OCP Agribooster Project: Bundled Services, Fertilizer Customization, and Farmer Outcomes in Ghana

Summary

Smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa face non-trivial constraints. Unfortunately, many of these constraints bind simultaneously, affecting farmers’ outcomes, including agricultural yields, food security, income, etc. The African Union (AU) has also highlighted the importance of improving fertilizer use to address declining soil productivity across the continent. In June 2006, the Heads of State and Governments of the AU endorsed the Abuja Declaration on Fertilizer for the Africa Green Revolution, a continental strategy aimed at reversing the worrying trend of poor soil productivity and promoting agricultural growth, food security, and rural development. The Declaration set a target of increasing fertilizer use to 50 kg of nutrients per hectare. However, the AU has observed that the continent has not yet reached this target. More recently, the Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit held in May 2024 reiterated the need to raise fertilizer use from about 8 kg of nutrients per hectare to 50 kg within the next decade and called for the establishment of an African Fertilizer Financing Mechanism (AFFM) to improve agricultural productivity by expanding access to fertilizer financing.

These challenges are particularly acute in northern Ghana, where the intervention takes place. Unlike southern Ghana, which has two rainfall seasons, northern Ghana experiences only one, and soils are generally drier and less productive. Combined with limited access to agricultural credit, these conditions contribute to persistent food insecurity. Data from the 2022 Annual Household Income and Expenditure Survey show that food insecurity exceeds 60% in several districts where the project will operate, including 61% in Jirapa and 76% in Karaga. Fertilizer use also remains low: the national average is about 18 kg of nutrients per hectare, with even lower application rates in Northern Ghana.

To address these constraints, the researchers conduct a randomized control trial in Ghana to assess the impact of easing constraints in agricultural production by bundling jointly i) training on good agricultural practices (GAPs), ii) input/fertilizer financing, and iii) soil testing, on smallholder farmers’ agricultural decisions, yields, and welfare. As part of OCP’s implementation model, fertilizer credit allows farmers to pay 40% of the fertilizer cost upfront and the remaining balance after harvest and sale. The researchers also examine the potential heterogeneous impacts of the bundled services across gender and youth.

By examining the effects of improved access to fertilizer financing, soil testing, and agronomic training, the project also aims to inform the design of OCP support programs and contribute to the broader AU policy objective of increasing fertilizer use across the continent.
 

What is OCP Agribooster?

OCP Agribooster is an agricultural extension initiative led by OCP Africa (as part of the OCP Nutricrops ecosystem) that provides farmers with fertilizers, soil testing, and training in good agricultural practices (GAP) and soil fertility management, to farmers. In its extended model, Agribooster includes a full range of inputs (e.g., seeds, fertilizer, agrochemicals), farmer organization support, digital platform assistance, mechanization, and access to financial services that facilitate input purchases and help address farmers’ liquidity constraints.

In several countries, Agribooster is implemented jointly with OCP School Lab (OSL), combining soil testing with bundled input provision, advisory services, and financing into an integrated service delivery model to enhance productivity and strengthen farmers’ integration into reliable output markets.