CASFESA closure -- SIMLESA: Enhancing Integration, Innovation and Impacts in ESA: Initial findings...
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Transcript of CASFESA closure -- SIMLESA: Enhancing Integration, Innovation and Impacts in ESA: Initial findings...
SIMLESA: Enhancing Integration, Innovation and Impacts in Eastern and
Southern Africa: Initial findings and lessons
Mulugetta Mekuria, SIMLESA Program Leader, CIMMYT Southern Africa Regional Office Harare Zimbabwe – email
[email protected], Menale Kassie, CIMMYT- Kenya; Isaiah Nyagumbo, CIMMYT-Southern Africa; Paswel Marenya and Dagne
Wegary CIMMYT-Ethiopia
CASFESA End of Project Workshop
ARARI, Bahirdar 23 February 2105
Executed by CIMMYT with financial Grant from ACIAR
• Phase 1-2010-2013
• SIMLESA2 2014-2018
PARTNERS-NARS
• EIAR, KARI, DRD,DARS , IIAM, spill over NARO,RAB, DAR
• Regional/International
- ICRISAT, QAAFI, ARC, ASARECA, MU, CCARDESA(phase2), ILRI and CIAT
The problem setting
Low productivity Scarce biomass Land degradation
Poor markets Climate variability Limited resouces
SIMLESA Background……Vision of Success
To increase maize and legume yields by 30% while sustaining the environment through
• Conservation agriculture and improved maize and legume varieties
• the development of markets and value chains, from input supplies to output markets.
To reduce downside yield risks by 30%
To benefit 650,000 farm households by 2023.
CA CHMPION FARMER IN MALAWI Mrs Grace Malaichi
Approaches 3+3- Is INTEGRATION (SYSTEMS) INNOVATION PLATFORMS IMPACT ORIENTATION Information Inputs Institutions/policy
More productive,
and sustainable
practices, tactics
and strategies
Better use of
climate
information
M&E, Gender mainstreaming, scaling out and capacity building
Improved
understanding of
socio-economic
conditions
Input and output
markets
Household
resource
allocations
Improved range
of maize and
legume varieties
available for
smallholders
Improved access
to inputs
Objective 1 Objective 2 Objective 3
Objectives 4 & 5
Test and develop productive, resilient and sustainable smallholder
maize-legume cropping systems and innovation systems for local
scaling out
Community awareness meetings Farmer consultations and agreement on
treatments
On-station trials:
Out scaling trials and innovation
platforms and partnerships
Exploratory trials
establishment and
monitoring:
Farmer field days
Major findings from on- station and on-farm
trials 2010-2013
1. Conservation agriculture can improve crop productivity and incomes
• Three years of experimental data and results from Ethiopia showed that the average grain maize yield can increase by about 5-18% under CA options compared with farmers’ practices
• Malawi the increase in maize yield ranged from 3-21% in the mid-altitude agro-ecology, and 8-40% in lowland agro-ecology
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
ETH KEN TAN MAL MOZ ETH KEN TAN MAL MOZ
Me
an m
aize
ggr
ain
yie
ld (
t h
a-1
)
Farmer practice
Conservation Agriculture
WET AREAS DRY AREAS
Complex interactions: Rainfall × Soil × Tillage × Residue cover × inputs etc
SIMLESA Results on the Ground Increased maize yield from CA
Land Preparation and Weed Management Labour Cost
(US$/ha) in Eastern Kenya
Source: Team SIMLESA Kenya
Net returns from integration of different components-Financial Analysis
5396
4652
2959 28082410
1829
497
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
Legume-maize
rotation+reduced/zero
tillage +improved
maize seeds
Legume-maize
rotation +improved
maize seeds
Improved
maize seeds +reduced/zero
tillage
Improved
maize seedsonly
Reduced/zero
tillage only
legume-maize
rotation only
Rotation +
reduced/zerotillage
Ne
t m
aiz
e in
com
e (
ET
B/h
a)
498
1892
2350
2823 2959
4507
5579
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
Maize-legumerotation (R) +
Minimumtillage(T)
R T Improvedmiaze
varities(V)
V+T V+R V+R+T
Net
mai
ze in
com
e(E
TB
/ha)
Impact of CA on Maize income in Ethiopia
5250
8440
9710
11370 11840
12540
14270
Improved maizevarieties(V)
Maize-legumerotation (R)
Maize-legumeintercropping(I)
I + V I + R R +V I + R + VN
et c
rop
inco
me
(MW
K/h
a)
Impact of CA on Maize income in Malawi
Major findings…
2. Conservation agriculture improves ecosystem services • Maize –legume intercropping increased the total nitrogen in the preceding year
compared with planting sole maize
• CA options increased water use efficiency overtime.
• In Mozambique and Ethiopia the highest water use efficiency is achieved when CA
options are combined with maize-legume intercropping system.
3. Conservation agriculture options play a role of risk management
strategies
• Empirical analysis using household survey data in Malawi has shown that CA options has the capacity to improve farmers’ resilience by reducing the probability of crop failure (downside risk) and cost of risk (Kassie et al. forthcoming).
• Higher risk reduction was achieved when CA options are used jointly
Soil moisture effects of CA based cropping
systems in Mozambique, Angonia district, 2012.
Effects of CA based cropping systems on rain
water use efficiency in Ethiopia.
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3
Ris
k p
rem
ium
(mai
ze y
ield
-kg/
ha)
Farmers’ risk behavior index
Both Crop diversification Minimum tillage
Conservation agriculture options play a role of risk management strategies
Major findings…
4. Maize-Legume variety selection and release under SIMLESA enhanced system productivity, sustainability and diversification
– CA compatible new maize variety released-
– PVS tools and Seed Road Maps enhance availability and access to improved maize and legume varieties to farmers
The main lesson from the varietal work under SIMLESA is that building on existing work and networks to create a multi-stakeholder coalitions in seed systems
A newly released maize hybrid, BH546, with
narrow and erect leaf architecture and suitable
for intercropping with common beans
3
6
3
5
7
3
1
4
3
4
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Num
ber
of
var
ieti
es r
elea
sed
Open pollonated variety Hybrid
40
71 72
92
121
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
Tanzania Malawi Mozambique Kenya Ethiopia
Nu
mber
of
dem
os
On-farm PVS trails conducted during
2010-2013
Major findings…
5 . Adoption factors identified
6. Innovation Platforms- mechanisms for scaling out and market linkages and knowledge and information management
7. M&E, Gender mainstreaming and Capacity building are critical components
What Drives Adoption of SIPs?
Group Membership
Those farmers belonging to groups
had a higher chance to adopt:
In Ethiopia: Cropping system
diversification(CD) and minimum
tillage(MT)
In Kenya: Improved
Varieties(IV) and fertilizer
In Malawi: Soil and Water
Conservation(SWC)
Proximity to markets
When close to markets farmers had a
higher chance to adopt:
In Ethiopia: CD and manure use
In Malawi: Improved varieties
In Tanzania: CD and MT
Household assets & extension skill
With more assets farmers had a higher
chance to adopt :
In Ethiopia: Soil and Water
Conservation
In Kenya and Tanzania: Manure
With quality of extension services farmers
had a higher chance to adopt:
• In Ethiopia: CD, MT,
• In Kenya: CD and SWC
• In Malawi: MT
• In Tanzania: IV
Source: Land use Policy (2014) 42:400-411
Credit agencies
Processors
Development agencies
NGOs Farmers
Government policies, informal institutions, practices, behaviors and attitudes
Seed companies
Farmer
coops/
CBOs
Public and
private
extension
Input suppliers
SIMLESA
Research teams
Local and
regional
government
Service providers
Institutional Innovations – example of IPs
Wholesalers &
retailers
What to scale up/out?
Promising new varieties Maize hybrids
Maize OPVs
Pigeonpea varieties
Soybean varieties
Bean varieties
Groundnut varieties
Forages spp.
Agronomic/CA components
Planting system (spacing etc)
Fertilizer application
Weed control
Soil & water management
Legume rotations/ intercropping
Minimum or zero tillage
Residue retention
Institutional innovations
• Farmer targeting tools (typologies)
• Gender targeting and mainstreaming
• Farmer marketing groups
• Link to credit and insurance providers
• Post-harvest practices
How Much Labor do Women Contribute
to Agriculture
Female labor share by agricultural activity for all crops (%)
Female labor contribution to maize production – 44% (19-55%)
Activity Ethiopia
(N=2257)
Kenya
(N=534)
Tanzania
(N=551)
Malawi
(N=1904)
Mozambique
(N=500)
Land preparation & planting 13 48 40 52 45
Weeding 25 50 42 52 53
Harvesting 26 54 41 54 58
Threshing 28 54 38 61 64
Total 23 53 43 54 55
• Women’s total labor commitment is disproportionately high
• given that they contribute some 50% of agricultural labor
• plus nearly all the labor required for family care and related household chores.
• What intervention(s) can ease the work load of female so that their and their family
welfare can be improved?
Key lessons for Asia maize-legume systems
1. Need to carefully understand sources of residues for CA in each cropping environment and consider challenges from livestock competition and termites.
2. Labour reduction /savings witnessed from CA with herbicide assisted weed control
3. Rotations across ESA region found to be superior in terms of maize yields despite farmer preference in some cases for intercropping systems.
4. Need for strong input/output market support services through IPs or other organizational support models.
Challenges and opportunities
• Difficulties experienced in applying the 3 principles as a package : components, stepwise adoption preferred by farmers
• Labour savings from CA generally the key benefit especially in herbicide assisted systems- availability of herbicides
• Yield benefits most apparent from rotation systems.
• But yield increases were not apparent in some situations especially waterlogged soils.
• Diseases in some maize varieties and environments under CA.
Lessons from SIMLESA and CASFESA: Enhancing adoption and impact
• Practices that conserve natural resources (moisture, soil, nutrients) also
reduce costs of production
– Suggesting clear opportunities for sustainable intensification using “simple”
techniques:
• Such as legume intercrops, reduced frequency of tillage
• Risk is a major objective (perhaps co-equal to productivity)
– SIPs practices reduce downside risk
– Providing extra incentives for adoption
– The need for farmer education on these risk reduction benefits
• Three classes of variables remain critical for SIPs adoption
– Social capital and networks (evidenced by group membership)
– Public goods in the form of infrastructure and extension
– Private asset endowments (land, equipment, livestock)
From Results to Lessons: Implications
• For many rural households, food security depends on productivity
enhancement through improved maize varieties and SIPs
– For the foreseeable future: the pathway to food security will pass through
smallholder productivity and technology improvement on own-farms
• Need to expand the analytical frontiers of gender research in agriculture
– We find that latent and difficult-to-observe factors lie behind the gender
food security gaps
• Evidence exists for synergies in agricultural practices for SIPs
– Promising win-win outcomes
– But also suggesting greater role of information, extension and adaptive
research
Next steps
• Validate research products
• Undertake various research issues
– Gender technology and productivity gaps and causes
of these gaps
– Household bio-economic modelling
– SIPs and Risk analysis,
– Livelihood diversification
• Taking research products to policy makers, farmers,
researchers, development partners, etc.,
• Promotion of Integrated improved germplasm and
crop management practices is critical.
• Phased intensification across farming systems
• Focus on impact pathways, innovation platforms and
systems integration
Take Home Messages • Crafting and enhancing a comprehensive
integration of disciplines to generate the relevant
options/ technologies;
• bringing on board a functional stakeholders group
through innovation platforms for scaling out/up
• Mainstreaming gender and inclusive strategies and
value chain analysis tools to create farmer-market
linkages • Technology, Institutions and Policy remain critical
• Promotion of Integrated improved germ plasm and crop management practices is critical
• Sustainable intensification through CA in Africa is not only necessary but urgent
• Phased intensification across farming systems • Focus on impact pathways, innovation platforms
and systems integration
•
Sustainable intensification through CA in Africa and Asia is not only necessary but urgent
Acknowledgment SIMLESA Partners including Farmers
ACIAR and CIMMYT Colleagues