THE GUINEA AGRICULTURAL SERVICES PROGRAM: SMARTE

The program, known as SMARTE, aims to develop the agricultural sector, increase production, and improve on-farm livelihoods in Guinea. SMARTE is implemented by Winrock International under cooperative agreement no. AID-675-LA-16-00002. SMARTE's activities during the January-March 2018 reporting period focused on three key areas: agriculture education and training (AET), extension and advisory services (EAS), and research and development (R&D). In AET, SMARTE prepared cohort 1 AVENIR for the capstone training event, which included in-depth work with AVENIR to prepare their business plans. The completion of AVENIR business plans and subsequent implementation will allow the AVENIR to serve as catalysts in the Guinean agriculture sector by providing sustainable services, practices, inputs, and technology for increased productivity, profitability, food security, and improved nutrition. In EAS, SMARTE conducted 12 technology demonstrations to increase commercialization and adoption and trained 565 individuals (45% women) on improved practices. SMARTE also introduced two new technologies: impact rice huller and improved pestle, which improve the profitability of rice processing at the household-level. AVENIR will incorporate these technologies in their service provision next quarter. SMARTE's collaboration with local partners, including SAVY, SPRING, and UC Davis, has resulted in the development of partnerships with private sector actors, including EXIM and Bel Air Mining. These partnerships have the potential for job creation and entrepreneurial success after AVENIR apprenticeships. SMARTE has also created partnerships with three local metal manufacturers to produce impact rice hullers and tube wells, which AVENIR will commercialize through their service provision. In R&D, SMARTE's M&E staff implemented recommendations made during the DQA undertaken during the previous quarter. The M&E director added six livestock indicators to the MELP and will present to USAID in the upcoming quarter. M&E staff trained on more effectively collecting data and modifying data collection tools for Survey123. The narrative report for the baseline evaluation conducted by WAC was completed and will be submitted in the upcoming quarter. The AVENIR program has shown promising results, with 64% of current hosts satisfied with the AVENIR and 36% of hosts very satisfied. AVENIR use their tablets to collect and analyze data from farmers and other stakeholders, and they have developed 43 business ideas on horticulture and livestock production, input supply, veterinary services, and farm labor organization. These business ideas have been reviewed and recommendations have been provided to each AVENIR on how to address common weaknesses, including overestimation of amounts for external project funding and business scale, poor group organization, detailed understanding of technical aspects of project implementation, and legal and regulatory requirements. Overall, SMARTE's activities during the January-March 2018 reporting period have focused on strengthening market-led agricultural research, training, and education in Guinea, with a focus on developing the agricultural sector, increasing production, and improving on-farm livelihoods. The program has shown promising results, with a strong private sector response and a high level of satisfaction among hosts.