Falling prices but Africa still in fertilizer crisis

Fertilizer prices have decreased but remain over 2.3 times the average 2020 price while rising government debt distress may put subsidy programmes in question.

Sustain Africa 2022 programmes on target, 2023 planning underway

Sustain Africa programmes are on track to reach 1.5 million farmers in five countries. Planning for up to 14 countries in 2023 is underway

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Sustain Africa launches 2023 programme in Ghana

Sustain Africa’s 2023 programme in Ghana was launched on May 19th with an event attended by the Honorable Dr. Brian Acheampong, Minister of Food and Agriculture, Ghana. Other attendees included v...

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Outlook: Retail fertilizer prices remain high in many countries

While International fertilizer prices continue to return to pre-crisis levels, retail fertilizer prices in many countries show a different trend, increasing in many countries and falling only slowl...

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Sustain Africa 2023-2024 programmes finalized

In 2023-2024, Sustain Africa aims to reach 530.000 farmers with 88.000 MT of fertilizer in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Uganda and Zambia. In addition, Sustain Africa is providing advisory services to the ...

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The fertilizer crisis response and resilience initiative for Sub-Saharan Africa

Sustain Africa works as a coordination mechanism among public and private sector partners to help smallholder farmers access affordable fertilizer

Our targets for 2022/2024

2.1

million farmers

million people

countries

Sustain Africa aims to support just over 2 million farmers in 7 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa by the end of 2023. Sustain Africa is operational in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mozambique, Malawi, Madagascar, Uganda and Zambia. Government advisory and project support is also provided in Nigeria, Kenya and Tanzania.

About us

Sustain Africa is a crisis response and resilience initiative to improve availability, affordability and effective and sustainable use of fertilizers while avoiding unintended market distortions. Fertilizer supply and demand have been severely disrupted by COVID 19 and the Russia / Ukraine war, contributing to an acceleration of food insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa. Sustain Africa was founded by Rabobank, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), International Fertilizer Association (IFA), and the African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP), and with the support of AGRA.

Sustain Africa works as a coordination mechanism among public and private sector partners to help smallholder farmers access affordable fertilizer. Donated or discounted fertilizer is blended and distributed by Sustain Africa partners and made available to farmers with relevant extension services, focused on sustainable farming practices. Additional services include, in some cases, market linkages for farmers and credit guarantees for working capital to agrodealers and suppliers. Fertilizer, seeds and services are provided through appropriate government or private-sector distribution channels and are monitored and evaluated as part of the programme. A key focus of Sustain Africa’s country selection and models of working with private-sector input suppliers is to complement the existing marketplace, and to avoid unintended market distortions.

Sustain Africa focuses on sustaining and improving the productivity of food crops needed to ensure food security for smallholder farmers.

Goal 1

Reduce rising hunger

Reduce rapidly rising hunger by addressing current fertilizer shortages and affordability in Africa

Goal 2

Improve farmers’ soil health

Support farmers in applying sustainable agricultural practices that improve soil health and nutritional outcomes while reducing carbon impact

Goal 3

Support a knowledge agenda

Contribute to a broader knowledge agenda to support governments with learnings on how to deal effectively with price spikes that pose serious risk to food security

Sustain Africa's unique levers for change

Why is
Sustain Africa Needed

The current fertilizer crisis, caused by high energy prices driven in turn by the Russia-Ukraine war, is a contributing factor in an escalating food security crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa. Though wholesale and retail fertilizer prices are coming down from their 2022 peak, they are not at 2021 levels. Meanwhile, farmgate and commodity prices have not risen at the same level, causing severe stress to smallholder farmer profitability.

Compounding this is a rise in the number of countries on the continent at risk of, or in, severe debt distress, and the fact that rising interest rates mean debt payments account for an increasing percentage of GDP. As a result, a number of governments on the continent that have subsidized fertilizer in the past, are considering withdrawing this funding.

Fertilizer use on the continent is already extremely low – farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa use 7 times less fertilizer than the world average. Furthermore, many farmers are not trained in how to apply fertilizer efficiently - and together with appropriate biological and organic products – to increase crop yields in a way that is economically and environmentally sustainable. Up to 40% of yield is lost to pest and lack of appropriate storage, among other factors. Yields for almost all crops are more than 3 times lower than their potential which impacts both farmer profitability and food security. We can feed 8.4 million more people per acre through the correct use of fertilizer and measures to reduce post-harvest food loss than without.