OFMB Organic Granules -manufactured in Africa for Africa: Organically blended fertilizer

Healthy Soils, Better Nutrition, Stronger Harvests!

Organically blended fertilizers combine mineral nutrients, organic matter, and biological stimulants in a single formulation to improve crop nutrition while restoring soil health. The mineral nutrients support immediate crop growth, while the organic matter improves soil structure, water retention, and nutrient-holding capacity. Biological stimulants enhance nutrient uptake and promote beneficial soil microbial activity. Unlike conventional fertilizers that primarily focus on short-term nutrient supply, these blended formulations address long-term soil fertility challenges by improving nutrient-use efficiency and reducing soil degradation. This integrated approach supports sustainable land management, strengthens resilience to climate variability, and contributes to national food security and agricultural productivity goals.

This technology is pre-validated.

9•8

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

Positive impacts: 12

Target Groups	Positive Impacts
Women smallholder farmers in climate-affected areas	Higher crop productivity and improved food security. Better soil fertility and moisture retention. Increased farm profitability and household income. Greater resilience to drought and climate variability.
Young farmers in rural climate-affected areas	Improved crop performance and profitability. Increased opportunities for sustainable agribusiness development. Better knowledge of soil fertility management and climate-smart agriculture. Enhanced resilience to climate variability.
Farmer groups and cooperatives in climate-stressed areas	Improved access to quality fertilizer products. Higher productivity and farm incomes. Stronger knowledge sharing and collective action. Improved food security and climate resilience.

More...

Unintended impacts: 7
Mitigations: 7

Barriers: 9
Mitigations: 6

Climate adaptability: Highly adaptable

Improved soil organic matter and nutrient efficiency strengthen resilience to drought and climate variability.

Farmer climate change readiness: Significant improvement

Improves soil moisture retention, nutrient efficiency, and resilience to drought and climate variability.

Biodiversity: Positive impact on biodiversity

Supports soil microbial activity and promotes healthier soil ecosystems.

Carbon footprint: A bit less carbon released

Improves nutrient-use efficiency and supports soil organic matter accumulation.

Environmental health: Moderately improves environmental health

Soil quality: Improves soil health and fertility

Improves soil health and fertility while reducing nutrient losses.

Water use: A bit less water used

Improves soil moisture retention and water-use efficiency.

Problem

Soil degradation threatens agricultural productivity Conventional fertilizer use alone does not restore soil health, leading to declining productivity over time and creating the need for blended fertilizers.
Inefficient fertilizer use reduces public investment returns Nutrient losses limit the effectiveness of fertilizer subsidy programs.
Low productivity among smallholder farmers Poor soil fertility constrains agricultural transformation and rural economic growth.
Weak resilience to climate variability Degraded soils retain less moisture and are more vulnerable to drought and erosion.
Increasing pressure on agricultural land Declining soil quality encourages expansion into fragile ecosystems.

Solution

Improve national soil fertility management Blended fertilizers restore soil health beyond what conventional fertilizers can achieve.
Strengthen food security Improved nutrient efficiency contributes to higher and more stable production.
Increase effectiveness of public investments Better fertilizer performance improves returns from subsidy programs.
Support climate-resilient agriculture Improved soil structure strengthens resilience to drought and degradation.
Promote sustainable land management Integrated nutrient management protects natural resources.

Key points to design your project

Introducing Organically Blended Fertilizers provides a sustainable solution to improve soil fertility, enhance nutrient-use efficiency, and increase agricultural productivity while restoring long-term soil health. The technology is particularly relevant for areas affected by soil degradation, declining yields, and inefficient fertilizer use. To successfully integrate this technology into agricultural development programs, the following actions should be considered:

Target smallholder farmers and major crop production zones affected by declining soil fertility and low nutrient-use efficiency.
Promote soil testing and nutrient assessment to ensure fertilizer formulations match local soil conditions and crop requirements.
Strengthen farmer awareness and extension services on integrated soil fertility management and the effective use of organically blended fertilizers.
Facilitate access to quality organically blended fertilizer products through partnerships with manufacturers, agro-dealers, cooperatives, and distribution networks.
Integrate organically blended fertilizers with improved seeds, good agronomic practices, and climate-smart agriculture interventions to maximize productivity gains.
Establish demonstration plots and monitoring systems to track yield improvements, soil health indicators, fertilizer-use efficiency, and economic returns to support scaling and policy development.

IP

No formal IP rights

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 9 out of 9

Uncontrolled environment: validated

Level of use 9 out of 9

Used by some 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 12

Target Groups	Positive Impacts
Women smallholder farmers in climate-affected areas	Higher crop productivity and improved food security. Better soil fertility and moisture retention. Increased farm profitability and household income. Greater resilience to drought and climate variability.
Young farmers in rural climate-affected areas	Improved crop performance and profitability. Increased opportunities for sustainable agribusiness development. Better knowledge of soil fertility management and climate-smart agriculture. Enhanced resilience to climate variability.
Farmer groups and cooperatives in climate-stressed areas	Improved access to quality fertilizer products. Higher productivity and farm incomes. Stronger knowledge sharing and collective action. Improved food security and climate resilience.

Unintended impact 7

Target Groups	Unintended Impacts	Mitigation Measures
Women smallholder farmers in climate-affected areas	Higher upfront input costs. Risk of unequal benefit sharing within households. Limited adoption due to insufficient technical knowledge.	Improve access to credit and flexible payment options. Promote gender-sensitive implementation approaches. Provide targeted training and extension support.
Young farmers in rural climate-affected areas	Risk of poor fertilizer use due to limited knowledge. Unequal access to inputs	Provide practical training on fertilizer use. Support youth-focused financing and distribution mechanisms.
Farmer groups and cooperatives in climate-stressed areas	Unequal access due to supply constraints. Risk of exclusion of smaller or less organized groups.	Strengthen distribution systems. Promote inclusive participation and transparent allocation mechanisms.

Barriers 9

Target Groups	Barriers to adoption	Mitigation Measures
Women smallholder farmers in climate-affected areas	Limited financial resources. Limited access to inputs and advisory services. Low participation in agricultural decision-making.	Facilitate access to credit and inputs. Provide targeted extension services and capacity building.
Young farmers in rural climate-affected areas	Limited capital. Limited technical knowledge. Weak market connections.	Develop youth financing programs. Provide practical training and mentorship.
Farmer groups and cooperatives in climate-stressed areas	High distribution and transaction costs. Limited product availability. Weak extension support.	Strengthen distribution networks. Support collective purchasing and extension services.

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
Botswana	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Democratic Republic of the Congo	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted
South Africa	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Zambia	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted
Zimbabwe	–No ongoing testing	–Not 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 1: no poverty

Higher yields and improved productivity contribute to increased farmer incomes and livelihoods.

Goal 2: zero hunger

Improves crop productivity and fo

Step 1 – Assess soil nutrient needs
Conduct soil testing where possible to determine nutrient deficiencies and appropriate fertilizer formulations.

Step 2 – Select the appropriate fertilizer formulation
Choose a formulation suitable for the target crop, soil condition, and production objective.

Step 3 – Apply fertilizer at planting
Apply the fertilizer as a basal application before or during planting.

Step 4 – Place fertilizer close to crop roots
Apply fertilizer in rows or bands near seeds or plant roots to improve nutrient uptake efficiency.

Step 5 – Apply top dressing where necessary
Use products such as Organic Top Dressing 30% for additional nitrogen supply during crop growth.

Step 6 – Activate nutrients with water
Apply fertilizer before rainfall or irrigate after application to support nutrient release and uptake.

Step 7 – Adjust application rates
Adapt fertilizer rates according to crop type, expected yield, and soil fertility status.

Products can be applied manually, with fertilizer spreaders, or through integrated planter systems.

Last updated on Jul 21, 2026