NewsletterHappenings31 July 2018, No. 1760In-house version

Feature story

Ten years and counting: Karnataka state reinforces ties with ICRISAT

(L–R): Dr Kiran Sharma, Deputy Director General-Research (Acting), ICRISAT; Dr Peter Carberry, Director General (Acting), ICRISAT; Mr NH Shivashankara Reddy, Minister of Agriculture, GoK; and Mr M Maheshwar Rao, Principal Secretary, Department of Agriculture, GoK.

ICRISAT’s long-standing collaboration with the government of Karnataka State, India, has enabled millions of farmers

in the state to increase their incomes and improve their lives. Over a decade into this association, the two partners are looking to strengthen this partnership to reach more marginalized smallholder farmers.

Recalling the success of projects Bhoochetana, Bhoosamruddhi and Sujala, in which ICRISAT’s expertise has proved invaluable, Mr NH Shivashankara Reddy, Minister of Agriculture, Government of Karnataka (GoK), said, "The past ten years have been very constructive towards agricultural development in Karnataka with ICRISAT’s help. We want to continue this beneficial association to combat challenges that many farmers still face."

Dr Peter Carberry, Director General (Acting), ICRISAT, cited the work in Karnataka as a perfect example of synergy, from upstream science to delivery of its benefits on the

ground. “Based on the success of this, other states are also reaching out to us for similar support,” he said.

Mr M Maheshwar Rao, Principal Secretary, Department of Agriculture, GoK, emphasized on digital technology in agriculture. "Geospatial technology and satellite imagery, for instance, could be very helpful in drought monitoring, pest/disease surveillance, climate prediction, and more," he said.

Areas discussed for possible future collaborations included release and distribution of improved crop varieties (especially groundnut); post-harvest processing and marketing knowledge transfer; simple IT-based applications for farmers; and evaluation of the state agricultural institutions.

Dr Sreenath Dixit, Head, ICRISAT Development Center, who has been working closely with the Agriculture Department in Karnataka, mentioned the importance of documentation

Photos: PS Rao, ICRISAT

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(L-R) Dr Sreenath Dixit, Head, ICRISAT Development Center with Mr NH Shivashankara Reddy and other officials at ICRISAT, Hyderabad.

and accurate impact assessment studies in large projects. “Among other things, one of the biggest contributions of ICRISAT has been agricultural productivity enhancement. We need to now move forward with better strategies for continued assistance to Karnataka farmers,” he said.

Following this visit, new proposals would be considered to strengthen and reinforce the partnership. g

Innovation Platforms: Malawian agriculture drumming to a new beat

Drawing up value chains. Photos: A van Rooyen

Agriculture is about people. People talk all the time, but not

always about the right stuff! The most effective way to find solutions to the challenges of farming, is to get people talking – about agriculture, and the solutions, rather than only the challenges.

At the heart of agricultural development is bringing about behavioral transformation. In rural Malawi, agriculture has traditionally been founded on strong beliefs. “We must all work harder” is the common answer to what needs to be done. Furthermore, most interventions are age-old linear approaches, being slow and often ineffective. No one dances when the music is no good!

But, they ask, what are the alternatives?

In three districts in southern Malawi a new drum is beating. Its sound: Innovation Platforms (IPs).

The improved livelihoods through sustainable intensification and diversification of market oriented crop

livestock systems (CLIM2 Project) aims to trigger a self-perpetuating process of innovation, investment and adaptation in agriculture. Through IPs, farmers learn the new beat; the tones are about diversification and integration, inputs, markets, knowledge and new skills and opportunities. At the same time, the IP creates a conducive

3ICRISAT Happenings 31 July 2018 1760

environment where farmers can gain capacity, their group performance improves and small- and medium-scale enterprises are strengthened by becoming more relevant. Ultimately, overall harmony should improve with increased incomes and livelihoods of the most marginalized in society – smallholder farmers, rural poor, youth and women farmers – through affordable plant- and animal-based food and fuel production. The IP brings a big shift from the linear way of development work, towards orchestrating deeper changes. The IP is holistic and inclusive in its approach to realizing opportunities, and solving problems and challenges, and therefore brings a diverse range of actors together.

Facilitation is critical for the IP process, much like a conductor’s role in coordinating the orchestra, bringing structure and rhythm to the music.

The CLIM2 project aims to see a gradual shift from strong facilitation by the project team at the initial stage, to more active and confident engagement by the IP members in managing their own affairs. The gradual takeover of the management by IP members should help them in guiding actions, and strengthening roles and relations among themselves. The CLIM2 team therefore consists of researchers and development actors from different disciplines who start working in partnership with the government of Malawi, each organization bringing its specialist background and contributing specific skills and knowledge to the project. From the beginning, the team fosters mutual understanding of challenges, aspirations and expectations, and guides the roles and relations the IP members can play for achieving their common goals. The team carefully guides the IP to create its own music.

The IP includes farmer groups, associations and cooperatives; private sector actors such as Agriculture Trading Company (ATC); financial service providers such as FINCA and COMSIP; livestock buyers; food processors; retailers like Shoprite; government extension staff; and NGO networks. This represents a huge diversity in knowledge and local experience; knowledge of different actors constitute the instruments that make the band. With sound information, own experimentation and knowledge exchange, IP members determine the direction, content and process that the IP takes. The diversity among its members makes the music richer. Farmers, agriculture input-output market actors and support service providers talk to one another and develop their relationships into a harmonious tune.

The main goal of this process is for smallholder farming systems to improve on efficiency from the farm to the market, while private sector reduces transaction costs and explores new markets with farmers. The project uses IPs to facilitate and increase dialog for synchronizing the sounds among different players in the agricultural value chains.

IPs improve the way members interact, structuring and guiding conversations, to move forward from discussing problems only to developing common solutions. The musicians are finding their beat using well selected methods and tools. An IP process typically starts with a

series of structured exercises, joint problem identification, envisioning a better future, value chain prioritization, mapping and characterization, charting courses of action between meetings, and documenting process lessons, which altogether build the IP members’ capacity and empower them in the process.

Numerous problems and associated solutions have been identified through IPs thus far. The catch is that actors understand that all their problems are linked. If markets do not work, then farmers cannot invest in their farming, input suppliers cannot sell, buyers let down consumers and support service providers feel pointless. The music is off-key. One farmer in the Balaka IP said, “We are getting a chance to directly talk to those that have an influence on our farming and that is priceless”. The problems were clustered around input-output markets, support services, unprofitable enterprises, quantity and quality of yields/outputs and decision-making by actors. As a result, the IP in Balaka district was able to prioritize the goat value chain for its high development potential and earmarked the butchers at Phalula EPA as instrumental for addressing the problems associated with goat marketing, infrastructure and pricing.

Through the IP, a shared vision was generated. Farmers want to increase their yields and improve their livelihoods; traders want to increase their profits and business volumes while support services want to see changes in their working conditions. All this glued together by the realization that all these hopes are highly dependent on actions of other actors. There is a salient symmetry in this new music. Trust is another commodity that seems elusive. How can we increase the level of trust in ourselves and our outputs? We have to be able to provide quality outputs in the right quantity and at the right time to earn deserving prices. The IPs have initiated this conversation Read more...

Author: Kalima Sunday

Funder: European Union Partners: International Livestock Research Institute; Small Scale Livestock and Livelihoods Program and ICRISAT CGIAR Research Program: Water, Land and Ecosystems

See also Malawi farmers' version of the "Happy" song. g

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New publicationsGenetic studies for seed size and grain yield traits in Kabuli chickpeaAuthors: Sundaram P, Samineni S, Sajja S, Singh SP, Sharma RN and Gaur PMPublished: 2018, Euphytica (TSI), 214(4) (63). pp. 1-11. ISSN 0014-2336http://oar.icrisat.org/10530/

Identification of iron deficiency chlorosis tolerant sources from mini-core collection of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.)Authors: Pattanashetti SK, Naidu GK, Prakyath Kumar KV, Singh OK and Biradar BD

Published: 2018, Plant Genetic Resources (TSI). pp. 1-13. ISSN 1479-2621http://oar.icrisat.org/10531/

Imidacloprid impedes mitochondrial function and induces oxidative stress in cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera larvae (Hubner: Noctuidae)Authors: Nareshkumar B, Akbar SM, Sharma HC, Jayalakshmi SK and Sreeramulu KPublished: 2018, Journal of Bioenergetics and Biomembranes (TSI), 50 (1). pp. 21-32. ISSN 0145-479Xhttp://oar.icrisat.org/10532/

Internal news

Visitors

Students and faculty members from the Bachelor of Fine Arts Department, Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture and Fine Arts University, Hyderabad, visited ICRISAT on 20 July 2018.

Photo: S Punna, ICRISAT

Doubling farmers’ income through Integrated Watershed Management in Bellary district in Karnataka, India – Phase IIFunder: JSW FoundationGrant period: 1 Jun 2018 - 31 May 2023Research Program: ICRISAT Development Center/Asia ProgramPrincipaI Investigator: Dr Sreenath Dixit

New projects

(L to R front row) Dr Peter Carberry, Director General (Acting), ICRISAT, and Mr Biswadip Gupta, CEO, JSW Foundation, exchanging the partnership agreement, while Mr Vishwanath Palled, CSR Chief, Ballari; Ms Siddhii Sanghvi, JSW Foundation, Mumbai; and Dr Sreenath Dixit (between Dr Carberry and Mr Gupta), Principal Scientist and Head, ICRISAT Development Center, and other ICRISAT staff look on.

Photo: S Punna, ICRISAT

5ICRISAT Happenings 31 July 2018 1760

Rajesh Kumar PathakSecurity SupervisorProgram: Operations (Security)Reporting to: G Srinivasa RaoDate of Joining: 30 July 2018

Alice KujurResearch Associate – IProgram: Genetic GainsReporting to: Dr Rajeev VarshneyDate of Joining: 31 July 2018

Clarisse UmutoniPost-Doctoral FellowProgram: Western and Central AfricaReporting to: Dr Vincent BadoDate of Joining: 5 June 2018

M SurendraResearch Technician Program: AsiaReporting to: Mr B NagarajuDate of Joining: 9 July 2018

Katta AbhilashResearch Technician Program: AsiaReporting to: Mr B NagarajuDate of Joining: 9 July 2018

Ramanagouda GaviyappanavarResearch Associate Program: AsiaReporting to: Dr Mamta Sharma Date of Joining: 10 July 2018

Sharath Chandran U SJunior Research Fellow Program: AsiaReporting to: Dr Mamta Sharma Date of Joining: 10 July 2018

New@ICRISAT

Introducing employees who have joined ICRISAT recently

Mr Prosper HouessiononScientific Officer Program: Western and Central AfricaReporting to: Dr Robert ZougmoreDate of joining: 4 June 2018

A RagavendranJunior Research FellowProgram: Indian Rice Research InstituteReporting to: Dr Arvind KumarDate of Joining: 1 July 2018

Mr Boubakary Cissé Technology Transfer OfficerProgram: Western and Central Africa Reporting to: Dr Ramadjita TaboDate of Joining: 4 June 2018

Shaik SabihaResearch Associate – IProgram: Genetic GainsReporting to: Dr Rajeev VarshneyDate of Joining: 9 July 2018

M V Rama Chandra ReddySenior Associate, SecurityProgram: Operations (Security) Reporting to: G Srinivasa RaoDate of Joining: 9 July 2018

Palakurthi RameshResearch Associate – IProgram: Genetic GainsReporting to: Dr Rajeev VarshneyDate of Joining: 19 July 2018

Hake Anil ArjunResearch Associate – I Program: Genetic GainsReporting to: Dr Rajeev VarshneyDate of Joining: 9 July 2018

Farewell

The following staff members retired on 31 July 2018J KrishnaiahSenior Scientific AssociateProgram: AsiaDate of Joining: 14 July 1976

C J Madhu SolomonExecutive Associate (Housing & Food Services)Program: OperationsDate of Joining: 01 October 1982

G Durga Nageswara RaoLead Scientific OfficerProgram: Innovation Systems for the DrylandsDate of Joining: 25 July 1983

C Bhakthavachala ReddySecurity SupervisorProgram: OperationsDate of Joining: 9 July 1987

P GovindSenior Scientific AssociateProgram: AsiaDate of Joining: 16 September 1987

E PandurangaiahSenior Technical AssociateProgram: Innovations Systems for the Drylands Date of Joining: 02 December 2004

Connect with us: ICRISAT is a member of the CGIAR System OrganizationAbout ICRISAT: www.icrisat.orgICRISAT’s scientific information: EXPLOREit.icrisat.org

Editorial: Jayashree B, Rajani K and Jemima M; Design: Bharathi T; Web: Fareeduddin M, Circulation: Prasad SV and Vinay R

ICRISAT @ Workplace – Our work, our place

Do you have something to share? Share @Workplace or write to us at icrisathaps@cgiar.org

This was at the cafeteria today. Please come up with some really witty captions for this picture. Feel free to write or quote poetry, if you feel like it!

Last week, we clicked a picture of paneer croissants at our cafeteria and asked our staff to caption it.

Gaston Sangare: Seems to be very tasty.

Padma Shanthi J: If I were a croissant I'd feel it were my duty,Not to be a side-dish but an absolute (chocolate)delicacy,My lifelong dream would be,To be always served up with a hot cup of coffee ☕

Padma Shanthi J: While the French gave the world Croissants, it is said that Americans made it "Crois-sandwich"...like the one in this pic.

On their retirement, Team ICRISAT wishes them a very happy retired life.

Photo: Rajani K, ICRISAT