This document discusses strategies for managing climate risk for smallholder farmers in semi-arid regions. It notes that these areas face challenges from climate variability, low technology, and poor infrastructure. The document argues that using neglected crop varieties can help smallholders cope by providing more diverse options. It proposes a four-step approach: 1) characterize new crop varieties' responses to management and resources; 2) study responses to climate change; 3) validate crop models with data; and 4) use whole-farm analyses to design lower-risk systems. The overall goal is to increase resilience through diverse, climate-appropriate crops while also identifying new market opportunities.

1. Finding niches for neglected crops in the semi-arid to better
manage climate risk under smallholder farm conditions
A. Whitbread1,2
*, A. Sennhenn2
, T. Ramilan1
1
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru 502 324, Telangana, India
2
Georg-August University Goettingen, Crop Production Systems in the Tropics, Germany
III. Context of smallholder farming
Small-holder farming systems are highly diverse & dynamic
and differ in their level of resource endowment & risk aversion
 Risk management is important!
I. Semi-arid tropics - a risky place for agriculture!?
Major challenges
Seasonal climate variability and change
Low technology intervention
High population & small farm size
Poor infrastructure
Poor risk management strategies
IV. Steps for integrating new options into
established systems:
Step 1:  Characterize physiological and growth response to
management and resources of new germplasm
Capture responses into
crop growth models
II. Chances & challenges for increased diversity
The use of agro-biodiversity is an attractive strategy for
coping with climatic variability
Identifying niches for neglected crop types with promising
market opportunities and system benefits represent a
wider window of opportunity for smallholder farmers!
Poster presented at the Global Science Conference – Climate-Smart Agriculture : 16th
– 18th
March 2015, Le Corum, Montpellier, France * Contact: A.Whitbread@cgiar.org
Step 3:  Validate crop growth model output against
independent data and simulate scenarios
 Utilize whole-farm analytical frameworks in
participation with farmers to design more ‘optimal’
and lower risk whole farm systems.
Step 2:  Characterize possible response to climate change
(temp, water stress) using combinations of
‘analogue,’ multi-season field experimentation
 Capture responses into crop growth models
V. Conclusion – manage climate risk
→ Many semi-arid farming systems are becoming less
diverse and consequently less food and nutritionally
secure
→ Neglected crop types may create new market
opportunities
→ Utilizing multiple crop types/varieties with varying
drought/heat response results in
higher resilience to shocks
→ Combining field/crop simulation
and whole farm analysis is
necessary to understand the
complexity of G x E x M interactions
Fig. 3: Boxplots of simulated grain yields for common bean, cowpea, lablab
and maize grown during the period of the short rain and long rain on soils
with different plant available water capacity (PAWC) in Katumani, Kenya.
Systems have:
Structural complexity of components
Availability of a variety of natural
resources
- Land types
- Water resources
- Common Property
Resources (CPRs)
Climate, biodiversity
Human, social & financial
capital
Interactions with markets
Other drivers of change
Source: unpublished training manual
Fig. 1: Above-ground
biomass
accumulation in
response to water
availability in
Katumani, Kenya.
Fig. 2: Observed vs.
simulated biomass
(kg ha-1
) for
common bean
(fm: fully irrigated, medium
density; pm: partly irr., medium
den.; rm: rainfed, medium den.;
fl: fully irr., low den.; fh: fully
irr., high den.).
Fig. 4: Boxplots of simulated grain yields for common bean, cowpea, lablab and maize
grown during the period of the short rain and long rain in Katumani, Kenya in response
to in-season rainfall (<200, 200-400 and >400 mm).