Bogo Seed and Fruit Farmers Association (BOSAFA)

The Bogo Seed and Fruit Farmers Association (BOSAFA) provides mechanisation services to farmers, including ploughing and harrowing for land preparation, and mechanised planting, harvesting and threshing services. It also aggregates produce from farmers to supply to large produce buyers. In the 2019/20 cropping season, BOSAFA supported 2,000 farmers with credit services. Women farmers reached with business services constituted about 45% of total outreach, and each farmer cultivates an average of 9.1 acres in six districts. The company provides these farmers with certified seed and other farm inputs, mechanisation services and technical training on good agricultural practice. BOSAFA has a wide range of assets, including four tractors and accessories, two threshers and two irrigation machines. The partnership with the MADE programme started in 2016. In 2018, BOSAFA aggregated 2,350 MT of rice and 2,840 MT of soybean. 

MADE interventions

• Worked with BOSAFA to recruit, train and deploy five Farm Enterprise Advisors (FEAs) and one FEA manager to train farmers and monitor smallholder farmer performance. 
• Strengthened commercial networks between BOSAFA and other aggregation businesses and input dealers, such as Agricare Limited and Zalguma Enterprise. 
• Introduced the Advanced Business Model to help BOSAFA identify and provide an integrated bundle of inputs and services to increase crop yields and productivity. 
• Facilitated links with tractor services. 
• Provided demonstrations and training on good agricultural practices.

Impacts

• Increased the number of contracted smallholder farmers from 725 in 2016 to 2,200 in 2018. 
• Increased smallholders’ access to markets and high-quality agricultural inputs through commercial networks with other businesses. 
• Increased yields for smallholder farmers from an average of 3 to 10 bags (100 kg) per acre for maize and 5 to 14 bags (50 kg) per acre for soybean.  
• Enabled more timely application of agro-inputs and services on smallholders’ land. 
• Improved financial forecasting and planning for smallholders.