scholarly journals Targeting resilience and profitability in African smallholder agriculture: Insights from ICRISAT-led research programs

FACETS ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 545-558 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kai Mausch ◽  
Alastair Orr ◽  
B. Paige Miller
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Research Strategy ◽  
Smallholder Agriculture ◽  
Present Program ◽  
Product Lines ◽  
Research Programs ◽  
Success Stories ◽  
Semi Arid ◽  
Separate Product

We reviewed the strategy for Agricultural Research for Development (AR4D) adopted by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). The objective was to examine ICRISAT’s research strategy related to the twin challenges of resilience and profitability in developing technologies aimed at improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in the drylands of Africa. To do this, we examined the expected impact on resilience and profitability of its present program and the realized impact of ICRISAT’s previous research. We argue that the current CGIAR Research Programs led by ICRISAT envisage separate product lines for resilience and profitability, targeted at two groups, i.e., subsistence- and market-oriented smallholders. This approach, expected to make technology more appropriate for farmers’ needs, risks overlooking the interconnectedness of the two targets if they are too rigorously separated. Although our review of ICRISAT’s previous research program suggests that success stories have taken numerous forms—some increasing resilience, others profitability—our review also suggests that it is possible to develop win–win technologies that improve both targets. Finding ways to replicate win–win technologies will require that ICRISAT tests the resulting technologies and their implementation in specific contexts to improve and replace them as the research programs evolve.

scholarly journals FARMER RESEARCH NETWORKS AS A STRATEGY FOR MATCHING DIVERSE OPTIONS AND CONTEXTS IN SMALLHOLDER AGRICULTURE

2016 ◽  
Vol 55 (S1) ◽  
pp. 125-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
REBECCA NELSON ◽  
RICHARD COE ◽  
BETTINA I. G. HAUSSMANN
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Radical Change ◽  
Information And Communications Technology ◽  
Smallholder Agriculture ◽  
Research Networks ◽  
Smallholder Farming ◽  
Development Institutions

SUMMARYThe agricultural research and development institutions in most developing countries are poorly equipped to support the needs of millions of smallholder farmers that depend upon them. The research approaches taken by these systems explicitly or implicitly seek simple, one-size-fits-all solutions for problems and opportunities that are extremely diverse. Radical change is needed to facilitate the agroecological intensification of smallholder farming. We propose that large-scale participatory approaches, combined with innovations in information and communications technology (ICT), could enable the effective matching of diverse options to the wide spectrum of socio-ecological context that characterize smallholder agriculture. We consider the requirements, precedents and issues that might be involved in the development of farmer research networks (FRNs). Substantial institutional innovation will be needed to support FRNs, with shifts in roles and relationships amongst researchers, extension providers and farmers. Where farmers’ organizations have social capital and strong facilitation skills, such alignments may be most feasible. Novel information management capabilities will be required to introduce options and principles, enable characterization of contexts, manage data related to option-by-context interactions and enable farmers to visualize their findings in useful and intelligible ways. FRNs could lead to vastly greater capacity for technical innovation, which could in turn enable greater productivity and resilience, and enhance the quality of rural life.

Indigenous soil and water conservation techniques: effects on runoff, erosion, and crop yields under semi-arid conditions

Soil Research ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 367 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. I. C. Wakindiki ◽  
M. Ben-Hur
Keyword(s):  
Water Conservation ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Soil And Water Conservation ◽  
Water Infiltration ◽  
Control Treatment ◽  
Semi Arid ◽  
Soil And Water

A joint contribution from the Department of Soil Science, Egerton University, PO Box 536, Njoro, Kenya, and the Agricultural Research Organization, the Volcani Center, Israel, No. 603/01, 2001 series. Smallholder farmers in arid and semi-arid regions use indigenous soil and water conservation (ISWC) techniques, such as trash lines and stone lines spaced about 15 m apart across the slope. This work evaluated the effects of size of trash lines and decreasing the space between trash or stone lines to 2 m on runoff, erosion, and corn and cowpea yields. Big trash line (BTL), small trash line (STL), and stone line (SL) techniques, and a control (no ISWC technique) were evaluated in 12 runoff plots (2 by 6 m each) with 10% slope in a semi-arid area in Kenya, during 5 consecutive rainy seasons. The ISWC techniques significantly (P ≤ 0.05) decreased runoff and soil loss, and increased corn and cowpea yields, compared with the control treatment in most of the rainy seasons. The BTL was, in general, the most effective technique; no consistent differences were found between the STL and SL techniques. In BTL, STL, SL, and control, the seasonal average runoff for each treatment was 25, 31, 29, and 51 mm, respectively; the seasonal average soil loss was 0.23, 0.33, 0.3, and 0.67 Mg/ha, respectively; and the seasonal average biomass (grain and stover of corn and cowpea) was 4.8, 4.0, 4.0, and 2.5 Mg/ha, respectively. The seasonal biomass increased linearly and significantly (P ≤ 0.01) with increasing water infiltration. As more water infiltrated, more water was available for crop production, and the yield was higher. trash lines, stone lines, steep land, seal formation.

scholarly journals CLIMATE VARIABILITY AND CHANGE: FARMER PERCEPTIONS AND UNDERSTANDING OF INTRA-SEASONAL VARIABILITY IN RAINFALL AND ASSOCIATED RISK IN SEMI-ARID KENYA

2011 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-291 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. P. C. RAO ◽  
W. G. NDEGWA ◽  
K. KIZITO ◽  
A. OYOO
Keyword(s):  
Climate Variability ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
General Tendency ◽  
Climate Variability And Change ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Probabilistic Nature ◽  
Semi Arid

SUMMARYThis study examines farmers’ perceptions of short- and long-term variability in climate, their ability to discern trends in climate and how the perceived trends converge with actual weather observations in five districts of Eastern Province in Kenya where the climate is semi-arid with high intra- and inter-annual variability in rainfall. Field surveys to elicit farmers’ perceptions about climate variability and change were conducted in Machakos, Makueni, Kitui, Mwingi and Mutomo districts. Long-term rainfall records from five meteorological stations within a 10 km radius from the survey locations were obtained from the Kenya Meteorological Department and were analysed to compare with farmers’ observations. Farmers’ responses indicate that they are well aware of the general climate in their location, its variability, the probabilistic nature of the variability and the impacts of this variability on crop production. However, their ability to synthesize the knowledge they have gained from their observations and discern long-term trends in the probabilistic distribution of seasonal conditions is more subjective, mainly due to the compounding interactions between climate and other factors such as soil fertility, soil water and land use change that determine the climate's overall influence on crop productivity. There is a general tendency among the farmers to give greater weight to negative impacts leading to higher risk perception. In relation to long-term changes in the climate, farmer observations in our study that rainfall patterns are changing corroborated well with reported perceptions from other places across the African continent but were not supported by the observed trends in rainfall data from the five study locations. The main implication of our findings is the need to be aware of and account for the risk during the development and promotion of technologies involving significant investments by smallholder farmers and exercise caution in interpreting farmers’ perceptions about long-term climate variability and change.

Research strategy of the German Agricultural Research Alliance (DAFA) for the development of the organic farming and food sector in Germany

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 225-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrich Hamm ◽  
Anna Maria Häring ◽  
Kurt-Jürgen Hülsbergen ◽  
Folkhard Isermeyer ◽  
Stefan Lange ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Research Strategy ◽  
Food Sector ◽  
Research Alliance

scholarly journals IMPORTANT FACTORS FOR MORE EFFECTIVE LEARNING OF MATHEMATICS

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 139-150
Author(s):  
Aija Cunska
Keyword(s):  
General Education ◽  
Teaching Methods ◽  
Research Strategy ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Effective Learning ◽  
Success Stories ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approaches ◽  
The Media ◽  
Industry Professionals ◽  
Depth Interviews

Mathematics is an important and complex subject, and research in the field of neuroscience shows that 50% of people have a fear of mathematics. However, it is a subject that students will need for the rest of their lives. Educators recognize that every student needs an individual approach, but the teaching methods are still the same for the whole class. The poor results in mathematics also suggest that students' perceptions and interests have changed, and that old teaching methods are no longer as effective as before and that new solutions need to be invented. The aim of the research is to identify important factors that are necessary for more effective learning of mathematics in general education schools. Qualitative research methods were used for the research strategy - in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, surveys of pupils and students, information analysis in the media, pedagogical and business experience, as well as world success stories. As a result of the research, the following have been identified: 1) problems that were identified using the distance learning during the Covid19 pandemic; 2) students' wishes that arouse interest in mathematics; 3) the interests of students, which indicate the need for interdisciplinary approaches; 4) advantages of artificial intelligence (AI) in education. The study points to the necessity for collaboration between educators, industry professionals, entrepreneurs and researchers, and for AI solutions to create deeper, faster and more personalized learning of mathematics in general education schools in the future, increasing the growth of every student.

scholarly journals Sensitivity of Maize Yield in Smallholder Systems to Climate Scenarios in Semi-Arid Regions of West Africa: Accounting for Variability in Farm Management Practices

Agronomy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 639 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bright Freduah ◽  
Dilys MacCarthy ◽  
Myriam Adam ◽  
Mouhamed Ly ◽  
Alex Ruane ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Arid Regions ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Maize Yield ◽  
Climate Scenarios ◽  
Relative Standard ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Semi Arid ◽  
Smallholder Systems

Climate change is estimated to exacerbate existing challenges faced by smallholder farmers in Sub-Sahara Africa. However, limited studies quantify the extent of variation in climate change impact under these systems at the local scale. The Decision Support System for Agro-technological Transfer (DSSAT) was used to quantify variation in climate change impacts on maize yield under current agricultural practices in semi-arid regions of Senegal (Nioro du Rip) and Ghana (Navrongo and Tamale). Multi-benchmark climate models (Mid-Century, 2040–2069 for two Representative Concentration Pathways, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5), and multiple soil and management information from agronomic surveys were used as input for DSSAT. The average impact of climate scenarios on grain yield among farms ranged between −9% and −39% across sites. Substantial variation in climate response exists across farms in the same farming zone with relative standard deviations from 8% to 117% at Nioro du Rip, 13% to 64% in Navrongo and 9% to 37% in Tamale across climate models. Variations in fertilizer application, planting dates and soil types explained the variation in the impact among farms. This study provides insight into the complexities of the impact of climate scenarios on maize yield and the need for better representation of heterogeneous farming systems for optimized outcomes in adaptation and resilience planning in smallholder systems.

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