Collaboration at all levels can
also bring about important policy
changes that ultimately benefit
smallholder farmers. When we
implemented the Africa Fertilizer
Summit in 2006, more than a
thousand participants, including
heads of state, agriculture ministers,
corporate leaders and scientists,
came together to address soil
fertility and food security in Africa.
I was pleased to see Summit
attendees adopt the Abuja
Declaration on Fertilizer for an
African Green Revolution, outlining
action to improve farmers’ access
to much-needed agricultural
supplies. Sustainable, inclusive
development requires global,
holistic interventions no single
person or organization can address.
“FARMERS ARE
INCREDIBLE ENTREPRENEURS”
AFRICA
FERTILIZER SUMMIT
At the Africa Fertilizer Summit,
heads of state and governments
called for the elimination of all
fertilizer taxes and tariffs in the
Abuja Declaration on Fertilizer
for an African Green Revolution.
The Declaration’s legacy
reached to the African Union’s
Comprehensive Africa Agriculture
Development Programme and
the recent Malabo Declaration
on Accelerated Agricultural
Growth and Transformation for
Shared Prosperity and Improved
Livelihoods.
INNOVATION IS ESSENTIAL
Innovation is more than creating
new technologies. The ultimate
objective is to solve problems.
We innovate by adapting our
skillset to different situations and
improving processes across the
entire agricultural value chain. Until
the early 1990s, our work focused
mainly on fertilizer research. But
when we were tasked with ensuring
fertilizer availability in Albania,
we saw the country needed
drastic market development,
attracting the nation’s budding
entrepreneurs. In a few years, 400
new agribusinesses employed
4,000 Albanians. By tailoring our
expertise, we demonstrated how
a strong fertilizer market anchors
agricultural growth.
Innovation is ever-evolving. IFDC
often focuses on solutions to
take to the field immediately. The
creation of the Virtual Fertilizer
Research Center ensures the longterm, continuous development of
more efficient, next-generation
In late 1991, Albania was
challenged to produce enough
food for its population. Later
that year, with funding from the
U.S. Agency for International
Development, IFDC began
building a private sector-led
agriculture system to operate
in a free market environment. In
1993, IFDC helped create the
country’s first dealers’ association.
The Albania project is the model
for other dealer development
and market-building programs in
Africa, Asia and other developing
regions.
“KNOWLEDGE
DELIVERY NEEDS A CHAMPION”
products. In tandem, we are moving
our research forward with the
introduction of complementary,
farmer-focused advancements.
TRANSFERRING KNOWLEDGE
EFFECTIVELY IS VITAL
“Knowing is not enough; We must
apply. Willing is not enough; We
must do.”
– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Information is not useful if it simply
sits in a database. We must translate
our data and technology into
knowledge that our beneficiaries
can use. By utilizing effective
information delivery systems, we
reach people with knowledge
tailored to their specific situations.
Modern information and
communication technology,
including mobile applications,
comprises useful instruments to
move information into farmers’
hands. In Africa, IFDC projects
demonstrate new agricultural
techniques to farmers in rural
villages via mobile cinema.
Through video, people see new
technologies with their own eyes,
implemented by people in their
own region.
Knowledge delivery needs a
champion. When we first began to
promote UDP in Bangladesh, our
resident representative in the
country traveled from village to
village, encouraging farmers to
use the technology. Adoption was
slow at first, but the staffer cleverly
began to recruit local imams to
publicize it. Once imams began
championing the benefits of UDP
in their sermons, adoption rates
rose dramatically. I have always
admired our experts’ ability to
deliver information in resourceful,
inventive methods.
VFRC
RESPECT ALL VIEWPOINTS
Over the last 37 years, I have
realized all people are connected.
Our global interdependence is
unavoidable, with no space for
attitudes like “not in my backyard.”
The world is everybody’s backyard.
The farther one travels from
home, the closer one returns
back home on our globe. In my
childhood home, we were taught
Our work is more successful when
we collaborate across disciplines.
In addition to building relationships
with farmers, we must build
networks: with scientists, private
industries, donors – those with
varying viewpoints. Appreciating
others’ experiences helps us find
solutions that truly benefit those
we seek to help. For example,
the transdisciplinary Global TraPs
project brought together experts
from all sides of the phosphate
debate. Parties often questioned
the amount of world phosphorus
resources, but all discussions reverted
to: How can we transition to more
sustainable phosphorus use?
Phosphorus is a critical mineral
for food security, but it is a finite
resource. To better understand
sustainable sourcing and use,
IFDC and ETH Zurich launched the
Global Transdisciplinary Processes
for Sustainable Phosphorus
Management (Global TraPs)
project. The project brought
together a wide range of experts
to develop a holistic approach
to phosphorus management.
From 2011 to 2014, the team
integrated real-world knowledge
with academic rigor, publishing
Sustainable Phosphorus
Management: A Global
Transdisciplinary Roadmap in 2014.
The book outlines opportunities for
reduced environmental impacts in
phosphorus supply and use.
ALBANIA
Our work cannot be a one-way
street. Farmers have immense
knowledge but we must listen.
Listening does not imply agreeing
or implementing every solution
suggested. It means hearing what
lies behind the words.
the importance of respecting
all people. Growing up and
throughout my career, I learned to
value the “otherness of others.” By
treating individuals with integrity,
mutual understanding and respect,
we can arrive at lasting solutions.
GLOBAL
TRAPS
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