Africa RISING overview and update

Irmgard Hoeschle-ZeledonAfrica RISING Coordinator East and Southern

Africa

3rd Annual Review and Planning meeting, Africa RISING ESA Project, 9-12 September 2014

Mandate:“Through action research and development

partnerships, Africa RISING will create opportunities for smallholder farm households to

move out of hunger and poverty through sustainably intensified farming systems that improve food, nutrition, and income security,

particularly for women and children, and conserve or enhance the natural resource base.”

Sustainable agricultural intensification: (Montpellier Panel Report, 2013)

• Producing in a durable way more units of output per unit input (land, labor, water, biodiversity, inorganic chemicals, organic matter, seeds, financial capital, knowledge, infrastructure, etc.) through

- their efficient and prudent use - new combinations of these inputs- use of supportive innovations (e.g. communication,

marketing, precision agriculture, …)

Sustainable agricultural intensification:

• Conserve or enhance natural resources for improved environmental services and cultural value (smaller environmental footprint)

• Increased resilience of the farming systems • Livelihood perspective: whole-farm and household

issues; focus not only on economic aspects but also on social, nutritional, gender, cultural conditions

Components of sustainable agricultural intensification:• Genetic: improved varieties and breeds

• Ecological: better use natural factors (sunlight, soil, water, biodiversity)

• Socio-economic: enabling environment (fair and transparent markets; strengthened FOs, CBOs, extension services; women empowerment; informed decision making)

The wider USAID context:

• In line with USAID country missions’ priorities

• Implemented in FtF target areas

• Research to backstop other FtF investments

• In line with the CGIAR Humidtropics CRP

• Need for conceptual harmonization between the Africa RISING country projects

• Strong collaboration with USAID missions and other USAID Bureaus (e.g. Africa Bureau)

What we do: Integrated farming systems research

Ken Giller, WUR

Where do we stand?Guiding principle identified in 2012: stepwise approach to sustainable intensification which requires the adoption of various SI technologies

Our trajectory: (TZ, MAL)• 2012: quick wins • 2012/13: (i) situation analysis (baseline, agronomic,

livestock, vegetables production & consumption, pest and disease, post-harvest losses, mycotoxin prevalence, social & institutional constraints to adoption, soil surveys, characterization of farming hh); (ii) evaluation of disciplinary SI technologies (crop varieties, fodder species, fertilizers, water harvesting & conservation) and some combinations (doubled up legumes, rotations, intercropping, crops/fertilizer, crops/ water harvesting)

• 2013/2014: increased number of research sites (i) situation analysis (baseline surveys, farming systems & value chain analyses), establishment of R4D platform (Babati) and IP (KK) (ii) integration of farmer selected or “proven-by research” technologies; new: livestock, vegetables, post-harvest & nutrition technologies; some farmers’ preferred technologies subjected to impact and adoption studies

Africa RISING Years 1-3• Site selection• Situation analysis• Partnership building• Design of research• Implementation

2014-2016: greater integration of technologies further refining assessment of their potential impact on the natural resource baseidentifying what really works for who (farm typologies)looking further into the drivers of technology adoption (value addition for better marketability, shelf life; demonstrated profitability and social acceptability, cost-benefit analyses, identification of best-fit technologies)consolidating/strengthening R4D Platforms/IPsnew partners for promotion & scaling of proven technologiestechnical support to other FtF projects

Cross-cutting studies (impact, markets, nutrition, gender, policy…) and actions (scaling…)

C+L+S

C+L; C+S; L+S

C, L, S

Baseline, FSA, Discipline surveys

Low hanging fruits, Team building

2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-15

Toward full SI

Conceptual progress towards sustainable intensification

Mateete Bekunda

2014-2016: greater integration of technologies further refining assessment of their potential impact on the natural resource baseidentifying what really works for who (farm typologies)looking further into the drivers of technology adoption (value addition for better marketability, shelf life; demonstrated profitability and social acceptability)consolidating/strengthening R4D Platforms/IPsnew partners for promotion & scaling of proven technologiesscientific support to other FtF projects

Africa RISING Years 3-5• Implementation with higher integration• Research refinement & expansion (e.g.,

IPM, socio-economic studies)• Platforms• Transfer of research outputs• Scientific support to FtF projects

Update on changes and highlights since September 2013:• collaboration with SIMLEZA Project in Eastern Province of Zambia (funded by USAID mission, addit. funds received from BFS)• new project component with MSU to study the Impact of Sustainable Intensification on Landscapes and Livelihoods in Zambia; funded by USAID Africa Bureau; will help making further investment Decisions in Zambia, lessons for other Africa RISING sites• proposal to USAID Tanzania mission on strategic scientific support to NAFAKA and TUBOCHA

Institution/Country Funds ($)MSU 725,000ICRISAT 648,000CIMMYT 198,000CIAT 189,000SELIAN 55,000AVRDC 69,000ILRI 156,000IITA (further sub-contracts) 405,000CIMMYT (Zambia) 175,000IITA (Zambia) 105,000WU (Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania) 117,000Malawi 745,000Tanzania 1,747,000Zambia 350,000

2013/2014 Fund allocation

Field visits:

• September 2013: USAID delegation in Zambia

• January 2014: Chief Scientist and Coordinator in Malawi and Zambia

• March 2014: USAID Delegation in Tanzania; Researchers visit to Malawi

• April 2014: Steering Committee members in Tanzania

Capacity building:

21 students for BA, MSc or PhD attached to the project16 from Africa, 6 female, 4 from iAGRI

Student Sex Country of Origin

Country of Research

Africa RISING Supervisor

University Degree Period

Semeni Ngozi (iAGRI) F Tanzania Tanzania Per Hillbur Egerton Univ, Kenya

MSc May 14 - May 15

Marco Sanka (iAGRI) M Tanzania Tanzania Per Hillbur Makerere Univ, Uganda

MSc Nov 14 - Aug 15

Maria Klerfelt Johansson F Sweden Tanzania Per Hillbur Gothenburg Univ, Sweden

BA Mar 14 - Sept 14

Marcus Bengtsson M Sweden Tanzania Per Hillbur Gothenburg Univ, Sweden

BA Mar 14 - Sept 14

Christopher Alex Msongore M Tanzania Tanzania Adebayo Abass

SUA, Tanzania MSc 2013 - 2014

Chacha Nyangi (iAGRI) M Tanzania Tanzania Fen Beed SUA, Tanzania MSc 2013 - 2014John Joseph Malley M Tanzania Tanzania Fen Beed SUA, Tanzania MSc 2014 - 2015Leonard Joseph Marwa M Tanzania Tanzania Ben Lukuyu SUA, Tanzania PhD 2014 - 2017Alphonse Haule M Tanzania Tanzania Ben Lukuyu SUA, Tanzania MSc. 2014 - 2015Mawazo Shitindi (iAGRI) M Tanzania Tanzania Mateete

BekundaTuskegee Univ, USA

PhD 2013 - 2016

Gregory Sikumba M Zambia Tanzania Ben Lukuyu University of Nairobi, Kenya

PhD 2013 - 2016

Isaac Jambo M Malawi Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia

Jeroen Groot & Mateete Bekunda

Wageningen University, The Netherlands

PhD 2014 - 2018

Student Sex Country of Origin

Country of Research

Africa RISING Supervisor

University Degree Period

Michelle Hockett F USA Malawi Robert Richardson

MSU, USA MSc 2013 - 2014

Alex Smith M USA Malawi Sieg Snapp &Regis Chikowo

MSU, USA MSc 2013 - 2014

Edward Mzumara M Malawi Malawi Regis Chikowo &Wezi Mhango

LUANAR, Malawi MSc 2013 - 2014

Soflet Mwafulirwa F Malawi Malawi Agnes Mangwela LUANAR, Malawi MSc 2013 - 2014

Erin Anders F USA Malawi Sieg Snapp &Regis Chikowo

MSU, USA PhD 2013 - 2016

Justin Chipomho M Zimbabwe

Malawi and Zimbabwe

Regis Chikowo &Sieg Snapp

University of Zimbabwe

PhD 2013 - 2016

Anita Kaleba F Zambia Zambia Christian Thierfelder

UNIZA, Zambia MSc 2013 - 2014

John Banda M Zambia Zambia Christian Thierfelder

UNIZA, Zambia MSc 2013 - 2014

Frederick Mwansa M Zambia Zambia Christian Thierfelder

UNIZA, Zambia MSc 2013 - 2014

Africa Research in Sustainable Intensification for the Next Generation

africa-rising.net

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