A Spray Service Provider (SSP) is a farmer who has received special training to apply pesticides, is directly linked to member companies of the local CropLife association, and who hires out his services to (fellow) farmers to spray their lands. This implies that untrained farmers will no longer handle pesticides, and that this application will only be undertaken by those who are properly trained and certified. CropLife Africa Middle East has developed the SSP concept to improve access to quality pesticides and the correct application of these, resulting in higher yields.
The SSP concept was successfully introduced in Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia in a variety of crops. So far, more than 12,000 SSPs have been trained who reach yearly more than 90,000 farmers.