funder_partner: Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU)

Intercropping

Written by mcallejas on August 28, 2024. Posted in Uncategorized.

The Intercropping project aims to identify options for smallholder farmers to sustainably intensify wide-row crop production through the addition of short-duration, high-value intercrop species and to help farmers increase their productivity, profitability and nutrition security while mitigating against climate change.

The focus is on intensification of wide-row planted crops: dry (rabi) season maize in Bangladesh, eastern India (Bihar and West Bengal states) and Bhutan, and sugarcane in central north India (Uttar Pradesh state). The primary focus is to sustainably improve cropping system productivity, however, the effects of wide-row, additive intercropping at the smallholder farm level will be considered, including potential food and nutrition benefits for the household.

There are many potential benefits of wide-row, additive intercropping, beyond increased cropping system productivity and profitability: water-, labor- and energy-use efficiencies; improved nutrition and food security for rural households; empowerment for women; and (over the longer term) increased soil health.

Little research has been conducted to date into wide-row, additive intercropping (as distinct from traditional replacement intercropping) in South Asian agroecologies. To successfully and sustainably integrate wide-row, additive intercropping into farmers’ cropping systems a range of challenges must be resolved, including optimal agronomic management and crop geometry, household- and farm-scale implications, and potential off-farm bottlenecks.

This project aims to identify practical methods to overcome these challenges for farming households in Bangladesh, Bhutan and India. Focusing on existing wide-row field crop production systems, the project aims to enable farmers to increase their cropping system productivity sustainably and in a manner that requires relatively few additional inputs.

Project activities and expected outcomes:

Evaluating farming households’ initial perspectives on wide-row, additive intercropping.
Conducting on station replicated field trials into wide-row, additive intercropping, focusing on those aspects of agronomic research difficult or unethical to undertake on farms.
Conducting on farm replicated field trials into wide-row, additive intercropping.
Determining how wide-row, additive intercropping could empower women. Quantify the long-term benefits, risks and trade-offs of wide-row, additive intercropping.
Describing key value/supply chains for wide-row, additive intercropping. Determine pathways to scale research to maximize impact.
Quantifying changes in household dry season nutrition for households representative of key typologies in each agroecological zone.

Bridging research and policy: how CIMMYT’s science shapes practice in South Asia

Written by dmedina on August 19, 2024. Posted in Blogs.

Science without policy is just academia; policy without science is just guesswork. Through a blend of robust field research and policy advocacy, CIMMYT aims to bridge the gap between policy and practice in promoting sustainable agricultural practices through crop diversification in South Asia.

Taking Bangladesh as an example, CIMMYT’s work in the country highlights the critical need to link research with policy to achieve sustainable agricultural practices, enhance food security, and improve farmer livelihoods.

The power of research-informed policy

Bangladesh’s agriculture is highly rice-centric; although rational, this is risky and arguably unsustainable. This means there needs to be a focus on crop diversification, which is one of the approaches toward sustainable agriculture that can address socioeconomic and environmental challenges.

Recognizing these challenges, CIMMYT has been at the forefront of developing solutions by conducting extensive multi-location on-site and on-farm trials that consider the socioeconomic and pedoclimatic dimensions of farm households.

Additionally, CIMMYT analyzes historical policies and initiatives that have been implemented by the Bangladeshi government and international partners to promote crop diversification. Several opportunities for improvement were identified in past policies and project implementation; addressing these challenges requires bridging the gap between policies and research to scale up crop diversification efforts.

Through the RUPANTAR and CGIAR Transforming Agrifood Systems in South Asia (TAFSSA) projects, CIMMYT-Bangladesh has developed an analytical tool to understand the political economy of crop diversification policies and practices. When applied to agriculture policy research, this tool can be tailored to any country and policy context in South Asia.

Problem-solving for sustainable farming

Our policy-specific research, such as “Decoding the reality: Crop diversification and policy in Bangladesh”, has identified areas where policy and practical changes can drive significant improvements.

For example, while the government recognizes crop diversification in its agriculture policies starting with the Fifth Five-Year Plan, substantial funding for crop diversification efforts was only recently allocated. Integration of crop diversification into the government’s annual funding systems is essential to mainstream crop diversification in agriculture.

Many crop diversification policies and projects primarily focus on production, neglecting market systems development for new crops. Similarly, research suggests insufficient attention is paid to cold storage and other infrastructure needed to support diversification.

Most initiatives appear to have been project-driven, resulting in short-lived action without long-lasting impact. Insufficient coordination and support from government agencies appears to have affected projects led by both governments and development partners.

Stakeholder engagement spreads awareness

Without translating research into policy, we leave innovation on the shelf. CIMMYT-Bangladesh disseminates research findings to policymakers through the country Priority Investment Plan for the crop sector at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC), and South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) member countries through regional consultation workshops on accelerating the transformation process for sustainable and nutrition-sensitive food systems.

Looking ahead, CIMMYT’s efforts in South Asia remain dedicated to bridging the gap between research and policy. Ongoing projects aim to generate robust evidence, advocate for informed policy decisions, and foster partnerships across sectors. By continuing to lead in this space, CIMMYT strives to contribute to a more resilient agrifood system for South Asia.

Lokesh Chaudhary

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on January 13, 2023. Posted in Uncategorized.

Lokesh Chaudhary is an agronomist with expertise in seed physiology, crop modelling, precision agriculture and GIS GNSS. He is currently learning about drone piloting, data collection and processing.

At CIMMYT, Chaudhary works on resilient climate agriculture, under which technology transfer is done. Expertise in agronomy, seed and machinery is required and used extensively. He supports in the execution of farmers participatory and on-station demonstrations/research trials on climate-resilient agricultural practices, monitors day-to-day field activities (irrigation, fertilizer, herbicide, insecticide, etc.) and conducts data collection of the farmers participatory/research trials.

Researchers, policymakers and other agricultural partners participated in the workshop on fall armyworm. (Photo: Uttam/CIMMYT)

Bangladesh increases efforts to fight fall armyworm

Written by Rodrigo Ordóñez on May 30, 2019. Posted in News.

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and the Bangladesh Wheat and Maize Research Institute (BWMRI), organized a training on fall armyworm on April 25, 2019 at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC). Experts discussed the present outbreak status, progress on strategic research, and effective ways to control this destructive pest.

The event featured Dan McGrath, Entomologist and Professor Emeritus at Oregon State University, and Joseph Huesing, Senior Biotechnology Advisor and Program Area Lead for Advanced Approaches to Combating Pests and Diseases at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Also attending were senior officials from Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU), Department of Agricultural Extension, BARC, BWMRI and CIMMYT.

“Fall armyworm cannot be eradicated. It is endemic and farmers have to learn to manage it,” said Huesing in his overview of the fall armyworm infestation in Africa. He also mentioned that fall armyworm is generally followed by southern armyworm, so Bangladesh will need a strategy for managing multiple pests.

“Fall armyworm cannot be eradicated. It is endemic and farmers have to learn to manage it.”
— Joseph Huesing, USAID

Huesing explained that an effective approach for controlling fall armyworm and other pests is “knowledge, tools and policy.”

According to Huesing, Bangladeshi farmers have adequate knowledge about the pest and how to control it, especially compared to African farmers. The next step is securing the necessary tools to control fall armyworm, like spraying their fields with necessary insecticides by authorized personnel. Huesing emphasized the importance of appropriate policy implementation, particularly to ensure the registration of the right kind of insecticides assigned to effectively control fall armyworm.

Fall armyworm is a fast-reproducing species that can attack crops and cause devastation almost overnight. Even though the level of infestation in Bangladesh is still relatively light, more than 80 varieties of crops have already been attacked in 22 districts within just a few months.

Huesing indicated that safer options included handpicking of the pest, treating seeds, pheromone traps, flood irrigation and crop rotation. Currently, to help farmers learn more about the pest, the Department of Agricultural Extension is distributing factsheets and conducting awareness-raising workshops in different villages.

McGrath focused on the long-term management of fall armyworm and how Bangladesh can learn from the experience of Africa in order to avoid the same errors. McGrath suggested that weather forecasts were an important tool for helping determine when and where outbreaks might occur. Training relevant personnel is also a crucial aspect of reining in this plague. “Training the trainers has to be hands on. We need to put more emphasis on the field than on the classroom,” McGrath said.

This workshop was part of the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA).

Success in mainstreaming CSISA-supported agricultural technologies

Written by on January 3, 2018. Posted in News.

Since 2015, the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) has been working with Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) – agricultural extension centers created by the Indian Council for Agricultural Research – to generate evidence on best management practices for improving cropping system productivity in the Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains.

Lead — Billboard Campaign on early sowing and zero tillage wheat. Photo: CSISA

Technologies and management practices essential to this research include early wheat sowing, zero tillage and the timely transplanting of rice. In response to clear evidence generated through the CSISA–KVK partnership, Bihar Agriculture University (BAU) announced in October 2017 that all KVKs in Bihar would promote early wheat sowing starting November 1. KVKs promoted this intervention by placing notices, which were designed by CSISA, on roadsides.

BAU also directed the KVKs to act as commercial paddy nurseries, supplying healthy rice seedlings in a timely manner to farmers.

Pairing these rice and wheat interventions is designed to optimize system productivity through the on-time rice transplanting of rice during Kharif (monsoon growing season), allowing for the timely seeding of zero-till wheat in Rabi (winter growing season).

Under the CSISA–KVK partnership, KVKs have supported early wheat sowing by introducing local farmers to the practice of sowing zero tillage wheat immediately after rice harvesting.

Evidence has shown that early sowing of wheat increases yields across Bihar and Eastern Uttar Pradesh. KVK scientists have begun to see the importance of breaking the tradition of sowing short duration varieties of wheat late in the season, which exposes the crops to higher temperatures and reduces yields.

Across the annual cropping cycle, monsoon variability threatens the rice phase and terminal heat threatens the wheat phase, with significant potential cumulative effects on system productivity. The combined interventions of early wheat sowing, zero tillage wheat and rice nurseries for timely planting help mitigate the effects of both variable monsoon and high temperatures during the grain-filling stage.

In 2016–17, data collected across seven KVKs (333 sites) indicated that yields declined systematically when wheat was planted after November 10. When planting was done on November 20 — yields declined by 4%, November 30 – 15%, December 10 – 30%, reaching a low when planting was done on December 20 of a 40% reduction in yield.

Rice yields are also reduced significantly if transplanting is delayed beyond July 20. The timing of rice cultivation, therefore, is important in facilitating early sowing in wheat without any yield penalty to rice.

KVKs are working to generate awareness of these important cropping system interventions, as well as others, deep in each district in which they work. CSISA supports their efforts and strives to mainstream sustainable intensification technologies and management practices within a variety of public- and private sector extension systems as capacity building are core to CSISA Phase III’s vision of success.

The Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia project is led by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center with partners the International Rice Research Institute and the International Food Policy Research Institute and funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.