SMAP Kenya: A transdisciplinary
project for improving smallholder
farmers‘ access to phosphorus
fertilizer
Roland W. Scholz
(Prof. em. ETH)
Fraunhofer Gesellschaft IWKS/MRRS (Material Recycling and Resources
Strategies) & Universität Zürich
1st Global TraPs SMAP Workshop Eldoret, Kenya
April 6, 2013
The biogeochemical P cycle is going to derail and asks
for a transdisciplinary process and global action!
30 Mt
30 Mt mineral P +
10-15 Mt organic
P are mobilized to
digest
3 Mt phosphorus
What does the project want to do?
1. Helping the farmer to know how much fertilizer of
what type he needs for the „next crops“ (farmer;
Ruth Njoroge) on what soil?
2. Helping the traders to offer and to sell the “right
fertilizer“ (trader)
3. Assisting financial institutions in developing new ways
for providing loans for farmers (financial institutions;
Olaf Weber)
4. Developing a model how farmer, traders and financial
institutions may well interact to improve performance
of the whole value chain (Rhoda Birech)
❶ What do SMAP Global & TraPs stand for?
SMAP: Smallholder Access to
Phosphorus
Global TraPs: Global Transdisciplinary
Processes for Sustainable
Phosphorus management
❷ Why P?
Global TraPs: Global Transdisciplinary
Processes for Sustainable
Phosphorus management
SMAP: Smallholder Access to
Phosphorus
• P is essential = it can not be substituted by any other element
• P is a key nutrient = plant feed (plants such as animals need
something to drink and something to eat (they like N – nitrogene,
P – phosphorus, and K – potash)
• Plants eat from soil (such as humans eat from the table, plate,
refrigerator ...)
• N is in the air (such as carbon), but not P
➡ With each ton maize we extract about 1-2 kg P
➡ The farmer has to take care that the P which is taken away by the
harvest from the fields is replenished.
➡ The farmer has to take care that the plants get enough P to eat!
❷ Why P?
Global TraPs: Global Transdisciplinary
Processes for Sustainable
Phosphorus management
SMAP: Smallholder Access to
Phosphorus
➡ The farmer has to take care that the plants get enough P to eat!
➡ Use both, organic and chemical fertilizers = integrated fertilization
(integrated soil fertility)
❸ Why Global? Where does mineral P come
from?
Global TraPs: Global Transdisciplinary
Processes for Sustainable
Phosphorus management
SMAP: Smallholder Access to
Phosphorus
• Many countries do not have P mines. Most of the P comes from
few countries (Morocco has more than half of the high ore P ores
of the world)
Phosphate rocks mine in Togo.
Photo: Alexandra Pugachevskaya
❸ Why Global?
Global TraPs: Global Transdisciplinary
Processes for Sustainable
Phosphorus management
SMAP: Smallholder Access to
Phosphorus
• Many countries do not have phosphorus mines. Most of the P
comes from few countries (Morocco has more than half of the high
ore P ores)
• Humans have tripled the natural (geogene) phosphorus flows, also
too much P may be critical
❸ Why Global?
Global TraPs: Global Transdisciplinary
Processes for Sustainable
Phosphorus management
SMAP: Smallholder Access to
Phosphorus
• Many countries do not have P mines. Most of the P comes from
few countries (Morocco has more than half of the high ore P ores)
• Humans have triple the natural (geogene) phosphorus flows, also
too much P may be critical
❸ Why Global?
Global TraPs: Global Transdisciplinary
Processes for Sustainable
Phosphorus management
SMAP: Smallholder Access to
Phosphorus
• Many countries do not have P mines. Most of the P comes from
few countries (Morocco has more than half of the high ore P ores)
• Humans have triple the natural (geogene) phosphorus flows, also
too much P may be critical
• People in different countries have different access to P
❸ Why Global?
Kg NPK/ha
900.0
800.0
Malaysia
About 2/3 of the national agricultures
use less than 100 kg NPK/ha/yr
Costa Rica
700.0
600.0
500.0
Brazil
China
France
Vietnam
Russian Federation
400.0
India
300.0
Morocco
Algheria
Uganda
200.0
0.0
1
4
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100.0
❸ Why Global?
900.0
800.0
Malaysia
Costa Rica
700.0
600.0
500.0
Brazil
In Kenya 54 kg NPK/ha/yr is used
China
France
Vietnam
Russian Federation
400.0
India
300.0
Morocco
Algheria
Uganda
200.0
0.0
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103
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112
115
118
121
124
127
130
133
136
139
142
145
148
151
100.0
K
❹ Why transdisciplinary (TD)?
Global TraPs: Global Transdisciplinary
Processes for Sustainable
Phosphorus management
SMAP: Smallholder Access to
Phosphorus
• TD denotes a new way how university/science and
practice/stakeholders may collaborate
• The old way may be denoted as “truth to power”
Scientists know
how the world
functions: They
know the truth
Politicians have
power
Industry has money
❹ Why transdisciplinary (TD)?
Global TraPs: Global Transdisciplinary
Processes for Sustainable
Phosphorus management
SMAP: Smallholder Access to
Phosphorus
• TD denotes a new way how university/science and
practice/stakeholders may collaborate
• The old way may be denoted as “truth to power”
• The new way is called transdisciplinarity
➡ For solving complex, societal relevant problems we need both
types of knowledge (that from scientists and that from
practitioners)
Mutual learning is the issue!
❹ Why transdisciplinary (TD)?
• The new way may look like this:
The new transdisciplinary way of science/university –
practice cooperation
Scientists Practitioners
(1) have different tasks
to generate methods,
to do their specific job well
theories and technologies
which work in general (and
may improve society/life)
(2) have different roles
to serve for all (as they are
to serve for their company,
paid by the public)
household, bank account
(3) have different different knowledge
consistent reasoning/
experience on how the world
academic rigor. Science may function in the real or
prove what functions and
specific/experiential wisdom
what not
❸ Why Global?
Global TraPs: Global Transdisciplinary
Processes for Sustainable
Phosphorus management
SMAP: Smallholder Access to
Phosphorus
900.0
800.0
Malaysia
Costa Rica
700.0
600.0
500.0
Brazil
In Kenya 54 kg NPK/ha/yr is used
China
Vietnam
France
Russian Federation
400.0
India
300.0
Morocco
Algheria
Uganda
200.0
100.0
1
4
7
10
13
16
19
22
25
28
31
34
37
40
43
46
49
52
55
58
61
64
67
70
73
76
79
82
85
88
91
94
97
00
03
06
09
12
15
18
21
24
27
30
33
36
39
42
45
48
51
K
0.0
❺ Why smallholder access to P?
Global TraPs: Global Transdisciplinary
Processes for Sustainable
Phosphorus management
SMAP: Smallholder Access to
Phosphorus
1. Do smallholder farmers have the right knowledge to know
how to properly feed the plants?
2. Do farmers have a good access to the right fertilizer?
3. Do traders offer/sell what the farmer needs?
4. Does the farmer have access to money in time for buying
fertilizer economically?
5. Are there financial means (such as crop loans, crop insurance)
which may be beneficial for traders and farmers?
May we improve the value chain
• by a better trader-farmer interaction
• by a better access to P fertilizer
❻ What methods and theories may we offer?
Global TraPs: Global Transdisciplinary
Processes for Sustainable
Phosphorus management
SMAP: Smallholder Access to
Phosphorus
1. Value chain and supply chain thinking in the small and in the
large
Exploration
E
Mining
M
Processing
P
Use
U
Dissipation &
Recycling
D&R
Poduce
fertilizer
P
Sell Fertlizer
P-U
Apply fertlizer
U
Sell the crops
U
Eat the crops
U
The SMAP Project focusses the
„purchase/trade“ and „use of
fertilizers“
❻ What methods and theories may we offer?
Global TraPs: Global Transdisciplinary
Processes for Sustainable
Phosphorus management
SMAP: Smallholder Access to
Phosphorus
1. Value chain, supply chain, supply-demand chain thinking in
the small and in the large
2. Making smart decisions both on the side of the smallholder
farmer(s) and the traders
• Reflect on what „components“
• Think in combinations of profiles (action scenarios, action
plans)
➡ Use Formative Scenario Analysis (FSA)
Giving form
“We“ form our action plan
❻ What methods and theories may we offer?
A simple Formative ‘Action Scenario‘ Analysis, “the farmer „defines the action components“
Demand
assessment
Purchase
Action component/
“impact variable” (di)
Soil testing (d1)
Organic fertilizer
input (d2)
Mineral fertilizer
put (d3)
Assess P in organic
fertilizer (d4)
Assess P in organic
fertilizer (d5)
P-demand of plant
(d6)
… (d7)
By together (d8)
Forward contract
trader (d9)
Backward payment
trader (d10)
Credit by bank (d11)
… (d12)
Business as
usual S1
No
No
Action
scenario S3
No
Yes
Action
scenario S3
Yes
…
Yes
Yes
…
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
No
…
No
No
…
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
…
Yes
…
If we have 12‘ components‘, there are 4096 action scenarios.
Action
scenario S4
❻ What methods and theories may we offer?
A simple Action Scenario for traders
Action component/
“impact variable” (di)
Forward contract with stock
building (d1)
Backward payment (for
smallholders) (d2)
Collaborate with local banks
(d3)
Offer/order farm specific
fertlizer (d4)
Offer crop insurance (d5)
Agent for soil testing (d6)
… (d7)
Business as
usual S1
No
Action
scenario S3
No
Action
scenario S3
Yes
Yes
Yes
…
No
Yes
…
No
Yes
No
No
…
Yes
No
…
Action
scenario S4
❻ What methods and theories may we offer?
• We suggest to construct an action plan/scenario for
the farmers and for traders. We call this method
FASA (Formative Action Scenario/plan Analysis for
farmers and for traders)
• Let us denote these scenarios Si (farmer) and Sj
(trader). Then we do a Coupled Action Scenario
Analysis (CASA, Si↔ Sj )
❼ What role does SMAP play in the Global
TraPs project?
Global TraPs: Global Transdisciplinary
Processes for Sustainable
Phosphorus management
SMAP: Smallholder Access to
Phosphorus
The Guiding question of Global Traps
“What new knowledge, technologies and policy options are
needed to ensure that future phosphorus use is sustainable,
improves food security and environmental quality and provides
benefits for the poor?” (http://www.globaltraps.ch/).
We developed critical questions
• Overuse and underuse of P has been one issue (Kenya, Vietnam, West-Africa
• About 10 case studies in total
• Palm oil plantages (Malysia)
• P in detergents and eutrophication (Manila)
• Transparency of US-Geological Survey data
• ...
The Global TraPs project has three levels of organization
1. Umbrella project
2. Nodes
3. Case Studies
Roland W. Scholz
25
❽ How does the project design looks like
Practitioners
Scientists
Stakeholder group Local
Dr. Rhoda Birech, Crop
Horticulture and Soil Sciences,
Edgerton University
Ruth Njoroge, Soil Sciences
Department, The University of
Eldoret
Farmers
SMAP 2013 farmers (N = 12-15)
Farmers ‘control group’ (N = 1215)
Fertilizer
‘traders’
Financiers
Global
Prof. Dr. Roland W. Scholz, Global TraPs & Fraunhofer
IWKS, Germany
Prof. Dr. Olaf Weber, Environmental Finance School of
Environment, Enterprise and Development
(SEED) University of Waterloo
Nestle Agriculture
IFDC (Hellums; xxx)
IPNI (Mikkelson)
IIGA (Vanlauwe)
Retail dealers (N = 3-5)
Wholesalers (N = 1-2)
Local Banks (AFC, Equity,
Cooperative)
Kilimo Salama
CIC
Local
Ministry of agriculture
Authorities
Kenya Agricultural Research
Institute
Food traders -- (include later)
Hosting organization: GCA-Nairobi
Fertilizer producers e.g. OCP (N = 1-2)
One Acre Fund (?)
UNEP-GPNM
May Eldoret farmers, trades, financiers build
partnership for a better phosphorus-fertilizer
use “for improving the value chain“?
Practitioners
Scientists
Stakeholder group Local
Dr. Rhoda Birech, Crop
Horticulture and Soil Sciences,
Edgerton University
Ruth Njoroge, Soil Sciences
Department, The University of
Eldoret
Farmers
SMAP 2013 farmers (N = 12-15)
Farmers ‘control group’ (N = 1215)
Fertilizer
‘traders’
Financiers
Global
Prof. Dr. Roland W. Scholz, Global TraPs & Fraunhofer
IWKS, Germany
Prof. Dr. Olaf Weber, Environmental Finance School of
Environment, Enterprise and Development
(SEED) University of Waterloo
Nestle Agriculture
IFDC (Hellums; xxx)
IPNI (Mikkelson)
IIGA (Vanlauwe)
Retail dealers (N = 3-5)
Wholesalers (N = 1-2)
Local Banks (AFC, Equity,
Cooperative)
Kilimo Salama
CIC
Local
Ministry of agriculture
Authorities
Kenya Agricultural Research
Institute
Food traders -- (include later)
Hosting organization: GCA-Nairobi
Fertilizer producers e.g. OCP (N = 1-2)
One Acre Fund (?)
UNEP-GPNM