Accelerating Rural Access To Improved Seeds (ARATIS) funded by the EU
Client: Starke Ayres Zambia
Date: January 2021 – June 2024
The Problem
Smallholder farmers (SHFs) in rural Zambia typically struggle with low agricultural productivity due to reliance on traditional farming methods, limited access to hybrid seeds, poor knowledge of modern practices, and climate variability. These challenges, combined with inadequate market access and a lack of effective educational resources, leaves farmers with low yields, minimal income, and reduced resilience.
The Solution
The ARATIS project, led by Starke Ayres Zambia in partnership with iDE and Agova, implemented a multifaceted strategy to address these challenges. Key initiatives included:
- Establishing 257 demonstration plots to showcase hybrid seeds and model farming techniques, particularly in terms of horticulture production.
- Training over 36,500 farmers in climate-smart agriculture, improved nutrition, and marketing strategies.
- Distributing a new educational technology in the form of offline mobile learning cards to 2,145 farmers, to provide access to training information in rural areas.
- Setting up 18 horticultural seedling tunnels to improve accessibility to quality vegetable seedlings.
- Supporting farmers with transportation solutions and market linkages to enhance buyer engagement.
Results
The project achieved significant outcomes:
- 94% of participating farmers improved their agricultural practices.
- 95% of farmers experienced increased yields, and 92% saw higher incomes.
- 85% adopted hybrid seeds, reporting better crop quality and resilience.
- 81% benefited from improved transportation and market access.
- 88% of the users of the mobile learning cards adopted new farming techniques.
