Annual MeetingGlobal Conservation Agriculture

Program

March 28, 2011

CIMMYT-Kenya

•Newest region to start GCAP activities (1 yr old)

•Collaborative Projects:1. SIMLESA - ACIAR2. Crop-Livestock: EC-IFAD3. Striga Management: BMGF (IITA led)

East Africa

1. SIMLESA:Sustainable Intensification of Maize - Legume Cropping Systems for ESA

•Ethiopia

•Kenya

•Malawi

•Mozambique

•South Africa

•Tanzania

Geographical focus

ICRISAT, ASARECA, EIAR, KARI, DRD, DARS, IIAM, ARC, QDEEDI and Murdoch University

Program: SEP, GCAP, GMP

Other collaboration: DTMA, TL-II, N2Africa

Project partnership

Local Partnership

• Researchers in different disciplines• Extension workers• NGOs• Farmers• Input suppliers• Farmer unions/cooperatives• Private and public seed companies• Traders and processors

Why exploratory (on-farm) trials

• Co-learning of CA technology by farmers, extension officers and researchers

• Long term (4 years) commitment of host farmers to demonstrate effects of CA

• Responsive to farmer assessment on CA components

• Building capacity of local extension officers

Why on-station trials?

• To provide more controlled conditions to evaluate expanded number of CA treatment responses

• Cross check on-farm results with on station results• More detailed crop, soil and climate data

collection to help interpret observed responses and evaluate predictive performance of APSIM

• Evaluate the longer-term effects of CA on soil properties, system productivity and weed, pest and disease dynamics

HIGHLIGHTS IN 2010

Options for systems intensification & diversification

Potential, sustainable, productive technology options

Country No. of varieties Maize Soybean Beans Pigeonpea

Ethiopia 3 3 4 1Kenya 4 1 2 1Tanzania 2 1

Total 9 4 6 3

Discussions with stakeholders in each target communities

Country Zone Community Farmers

Ethiopia 2 9 47

Kenya 4 8 48

Tanzania 2 14 11

Total 8 31 106

Develop functional local innovation systems

Country Innovative Platforms

Membership

Ethiopia Initiated •Research centres•MoA•Private sectors•Input suppliers•Farmer & Unions•NGOs•Farm implements manufacturers•Processors

Kenya InitiatedTanzania Initiated

Evaluations of Exploratory trialsMinimum data set for field characterization

Country Basic soil, climate, land use, topography and cropping history data available for each of the exploratory trial sites

Ethiopia Ongoing

Kenya Ongoing

Tanzania Ongoing

Establishment of on-farm/exploratory trials by farmers

Country Farmer groups

# of Exploratory trials

Ethiopia 9 47Kenya 8 48Tanzania 8 48

Total 25 183

Establishment of on-station long-term trials

Country On-station Treatments

Ethiopia 7 4-20

Kenya 2 9

Tanzania 2 5

Participatory evaluation of exploratory trials

Country Evaluations /season/siteEthiopia 3 Kenya 3Tanzania 3

Adjustments to the maize-legume systems

Country Modifications of treatments

Ethiopia Done

Kenya Done

Tanzania Done

Capacity Building

Country Short term Long term CA N2 F PhD

Ethiopia 28 2Kenya 36 1Tanzania 25

Total 89 1 2

Field days and experience sharing events

Country Male Female # of Participants

Ethiopia 338 101 439

Kenya 187 170 357

Tanzania 120 80 200

Total 525 351 796

Enhancing total farm productivity in smallholder CA based systems in EA

2. Crop-Livestock Activities

Addressing some gaps in SIMLESA Program

Competition for crop residues: CA Vs Livestock

• Mostly used as fencing, fodder, firewood, fertilizer, • Valuable, low-cost feed resource for animal production•Major source of nutrients for livestock

Competing uses for stover residues…!

Focus: Ethiopia and Kenya

Start: Jan 2011

Partners: ICRAF, KARI and EIAR

Programs: GCAP & SEP

Objectives

1. Understand the interactions between crops and livestock ..... (SEP)

2. Demonstrate efficient, ..... farming systems based on the principles of CA that combine increased grain production and the production of sufficient animal feed with improved quality (GCAP)

Objectives

3. Explore, evaluate and demonstrate options for the incorporation of trees and shrubs into smallholder CA-based systems through participatory research in target communities (ICRAF/GCAP)

4. Evaluate the benefits of .... farming systems based on the principles of CA on farm family food security, income and livelihoods, and on family workload disaggregated by gender and wealth groups (SEP).

Objectives

5. Disseminate and scale out project results to farmers, extension agents and researchers through targeted activities and publications (GCAP/ICRAF)

6. Maintain project efficiency and dynamism through capacity building and constant monitoring, evaluation, and reorientation of project activities and outputs (GCAP/SEP/ ICRAF)

3. Striga Management Project

Focus: Kenya and Nigeria

Start: May 2011

Program: GMP and GCAP

Partnership: IITA, TSBF, AATF, NGOs, Seed companies, Farmers

Challenges• Capacity strengthening as needed:

we can’t train everybody

• Residue management: Alternative feed sources for livestock

• High expectation from partners

• Many competing activities for NARS time

• Balancing staff time

Lessons Learned Inclusion of stakeholders inputs in the trials is

key to create ownership, guarantee the selection of more appropriate technologies and foster adoption

Close supervision and monitoring of field activities is essential

Termites not only CA problem in the region

Feeding the cattle while starving the soil will eventually starve both!