The 4R Connects project aims to improve agricultural productivity and sustainability for smallholder farmers through two pillars: improved use of sustainable agricultural practices by smallholders focusing on nutrient management, and increased integration of nutrient best management practices into official agricultural policies and programs. The project will provide gender-sensitive training to smallholders and extension agents on the 4R Nutrient Stewardship Framework using a lead farmer demonstration approach. It will also strengthen participating farmer organizations to support increased productivity through improved business plans, marketing, and access to inputs, credit, storage and transport. Additionally, the project will engage stakeholders to integrate the 4R approach into policy and ensure conditions for its adoption through country-specific tools, established norms, and extension agent certification.

1. Logic Model Narrative
The ultimate objective of the 4R Connectsprojectisimprovedagricultural productivityandsustainability
for smallholderfarmers.Toachieve this,the initiative will be builtupontwomutually-reinforcingpillars:
the improveduse bysmallholdersof sustainableagriculturalpracticeswithafocusonnutrient
management;aswell anincreasedvisibilityandintegrationof nutrientbestmanagementpractices,in
particularthose relatedtothe strategicandcomplementaryuse of chemical fertilizers(referred toas
the 4R NutrientStewardshipFramework),into official agricultural policiesandprograms.The firstpillar
directlysupportsincreasedagricultural productivity,whilethe secondfocusesonthe policy frameworks
that will underpingovernmentandnon-governmentprogramminginsupportof sustainable agriculture.
Those frameworksare keytosustainability,astheywill formthe enablingconditionsinwhich
smallholderfarmers cancontinue to contribute assignificantproducerswithinnationalagricultural
systemswhile providingtheirfamilieswithimprovedlivelihoodsandexpandedopportunities.
To increase productivity,the projectwillfocusonbothindividual smallholdersaswell asthe shared-
value organizations(includingcooperatives) whichhelp sustainthem. Gender-sensitive training
programsthat include the 4R NutrientStewardshipFrameworkwill be developedbothforfarmersas
well asfor a varietyof governmentandnon-governmentextensionagents.UsingaLeadFarmer /
demonstrationplotmethodology,participantswill observethe resultsof correctandincorrectuse of
fertilizersandotherprogressive agricultural practices(pestanderosioncontrol,seedvarietyselection,
soil organiccontentmanagement etc.) ontargetedcashandsubsistence crops.Otherconstraintsto
improvedeconomicperformance will be analysed,includingaffordable accesstoinputs,credit,storage
and transportetc.,and individualand/orcollectivesolutionswillbe identified.
At the organizational level, participatingorganizations will be strengthened toofferservicesthatwill
supportthe increasedproductivitythatimprovednutrientmanagementwillgenerate. Strategicbusiness
planswill be developedandimplementedtoincrease smallholderparticipationinagricultural supply
and value chains. The intentistoensure thatincreasedcropproduction actuallytranslatesinto
improvedlivelihoods,ratherthanjustanincreasedsupplythatcouldmeanlowerpricesatthe farm
gate.To that end,CCA will provide technical assistancetoparticipatingorganizationstoimprove their
skillsinmarketing,bulkbuying,qualitycontrol,aswell asstorage andtransportas required.
If the 4R nutrientmanagementapproachiskeytosustainable agricultural productivity,thendirect
supportto farmersneedstobe complementedbyeffortstointegrate thatapproachinto official policy
and practice.To exertsuchinfluence,the projectwill proactivelyengage withotherstakeholdersinboth
promotingthe 4R approach as well as inensuringthe practical conditionsinwhichthatapproachcan
flourish.Thismeansthe developmentof country- andcrop-specificextensiontools,the establishmentof
recognizednormsforcomplementaryagriculturalpractices,aswell asthe developmentof certification
standardsfor extensionagentstoensure the consistentapplicationof 4Rprinciples.Open-sourcedata,
informationsharingandaninclusive approachtoinstitutionalengagement willallow forwide
disseminationof projectmethodologyandresults.Atamore macro level,recognitionof the 4R
approach will be promotedbyorganizingcontent-drivenvisibilityactivities,studytoursandthe
developmentof communicationsproductsthat emphasizeboththe productivityadvantagesaswell as
the accompanyingpositive environmental andnutritional outcomes of thatapproach. Aspart of that
outreachfocus,a multi-countrycase studydocumentingthe impact of the 4Rs on productivity,income
and improvednutrition,will be undertakenandreleasedasafinal productof the project.