Africa RISING systems research experiences
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Africa RISING conducted systems research at sites in Ghana, Ethiopia, Malawi, and Tanzania to identify options for sustainable intensification of crop and livestock production. The research evaluated interventions to improve productivity, nutrition, natural resource management, and household incomes. Farm types were defined in each country based on characteristics like household endowments. Integrated research approaches included crop-livestock trials, testing intercropping systems, and intensifying maize-groundnut-pigeon pea systems. Partnering with development organizations helped scale technologies to more households. Lessons indicated a need for more whole-systems and gender-sensitive research, cross-disciplinary linkages, and innovation platforms to enhance communications and impact.
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Africa RISING systems research experiences
- 1. Africa RISING systems research experiences A. Larbi, M. Bekunda, I. Hoeschle-Zeledon, K. Bekele and G. Fischer International Institute of Tropical Agriculture P. Thorne and K. Mekonnen International Livestock Research Institute C. Azzarri International Food Policy Research Institute J. Groot Wageningen University Humidtropics Systems Research Marketplace Ibadan, Nigeria, 15-17 November, 2016
- 3. Africa RISING objectives Identify and evaluate demand-driven options for sustainable intensification (SI) that contribute to improved: Production/productivity – crop, livestock, crop-livestock Nutrition – women and children Management of natural resources – soil, land, water Household incomes Facilitate partner-led dissemination of integrated innovations for sustainable intensification within beyond the Africa RISING intervention communities
- 7. • Type 1: Female-headed households with low to medium endowments • Type 2: Young, medium-endowed households • Type 3: Medium to highly endowed households with cattle • Type 4: High yield households with high endowments Defining farm type - Ghana
- 8. • Upper East: higher share of poorer types (1 and 2) • Northern: higher share of richer types (3 and 4) Defining farm type - Ghana
- 9. Community analyses to identify constraints, opportunities and research activities followed by joint implementation of trials. Integrated crop-livestock research, a whole-farm approach Experiences - Ghana
- 11. Systems research in Ethiopia highlands: Sustainable intensification for small- scale faba bean/forage production systems Testing intercropping for: • Least diminished grain yield but with improved feed biomass production. Income benefits. Experiences - Ethiopia
- 12. Intensification of maize-groundnut-pigeon pea-livestock Experiences - Malawi
- 13. Experiences - Tanzania Impact of research (AR) partnering with development (NAFAKA) on number of households using Africa RISING technologies
- 14. The Ministry of Food and Agriculture and International Institute of Tropical Agriculture organize Farmers’ Field Days to demonstrate improved cropping systems facilitating adoption by non-beneficiary farmers who are not directly Scaling-out and monitoring adoption of technologies Experiences - Ghana
- 15. • Limited whole-systems thinking and gender-sensitive research. • Lack of cross-disciplinary linkages and cross-sectional approaches in crop and livestock research • Participatory approaches and multi-stakeholder partnerships - key to success and impact. • Innovation platforms are essential to enhance communications . • More evidence needed on which scaling approaches and whole systems research are the most effective to achieve impact. • Stepwise approach to integration of sustainable intensification interventions is a reality in most cases. Lessons
- 16. Africa Research in Sustainable Intensification for the Next Generation africa-rising.net This presentation is licensed for use under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence. Thank You
Editor's Notes
- As part of the US government’s Feed the Future initiative to address global hunger and food security issues in sub-Saharan Africa, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) is supporting three multi-stakeholder agricultural research projects to sustainably intensify key African farming systems. The overall aim is to transform agricultural systems through sustainable intensification projects in three regions of Africa (see map): West Africa: Sustainable intensification of cereal-based farming systems - led by IITA East and Southern Africa: Sustainable intensification of maize-legume-livestock integrated farming systems - led by IITA Ethiopian Highlands: Sustainable intensification of crop-livestock systems - led by ILRI
- Systems research perspective : ‘Systems’ – interpereted in a broad sense from the individual farm agro-systems to the wider ecological system or biome. Africa RISING’s systems research niche is on small-scale ‘integrated crop-livestock farming systems’ or ICLS. The systems research approach recognizes the importance of the interconnections and functional relationships between the different components of the ICLS. It also recognizes the significance of the linkages between the key components of the farming systems and other aspects of the economy (socio-economic) and the environment. Understanding how the components function individually and interact with each under the prevailing bio-physical and socio-economic conditions.
- Farming systems analysis – core principles: systems approach, systems diagnosis, typologies and equity, trade off analysis, modelling, ex-ante and expose analysis
- Farming systems research in Malawi and opportunities for sustainable intensification led to the development of an intensified farming system that taps into both good agronomic practices and the benefits of improved seed technologies to result in productive farms (infographic A), as opposed to the current typical farmer practices (infographic B). On the typical farm (infographic B), The typical smallholder practice is characterized by: sole maize and beans intercropped, low plant population due to soils with low organic matter, famers rarely apply any fertilizer, high weed pressure because the farmer only weeds once, low crop yields, storage techniques that are vulnerable to pest attacks and fallow land during the off season, thereby culminating in another unproductive year for the farmer. The germination success rate is limited due to low N2 fixation because beans are the only legume planted. The growth of maize is stunted due to nutrient deficiency in the soil and no fertilizer is applied. Improved/intensified farm (B):The key elements of the success of the intensified options for improved productivity in Malawi included the: Narrowing of the inter-ridge spacing between the planted crops from >0.9 to 0.75 m. This optimizes plant densities as suboptimal densities are a major source of reduced yields; Recycling of nutrients on farms where farmers feed the crop residues to their livestock which in turn produce manure for the crops Use of improved germplasm of both grain legumes and cereals, and mineral fertilizers; and Integration of the shrubby pigeon pea with other grain legumes, especially groundnut – a novel system that is referred to as the doubled-up legume technology. Intensified farming systems: From the limited land available, family farms practicing sustainable intensification harvest two extra legumes (pigeon pea and groundnut) in addition to maize and beans. This allows them to ensure better protein supplementation in their diets. They also use improved post-harvest storage technologies like improved bags that limit pest-related losses. They can therefore take their produce to the market at the right time when supply is low and make a profit. The cows and the goats have the maize stover and fodder trees to feed on and in return they give the farmer manure for healthy soil. The intercropping (groundnut/ pigeon pea and maize/beans) provides a scope to ‘expand’ the limited; to produce multiple crops to; improve soil fertility from biological N2-fixation; uses little fertilizer due to the organic nutrient resources locally generated and recycled on farms. The two extra legumes (pigeon pea and groundnut) act as green manure by offering biological N2 fixation thereby raising the future production potential of the farm. Weeding is undertaken twice by the farmers.
- Use NAFAKA and I think we can get something from Mali. Will check with Birhanu. Can’t think of anything from Ghana.
- The project has drawn several lessons from the partnership, capacity development schemes, research management, budget utilization and exploratory and action research interventions. Whole-systems thinking and gender aware research is at the beginning to intermediate stage as reflected across diverse partners and research approaches. Multi-stakeholder partnership is key to move forward and bring desired impacts. Therefore, engagement of local partners in the research process, building their capacity through a well-managed strategy and bridging gaps on facilities help build strong relationships and create positive working environments. Innovation platforms and farmer research groups have been found instrumental in the Africa RISING project to enhance communications among CGIAR and local partners, farmers and local policymakers on systems understanding, opportunities, research interventions, results and impacts. Integration of SI interventions at farm level has been a motto in Africa RISING. However, the project has learned that integration of SI interventions do not happen at one time. Farmers prefer to test one or two technologies at a time and interested to see workability and benefits of the technologies. Once they develop confidence on few technologies they would like to go for more technologies. Therefore, stepwise approach for integration of SI technologies is a reality in many cases. More evidence may be needed on which scaling approaches and whole systems research are the most effective to achieve impact