Partnerships for Sustainable Intensification Research in Africa

Mateete Bekunda, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Arusha, Tanzania

Asamoah Larbi, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Tamale, GhanaIrmgard Hoeschle-Zeledon, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan,

NigeriaKindu Mekonnen, International Livestock Research Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

ASA, CSSA, and SSSA Annual MeetingPhoenix, USA, 7 November 2016

Outline The challenge

Addressing the challenge

Research partnerships

Alliances for scaling

Lessons

Yield Gap (SSA – maize): 177% Trade deficit: US $ million 10,057

Global Cereals production(tonnes, average 2010-2013). FAO,

2015.

Causes of Yield Gaps• Agro-ecological, e.g. climate

variability; land degradation

• Institutional, e.g. poor policies and investments

• Un-informed management at household level (Classification trees identify & prioritise determinants of yield gaps on farms fields)

FtF: Global hunger is solvable

Africa Research in Sustainable Intensification for the Next Generation (Africa RISING) Program was created to facilitate this process with smallholder farm households in sub-Saharan Africa.

Requires innovative partnerships:(i) within the research community (multidiscipline integration) for developing

context specific technological solutions, and(ii) with the private sector and civil society for taking these solutions to scale.

Catching up to yield potential is possible if more farmers can access and efficiently utilize the available and new knowledge and technological innovations that address intensification of farming in a sustainable manner.

Present location of Africa RISING action sites

Partnership within research community

Manure

Food-feed crops

Livestock

Forages, trees

FeedDraft Soil nutrients

• Fertilizers• Seeds• Pesticides• Feeds• Vaccines• Infrastructure• Equipment• Labor• Services• etc.

• Grains

• Other crop

products

• Milk

• Meat

• Animals

• etc.

EfficientThroughput

Improved Inputs

IncreasedOutputs

…to generate multi-discipline sustainable intensification innovations for households

Cross-cutting: markets, institutions, gender, policy, etc.Adapted from Fernandez-Rivera, 2014

Approach I

Courting Research PartnersStatus:

• 240 scientists (not at same time)• From 47 research institutions• Meet annually at program and

project levels (reporting & planning)

• Meet more frequently at site level (implementation)

• Are members of R4D platforms that offer co-learning opportunities

Rule of thumb:

• Attract expertise and experience

• Integrate ideas and activities

• Empower individuals, teams and organizations to change for the better

Ghana: Functional partnerships begin implementing activities as teams during community analyses to identify research issues

followed by implementation of trials together.

Examples

Livestock and soils research partnership: Tanzania

Mean water productivity trends among forage grass- forage legume combinations (pasture -CC suitability). Kizito et al., 2016.

During the annual planning meetings, partners generate influence diagrams and prioritise entry points.Photo credit: G. Ndibalema

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500Feed (ton/ha) Grain (ton/ha)

Faba bean plot management

Yiel

d (to

n of

dry

mat

ter/h

a)

Inco

me

(USD

/ha)

Grain and feed biomass yields, and economic gains associated with different management approaches

Testing intercropping for:• Least diminished grain

yield but with improved feed biomass production.

Income benefits.

Ethiopia: Sustainable intensification for small-scale faba bean/forage production systems

Partnership with development actors

…co-investment with willing and able public and private actors for wider uptake and adoption of

research products, and generation of impact at scale

Approach II

Research Partners:Conductfarmer-driven research

Africa RISING

(1000s of farmers)

(10,000s – 100,000s of farmers)

Public sector: • Extension Program

Areas• School programs• Media

Private Sector•Inputs (e.g., seed companies)•Markets (e.g., export companies)

•Media

USAID Development projects

Alliance for scaling

Tanzania: Impact of research (AR) partnering with development (NAFAKA) on number of households using

Africa RISING technologies

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 20170

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

112 354 620 1304

16164

53500

No.

of h

ouse

hold

usin

g AR

inno

-va

tions

AR AR + NAFAKA

Examples

Ethiopian highlands: Scaling through partnership with government institutions

Endamehoni Woreda Office of Agriculture and GRAD introduced 45 feed troughs, 20 feed shade and 42 DLS technologies to 25 kebeles within and outside Africa RISING sites

Sinana Woreda Office of Agriculture and GRAD (NGO) facilitated purchase and distribution of 10.1 tons of Africa RISING improved seeds of durum wheat and 33.5 tons of potato to more than 240 farmers

Maize-nitrogen fertilizer

Maize-legume strip cropping

Cowpea spraying regime

Maize-vegetable intercropping

Maize-legume crop rotation

Integrated soil fertility -soybean

0 200 400 600 800

FemaleMaleTotal

Non-participating farmers using technology -

Ghana: The leadership of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in organizing and hosting Farmer Field Days on research fields has raised the number of technology users to more than 3000.

Lessons1. The challenge of filling the yield gap is a multi-institutional

task2. It is important to identify the right partners (people within an

institution, rather than the institution itself) with appropriate commitment

3. Partnerships evolve over time and become stronger with better common understanding of the joint goals

4. In well functioning partnerships, individual interests become secondary. However, recognition of individuals’ unique “value-add” is important.

5. Partnerships are not meant to last for ever, they end when a certain goal is achieved, or if they become dysfunctional

6. Sustaining partnerships depends financial investmentThank you

Africa Research in Sustainable Intensification for the Next Generation

africa-rising.net

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