Sustainable intensification of crop-livestock systems to improve food
security and farm income diversification in the Ethiopian highlands:
Project Design Workshop
Project Outline and Concepts
Shirley Tarawali
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 30 January-2 February 2012

Context
• USAID Feed the Future – to end
hunger and food insecurity
– 3 multi-stakeholder agricultural
research projects
– Sustainable intensification of key
farming systems
– Catalyse and promote synergies; Sudano – Ethiopian
Sahelian Highland
leverage opportunities with s
research and development action
= alignment
• Comprehensive Africa Agricultural East and Southern
Africa Cereal Mixed
Development Programme (CAADP)
in Ethiopia
• Major agricultural development
programmes
• National and CGIAR research
efforts

Sustainable intensification in the
Ethiopian Highlands
• Planning meeting October 2011
• Core team for concept note: ILRI, EIAR,
ICARDA, CIMMYT, ICRISAT, IFPRI, IWMI, USAID
• Shared on line (blog) and comments received
• Project design workshop:
– Explore opportunities for alignment
– Input into project content
– Detailed planning and next steps for
implementation

Project overview: Key messages
• Significant numbers of poor small holders in crop
livestock systems in Ethiopian Highlands
• Livelihoods are complex, dependent on animal
and crop production based on land and water
resources, with emerging market opportunities
• Overall the project aims to make the whole
greater than the sum of the parts in two ways –
by connecting:
– Separate research on crops, animals, natural
resources and markets
– Research and development efforts

“Sustainable intensification”
• Complex, multidimensional....
• So:
– What are our advantages?
– Where should we focus?
– How should we interact with other research and
development programmes?
– How to empower others to respond to dynamic
and changing situations?
– How to ensure sustainability beyond project life?

60 million people
dependent on
...mixed crop
livestock ...

• 60 million people....
– Who depend on producing, managing, processing,
selling, consuming crop and animal products......
– Cereals, legumes, tubers, milk, meat, hides,
traction, manure .....
• For producers – small holder farm households:
Soil
Crops Animals
Water

Livelihoods are complex, dependent on animal and
crop production based on land and water
resources, with emerging market opportunities

Various crops – grains (or
tubers) for consumption,
for market, and residues
for animal feed, soil
fertility, construction, fuel

Animals are a key
and integral part
of the farming
system with
multiple roles

Animals...................Crops
Traction
Crop residues
Manure
Sales for inputs

Market
Grain
Meat,
milk
Residue
s
Manure
Soil
Crops Traction Animals
Water

Soil
Crops Animals
Water
Soil
Crops Animals
Water

Soil
Crops Animals
Water

Soil
Crops Animals
Water

Adding together – focus on
intersection of crop and livestock
enterprises
Combining feeds
(breed, health
and delivery)
“dual purpose”:
•Cereals
•Legumes Soil
Crop mixtures Crops Animals
Use of inputs Water
Combining manure
and fertilizer
Water management

connecting:
Separate research on crops, animals
and natural resources
Research and development efforts

Knowledge Management
Inputs and Soil
Consumer
Production Animals Processing Marketing
services
Crops
Water
Capacity development

AU/NEPAD
ASARECA CAADP
AGP SLM LGP
Inputs and Soil
Production Animals Processing Marketing
services
Crops
Water
USAID VCs
CRPs
Markets;
Major development
projects
Enabling policies......

Connecting
Inputs and Soil
Production Animals Processing
Pathways Marketing
services
Crops
Water
Adding technologies
Trade-offs

Hypotheses
Pathway:
• That the potential trajectory for intensification – and therefore solutions to
enhance sustainable intensification of smallholder crop livestock systems will vary
depending on the initial level of intensification in the farming system, and the level
of capital assets among farm households, which will also reflect the market
opportunities for specific crop and livestock commodities and as well as
institutional and policy environments
Adding technologies together:
• There are real opportunities to improve productivity and environmental
management through applying, combining and improving existing technological
interventions
Trade offs:
• Evaluation of trade offs between different combinations of interventions will
further enhance targeting and ensure diverse livelihood dimensions, including
opportunities for women are balanced
Connecting:
• Institutional innovations and options that build and enhance social capital –
bonding, bridging and linking relationships are crucial to leverage growth
opportunities and improve farmers’ access to knowledge, inputs, credit and
services and thus, market participation as well as potentially influencing the
enabling policy environment

Project overview: Key messages
• Significant numbers of poor small holders in crop
livestock systems in Ethiopian Highlands
• Livelihoods are complex, dependent on animal
and crop production based on land and water
resources, with emerging market opportunities
• Overall the project aims to make the whole
greater than the sum of the parts in two ways –
by connecting:
• Separate research on crops, animals, natural
resources and markets
• Research and development efforts