is one of the most under-valued interventions for agricultural development. Micro-dosing is an incredibly simple concept. Fertilizer is an expensive input for farmers, so many farmers don’t use it. Many farmers who can afford fertilizer overuse it, making its use unprofitable. Micro-dosing takes advantage of the fact that a very small quantity of fertilizer has a huge impact on crop yields.
Bottle cap fertilizer application (BBC)
Yesterday, the BBC had a slideshow/article on fertilizer micro-dosing and the impact it has had on famines in Niger. It is great to see a simple and effective solution getting some publicity. All too often, the media hones in on far-fetched, but more sexy, interventions–complex irrigation systems, disease-resistant seed varieties, mechanized planting techniques, etc. But micro-dosing works because it is a simple technique that could be adopted by nearly any poor farmer.
The major challenge with micro-dosing is not proof-of-concept. Its efficacy is supported by a large body of research and practical experiences. The hurdle is behavior change. Changing the minds and planting techniques of millions of farmers is not an easy task. You can tell people to measure fertilizer with bottle caps, but poor farmers are used to NGOs and aid agencies telling them they have the answer. Farmers have been hearing these answers for 60 years and yet they remain hungry. Getting farmers to adopt new techniques, no matter how effective, is always an uphill battle.
One Acre Fund's fertilizer scoop
One Acre Fund, my current employer, has implemented a strategy for driving the adoption of micro-dosing that thus far has proven highly effective. We designed and manufactured “fertilizer scoops” that measure out the micro-dosage of fertilizer. When we deliver seed and fertilizer to our farmers (on credit), we also include a scoop. We have found that this simple product emphasizes the importance of proper dosing to our farmers. If we ask them to use a bottle cap, they are aware that it is a rough estimate and are tempted to just estimate as they pour. If they have a scoop, however, it is clear that we are advising a very exact quantity that can only be measured with the scoop. Farmers who receive scoops micro-dose fertilizer without our supervision.
The lesson here, often missed by the development community, is that having a solution is not enough. Understanding how to deliver proven interventions is equally important, and requires patience, creativity, and a lot of luck. Fertilizer scoops might sound like a useless piece of plastic, but farmers respond to them with behavior change, and that’s what we need.
Note: The BBC clearly has better photographers than One Acre Fund.
