My research paper identified five pathways for scaling legumes-based entrepreneurship. These include contract farming; leasing business model; mobilizing public and private financing solutions for enterprise development; developing and supporting existing seed systems enterprises; and building on private equity model to scale high potential legumes-based start-ups and small to medium enterprises. It was also noted that export value chain programming is a key pathway for entrepreneurship development especially in light of the coming in of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
The synthesised framework for scaling entrepreneurship recognises that for an innovative and scalable solution, there must be a shared vision, that informs sector scanning to identify constraints and tipping points for transformative market system development. This must be supported by strategic partnerships through multistakeholder platforms that steer and support legumes entrepreneurship. Learning systems and flexibility were identified as key integral components of the framework. Leadership, governance, specific policy incentives, resources provision, and capacity development were also identified as key pillars that support efforts to scale entrepreneurship.
Constraints for scaling up legumes-based entrepreneurship were noted to be both supply and demand-sided. For legumes supply, previous research showed that low input usage, lack of healthy seeds systems, use of unimproved varieties, pests and diseases, lack of access to credit, and poor advisory and extension services are key militants. Poor post-harvest technologies also add to this list. Continual capacity development, partnerships for innovative financing, strong seeds systems, agriculture mechanisation, among others, were noted as having significant potential for driving increased legumes productivity in the study region.
From the market side, unreliability and legumes price volatility, low farm gate prices, high transport costs are high due to general underdeveloped road infrastructure and distance to the market, poor market and trade linkages, underdeveloped agriculture incubation and acceleration system, lack of legume stimulating policies, lack of financial capital and skills for small scale businesses, youths and women were noted, among others as key hurdles to be dealt with. Partnerships for financing, value chain development, seed systems, etc, were highlighted to play a key role in solving these problems.
Some Useful References
AKPO, E., OJIEWO, C. O., KAPRAN, I., OMOIGUI, L. O., DIAMA, A. & VARSHNEY, R. K. 2021. Enhancing Smallholder Farmers’ Access to Seed of Improved Legume Varieties Through Multi-stakeholder Platforms: Learning from the TLIII project Experiences in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, Springer Nature
RUBYOGO, J.-C., AKPO, E., OMOIGUI, L., POORAN, G., CHATURVEDI, S. K., FIKRE, A., HAILE, D., HAKEEM, A., MONYO, E., NKALUBO, S., FENTA, B., BINAGWA, P., KILANGO, M., WILLIAMS, M., MPONDA, O., OKELLO, D., CHICHAYBELU, M., MININGOU, A., BATIONO, J., SAKO, D., KOUYATE, Z., DIALLO, S., OTENG-FRIMPONG, R., YIRZAGLA, J., IORLAMEN, T., GARBA, U., MOHAMMED, H., OJIEWO, C., KAMARA, A., VARSHNEY, R., NIGAM, S. N., JANILA, P., NADAF, H. L. & KALEMERA, S. 2019. Market-led options to scale up legume seeds in developing countries: Experiences from the Tropical Legumes Project. Plant Breeding, 138, 474-486
YIRGA, C., RASHID, S., BEHUTE, B. & LEMMA, S. 2019. Pulses value chain potential in Ethiopia: Constraints and opportunities for enhancing exports. Gates Open Res, 3, 276.