FeSeRWAM: Fertilizer and Seed Recommendations Map for West Africa

FeSeRWAM, Smart Recommendations to Optimize Your Farming Practices!

FeSeRWAM is a digital platform used throughout West Africa, as well as in Mauritania and Chad, to help agribusinesses identify the seeds, fertilizers, and agricultural practices best suited to different crops and production conditions. FeSeRWAM is a product of the collaboration between the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) and the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF) with support from other regional and national public and private sector partners. Agricultural product distributors, seed companies, fertilizer blenders, and agricultural service providers can search by country, agroecological zone, locality, crop, and variety to access agricultural inputs that meet their customers’ needs. The platform brings together recommendations on improved seed varieties, appropriate fertilizer , and good agricultural practices tailored for specific agroecological zone. Users can view these recommendations online or download them in PDF format to facilitate advisory services, business planning, and customer engagement.

This technology is pre-validated.

8•9

Scaling readiness: idea maturity 8/9; level of use 9/9

1034 Agricultural input packages

Site-specific agricultural input packages combining improved seed varieties, fertilizer recommendations, and good agricultural practices.

806 Improved varieties

Improved crop varieties available through the platform for different crops and agroecological conditions.

64+ Fertilizer recommendations

Site-specific fertilizer recommendations developed to improve nutrient management and crop productivity.

27 Crops

Crop-specific recommendations available through the FeSeRWAM platform.

IP

Unknown

Problem

Limited access to crop-specific agricultural recommendations reduces the accuracy of decisions on seeds, fertilizers, and farming practices.
Weak access to reliable agricultural recommendations limits the effectiveness of extension services, input subsidy programs, and farmer advisory services.
Scattered agricultural recommendations make it difficult for public institutions to quickly identify and use appropriate agricultural input packages.
Inefficient access to agricultural recommendations weakens agricultural planning and decision-making across the agricultural sector.

Solution

Improve decision-making by providing crop-specific recommendations on seeds, fertilizers, and agricultural practices for specific agroecological zones.
Strengthen extension and advisory services by providing easy access to reliable agricultural recommendations.
Simplify access to agricultural input packages by bringing agricultural recommendations together on a single digital platform.
Support agricultural planning and public decision-making through reliable, readily accessible agricultural recommendations.

Key points to design your business plan

FeSeRWAM provides private sector actors with a digital platform to improve agricultural advisory services and support specific crop management. By delivering tailored recommendations on improved seed varieties, appropriate fertilizers, and good agricultural practices, the platform helps users make better production decisions and expand access to quality advisory services.

End User 

The platform is designed for smallholder farmers, including farmer groups, cooperatives, and commercial farmers who use specific recommendations to improve crop management and productivity.

Use specific recommendations to select appropriate improved seed varieties, fertilizers, and good agricultural practices for different crops and locations.
Access recommendations through the FeSeRWAM web platform or mobile application available in English and French..
Apply the recommended practices to improve farm planning and optimize input use based on local conditions.
Strengthen farm productivity and decision-making through science-based recommendations tailored to individual farming contexts.

Distributor / Service Provider

FeSeRWAM also supports ago-dealers, digital service providers, and extension businesses that deliver agricultural advisory services and facilitate farmers' access to specific recommendations.

Provide farmers with specific advisory services using recommendations provided by the FeSeRWAM platform.
Access the FeSeRWAM web platform and mobile application to deliver digital advisory services to farmers.
Build technical capacity to interpret recommendations and support farmers in selecting appropriate inputs and practices.
Expand customer outreach by integrating FeSeRWAM into extension programs, advisory services, and partnerships with agricultural organizations and development projects.

Positive impacts: 15

Target Groups	Positive Impacts
Women smallholder farmers and women engaged in agricultural production	Improved access to specific recommendations on improved seed varieties, fertilizers, and good agricultural practices. Better access to agricultural advisory services through the FeSeRWAM platform. Increased capacity to make informed farming decisions based on local conditions. Enhanced participation in sustainable and climate-smart agricultural production.
Youth and young agricultural entrepreneurs	Improved access to digital agricultural advisory services and specific recommendations. Increased opportunities to adopt climate-smart and sustainable farming practices. Better access to agricultural information that supports productive farming decisions. Enhanced engagement in digital agriculture and agricultural innovation.
Smallholder farmers in remote and low connectivity areas	Better access to site-specific information that supports appropriate input selection and crop management. Increased access to agricultural advisory services through extension support and digital platforms. Reduced information gaps through tailored agricultural recommendations.
Farmer groups and agricultural producers	Improved access to specific agricultural recommendations for different farming conditions. Better coordination of advisory services and dissemination of recommended agricultural practices. Enhanced adoption of improved seed varieties, fertilizers, and good agricultural practices. Improved productivity through evidence-based agricultural decision-making.

More...

Unintended impacts: 8
Mitigations: 13

Barriers: 12
Mitigations: 12

Climate adaptability: Highly adaptable

FeSeRWAM is designed for multiple countries, agroecological zones, and farming conditions across West Africa.

Farmer climate change readiness: Significant improvement

FeSeRWAM helps farmers and advisors select recommendations that match local farming conditions, supporting adaptation to different production conditions.

Biodiversity: Positive impact on biodiversity

More appropriate input use and better crop management can indirectly support biodiversity. However, no direct evidence of biodiversity impact was identified.

Carbon footprint: Much less carbon released

As a digital advisory platform, FeSeRWAM can reduce travel for technical advice and support more efficient input use. However, no quantified evidence of carbon emission reductions was identified.

Environmental health: Moderately improves environmental health

Better matching of seeds, fertilizers, and farming practices can reduce inappropriate input use. However, the environmental benefits depend on adoption and proper implementation.

Soil quality: Improves soil health and fertility

Site-specific fertilizer recommendations and soil information support better soil fertility management. However, the benefits depend on proper implementation.

Water use: Much less water used

FeSeRWAM includes water harvesting techniques and good agricultural practices that support better water use. However, the impact depends on implementation.

Scaling Readiness describes how complete a technology\’s development is and its ability to be scaled. It produces a score that measures a technology\’s readiness along two axes: the level of maturity of the idea itself, and the level to which the technology has been used so far.

Each axis goes from 0 to 9 where 9 is the “ready-to-scale” status. For each technology profile in the e-catalogs we have documented the scaling readiness status from evidence given by the technology providers. The e-catalogs only showcase technologies for which the scaling readiness score is at least 8 for maturity of the idea and 7 for the level of use.

The graph below represents visually the scaling readiness status for this technology, you can see the label of each level by hovering your mouse cursor on the number.

Scaling readiness score of this technology

Maturity of the idea 8 out of 9

Uncontrolled environment: tested

Level of use 8 out of 9

Common use by intended users, in the real world

Maturity of the idea										Level of use
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9

Positive impact 15

Target Groups	Positive Impacts
Women smallholder farmers and women engaged in agricultural production	Improved access to specific recommendations on improved seed varieties, fertilizers, and good agricultural practices. Better access to agricultural advisory services through the FeSeRWAM platform. Increased capacity to make informed farming decisions based on local conditions. Enhanced participation in sustainable and climate-smart agricultural production.
Youth and young agricultural entrepreneurs	Improved access to digital agricultural advisory services and specific recommendations. Increased opportunities to adopt climate-smart and sustainable farming practices. Better access to agricultural information that supports productive farming decisions. Enhanced engagement in digital agriculture and agricultural innovation.
Smallholder farmers in remote and low connectivity areas	Better access to site-specific information that supports appropriate input selection and crop management. Increased access to agricultural advisory services through extension support and digital platforms. Reduced information gaps through tailored agricultural recommendations.
Farmer groups and agricultural producers	Improved access to specific agricultural recommendations for different farming conditions. Better coordination of advisory services and dissemination of recommended agricultural practices. Enhanced adoption of improved seed varieties, fertilizers, and good agricultural practices. Improved productivity through evidence-based agricultural decision-making.

Unintended impact 8

Target Groups	Unintended Impacts	Mitigation Measures
Women smallholder farmers and women engaged in agricultural production	Limited access to the platform if women have restricted access to smartphones, computers, or the internet. Reduced use of recommendations where digital skills or language proficiency are limited.	Promote women's access to digital devices and internet services. Provide practical training and extension support on using the platform. Deliver awareness of activities in languages understood by target communities whenever possible.
Youth and young agricultural entrepreneurs	Limited adoption if users lack digital skills or reliable internet access. Reduced use of the platform where awareness of its benefits is low.	Train young users on accessing and using the platform effectively. Promote awareness through extension services, demonstration activities, and digital communication channels. Encourage youth participation in digital agricultural advisory services.
Smallholder farmers in remote and low connectivity areas	Limited access to the platform where internet connectivity is unreliable. Reduced access to site-specific recommendations in underserved areas.	Download the required information from the application before visiting areas without internet connectivity. Strengthen extension services to complement digital advisory delivery. Improve access to internet connectivity where it is feasible. Promote community-based access to the platform through extension agents and farmer organizations.
Farmers with limited digital literacy	Limited adoption if members have insufficient digital skills or cannot use the platform in English or French. Unequal access to recommendations among group members.	Train farmer organizations on platform use and interpretation of recommendations. Encourage group-based learning and peer support. Facilitate access to smartphones, computers, and reliable internet where possible.

Barriers 12

Target Groups	Barriers to Adoption	Mitigation Measures
Women smallholder farmers and women engaged in agricultural production	Limited access to smartphones, computers, and internet services. Limited digital literacy. Limited proficiency in English, French, or Portuguese to use the platform.	Provide targeted awareness and digital literacy training for women. Facilitate access to smartphones, internet connectivity, and extension support. Promote the use of the platform through local extension services and farmer organizations.
Youth and young agricultural entrepreneurs	Limited awareness of the platform and its benefits. Limited digital skills. Limited access to reliable internet connectivity.	Train youth on platform use and interpretation of specific recommendations. Increase awareness through demonstration activities and digital communication campaigns. Promote youth engagement in digital agricultural advisory services.
Smallholder farmers in remote and low connectivity areas	Limited or unreliable internet connectivity. Limited access to smartphones or computers. Reduced access to digital agricultural advisory services.	Promote community-based access through extension agents and farmer organizations. Strengthen extension services to support platform use in remote communities. Improve access to digital devices and internet connectivity where feasible.
Farmers with low digital literacy	Limited digital skills among group members. Limited access to smartphones, computers, or reliable internet. Limited ability to use the platform in English, French, or Portuguese.	Provide practical training for farmer organizations on platform use and recommendation interpretation. Encourage peer learning and extension support. Facilitate shared access to digital devices and internet services where possible.

Countries with a green colour: Tested & adopted
Countries with a bright green colour: Adopted
Countries with a yellow colour: Tested
Countries with a blue colour: Testing ongoing

Countries where the technology is being tested or has been tested and adopted
Country	Testing ongoing	Tested	Adopted
Benin	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Burkina Faso	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Côte d’Ivoire	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Ghana	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Mali	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Niger	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted
Nigeria	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Togo	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted

This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones. Any zones shown in white are not suitable for this technology.

Agro-ecological zones where this technology can be used
AEZ	Subtropic - warm	Subtropic - cool	Tropic - warm	Tropic - cool
Arid				–
Semiarid				–
Subhumid				–
Humid				–

Source: HarvestChoice/IFPRI 2009

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that are applicable to this technology.

Goal 2: zero hunger

FeSeRWAM helps farmers choose appropriate seeds, fertilizers, and good agricultural practices for local conditions, improving agricultural productivity and supporting food security.

Goal 12: responsible production and consumption

The platform promotes more efficient and site-specific use of agricultural inputs, helping reduce inappropriate fertilizer use and supporting more sustainable farming practices.

Goal 13: climate action

By providing recommendations adapted to local agroecological conditions, FeSeRWAM supports climate-smart agricultural practices and helps farmers adapt to climate variability.

Goal 15: life on land

Better input management and improved farming practices can contribute to healthier soils and reduce pressure on natural ecosystems through more sustainable land management.

Key recommendations

Access the platform through the FeSeRWAM website: https://feserwam.org
You may also access the offline mobile version through the Play Store or App Store, depending on your device
Select the correct location or your interest in country and provide accurate crops, fertilizers and good agricultural practices information.
Review the recommended seeds, fertilizers, and good agricultural practices before downloading the results.
Use the agricultural input package to support advisory services, training, planning, and agricultural decision-making.

Step 1 – Access the platform

Open the FeSeRWAM website (https://feserwam.org). Select your preferred language. From the navigation menu, click "Map" to open the platform. If the country has not been selected by default, choose the country where the crop will be grown.

Step 2 – Enter location and field information

Select the agroecological zone, town, or specific location.. Then select the crop and variety. Where available, review additional crop information such as the local name, seed rate, grain color, and planting spacing.

Step 3 – Review the recommendations

Review the recommended seed variety, fertilizer type, nutrient recommendation, application rate, application timing, application method, and good agricultural practices generated by the platform.

Step 4 – Download and use the agricultural input package

Download the agricultural input package as a PDF file. Use the package to support farmer advisory services, training, agricultural planning, and decision-making by farmers, agro-dealers, extension agents, fertilizer blenders, and policymakers.

Downloads

FeSeRWAM-End-User-Guide-_French.pdf (PDF, 1.2 MB)
FeSeRWAM Article_AfCPA format.pdf (PDF, 411.64 KB)

Last updated on Aug 7, 2026

IFDC
Yusuf Dramani

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