Giving soils a new lease of life Live Support Systems Limited

Mathias Nyegu is an avocado farmer in Njombe District in Southern Tanzania.

Since 2015, he has been growing the treasured fruit on his one-acre piece of land.

Over the years, though, his yields have deteriorated due to poor soil conditions and a lack of knowledge in fertilizer application. This resulted in him cutting down most of his trees.

In 2018, he learnt about Live Support Systems (LSSL), a Tanzanian company specializing in soil analysis and fertilizer blending. Mathias invited them to his farm for recommendations on boosting his harvest.

LSSL's soil analysis helps farmers know the nutrient levels of the soil on their land.

They further produce exclusive NPK (nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium) fertilizer for each farmer at a fraction of the market price.

Using digital tools, LSSL also monitors the crops and routinely advises the farmers on the best practices for optimum growth.

Through funding from AECF, LSSL's reach has expanded to hard-to-reach regions in Tanzania, and they are now working with over 12,000 farmers directly and over 1,000,000 indirectly.

LSSL has also created a soil database from samples across the country which has hastened the testing process. Previously, they would ship the soil samples to the Netherlands for testing, which would take at least three weeks to get results.

AECF funding has greatly impacted our business. Previously, we were unknown in the Tanzanian agricultural sector, now, the government has endorsed our technology. They selected our equipment as the national soil testing kit which means we are now reaching more farmers. Without AECF's support, we would not have attained these milestones - Dr. Mutafu Edmond, CEO LSSL

For Mathias and many smallholder farmers, soil testing is a crucial part of maintaining healthy soils, thriving farms and feeding the continent, but it is often out of reach.

We believe small and growing businesses hold the key to driving agricultural transformation and building resilience among rural communities. By providing catalytic funding and technical support to enterprises like LSSL, we work to boost productivity and improve the lives of smallholder farmers in Africa.

Appreciate

Credits:

AECF