In 2014, Gatsby Africa’s Cotton Sector Development Programme (CTDP) began to build a network of Village-Based Agro-dealers (VBAs) in a bid to energise the extension system and inputs market in the Lake Zone.
Acting as a link between town-based input suppliers and hard-to-reach farming communities, VBAs sell yield-enhancing products to smallholders – such as improved seed, herbicides and fertiliser – and advise on their effective use.
CSDP has developed a market from scratch supporting VBA's and the network now comprises 545 shops.
This paper explores the network’s evolution, impact and future.