Photo Report Africa RISING - Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) Sustainable Intensification Cross Learning Tour

Delhi, Bihar and Odisha – INDIA28 Jan – 4 Feb, 2015

INTRODUCTION

The Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) hosted 13 representatives from USAID, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Africa RISING, USAID’s Sustainable Intensification Innovation Lab and the Innovation Lab for Small-scale Irrigation in India and Bangladesh to share perspectives on sustainable intensification in African and South Asian contexts.

The group began the tour on 28 January with a full-day program in Delhi to discuss the approaches taken by sustainable intensification projects, perspectives of donors and the current status and future direction of CSISA as a regional initiative. They later visited CSISA project sites in Bihar and Odisha, India, from 29 Jan until 4 February, 2015.

PARTICIPANTS AT THE CROSS-LEARNING TOUR

The Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) was established in 2009 to promote durable change at scale in South Asia’s cereal-based cropping systems. CSISA supports regional and national efforts to improve cereal production growth in South Asia’s Indo-Gangetic Plains, home to the region’s most important grain baskets. The project is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and USAID. It has ongoing activities in Bangladesh, India and Nepal.

ABOUT CSISA

OBJECTIVES OF THE CROSS-LEARNING TOUR

1. To see what CSISA is doing in a different geographic and socio-economic context compared to Africa RISING

2. To interact with different stakeholders involved with the CSISA project and get first hand information about the technologies being introduced by the project

3. To see whether there are certain technologies and implementation strategies that Africa RISING could learn from CSISA and vice versa

AFRICA RISING AND CSISA

SIMILARITIES1. Both projects work on

cereal based systems 2. Both projects are set up to

sustainably intensify these systems

3. They are multi-partner/multi- institutional initiatives

CONTRASTS 1. CSISA started from a higher baseline. The

systems in eastern India are already more intensified than those of the 3 Africa RISING projects

2. The private sector and the national research systems are stronger in India hence they play a greater role in the project

3. Technology uptake is facilitated by government subsidies

4. Africa RISING relies more on partner institutions for implementation while CSISA has core project staff implementing activities

5. CSISA has a much larger on-station research component that Africa RISING

6. Africa RISING has a more participatory and holistic approach

7. CSISA has a strong emphasis on zero tillage as a component of conservation agriculture

A farmer demonstrates rice transplanting using a two-wheel tractor to reduce drudgery on women who usually do rice transplanting

INSET: Participants view a demonstration of a rice straw chopper. The device can be powered electrically or manually. Chopping the rice straw enhances its feed value.

CSISA has a strong emphasis on zero tillage. In the picture is a direct seeder that the project is promoting. The machine simultaneously drops the seed and applies the basal fertilizer in unploghed soil. Direct seeding saves time for land preparation thereby allows farmers to grow an additional crop per year thus intensifying the production system.

Africa RISING scientists Mateete Bekunda from IITA (right) and Kindu Mekonnen from ILRI (left) look at a mechanical seeder manufactured for use by small scale farmers in India. The mechanical seeder is manufactured through a public-private partnership between CSISA and the private sector. INSET: A hand-held seeder for row planting.

RIGHT: A hand-held fertilizer broadcaster on display. LEFT: A hermatic grain storage bag which is being promoted by CSISA to reduce post-harvest losses. Africa RISING also promotes use of the bag in Africa.

“This study tour provided us insight in the work of our colleagues. Though both, Africa RISING and CSISA are working towards intensification of cereal based farming systems, I think there are more differences than commonalities between the two Programs. This is due to the different frame conditions in which the smallholders operate. We could clearly see how government subsidies help adoption of technologies. Though we cannot change government policies in Africa, we have seen a lot of affordable ad feasible options for mechanization of small holder farm activities which we can introduce in Africa and which will be beneficial to African small scale farmers such as the use of two wheel tractors for line sowing and fertilizer application, fodder choppers, axial flow pumps. We also learned that it is an advantage to have a team of scientists who are almost fulltime available for the program and not only dedicate a small fraction of their time. ”

Irmgard Hoeschle-Zeledon (IITA)

“Such exchanges between sister projects in different parts of the world are beneficial for partners engaged in sustainable intensification projects to learn from each others’ experiences , refine project implementation and consequently improve the livelihoods of the small holder farmers. ”

Bekunda Mateete and Asamoah Larbi (IITA)

“We would like to thank our CSISA colleagues for their hospitality and excellent organizational arrangements. We also very much enjoyed the company of our colleagues from the IITA-managed West Africa and Eastern and Southern Africa, Africa RISING projects.”

Peter Thorne and Kindu Mekonnen (ILRI)

“Africa Research in Sustainable Intensification for Next Generation”.

www.africa-rising.net