Sustainable intensification indicator framework for Africa RISINGafrica-rising
Presented by Philip Grabowski (Michigan State University), Mark Musumba (Columbia University), Cheryl Palm (University of Florida) and Sieg Snapp (Michigan State University) at the Africa RISING East and Southern Africa Phase II Planning Meeting, Lilongwe, Malawi, 5-8 October 2016
Sustainable intensification tradeoff and synergiesafrica-rising
This document discusses sustainable intensification in African agriculture. It notes that increasing production sustainably involves complex tradeoffs across social, economic, environmental, and other domains. The document proposes a framework for assessing these tradeoffs using indicators at different scales. Key tradeoffs mentioned include balancing short-term production against long-term sustainability, and reconciling competing needs around issues like land and resource use between different groups. The framework is intended to help identify tradeoffs, evaluate technologies, and monitor community impacts over time to support more sustainable agricultural intensification in Africa.
The Global Futures and Strategic Foresight (GFSF) team met in Rome from May 25-28, 2015 to review progress towards current work plans, discuss model improvements and technical parameters, and consider possible contributions by the GFSF program to the CRP Phase II planning process. All 15 CGIAR Centers were represented at the meeting.
Introducing the sustainable intensification assessment frameworkafrica-rising
Presented by Mark Musumba, Philip Grabowski, Cheryl Palm and Sieglinde Snapp at the Africa RISING West Africa Review and Planning Meeting, Accra, 1-2 February 2017
17 van wijk_global_modeling_foodsecurity_sustainabilityIFPRI-PIM
This document discusses the gap between large-scale global economic models of land use and smaller-scale, household-level analyses, and how to potentially bridge this gap. It notes that current approaches are either top-down global models or bottom-up farm/household models that do not sufficiently capture cross-scale human-environment interactions. It recommends using bottom-up models to generate information and functions that can parameterize large-scale models. Specifically, aggregating responses from multiple small-scale models across different landscapes could provide localized information on land use transitions, price formations, and farm diversity to improve large-scale representations.
Sustainable intensification indicator framework for Africa RISINGafrica-rising
Presented by Philip Grabowski (Michigan State University), Mark Musumba (Columbia University), Cheryl Palm (University of Florida) and Sieg Snapp (Michigan State University) at the Africa RISING East and Southern Africa Phase II Planning Meeting, Lilongwe, Malawi, 5-8 October 2016
Sustainable intensification tradeoff and synergiesafrica-rising
This document discusses sustainable intensification in African agriculture. It notes that increasing production sustainably involves complex tradeoffs across social, economic, environmental, and other domains. The document proposes a framework for assessing these tradeoffs using indicators at different scales. Key tradeoffs mentioned include balancing short-term production against long-term sustainability, and reconciling competing needs around issues like land and resource use between different groups. The framework is intended to help identify tradeoffs, evaluate technologies, and monitor community impacts over time to support more sustainable agricultural intensification in Africa.
The Global Futures and Strategic Foresight (GFSF) team met in Rome from May 25-28, 2015 to review progress towards current work plans, discuss model improvements and technical parameters, and consider possible contributions by the GFSF program to the CRP Phase II planning process. All 15 CGIAR Centers were represented at the meeting.
Introducing the sustainable intensification assessment frameworkafrica-rising
Presented by Mark Musumba, Philip Grabowski, Cheryl Palm and Sieglinde Snapp at the Africa RISING West Africa Review and Planning Meeting, Accra, 1-2 February 2017
17 van wijk_global_modeling_foodsecurity_sustainabilityIFPRI-PIM
This document discusses the gap between large-scale global economic models of land use and smaller-scale, household-level analyses, and how to potentially bridge this gap. It notes that current approaches are either top-down global models or bottom-up farm/household models that do not sufficiently capture cross-scale human-environment interactions. It recommends using bottom-up models to generate information and functions that can parameterize large-scale models. Specifically, aggregating responses from multiple small-scale models across different landscapes could provide localized information on land use transitions, price formations, and farm diversity to improve large-scale representations.
This document discusses the historical trajectory of farming systems research from the 1960s to present. It outlines the evolution of the farming systems approach (FSA) from focusing on individual crop enterprises to considering whole farm systems and natural resources, and most recently sustainable livelihoods. Methodological developments improved farmer participation through techniques like RRA/PRA. However, farmers remain not fully empowered, and more empowerment is needed given future challenges. Innovation platforms can better facilitate multi-stakeholder engagement to complement FSA and achieve complex, incremental changes required to sustainably intensify agriculture by 2050.
The document discusses sustainable intensification (SI) in agriculture through a systems research approach. It presents a framework for SI research consisting of several components of analysis (CoAs) that work together. These include understanding farming systems and targeting interventions, developing stress-tolerant varieties, evaluating crop management options, integrating options into livelihoods, and scaling up through partnerships. The framework emphasizes feedback between CoAs to iteratively improve understanding of systems and technologies. It aims to increase productivity and stability of smallholder systems through this collaborative, multi-disciplinary research.
Presentation by Caroline Mwongera at "How to design value chains programmes that address climate risks: an IFAD-CGIAR learning event", 25 February 2016, Rome.
Presentation by Sonja Vermeulen and Peter Läderach at "How to design value chains programmes that address climate risks: an IFAD-CGIAR learning event", 25 February 2016, Rome.
The document discusses opportunities and challenges related to adapting agriculture to climate change. It proposes three objectives: 1) developing adapted farming systems using integrated technologies and policies, 2) breeding strategies to address climate stresses, and 3) identifying and deploying genetic diversity for adaptation. Specific initiatives are highlighted, such as multi-site agricultural trials, farmer exchanges, and a knowledge sharing platform, to support achieving the objectives.
Development of holistic metrics of agricultural and food system performanceFrancois Stepman
Presentation by Fergus Sinclair - Chief Scientist CIFOR-ICRAF, Center for International Forest Research - World Agroforestry, Co-convener of the TPP, the Transformative Partnership Platform on Agroecology - "Development of holistic metrics of agricultural and food system performance"
Keith Wiebe
Global Landscapes Forum
IFPRI Session: Informing the policymaking landscape: From research to action in the fight against climate change and hunger
Marrakech, Morocco
November 16, 2016
Assessing Agroforestry in Multifunctional Agriculture Mosaics: Learning from...EcoAgriculture Partners
The document discusses the Landscape Measures Initiative, which provides a framework for assessing agroforestry landscapes. The initiative aims to secure livelihoods and sustain agriculture while conserving biodiversity and ecosystem services. It takes an integrated approach, linking local actions to broader ecosystems and merging ecosystem and stakeholder perspectives. A key part of the initiative is developing tools to support stakeholders in landscape assessment, monitoring, design, and planning through a participatory, adaptive process. The next step will be testing the approach with diverse organizations engaged in integrated resource management.
The document discusses Madagascar's environment, socioeconomics, food security, and subnational integration. It describes the process of diagnosing Madagascar's food system with stakeholders from government, private sector, and civil society. Participants adapted to online consultations during COVID. The exercise revealed a growing consensus for a systems approach and advice on challenges like malnutrition and natural resource overuse. Lessons will inform ongoing programming and sharing with technical partners.
The document discusses farming systems research and extension (FSR/E). It defines FSR/E as an approach that views the entire farm as a system and considers interactions within it. Key features include taking a holistic, interdisciplinary, farmer participatory approach to problem solving. The goal is to develop sustainable farm household systems. Some challenges to implementing FSR/E include institutional conflicts, defining homogenous client groups, lack of flexible resources and qualified staff, and higher costs.
Farming system research (FSR) involves scientists working with farmers to define problems and find solutions to improve farmer benefits sustainably. The conventional technology generation and dissemination approach had disadvantages like not considering farmer needs. FSR is farmer-based, problem-solving, interdisciplinary, and interactive. It involves building knowledge of farming systems through on-farm research managed by scientists and farmers. Case studies show integrating indigenous technical knowledge from farmers improved pest management and weed control techniques. However, fully understanding complex local systems and scaling up innovations from indigenous knowledge remains challenging for FSR.
Using whole-farm models for policy analysis of Climate Smart AgricultureFAO
www.fao.org/climatechange/epic
This presentation was prepared to as background to the Scientific conference on Climate-Smart Agriculture held in Montpellier, France, on 16-18 March 2015.
This document discusses farming system research (FSR). It defines farming system as a complex matrix of interconnected agricultural components controlled by a farm household. FSR views the entire farm as a system and involves farmers in on-farm research to identify problems, design solutions, and evaluate results. The methodology of FSR includes analyzing existing systems, testing innovative farmer practices and recommended options through on-farm trials, and conducting economic analyses and follow up studies. On-farm trials are a vital part of FSR and involve diagnosis, planning, conducting experiments, assessment, and extrapolating findings. The goal of FSR is to develop viable farming system models through systems analysis approaches like flow charts.
- Climate change is expected to negatively impact agricultural productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa due to increased temperatures, weather variability, and extreme events.
- Climate-smart agriculture is promoted to enhance productivity while reducing emissions and increasing carbon sequestration, but effects are context-specific.
- The study examines the role of climate-smart practices in mitigating climate change impacts on maize and rice yields and trade in three African economic communities from 2018-2025.
Mean water balance dynamics and smallholder management options for improved a...africa-rising
Poster prepared by F. Kizito, E. Salifu, W. Agyare and Cofie, O for the Africa RISING West Africa Review and Planning Meeting, Accra, 1-2 February 2017
This document discusses the historical trajectory of farming systems research from the 1960s to present. It outlines the evolution of the farming systems approach (FSA) from focusing on individual crop enterprises to considering whole farm systems and natural resources, and most recently sustainable livelihoods. Methodological developments improved farmer participation through techniques like RRA/PRA. However, farmers remain not fully empowered, and more empowerment is needed given future challenges. Innovation platforms can better facilitate multi-stakeholder engagement to complement FSA and achieve complex, incremental changes required to sustainably intensify agriculture by 2050.
The document discusses sustainable intensification (SI) in agriculture through a systems research approach. It presents a framework for SI research consisting of several components of analysis (CoAs) that work together. These include understanding farming systems and targeting interventions, developing stress-tolerant varieties, evaluating crop management options, integrating options into livelihoods, and scaling up through partnerships. The framework emphasizes feedback between CoAs to iteratively improve understanding of systems and technologies. It aims to increase productivity and stability of smallholder systems through this collaborative, multi-disciplinary research.
Presentation by Caroline Mwongera at "How to design value chains programmes that address climate risks: an IFAD-CGIAR learning event", 25 February 2016, Rome.
Presentation by Sonja Vermeulen and Peter Läderach at "How to design value chains programmes that address climate risks: an IFAD-CGIAR learning event", 25 February 2016, Rome.
The document discusses opportunities and challenges related to adapting agriculture to climate change. It proposes three objectives: 1) developing adapted farming systems using integrated technologies and policies, 2) breeding strategies to address climate stresses, and 3) identifying and deploying genetic diversity for adaptation. Specific initiatives are highlighted, such as multi-site agricultural trials, farmer exchanges, and a knowledge sharing platform, to support achieving the objectives.
Development of holistic metrics of agricultural and food system performanceFrancois Stepman
Presentation by Fergus Sinclair - Chief Scientist CIFOR-ICRAF, Center for International Forest Research - World Agroforestry, Co-convener of the TPP, the Transformative Partnership Platform on Agroecology - "Development of holistic metrics of agricultural and food system performance"
Keith Wiebe
Global Landscapes Forum
IFPRI Session: Informing the policymaking landscape: From research to action in the fight against climate change and hunger
Marrakech, Morocco
November 16, 2016
Assessing Agroforestry in Multifunctional Agriculture Mosaics: Learning from...EcoAgriculture Partners
The document discusses the Landscape Measures Initiative, which provides a framework for assessing agroforestry landscapes. The initiative aims to secure livelihoods and sustain agriculture while conserving biodiversity and ecosystem services. It takes an integrated approach, linking local actions to broader ecosystems and merging ecosystem and stakeholder perspectives. A key part of the initiative is developing tools to support stakeholders in landscape assessment, monitoring, design, and planning through a participatory, adaptive process. The next step will be testing the approach with diverse organizations engaged in integrated resource management.
The document discusses Madagascar's environment, socioeconomics, food security, and subnational integration. It describes the process of diagnosing Madagascar's food system with stakeholders from government, private sector, and civil society. Participants adapted to online consultations during COVID. The exercise revealed a growing consensus for a systems approach and advice on challenges like malnutrition and natural resource overuse. Lessons will inform ongoing programming and sharing with technical partners.
The document discusses farming systems research and extension (FSR/E). It defines FSR/E as an approach that views the entire farm as a system and considers interactions within it. Key features include taking a holistic, interdisciplinary, farmer participatory approach to problem solving. The goal is to develop sustainable farm household systems. Some challenges to implementing FSR/E include institutional conflicts, defining homogenous client groups, lack of flexible resources and qualified staff, and higher costs.
Farming system research (FSR) involves scientists working with farmers to define problems and find solutions to improve farmer benefits sustainably. The conventional technology generation and dissemination approach had disadvantages like not considering farmer needs. FSR is farmer-based, problem-solving, interdisciplinary, and interactive. It involves building knowledge of farming systems through on-farm research managed by scientists and farmers. Case studies show integrating indigenous technical knowledge from farmers improved pest management and weed control techniques. However, fully understanding complex local systems and scaling up innovations from indigenous knowledge remains challenging for FSR.
Using whole-farm models for policy analysis of Climate Smart AgricultureFAO
www.fao.org/climatechange/epic
This presentation was prepared to as background to the Scientific conference on Climate-Smart Agriculture held in Montpellier, France, on 16-18 March 2015.
This document discusses farming system research (FSR). It defines farming system as a complex matrix of interconnected agricultural components controlled by a farm household. FSR views the entire farm as a system and involves farmers in on-farm research to identify problems, design solutions, and evaluate results. The methodology of FSR includes analyzing existing systems, testing innovative farmer practices and recommended options through on-farm trials, and conducting economic analyses and follow up studies. On-farm trials are a vital part of FSR and involve diagnosis, planning, conducting experiments, assessment, and extrapolating findings. The goal of FSR is to develop viable farming system models through systems analysis approaches like flow charts.
- Climate change is expected to negatively impact agricultural productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa due to increased temperatures, weather variability, and extreme events.
- Climate-smart agriculture is promoted to enhance productivity while reducing emissions and increasing carbon sequestration, but effects are context-specific.
- The study examines the role of climate-smart practices in mitigating climate change impacts on maize and rice yields and trade in three African economic communities from 2018-2025.
Mean water balance dynamics and smallholder management options for improved a...africa-rising
Poster prepared by F. Kizito, E. Salifu, W. Agyare and Cofie, O for the Africa RISING West Africa Review and Planning Meeting, Accra, 1-2 February 2017
Presented by A. Larbi, M. Bekunda, I. Hoeschle-Zeledon, K. Bekele, G. Fischer, P. Thorne, K. Mekonnen, C. Azzarri and J. Groot at the Africa RISING Humidtropics Systems Research Marketplace, Ibadan, Nigeria, 15-17 November 2016
Integrated landscape management: Africa RISING R4D experiences in the Ethiopi...africa-rising
Presented by Lulseged Tamene, Tesfaye Yaekob, James Ellison, Kindu Mekonnen, Kifle Woldearegay, Zenebe Adimassu, Temesgen Alene, Workneh Dubale, Mohammed Ibrahim, Biyensa Gurmessa, Girma Kassie and Peter Thorne at the Workshop and Exhibition on Promoting Productivity and Market Access Technologies and Approaches to Improve Farm Income and Livelihoods in Ethiopia: Lessons from Action Research Projects, ILRI, Addis Ababa, 8-9 December 2016
Crop varieties research and implications on closing yield gaps and diversifyi...africa-rising
Presented by Kalpana Sharma, Frédéric Baudron, Yetsedaw Aynewa, Seid Ahmed Kemal, Asheber Kifle, Meresiet Hailu and Shawkat Begum at the Workshop and Exhibition on Promoting Productivity and Market Access Technologies and Approaches to Improve Farm Income and Livelihoods in Ethiopia: Lessons from Action Research Projects, ILRI, Addis Ababa, 8-9 December 2016
Water availability for dry season irrigation in the Anayariwatershed in Ghanaafrica-rising
1) Farmers in the Anayari watershed region of Ghana could increase their resilience to climate change by expanding irrigation from the current 1,057 hectares to the full potential of 4,600 hectares.
2) Groundwater irrigation efficiencies need to be improved from the current 28-54% to over 70% to ensure long-term sustainability of groundwater resources.
3) Expanding irrigation to the full potential is estimated to reduce streamflow into a major dam by only 0.01%, which is considered insignificant.
Decision support tools for farm-level fertilizer recommendation in Ethiopiaafrica-rising
This document summarizes research on developing decision support tools for farm-level fertilizer recommendations in Ethiopia. The research identified three types of crop responses to fertilizer based on 500 farmer fields: 1) foot slopes had very good crops that responded well to fertilizer, 2) midslopes had crops that did well and responded significantly to fertilizer, and 3) hillslopes generally had very bad crops regardless of high fertilizer application. The research aims to validate these models in other cropping systems and develop farmer-friendly recommendation tools through collaboration between researchers and the Ethiopian government.
Africa RISING scaling opportunities and partners—Ghanaafrica-rising
Presented by Naaminong Karbo (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Ghana) at the Africa RISING West Africa Review and Planning Meeting, Accra, 1-2 February 2017
Partnerships for sustainable intensification research in Africaafrica-rising
Presented by Mateete Bekunda, Asamoah Larbi, Irmgard Hoeschle-Zeledon (IITA) and Kindu Mekonnen (ILRI) at the ASA, CSSA, and SSSA Annual Meeting, Phoenix, USA, 7 November 2016
Africa RISING seeks partnership with development institutions for scaling of ...africa-rising
Presented by Mateete Bekunda, Haroon Sseguya and Irmgard Hoeschle-Zeledon at the Africa RISING–CRS (Catholic Relief Services) Tanzania Meeting, Dar es Salaam, 6 March 2017
Reaching farmers with weed management technologies: Scaling approaches that workafrica-rising
The document discusses the Cassava Weed Management Project which aims to scale weed management technologies to farmers through various approaches. It seeks to reach 125,000 farmers through on-farm demonstrations conducted by extension agents and spray service providers. The project trains spray service providers who can each reach 50 farmers per season, allowing the project to potentially impact 50,000 farmers. It works with various partners and utilizes strategies such as social media, farmer field days, and partnerships with local governments to disseminate best practices for managing weeds, a major constraint to cassava productivity.
This document outlines a conceptual framework and proposed methodology for investigating the adequacy of adaptation strategies to climate impacts like sea level rise, drought, and flooding. It involves:
1) Analyzing factors that influence climate impacts and the effectiveness of adaptation strategies through a literature review and meta-analysis.
2) Conducting pilot studies in select communities across regions to develop and test methods for assessing coping strategies and their outcomes on food security, livelihoods, and the environment.
3) Developing climate-resilient policy recommendations based on evidence from evaluating current adaptation strategies and their societal consequences. The goal is to generate generally applicable methods for assessing rural producers' strategies under climate change.
Integrated systems research for sustainable intensification in smallholder ag...Oyewale Abioye
This document summarizes the key discussions and outcomes from a conference on integrated systems research for sustainable intensification in smallholder agriculture. The conference focused on how to operationalize systems approaches in agricultural research to improve livelihoods and natural resource management. Participants shared experiences applying systems research and tools at various scales. There was discussion of partnerships and platforms to scale innovations across heterogeneous contexts. The conference identified opportunities to demonstrate evidence of systems approaches, share research methods, explore new collaborations, and facilitate cross-learning around topics like gender and nutrition. Presentations, footage and proceedings will be made available online.
This document discusses a project that aims to help smallholder agricultural communities adapt to climate change through participatory supply chain management. The project seeks to (1) quantify crop exposure to climate change using prediction models, (2) develop indicators to describe climate change impacts, and (3) derive potential adaptation strategies for supply chain actors. Case studies include vegetable value chains in Guatemala and Jamaica and small-scale farmers in Bogota. A framework is presented for conducting vulnerability assessments and developing inclusive adaptation strategies along food supply chains.
This document discusses the challenges facing agricultural systems due to climate change, shifting consumption patterns, increasing population and resource pressures. It notes the transition from cereals to meat and high-value crops requiring more resources. New patterns of global demand and increasing energy consumption and prices are also discussed. The core challenges include diverse land-use systems under high pressure, and increased competition over land and environmental resources. This has led to consequences like land grabs, social impacts, and increased economic disparities. The document calls for a new research agenda focusing on smallholder farmers and sustainability, as well as approaches that consider interactions and strengths within complex agricultural systems. It emphasizes the need for innovation competencies around integration, co-learning, and balanced development across different
This document discusses the challenges facing agricultural systems due to climate change, shifting consumption patterns, increasing food and energy prices, and land degradation. It notes the transition from cereals to meat and high-value crops requiring more resources. Smallholder farmers play a central role in driving development but face increasing pressures. There is a need to redefine research agendas to address issues like competition over land and environmental services, economic disparities, and poverty. Approaches should focus on smallholders' innovations, systems thinking, collective action, and multi-level economic and social organizations. Capacity building for innovation is needed at the individual, organizational, partnership, and institutional levels.
This document summarizes a presentation on how foresight can be useful for researchers working on complex agricultural systems. It provides examples of foresight processes and their outcomes. Foresight involves anticipating possible futures through scenarios in order to facilitate desirable changes. Examples discussed include foresight exercises on cocoa and rubber production that identified new research priorities. Climate change scenarios developed by CCAFS guided policymaker decisions. Agrimonde scenarios showed pathways to more sustainable agriculture. An ongoing foresight looks at cropping and livestock systems. Foresight helps anticipate challenges, empower stakeholders, and build consensus on shared visions to guide agricultural research and policy.
Modelling approaches to address crop-residue tradeoffs in mixed crop-livestoc...ILRI
Presentation by Mark T. van Wijk, Mariana C. Rufino and Lieven Claessens (WUR) to the:CGIAR Systemwide Livestock Programme Livestock Policy Group meeting, 1 December 2009
This document discusses the challenges of scaling up agroforestry systems to improve livelihoods across diverse landscapes and contexts in Africa. It argues that agronomic recommendations do not account for the complexity of farming systems within households and landscapes. To effectively scale up, research needs to characterize the fine-grained variation in factors like soil, climate, practices, markets and policy across regions. Participatory methods are then needed to develop a portfolio of intensification options tailored to different contexts. Monitoring the performance of these options in diverse environments can build understanding of what works where to improve livelihood systems at scale.
This document discusses the need for systems science approaches to scale up improvements to livelihood systems in smallholder agriculture. It argues that agronomic recommendations do not account for the complexity of livelihood contexts. A systems approach considers interactions between crops, livestock, trees, households and landscapes. Options must be tested across a range of biophysical and socioeconomic conditions to develop a nuanced understanding of what works where. Participatory methods, monitoring of a wide range of options and aligning with development projects and policy are key to scaling up effectively while accounting for local variation.
Development and piloting a comprehensive framework for assessment of sustaina...ICRISAT
Sustainable intensification is at the forefront of food security discussions as a means to meet the growing demand for agricultural production while conserving land and other resources. Next steps require identification of indicators and associated metrics for farming systems sustainability assessment, to track progress, assess trade-offs and identify synergies.
Crop models can be used to estimate crop yield and its variability under different climate scenarios, account for nitrogen use efficiency, and help inform agricultural management decisions. The document discusses different types of crop models and provides examples of some models that have been successfully used in agrometeorology, including for rice, wheat, maize, sugarcane, and potato crops. It also outlines some limitations and advantages of using crop models.
Agroecology - the need for stakeholder collaborationSIANI
Presented by Pablo Tittonell at the seminar How to Feed Nine Billion within the Planet’s Boundaries - Agroecology for Food Security & Nutrition organised by the SIANI Expert group on Agriculture Transformation. Read more here: http://www.siani.se/expert-groups/agriculture-transformation-low-income-countries-under-environmental-change
“Beyond Experiments: General Equilibrium Simulation Methods for Impact Evaluation" presented by Xinshen Diao, IFPRI and Edward Taylor, University of California at the ReSAKSS-Asia Conference, Nov 14-16, 2011, in Kathmandu, Nepal.
This document summarizes the activities and intended outcomes of multiple projects related to sustainable intensification and resilience in rural livelihoods. It outlines identification of household assets and production systems, development of typologies, and testing of crop, livestock and tree technologies. It also discusses improving market access, integrating service delivery, enhancing management of land and water resources, ensuring food security, and reforming policies to incentivize sustainable practices and intensification. The overall goals are to increase incomes, improve resilience, and better manage resources and institutions to support rural communities.
International yield data matched with weather data can help refine climate change impact estimates and develop climate-adaptive technologies in four ways: 1) identify factors associated with reductions in productivity like temperature thresholds and vulnerable crop stages; 2) pinpoint 'analog' sites to test new technologies; 3) integrate diverse datasets to improve crop and economic models; and 4) deploy climate-ready technologies. This data can also help identify environments where crop management interventions may complement genetic strategies and target the most appropriate interventions. Simulation and modeling can then prioritize adaptation strategies like breeding objectives and genetic resource collection based on climate change rates and vulnerabilities.
Sustainable food systems and the role of the agricultural economistKrijn Poppe
Key Note addrees at the DAE/OGA conference in Ljubljana on de role of agricultural economists in policy design with the EU Framework Law on Sustinable food systems as an example
Value proposition for systems research by Richard Thomas (DS-ICARDA)Oyewale Abioye
Integrated Systems Research develops and tests combinations of technical, market, governance and policy options to improve agricultural livelihood systems. The research improves understanding of local contexts to enhance targeting of potential interventions and scale out successful systems. The focus is on total farm productivity, including closing yield gaps in the most relevant components for smallholders. Future directions include refining indicators, developing systems research methods, accelerating cross-CRP learning, engaging higher-level organizations to achieve impact at scale, and building systems research capacity.
Similar to Integrated systems research for farms and livelihoods in Africa RISING phase II (20)
Africa RISING project implementation and contribution in Ethiopia. Presented at Africa RISING close-out event.
24-25 January 2023
ILRI campus- Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
The document summarizes a field visit by Africa RISING CGIAR partners to sites in Ethiopia where they are implementing their new SI-MFS initiative. It describes some innovative farmers in the Lemo and Doyogena districts who have adopted integrated crop-livestock-NRM practices promoted by Africa RISING, including using protein-rich legume fodder trees, energy-rich grasses, and soil and water conservation practices. It also highlights the challenges of water shortage and disease, and the potential for the new SI-MFS initiative to build on the success stories and learning from Africa RISING farmers.
This document summarizes planned and ongoing agricultural research activities and studies in the Ethiopian highlands for 2022. It discusses field activities related to livestock feed and forage development as well as crop varietal selection. It also outlines planned, ongoing, and completed studies on topics like gender and scaling assessments. The document notes legacy products to be developed and capacity building efforts. It describes plans to broadcast livestock innovations through local radio and concludes with noting the planned closure of the Africa Research project in Ethiopia in early 2023.
Haimanot Seifu provided a communications update on the Africa RISING program in the Ethiopian Highlands. Key activities before the program ends this year include producing extension manuals, policy briefs, a special journal issue, and a photo book. Surveys are also ongoing regarding gender, monitoring impacts, spillover effects, and scaling. Africa RISING is partnering with AICCRA on workshops, surveys, training modules, and broadcasting feed and forage technologies on local radio stations. A new initiative called SI-MFS involving mixed farming systems in 6 countries was also launched in May to run initially for 3 years from 2022-2024. Support is needed from CKM for legacy products, facilitating
Technique de compostage des tiges de cotonnier au Mali-Sudafrica-rising
Poster prepared by Moumini Guindo, Bouba Traoré, Birhanu Zemadim Birhanu, and Alou Coulibaly for the 13th Symposium of the Malian Society of Applied Sciences (MSAS), 01 July – 05 August 2022.
Flux des nutriments (N, P, K) des resources organiques dans les exploitations...africa-rising
Poster prepared by Moumini Guindo, Bouba Traoré, Birhanu Zemadim Birhanu, and Alou Coulibaly for the 13th Symposium of the Malian Society of Applied Sciences (MSAS), 01 July 1 – 05 August 2022.
The Africa RISING project in Ethiopia's highlands had the goals of improving food security, gender equality, nutrition, income, and capacity building through sustainable intensification research from 2012-2022. It worked in four regions, implementing tested interventions like improved crops, fertilizers, and mechanization. Over 360,000 households directly benefited from validated technologies in phase two, while over 30,000 people participated in training. The project supported graduate students, published research, and faced challenges like COVID-19 and funding issues before planning its exit strategies.
Eliciting willingness to pay for quality maize and beans: Evidence from exper...africa-rising
Poster prepared by Julius Manda, Adane Tufa, Christopher Mutungi, Arega Alene, Victor Manyong and Tahirou Abdoulaye for the IITA Social Science Group Virtual Meeting, 7 December 2021.
The woman has no right to sell livestock: The role of gender norms in Norther...africa-rising
Presented by Kipo Jimah and Gundula Fischer (IITA) at the virtual conference on Cultivating Equality: Advancing Gender Research in Agriculture and Food Systems, 12-15 October 2021
This document summarizes two assessments conducted by Africa RISING on sustainable intensification and return on investment from 2011-2020. It finds that:
1) The total value of direct benefits to farmers was $74.6 million, while the total project cost was $15.9 million, resulting in a return on investment of 469%.
2) An assessment of progress towards sustainable intensification analyzed households by total production per hectare and compared indicators across five domains. It found that more intensified households showed improved scores in agricultural production, economics, environment, human welfare, and social indicators.
3) A focus on assessments at the woreda (district) level provided insights into differences between communities and guidance for
The document summarizes the results of a nutrition assessment study and lessons learned from it. The study aimed to identify how Africa RISING interventions contributed to household nutrition. It used a qualitative research approach with key informant interviews and focus group discussions in Ethiopia. The results showed that the interventions helped to produce and consume a more diverse and nutritious diet, generate income, and improve knowledge of food production and preparation. However, diet diversity remained low and certain nutrient-rich foods were still limited. Key lessons were that technical nutrition support needs frequent follow-ups, and engaging community leaders and husbands is important for influencing mothers' nutrition practices.
The document discusses plans for scaling assessment of Africa RISING interventions. It notes that Africa RISING's second phase focused on scaling approaches through recruiting scaling partners, training of trainers, multi-stakeholder meetings, and research backstopping. The assessment aims to document scaling practices, identify areas for increased support, and develop an exit strategy as the program period concludes. It will use ILRI's scaling framework over six months to provide a technical report and scientific paper.
This document summarizes a presentation on conducting on-farm trials at scale using crowdsourcing. It discusses the benefits and challenges of traditional on-farm trials, and proposes a solution using digital platforms and farmer participation. Farmers would receive random combinations of varieties to test on their own farms and provide rankings. Data would be collected and analyzed to provide feedback to farmers. The approach aims to increase representation while reducing costs compared to traditional on-farm trials. It outlines 10 steps for implementation, including defining varieties, designing projects, recruiting farmers, preparing packages, data collection, analysis and discussion.
Contribution of Africa RISING validated technologies, nutrition-education interventions to household nutrition and participatory nutrition-education need assessment with seasonal food availability in Amhara, Oromia and SNNP regions of Ethiopia
Candidate young stellar objects in the S-cluster: Kinematic analysis of a sub...Sérgio Sacani
Context. The observation of several L-band emission sources in the S cluster has led to a rich discussion of their nature. However, a definitive answer to the classification of the dusty objects requires an explanation for the detection of compact Doppler-shifted Brγ emission. The ionized hydrogen in combination with the observation of mid-infrared L-band continuum emission suggests that most of these sources are embedded in a dusty envelope. These embedded sources are part of the S-cluster, and their relationship to the S-stars is still under debate. To date, the question of the origin of these two populations has been vague, although all explanations favor migration processes for the individual cluster members. Aims. This work revisits the S-cluster and its dusty members orbiting the supermassive black hole SgrA* on bound Keplerian orbits from a kinematic perspective. The aim is to explore the Keplerian parameters for patterns that might imply a nonrandom distribution of the sample. Additionally, various analytical aspects are considered to address the nature of the dusty sources. Methods. Based on the photometric analysis, we estimated the individual H−K and K−L colors for the source sample and compared the results to known cluster members. The classification revealed a noticeable contrast between the S-stars and the dusty sources. To fit the flux-density distribution, we utilized the radiative transfer code HYPERION and implemented a young stellar object Class I model. We obtained the position angle from the Keplerian fit results; additionally, we analyzed the distribution of the inclinations and the longitudes of the ascending node. Results. The colors of the dusty sources suggest a stellar nature consistent with the spectral energy distribution in the near and midinfrared domains. Furthermore, the evaporation timescales of dusty and gaseous clumps in the vicinity of SgrA* are much shorter ( 2yr) than the epochs covered by the observations (≈15yr). In addition to the strong evidence for the stellar classification of the D-sources, we also find a clear disk-like pattern following the arrangements of S-stars proposed in the literature. Furthermore, we find a global intrinsic inclination for all dusty sources of 60 ± 20◦, implying a common formation process. Conclusions. The pattern of the dusty sources manifested in the distribution of the position angles, inclinations, and longitudes of the ascending node strongly suggests two different scenarios: the main-sequence stars and the dusty stellar S-cluster sources share a common formation history or migrated with a similar formation channel in the vicinity of SgrA*. Alternatively, the gravitational influence of SgrA* in combination with a massive perturber, such as a putative intermediate mass black hole in the IRS 13 cluster, forces the dusty objects and S-stars to follow a particular orbital arrangement. Key words. stars: black holes– stars: formation– Galaxy: center– galaxies: star formation
When I was asked to give a companion lecture in support of ‘The Philosophy of Science’ (https://shorturl.at/4pUXz) I decided not to walk through the detail of the many methodologies in order of use. Instead, I chose to employ a long standing, and ongoing, scientific development as an exemplar. And so, I chose the ever evolving story of Thermodynamics as a scientific investigation at its best.
Conducted over a period of >200 years, Thermodynamics R&D, and application, benefitted from the highest levels of professionalism, collaboration, and technical thoroughness. New layers of application, methodology, and practice were made possible by the progressive advance of technology. In turn, this has seen measurement and modelling accuracy continually improved at a micro and macro level.
Perhaps most importantly, Thermodynamics rapidly became a primary tool in the advance of applied science/engineering/technology, spanning micro-tech, to aerospace and cosmology. I can think of no better a story to illustrate the breadth of scientific methodologies and applications at their best.
Immersive Learning That Works: Research Grounding and Paths ForwardLeonel Morgado
We will metaverse into the essence of immersive learning, into its three dimensions and conceptual models. This approach encompasses elements from teaching methodologies to social involvement, through organizational concerns and technologies. Challenging the perception of learning as knowledge transfer, we introduce a 'Uses, Practices & Strategies' model operationalized by the 'Immersive Learning Brain' and ‘Immersion Cube’ frameworks. This approach offers a comprehensive guide through the intricacies of immersive educational experiences and spotlighting research frontiers, along the immersion dimensions of system, narrative, and agency. Our discourse extends to stakeholders beyond the academic sphere, addressing the interests of technologists, instructional designers, and policymakers. We span various contexts, from formal education to organizational transformation to the new horizon of an AI-pervasive society. This keynote aims to unite the iLRN community in a collaborative journey towards a future where immersive learning research and practice coalesce, paving the way for innovative educational research and practice landscapes.
PPT on Alternate Wetting and Drying presented at the three-day 'Training and Validation Workshop on Modules of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) Technologies in South Asia' workshop on April 22, 2024.
Sexuality - Issues, Attitude and Behaviour - Applied Social Psychology - Psyc...PsychoTech Services
A proprietary approach developed by bringing together the best of learning theories from Psychology, design principles from the world of visualization, and pedagogical methods from over a decade of training experience, that enables you to: Learn better, faster!
Microbial interaction
Microorganisms interacts with each other and can be physically associated with another organisms in a variety of ways.
One organism can be located on the surface of another organism as an ectobiont or located within another organism as endobiont.
Microbial interaction may be positive such as mutualism, proto-cooperation, commensalism or may be negative such as parasitism, predation or competition
Types of microbial interaction
Positive interaction: mutualism, proto-cooperation, commensalism
Negative interaction: Ammensalism (antagonism), parasitism, predation, competition
I. Mutualism:
It is defined as the relationship in which each organism in interaction gets benefits from association. It is an obligatory relationship in which mutualist and host are metabolically dependent on each other.
Mutualistic relationship is very specific where one member of association cannot be replaced by another species.
Mutualism require close physical contact between interacting organisms.
Relationship of mutualism allows organisms to exist in habitat that could not occupied by either species alone.
Mutualistic relationship between organisms allows them to act as a single organism.
Examples of mutualism:
i. Lichens:
Lichens are excellent example of mutualism.
They are the association of specific fungi and certain genus of algae. In lichen, fungal partner is called mycobiont and algal partner is called
II. Syntrophism:
It is an association in which the growth of one organism either depends on or improved by the substrate provided by another organism.
In syntrophism both organism in association gets benefits.
Compound A
Utilized by population 1
Compound B
Utilized by population 2
Compound C
utilized by both Population 1+2
Products
In this theoretical example of syntrophism, population 1 is able to utilize and metabolize compound A, forming compound B but cannot metabolize beyond compound B without co-operation of population 2. Population 2is unable to utilize compound A but it can metabolize compound B forming compound C. Then both population 1 and 2 are able to carry out metabolic reaction which leads to formation of end product that neither population could produce alone.
Examples of syntrophism:
i. Methanogenic ecosystem in sludge digester
Methane produced by methanogenic bacteria depends upon interspecies hydrogen transfer by other fermentative bacteria.
Anaerobic fermentative bacteria generate CO2 and H2 utilizing carbohydrates which is then utilized by methanogenic bacteria (Methanobacter) to produce methane.
ii. Lactobacillus arobinosus and Enterococcus faecalis:
In the minimal media, Lactobacillus arobinosus and Enterococcus faecalis are able to grow together but not alone.
The synergistic relationship between E. faecalis and L. arobinosus occurs in which E. faecalis require folic acid
Evidence of Jet Activity from the Secondary Black Hole in the OJ 287 Binary S...Sérgio Sacani
Wereport the study of a huge optical intraday flare on 2021 November 12 at 2 a.m. UT in the blazar OJ287. In the binary black hole model, it is associated with an impact of the secondary black hole on the accretion disk of the primary. Our multifrequency observing campaign was set up to search for such a signature of the impact based on a prediction made 8 yr earlier. The first I-band results of the flare have already been reported by Kishore et al. (2024). Here we combine these data with our monitoring in the R-band. There is a big change in the R–I spectral index by 1.0 ±0.1 between the normal background and the flare, suggesting a new component of radiation. The polarization variation during the rise of the flare suggests the same. The limits on the source size place it most reasonably in the jet of the secondary BH. We then ask why we have not seen this phenomenon before. We show that OJ287 was never before observed with sufficient sensitivity on the night when the flare should have happened according to the binary model. We also study the probability that this flare is just an oversized example of intraday variability using the Krakow data set of intense monitoring between 2015 and 2023. We find that the occurrence of a flare of this size and rapidity is unlikely. In machine-readable Tables 1 and 2, we give the full orbit-linked historical light curve of OJ287 as well as the dense monitoring sample of Krakow.
Discovery of An Apparent Red, High-Velocity Type Ia Supernova at 𝐳 = 2.9 wi...Sérgio Sacani
We present the JWST discovery of SN 2023adsy, a transient object located in a host galaxy JADES-GS
+
53.13485
−
27.82088
with a host spectroscopic redshift of
2.903
±
0.007
. The transient was identified in deep James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)/NIRCam imaging from the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES) program. Photometric and spectroscopic followup with NIRCam and NIRSpec, respectively, confirm the redshift and yield UV-NIR light-curve, NIR color, and spectroscopic information all consistent with a Type Ia classification. Despite its classification as a likely SN Ia, SN 2023adsy is both fairly red (
�
(
�
−
�
)
∼
0.9
) despite a host galaxy with low-extinction and has a high Ca II velocity (
19
,
000
±
2
,
000
km/s) compared to the general population of SNe Ia. While these characteristics are consistent with some Ca-rich SNe Ia, particularly SN 2016hnk, SN 2023adsy is intrinsically brighter than the low-
�
Ca-rich population. Although such an object is too red for any low-
�
cosmological sample, we apply a fiducial standardization approach to SN 2023adsy and find that the SN 2023adsy luminosity distance measurement is in excellent agreement (
≲
1
�
) with
Λ
CDM. Therefore unlike low-
�
Ca-rich SNe Ia, SN 2023adsy is standardizable and gives no indication that SN Ia standardized luminosities change significantly with redshift. A larger sample of distant SNe Ia is required to determine if SN Ia population characteristics at high-
�
truly diverge from their low-
�
counterparts, and to confirm that standardized luminosities nevertheless remain constant with redshift.
Integrated systems research for farms and livelihoods in Africa RISING phase II
1. Integrated systems research
for farms and livelihoods
Jeroen Groot
Wageningen University and Research
Africa RISING Phase II planning meeting
5 - 8 October, 2016
Lilongwe, Malawi
2. Systems approach
Larger-whole implications
Interactions among components
Multifunctionality of components and system
Portfolio of methods
Multidisciplinary
Boundary objects
Experiments, models
Research products
Design tools: SI framework, impact pathways, influence diagrams
3. Influence diagram (example boundary object)
BiomassBiomass Ground
cover
Ground
cover
ErosionErosion TopographyTopographySoil
properties
Soil
properties
Water
supply
Water
supply
Herd mgtHerd mgt
Land
allocation
Land
allocation
AdoptionAdoption
Labor
availability
Labor
availability
Fodder
species
Fodder
species
Inputs
(e.g. fertilizer)
Inputs
(e.g. fertilizer)
Herd sizeHerd size
4. Portfolio of methods(examples)
On-station and on-farm experiments
Participatory
Focus Group Discussions; interviews; livelihood analysis
Participatory mapping; resource flow maps; transect walks
Problem trees; Appreciative Inquiry; Most significant change
Co-innovation, project management
Farm analysis and redesign
Farm surveys, typologies
Crop, animal and environmental simulation
Farm and landscape modeling
Scaling approaches
5. Systems and integration
System:
Limited part of reality
Interacting components
Delineation
Integration:
What does the research result mean at the target system level?
What is the pertinent management unit? farm / household
Boundary
Components
(or sub-systems)
Output(s)Input(s)
Interrelationships
8. Means- vs. goal-oriented
Means-oriented:
Evaluation of quality of measures and techniques at field and farm level
Often labeled “sustainable” a-priori
Goal-oriented:
Comparison of the productive, environmental and social performance
Using a set of explicit goals, made operational through indicators (MF)
Different spatial and temporal scales and organization levels
Focus on the outcomes (goals), that can be reached by different
system configurations and implemented measures and techniques
9. Trade-offs at system level
When improving the system for one goal, an other goal can be
compromised (ex. F1 = profit, F2 = soil quality – i.r.t. livestock)
Evaluate trade-offs in terms of goals at the target system level
Often there are multiple ways to reconfigure to reach goals
Best guess scenarios
F1
F2 a.
Single objective optimization Pareto-based optimization
F1 F1
F2 F2b. c.
11. Ex. Goals for HHs (1): Labor/leisure
time
Farm labor balance
Gendered labor distribution
Household labor allocation
12. Ex. Goals for HHs (2): Budget
On and off-farm income
Expenditures, food and other
Available free HH budget
13. Beyond trade-offs: integrative
solutions Try to identify solutions to problems that overcome trade-offs and
avoid compromise
Integrative solutions require insight into whole-system responses to
different forms of use and an overview of services provided
Example crop residue use:
Allocations: as mulch, feed, firewood, building material
Goals: improve soil fertility, feed animals, cooking, heating, building
Solutions…
14. Dealing with diversity
Farms and households differ in:
Size and structure (farm, HH)
Development stage (HH)
Goals and constraints (HH)
Distributions: overview of the ranges and variation
Typologies: grouping of diverse population into similar types
Farms/HHs with different characteristics need different solutions
System X
System Y
15. Trajectories of change
How to attain goals in a
sequence of changes?
Different pathways
(sequences of solutions)
for different farm/HH
types
16. Conclusions
Evaluate research outcomes in the context of the target system
Focus on the goals of farms and households, how to attain these
Explore the system-level trade-offs, look for integrative solutions
Identify the trajectory (-ies) to follow to reach the ultimate goals
Accommodate diversity in farm and household structure and goals
Embrace a portfolio-approach combining multiple methods
17. 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
19. Ex. Goals for farms (1): Nutrient yield
Yield is expressed as the number
of people (consumer units) that
can be sufficiently nourished for a
given nutrient
21. Sustainable by design (example boundary object)
Is it good for the environment?
Is it profitable?
Is the farm productive without
causing degradation?
Are farmers safe in making
and using their products?
Do farm operations contribute to
environmental quality?
Do all HH members have
access to resources?
Are people treated the same?
Do farmers and workers
get a living wage?
Do men and women paid
the same for the same job?
Editor's Notes
Analysis-oriented research starts from a question arising from curiosity and not necessarily linked to any application. In analysis-oriented research the aim of obtaining knowledge about the functioning of biological systems is supported by methods that study existing structures in (eco-)systems to reveal their functions and hence their purpose. This leads to increased understanding of system functioning and is translated into research outputs such as journal articles, conference presentations and other knowledge products that are valued as scientific performance. Because the research process is basically curiosity driven, initial goals may be adjusted along the way when intermediate results suggest more interesting avenues of research. Design-oriented research on the other hand, starts from a particular problem that it aims to resolve. The research process proceeds by synthesizing existing knowledge on functions that should be mobilized to achieve the purpose, and to elaborate one or more structures that will support these functions. The result is integrated knowledge and takes the form of inventions or decisions. Implementing these may trigger new questions that feed into the analysis-oriented research cycle. As in design-oriented research problem definition concerns problem-‘owners’ outside the research domain, the relevance of the research outcome depends on negotiation about the topics of research, and the research process adjusts itself to these emergent problem adjustments (e.g. Tittonell, 2013; Rossing et al., 1997). Later in this Chapter we will distinguish design-oriented research that supports decision making and design-oriented research that supports implementation.