• Award and Project Continuation: Tanager received a 4-year, $4.2 million award from the John Deere Foundation to transition smallholder farmers in South Africa from subsistence to self-sufficient agriculture. This new award continues the Imbewu Farmer Development project, which began in 2022 and is set to close its first phase in December 2024.
• Initial Project Success: The first phase of the Imbewu project, involving 2,760 smallholder maize farmers, resulted in transformative outcomes. Participating farmers achieved 65% higher yields per hectare and 63% greater gross income per hectare compared to non-participating farmers.
• Focus Areas for Phase II: The second phase of the project will build on previous successes and focus on improving agricultural productivity, minimizing post-harvest losses, and enhancing profitability. Key components include digital extension services, on-farm training, improved access to finance and markets, climate-smart approaches, and promoting gender and youth empowerment.

Tanager has received a 4-year, $4.2 million award from the John Deere Foundation to transition smallholder farmers in South Africa from subsistence agriculture to self-sufficient production. The new award is a continuation of a pilot project, Imbewu Farmer Development, that has been implemented in the country’s Eastern Cape province from 2022. The first Imbewu project is closing in December 2024, just as the second phase gets underway.  

Smallholder Context in South Africa

The Eastern Cape has often been referred to as the “sleeping giant” of South African agriculture, boasting the country’s largest livestock population and substantial contributions to horticulture and dairy production.  

Smallholder farmers have yet to benefit equally from the region’s rich agricultural resources, however, limited access to credit and financial services hinders the purchase of quality seeds, fertilizers, and other agricultural inputs and services. Extension services often fall short in equipping farmers with the knowledge and skills required to adopt innovative practices. Compounding these challenges, farmers’ vulnerability to extreme weather events has increased. 

The initial Imbewu project began addressing these challenges with 2,760 smallholder maize farmers. Using demonstration plots and land aggregation initiatives to help farmers benefit from economies of scale, Tanager provided agricultural extension services and training in good agricultural practices (GAPs), secured agricultural inputs and services for participating farmers, and more.  

The results were transformative: On average, participating farmers achieved 65% higher yields per hectare and 63% greater gross income per hectare over comparable smallholder farmers in the region who had not participated in Imbewu activities. 

Building on Successes

The new project will build upon the gains made in the first phase and work to improve smallholder farmers’ agricultural productivity, minimize post-harvest losses, and enhance overall profitability, driving sustainable agricultural development.  

Imbewu phase II offers a continuum of services to support farmers as they progress from subsistence to self-sufficient agriculture. Key components include digital extension, on-farm training through demonstration plots, improving access to finance and markets to maximize block farming initiatives, and tailored support to more self-sufficient farmers.  

Across all activities, the program emphasizes: 

1. Climate-smart approaches. Monoculture maize farming can exacerbate vulnerability to weather variability. Imbewu phase II will promote crop diversification and crop rotation alongside training in good agricultural practices.  
2. Digital extension. To expand its reach, the program will integrate a digital extension platform, complementing the hands-on extension services to scale impact and support a broader population of farmers. 
3. Gender and youth empowerment. Imbewu phase II will promote women and youth leadership in agricultural production and create micro-enterprise opportunities for women and youth in the sector. 
4. Farming as a business. Transitioning to self-sufficient agriculture requires robust operational and business skills. Imbewu phase II will provide farm management and business development training to equip farmers for success.  
5. Access to finance. Limited financing opportunities remain a significant hurdle for smallholders. Imbewu phase II will forge partnerships with financial institutions and provide guidance to farmers on how to access financing solutions. 

Expected Results

Building on its initial work with 2,760 smallholder maize farmers, Imbewu phase II will, by 2028, support 6,576 farmers to increase their yields by 37% and boost their gross income by an average of 68%.