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Sustainability of rice production in the Northwestern Indo-Gangetic Plains

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in Publications.

Rice is a vital crop for India, contributing around 30 percent of calories consumed in the country and providing a crucial source of income from exports. However, due to climate change and conversion of land for other uses, rice growing area in India is projected to decline by 6-7 million hectares (ha) by 2050, while production must increase by 1.1% annually over the next four decades to achieve rice self-sufficiency for the country.

As there is limited opportunity to horizontal expansion of cultivable land, the predicted increase in demand must be met through increasing rice yields in regions with low yields and maintaining existing yields in high-yielding areas. This must be achieved using sustainable farming practices: currently, 90 percent of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of monsoon season cropped cereals in India is caused by rice cultivation, as is 80 percent of the energy and water used in agriculture.

Scientists found that in the Northwestern Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) of India, yield gaps were small (ca. 2.7 t ha−1, or 20% of potential yield) mainly because of intensive production system with high input use. Using management data from 4,107 individual farmer fields, the study highlighted scope to reduce nitrogen (N) inputs without compromising yields in this intensive production system.

Findings show evidence of and methodology for the quantification of yield gaps and approaches that can improve resource-use efficiency, providing a possible alternative approach that could be reproduced elsewhere for other crops and contexts. It is recommended that future research focuses on ways to reduce other production inputs without compromising the yields in such intensive production systems.

This paper is the result of Harishankar Nayak’s PhD training in collaboration with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) jointly supervised by the researchers at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) and International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT).

Read the study: Rice yield gaps and nitrogen-use efficiency in the Northwestern Indo-Gangetic Plains of India: Evidence based insights from heterogeneous farmers’ practices

Cover photo: A farmer stands in his rice field at a Climate-Smart Village in the Vaishali district of Bihar, India, as part of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS). (Photo: DK Singh/CIMMYT)

Smallholder farmers embrace climate-smart seed and mechanization fairs

Written by Tawanda Hove on . Posted in News.

Farmers pose with the drought-tolerant seed of their choice at a seed fair in Masvingo district, Zimbabwe. (Photo: Tawanda Hove/CIMMYT)

The long-term climate outlook for sub-Saharan Africa predicts more erratic rainfalls and higher temperatures. For this reason, the rapid uptake of measures to adapt to climate change within seed systems is of paramount importance. In Zimbabwe, the adoption of “climate-smart seed varieties”, environmentally-sustainable and scale-appropriate mechanization is critical to reaching zero hunger in the face of climate change. Farmers in Zimbabwe’s Masvingo district appear to have embraced this goal. More than 1,000 farmers participated in recent R4/Zambuko climate smart seed and mechanization fairs held in the region on October 11 and 12, respectively.

The fairs were organized by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in partnership with Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development. Financial support was provided by the United States Agency of International Development (USAID), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the World Food Programme (WFP). With the onset of the 2022/2023 cropping season, the new OneCGIAR Ukama Ustawi initiative will build upon this work to reach thousands more farmers in the area.

One highlight of the fairs was a strong focus on smallholder mechanization, which saw Zimbabwean and international mechanization companies displaying their products. Each demonstrated two-wheel tractors and a range of attachments, from trailers to crop production and harvesting implements. In the words of the District Development Coordinator (DDC) Kenneth Madziva, “It’s important that farmers own machinery that is appropriate to their context as we now need to move into an era of high productivity and efficient post-harvest processing. We also see some of the machinery on display quite relevant for conservation agriculture practices which aligns with the government’s Pfumvudza program.” Mechanizing the manual basin planting system in Pfumvudza to ripline seeding will dramatically reduce the farm labor usually needed to dig the basins while maintaining the key principles of conservation agriculture: no-tillage, crop residue retention and crop diversification.

According to Madziva, “Such initiatives from partners are very welcome, as rural livelihoods are predominantly agriculturally based. There is need to rapidly transition our farmers from a donor dependence to self-sufficiency, hence I am impressed with the number of farmers I have seen buy seed with their own hard-earned money.” The fairs generally strive to achieve two goals: first, ensuring that farmers are well-informed about climate adapted varieties able to withstand climate challenges such as in-season dry-spells and/or heat stress, and, second, that they buy the improved seed directly from private sector partners.

Farmers observe a two-wheel tractor engine being used to power a maize sheller. (Photo: Tawanda Hove/CIMMYT)

It is hoped that increasing famers’ exposure to scale-appropriate mechanization will translate into increased purchases of the equipment and a move away from the drudgery of both draft or manual production and processing systems. Robin Vikström, the donor representative from WFP also stated that it is high time for smallholder farmer systems be intensified, and mechanization is one of the essential triggers of intensification.

Vikström, speaking on the significance of the events said, “Such initiatives are part of a broader national resilience building strategy where our intention is to enable smallholder farmers to deal with climate shocks and stresses through capacity development trainings, diversified crop production systems, effective and well-governed Income Savings and Lending groups (ISALS) and improved livestock. This is a step forward from our tradition of distributing food, which is still necessary in certain contexts, but has to be progressed to self-reliance. The seed and mechanization fairs facilitate stronger interactions between the farmers and the private sector and furthermore the procurement of the right seed and mechanization for their ecological region. More interaction translates to better product development and increased sales which is a win-win for all stakeholders concerned. This is a major step towards sustainable achievement of food and nutrition security.”

Concerning the long-term plan of the intervention, Vikström added, “The initiative is currently set to run until 2025 with plans already underway to expand to more wards and districts as the development strategy is proving to be yielding significant results.” The seed fairs resulted in the sale of approximately 1.9 metric tons of improved white and orange maize seed, generating over $6,000 in revenue for participating private sector vendors.

Christian Thierfelder, Principal Cropping Systems Agronomist at CIMMYT and Principal Investigator for the program said, “As we expanded this year to different wards, our objective was to first create an educational platform for farmers where farmers could learn more about the various stress-tolerant seed varieties with improved genetics available from the private sector. Secondly, we wanted to create a selling platform for the private sector where various companies could have their products made much more easily accessible to the smallholder farmers. I am happy that the private sector talked about conservation agriculture, which is an important new narrative. Farmers need to grow the right seed in a good agronomic environment for the crop to succeed.”

Although this crop season’s outlook is yet to be officially communicated to farmers, there is high anticipation for a bumper harvest through improved varieties and efficient, mechanized operations and farmers were eager to buy the right seed to reap the benefits of science in their own homestead.

Public-private collaboration to improve fertilizer supply

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in News.

Basanta Shrestha, Vice-Chair of FAN, shares the objectives of the public-private dialogue with Govinda Prasad Sharma, Secretary of MoALD (seated left) ,Mrigendra Kumar Singh Yadav, Honorable Minister of MoALD (seated center), Chandrakanta Dallakoti, Chairperson of FAN (seated right), and other participants. (Photo: Aayush Niroula/CIMMYT)

Fertilizer supply shortages are a chronic problem in Nepal, where thousands of farmers are often unable to access the required quantities on time. This is particularly common during the cultivation of rice — the major staple food crop for the country.

Some of the critical challenges to meeting fertilizer demand include limitations to import mechanisms and budget allocation for fertilizer subsidies by the Government of Nepal. Additionally, the successive COVID-19-induced lockdowns and Russia-Ukraine war have further deepened the crisis in the past two years by significantly delaying imports and increasing fertilizer prices. This continuous gap in supply has compelled farmers to buy fertilizers from the country’s unofficial or “gray” markets.

To address these shortcomings, researchers on the Nepal Seed and Fertilizer (NSAF) project, implemented by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), have been supporting the Fertilizer Association of Nepal (FAN) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MOALD) to resolve policy issues that will enhance fertilizer distribution efficiency.

Fertilizer sector stakeholders participate in a panel discussion at the public-private dialogue. (Photo: Aayush Niroula/CIMMYT)

On 23 September 2022, the NSAF project team joined representatives from the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) and FAN to organize a policy dialogue around improving the country’s fertilizer supply system. Held in Kathmandu, the event brought together concerned public and private sector stakeholders to discuss existing challenges and propose different policy alternatives that ensure the timely availability of fertilizers in the required quantities.

Representatives from FAN presented the key issues and challenges in the sector while NSAF project coordinator Dyutiman Choudhary presented the findings of different fertilizer policy studies conducted jointly with local partners. The results showed that involving the private sector in distribution improved farmers’ access to fertilizers compared to distribution carried out solely by cooperatives. The study also indicated a potential to reduce fertilizer subsidies and increase import volume to help meet demand.

Lynn Schneider, Deputy Director of USAID Economic Growth Office shares her remarks at the policy dialogue. (Photo: Dyutiman Choudhary/CIMMYT)

Improving national supply systems

The event featured a panel discussion, where participants shared their experiences and outlined the issues faced by private sector importers, logistic service providers and retailers, and policymakers from federal and provincial governments while engaging in their respective functions. The panel members also suggested a number of different ways to improve national fertilizer supply systems, such as:

  1. Restructuring fertilizer subsidy programs, i.e. reducing the current subsidy by 20-30% (a recommendation from the NSAF assessment) and using budget savings to increase imports and allocate subsidies based on fertilizer demand.
  2. Making a procurement process timeline to ensure timely fertilizer supply for three major crops — rice, wheat, and maize — and importing about 30% of the total fertilizer through Government-to-Government (G2G) agreement.
  3. Implementing a crisis management strategy by maintaining buffer stocks (20% of the demand).
  4. Ensuring a level playing field for the private sector in the import and distribution of the fertilizers.

The dialogue concluded with mutual agreement by stakeholders from the public and private sectors to improve local fertilizer distribution through private sector engagement. They agreed to revise some clauses specified in the Nepal Fertilizer Distribution Directive 2020 related to profit margins, volumes, classification of fertilizer distributors and selling fertilizers. Govinda Prasad Sharma, secretary of MOALD, informed attendees that the ministry has already started planning fertilizer procurement based on actual demand and gave assurances about G2G agreements with neighboring countries such as India to bring in fertilizers for distribution during times of peak demand. Sharma also agreed to continue supporting the private sector in capacity building to import fertilizers and to revise subsidies to make more fertilizers available.

“It is our great pleasure to see all fertilizer-related stakeholders in a common platform, which is critical to bring out key issues and cooperation between the public and private sector,” said Lynn Schneider, deputy director of the Economic Growth Office at USAID Nepal. Schneider also emphasized the importance of generating efficiency in estimating fertilizer demand and supply and fertilizer types by using Nepal’s digital soil map, working in close coordination with provincial and local governments, and increasing the role of the private sector to ensure fertilizer supply to meet crop requirements in the peak season.

Attendees at the Public Private Dialogue on Improving Fertilizer Supply System in Nepal (Photo: Aayush Niroula/CIMMYT)

The Nepal Seed and Fertilizer project is supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and is a flagship project in Nepal. It aims to build competitive and synergistic seed and fertilizer systems for inclusive and sustainable growth in agricultural productivity, business development and income generation in Nepal.

Participatory action research identifies solutions for improved seed storage in Bangladesh

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in Publications.

Traditional and alternative seed storage methods have been compared in a participatory household trial co-designed by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and smallholder farmers in Bangladesh, demonstrating how farmers can be involved in agricultural research.

In the summer monsoon season preceding planting in the winter, farmers typically use low-density polyethylene (LDPE) bags contained within woven polypropylene bags to store their wheat seed. Seed quality typically deteriorates over the monsoon as a result of increased seed moisture and pests that are associated with high humidity and temperature.

After initially being consulted by survey and detailed focus group interactions on the design of the trial, 80 wheat farming households participated in a 30-week action research process by conducting trials to compare seed storage methods. This included comparing hermetic SuperGrainbags® (Premium RZ) against LDPE bags, both with and without the addition of dried neem tree leaves (Azadirachta indica), the latter representing a common method used by farmers in Bangladesh to improved stored seed.

Results of the trials demonstrated that seed germination and seedling coleoptile length were greater, and that seed moisture was maintained at levels close to before storage in SuperGrainbags® compared to LDPE bags. The use of neem however had no effect on these factors.

Furthermore, hermetic bags were more effective in lessening seed damage caused during the storage process, but neem slightly reduced damage rates for seeds stored using traditional methods compared to SuperGrainbags®.

In relation to diseases and pests, SuperGrainbags® suppressed Coleopteran pests and blackspot, while storing neem alongside the seeds in LDPE bags had a slight additional pest suppressive effect.

Scoring by both men and women farmers revealed their preference for SuperGrainbags® hermetic storage. The study recommends actions for value chain development to increase farmers’ access to improved hermetic storage options at low cost.

Read the study: Performance of a hermetic device and neem (Azadirachta indica) in storing wheat seed: Evidence from participatory household trials in central Bangladesh

Cover photo: A female farmer in a field of wheat in Bangladesh, where participatory research is helping farmers adapt to better ways of storing seeds. (Photo: Ranak Martin/CIMMYT)

CIMMYT leads innovation sprint to deliver results to farmers rapidly

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in Features.

Smallholder farmers, the backbone of food systems around the world, are already facing negative impacts because of climate change. Time to adapt climate mitigation strategies is not a luxury they have. With that in mind, the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM4C) facilitates innovation sprints designed to leverage existing development activities to create a series of innovations in an expedited timeframe.

At the UN COP27 in Egypt, AIM4C announced its newest round of innovation sprints, including one led by the International Center for Maize and Wheat Improvement (CIMMYT) to enable smallholder farmers to achieve efficient and effective nitrogen fertilizer management. From 2022 to 2025, this sprint will steer US $90 million towards empowering small-scale producers in Africa (Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe), Asia (China, India, Laos and Pakistan), and Latin America (Guatemala and Mexico).

“When we talk to farmers, they tell us they want validated farming practices tailored to their specific conditions to achieve greater productivity and increase their climate resilience,” said Sieg Snapp, CIMMYT Sustainable Agrifood Systems (SAS) program director who is coordinating the sprint. “This sprint will help deliver those things rapidly by focusing on bolstering organic carbon in soil and lowering nitrous oxide emissions.”

Nitrogen in China

Working with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), the sprint will facilitate the development of improved versions of green manure crops, which are grown specifically for building and maintaining soil fertility and structures which are incorporated back into the soil, either directly, or after removal and composting. Green manure can significantly reduce the use of nitrogen-based fertilizers, which prime climate culprits.

“There are already green manure systems in place in China,” said Weidong Cao from CAAS, “but our efforts will integrate all the work being done to establish a framework for developing new green manure crops aid in their deployment across China.”

Triple wins in Kenya

The Kenya Climate Smart Climate Project, active since 2017, is increasing agricultural productivity and building resilience to climate change risks in the targeted smallholder farming and pastoral communities. The innovation sprint will help rapidly achieve three wins in technology development and dissemination, cutting-edge innovations, and developing sets of management practices all designed to increase productive, adaption of climate smart tech and methods, and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Agricultural innovations in Pakistan

The Agricultural Innovation Program (AIP), a multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral project funded by USAID, led by CIMMYT, and active in Pakistan since 2015, fosters the emergence of a dynamic, responsive, and competitive system of science and innovation that is ‘owned’ by Pakistan and catalyzes equitable growth in agricultural production, productivity, and value.

“From its beginning, AIP has been dedicated to building partnerships with local organizations and, smallholder farmers throughout Pakistan, which is very much in line with the objectives and goal as envisioned by Pakistan Vision 2025 and the Vision for Agriculture 2030, as Pakistan is a priority country for CIMMYT. However, a concerted effort is required from various players representing public and private sectors,” said Thakur Prasad Tiwari, senior scientist at CIMMYT. “Using that existing framework to deliver rapid climate smart innovations, the innovation sprint is well-situated to react to the needs of Pakistani farmers. “

Policies and partnerships for innovations in soil fertility management in Nepal

The Nepal Seed and Fertilizer (NSAF) project, funded by USAID and implemented by CIMMYT, facilitates sustainable increases in Nepal’s national crop productivity, farmer income, and household-level food and nutrition security. NSAF promotes the use of improved seeds and integrated soil fertility management technologies along with effective extension, including the use of digital and information and communications technologies. The project facilitated the National Soil Science Research Centre (NSSRC) to develop new domain specific fertilizer recommendations for rice, maize, and wheat to replace the 40 years old blanket recommendations.

Under NSAFs leadership, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MOALD) launched Asia’s first digital soil map and has coordinated governmental efforts to collect and analyze soil data to update the soil map and provide soil health cards to Nepal’s farmers. The project provides training to over 2000 farmers per year to apply ISFM principles and provides evidence to the MOALD to initiate a balanced soil fertility management program in Nepal and to revise the national fertilizer subsidy policy to promote balanced fertilizers. The project will also build efficient soil fertility management systems that significantly increase crop productivity and the marketing and distribution of climate smart and alternative fertilizer products and application methods.

Public-private partnerships accelerate access to innovations in South Asia

The Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA), established in 2009, has reached more than 8 million farmers by conducting applied research and bridging public and private sector divides in the context of rural ‘innovation hubs’ in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal. CSISA’s work has enabled farmers to adopt resource-conserving and climate-resilient technologies and improve their access to market information and enterprise development.

“Farmers in South Asia have become familiar with the value addition that participating in applied research can bring to innovations in their production systems,” said Timothy Krupnik, CIMMYT systems agronomist and senior scientist. “Moreover, CSISA’s work to address gaps between national and extension policies and practices as they pertain to integrated soil fertility management in the context of intensive cropping systems in South Asia has helped to accelerate farmers’ access to productivity-enhancing innovations.”

CSISA also emphasizes support for women farmers by improving their access and exposure to improved technological innovations, knowledge, and entrepreneurial skills.

Sustainable agriculture in Zambia

The Sustainable Intensification of Smallholder Farming systems in Zambia (SIFAZ) is a research project jointly implemented by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Zambia’s Ministry of Agriculture and CIMMYT designed to facilitate scaling-up of sustainable and climate smart crop production and land management practices within the three agro-ecological zones of Zambia. “The Innovation Sprint can take advantage of existing SIFAZ partnerships, especially with Zambia’s Ministry of Agriculture,” said Christian Thierfelder, CIMMYT scientist. “Already having governmental buy-in will enable quick development and dissemination of new sustainable intensification practices to increase productivity and profitability, enhance human and social benefits while reducing negative impacts on the environment.”

Cover photo: Paul Musembi Katiku, a field worker based in Kiboko, Kenya, weighs maize cobs harvested from a low nitrogen trial. (Florence Sipalla/CIMMYT)

SP Poonia

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in Uncategorized.

SP Poonia is a Lead Researcher with CIMMYT’s Global Wheat Program and Sustainable Agrifood Systems (SAS) program in India.

Through his work, he aims to feed nutritionally rich and safe food globally through best collective efforts for enhancing farming systems’ productivity with efficient resource use and the adoption of conservation agriculture-based preferred technologies at grassroot level.

Two-wheel tractors transform smallholder farming communities in Masvingo

Written by Tawanda Hove on . Posted in News.

Women’s representative test drives a two-wheel tractor at a seed fair, Zimbabwe. (Photo: Tawanda Hove/CIMMYT)

The two-wheel tractor has been a life changer for Ranganai Muzorori.

At a recent seed and mechanization fair in Zimbabwe, the maize farmer, who purchased the tractor on a lease-to-own basis, said he now enjoys bigger earnings.

Not only has he realized a significant change in his income due to the tractor, he no longer has to struggle to shell maize because he now has access to a machine that strips the corn off the cob.

In a day I can shell about 10 tons, which is helpful for saving precious time, Muzorori said.

Land preparation is also less arduous. “We no longer rely on animal draft power or our own manual labor, but the tractor,” he added.

Due to the versatility of the tractor, which has multiple attachments depending on the task that needs to be done, he has also secured a formal annual contract with Great Zimbabwe Hotel in the southeastern city of Masvingo. He attaches a trailer to the tractor to collect garbage and transport it to the dump, diversifying his income beyond conventional on-farm earnings.

Before the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), in partnership with Zimbabwe’s government extension arm Agritex (Department of Agricultural, Technical and Extension Services), introduced low-cost tractors and small engine-operated farm machinery, such innovations were just a dream for many farmers in Zimbabwe who could not afford to pay $30,000 USD.

“We need to move with the times, the days of relying on either draft power or manual labor should be a thing of the past,” said Caleb Mnkandla, an Agritex supervisor. “With more exposure forums for farmers like this, we can accelerate the adoption of mechanized agriculture even at a smallholder farmer level.”

Improved mechanized tools are also now available to smallholder farmers.

Increased efficiency lightens load

A recent surge of January and tickborne diseases, which affect livestock, added to difficulties faced by many communal farmers due to draft-power shortages during land preparation and planting seasons.

This has translated to reduced yields for many farmers as the timing and efficiency of land preparation and planting has a direct impact on crop yields.

Other farmers in Masvingo are also seeing the transformative capabilities of such mechanization, as reflected in testimonials during the R4 Rural Resilience and ZAMBUKO seed and mechanization fair held in October.

The project – funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), and the World Food Programme (WFP) – is intended to reduce the arduous manual labor associated with the use of hand operated ploughs and tools.

“Smallholder production systems in Africa have been heavily comprised of intense drudgery which makes farming less attractive for youth and difficult for women,” said Abdul Matin, a lead scientist with CIMMYT.  “The new mechanization technologies we are bringing in are meant to reduce drudgery and cost, and add increased efficiencies to smallholder farmer operations.”

Private sector partners demonstrate the multi-functionality of two-wheel tractors. (Photo: Tawanda Hove/CIMMYT)

Greater accessibility through financing

In a joint collaboration, Agritex and CIMMYT provide an innovative financial scheme under which service providers pay a commitment fee of $500 USD to access the machinery. They then receive a grace period of four months and pay instalments of $100 USD a month for 20 months. The project covers half of the machinery cost as risk sharing.

So far, there are 34 service providers participating in Masvingo, offering mechanization services to smallholder farming communities for a fee. The project is a scalable pilot for the rest of the country.

The service provider model puts the focus on the asset owners, who not only enjoy the benefits of the mechanization, but also offer services to surrounding farming communities which causes exponential impact, Matin said.

The package of services farmers have been accessing include tillage, transportation, shelling and threshing services.

Tractors can be used for transportation year round, providing steady income for service providers.

The fair provides a platform to demonstrate and showcase the impact of the new technology to farmers, said Pamela Chirwa, project coordinator for CIMMYT’s Global Maize Program in the Southern Africa Regional Office located in Zimbabwe, who coordinated the event.

“We need to continuously expose farmers to other farmers who have moved on to mechanized production,” she said. “Such farmer-to-farmer extension makes it easier for others to adopt technology as they relate to each other better.”

“Adopting improved maize seed varieties alongside two-wheel tractors and other machinery will also improve capacity and potential earnings,” said Christian Thierfelder, a principal scientist with CIMMYT, addressing farmers in Masvingo, emphasizing that for conservation agriculture, mechanized equipment is a labor-saving technology.

Southern Africa Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative (AID-I) Rapid Delivery Hub

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in Uncategorized.

The Southern Africa Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative (AID-I) Rapid Delivery Hub is one of the ways in which Feed the Future, the U.S. government’s global food security and hunger initiative led by USAID, is taking immediate action to help cushion the blow of high fuel and fertilizer prices on farmers. It’s a two-year rapid response effort that connects farmers to innovative tools and information they need to manage the high costs and input supply disruptions over the next several cropping seasons.

AID-I provides targeted assistance to up to three million African smallholder farmers by improving soil health and fertilizer management; strengthening local seed systems; connecting farmers to financial products and services; and delivering extension and advisory services. AID-I Delivery Hubs focus on areas where the need and potential is greatest: Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia.

The Southern Africa Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative (AID-I) Rapid Delivery Hub is establishing agile, networked rural innovation hubs to enhance the adaptation of technology, co-ownership, and sustainable inputs and outputs for value chains development. The project is fostering diversification through the scaling of productive and resilient agronomic practices and seed systems for cereals, legumes, vegetables and feed/fodder products, and strengthens rural-urban linkages to enable national capacity for cross-network management.

It is being implemented in close consultation with One CGIAR programs and integrates both CGIAR and non-CGIAR innovation partners to support scaling by last-mile delivery partners.

This work contributes to six of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

  1. Zero Hunger
  2. Good Health and Well-Being for People
  3. Gender Equality
  4. Decent Work and Economic Growth
  5. Responsible Consumption and Production
  6. Climate Action.

What are the project’s primary objectives?

  • Improve soil health and fertilizer management to grow more, more profitably and with less waste.
  • Strengthen local seed systems so agribusinesses can reach smallholder farmer customers with a diversity of crop seeds, including climate-resilient and more nutritious varieties.
  • Connect to financial products and services designed to overcome the unique needs smallholder farmers and small and medium agribusinesses face; and,
  • Deliver extension and advisory services on good agricultural practices, soil and water management practices, and post-harvest storage solutions so smallholder farmers and small and medium agribusiness owners are more productive and keep more of what they grow.

Video 

Deputy Assistant Administrator, USAID Resilience Environment and Food Security Bureau, Ann Vaughan, visits an AID-I demonstration plot of drought-tolerant maize varieties in Zambia.

Reports

Buffering the effects of extreme drought in Zambia: New crops and Advisories are helping farmers

Sustainable Agrifood Systems Approach for Sudan (SASAS)

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Sustainable Agrifood Systems Approach for Sudan (SASAS) takes a modular and multi-crop approach, implementing an integrated agrifood system that supports food security, employment, and equity. The project focuses on soil fertility management integrated with agrifood systems based on smallholder farmer productivity gains, leveraging both One CGIAR and non-CGIAR innovation partners to support scaling on the ground by last-mile partners.

SASAS moves beyond humanitarian response and resilience to inclusive agriculture-led economic growth and enables landless and under resourced people to participate in functional and gender-sensitive high-production value chains.

This work contributes to six of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Zero Hunger; Good Health and Well-Being for People; Gender Equality; Decent Work and Economic Growth; Responsible Consumption and Production; and Climate Action.

SASAS Feature Film 

Technical Overview: Interventions and Food Security Initiative

Abdelrahman Kheir, chief of party for SASAS, highlights the project’s rapid deployment of agricultural technologies across Sudan.

Imtithal Ali Atta Allah from the El-Harram Cooperative

Ali Atta Allah, a farmer, talks about her recent financial gains from selling vegetables cultivated with SASAS-provided seeds.

Aziza Haroun from the El-Harram Cooperative

Aziza Haroun shares her story working with Mercy Corps and SASAS who have provided her with improved seed, doubling her crop yields compared to previous years.

Zambia officials promote sustainable maize cropping practices for small-scale farmers

Written by Mike Listman on . Posted in Features.

For the first time in Zambia, a special Ministry of Agriculture committee has endorsed innovative sustainable intensification practices to diversify maize-based farming systems and boost the food and nutritional security of millions of small farm households, while enriching depleted soils.

Zambia’s recently formed “National Advisory Committee for the Approval/Validation of Candidate Technologies or Agronomic Practices” approved in September the release to farmers of three new systems for better yields and soil maintenance: growing maize between “hedge-rows” of legume trees; or in rows side-by-side with grain legumes as strip crops; or on permanent, raised soil beds or ridges.

Legume trees and grain legumes enhance soil nitrogen and organic matter content, and legume grains themselves are a valuable, alternative food, rich in protein for rural households. Raised soil beds and ridges can keep soils oxygenated and productive when heavy rainfall floods the fields, as can often occur in northern and northwestern Zambia.

All three systems can be bundled with conservation agriculture approaches, which are based on the principles of minimum soil disturbance, keeping crop residues on the soil, and growing a more diverse selection of crops.

The improved maize cropping methods are a research outcome of the Sustainable Intensification of Smallholder Farming Systems in Zambia (SIFAZ) project, a partnership involving the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, Zambia’s Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), with funding from the European Union (EU) and building in part on other results in Africa, including the Feed the Future-Africa Research in Sustainable Development for the Next Generation (Africa RISING) initiative.

“The official clearing of these transformative cropping technologies is a huge milestone for the project and for Zambia’s resource-poor farmers,” said Christian Thierfelder, CIMMYT principal cropping systems agronomist based in southern Africa who, as part of SIFAZ, is testing and disseminating maize cropping practices that boost harvests, enrich soils, and capture and conserve moisture. “We’re working closely with Zambia’s MoA and the FAO, planning research trials, demonstrations and promotion to reach 20,000 farmers as a first step.”

An essential crop

Maize is the number-one food staple in sub-Saharan Africa, sown by some 300 million smallholder farmers using seasonal rains. A leading crop as well for Zambia’s small-scale, subsistence, and often impoverished farmers, maize grows poorly in extreme heat, infertile soils, and extended dry weather. Failed maize crops can bring hunger to smallholders and their families, for whom risks are high and formal safety nets are non-existent.

The EU recently announced that it will provide an additional EUR 20 million in funding for SIFAZ, now three years old and operating in five provinces and 27 districts of Zambia.

The cropping practices submitted to the National Advisory Committee by Thierfelder and his colleagues conform to a sustainable intensification assessment framework developed by the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Sustainable Intensification of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and Kansas State University.

“The framework provides a set of indicators for evaluating technologies according to their effects on productivity, economics, the environment, and social and human conditions — domains considered essential for sustainable agriculture systems,” Thierfelder explained. “The framework is well suited for smallholder farm settings, where agriculture is linked to development goals such as alleviating poverty, avoiding land degradation, increasing food and nutrition security, and supporting women’s empowerment.”

Cover photo: Jane Miti, a Zambia extension methodology officer, is testing intercropped strips of maize and soybean at Nyanje, Sinda District, to improve her soils and yields. (Photo: Christian Thierfelder/CIMMYT)

FFAR’s food security webinar at COP27 highlights need for genebank collection diversity research

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in Press releases.

Shelves filled with maize seed samples make up the maize active collection in the Wellhausen-Anderson Plant Genetic Resources Center at CIMMYT’s El Batán headquarters, Mexico. (Photo: Xochiquetzal Fonseca/CIMMYT)

As part of the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate) Roadshow at the 27th annual UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP27), the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) and its partners are hosting a webinar on November 11, 2022 to highlight the Fast Tracking Climate Solutions from CGIAR Genebank Collections program and the importance of crop improvement research for building climate resilient supply chains.

Fast Tracking Climate Solutions from CGIAR Genebank Collections is expanding CGIAR’s and other organizations’ crop improvement research. This initiative is key to developing new crop varieties adapted to the stresses of climate change, including disruptions caused by drought, heat and flooding. Through this ambitious research program, scientists have already developed critical traits using the genebanks, strengthening the identification of high-value genetic diversity from germplasm collections and more efficiently leveraging this diversity to develop new varieties of climate-resilient crops.

Join virtually to learn more about this program’s pioneering research, the value of collaboration in this research and opportunities to engage further.

WHEN: November 11, 2022, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. EST

WHO: Jeffrey Rosichan, FFAR (moderator)

Bram Govaerts, director general a.i. (secretary general and CEO), the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), CGIAR

Éliane Ubalijoro, member of the Global Diversity Crop Trust executive board, Global Crop Diversity Trust

Gary Atlin, senior program officer in the agricultural development initiative, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Sarah Hearne, principal scientist, CIMMYT, CGIAR

RSVP: Please register for the webinar to receive call-in information. This event is free and open to the public.

AIM for Climate is a joint initiative by the United States and United Arab Emirates seeking to address climate change and global hunger. The initiative brings together partners to increase investment in climate-smart agriculture and food systems innovation. Specifically, AIM for Climate is advancing research through Innovation Sprints. As an AIM for Climate Knowledge Partner and an Innovation Sprint Partner, FFAR has two other Innovation Sprints in addition to the genebanking project: AgMission and the Greener Cattle Initiative.

For more information, contact Jamie Nickel, communications & legislative affairs associate, at jnickel@foundationfar.org.

About the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research

The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) builds public-private partnerships to fund bold research addressing big food and agriculture challenges. FFAR was established in the 2014 Farm Bill to increase public agriculture research investments, fill knowledge gaps and complement USDA’s research agenda. FFAR’s model matches federal funding from Congress with private funding, delivering a powerful return on taxpayer investment. Through collaboration and partnerships, FFAR advances actionable science benefiting farmers, consumers and the environment.

Cover photo: Shelves filled with maize seed samples make up the maize active collection in the Wellhausen-Anderson Plant Genetic Resources Center at CIMMYT’s El Batán headquarters, Mexico. (Photo: Xochiquetzal Fonseca/CIMMYT)

Farmers introduced to stress-tolerant hybrid maize varieties

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in In the media.

The Accelerating Genetic Gains in Maize and Wheat (AGG) project has introduced farmers in the Wa West District, Ghana, to stress-tolerant hybrid maize varieties during a monitoring visit to field trials in the Upper West Region.

AGG is a collaborative project led by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) bringing together global partners to advance the development of higher-yielding varieties.

This field day was organized by the Crops Research Institute at Ghana’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR-SARI), the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the department of agriculture.

During the event, researchers aimed to encourage farmer adoption by familiarizing them with the stress-tolerant hybrids and emphasizing the high and stable grain yields.

Read the original article: Farmers introduced to stress-tolerant hybrid maize varieties

How does CIMMYT’s improved maize get to the farmer?

New CIMMYT maize hybrids available from Latin America Breeding Program

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in News.

How does CIMMYT’s improved maize get to the farmer?
How does CIMMYT’s improved maize get to the farmer?

CIMMYT is happy to announce four new, improved tropical maize hybrids that are now available for uptake by public and private sector partners, especially those interested in marketing or disseminating hybrid maize seed across Latin America and similar agro-ecological zones. Public- and private-sector organizations are hereby invited to apply for licenses to pursue national release and /or scale-up seed production and deliver these maize hybrids to farming communities.

Product Code Target agroecology Key traits
CIM20LAPP1A-11 Latin-American lowland tropics and similar agroecologies. Intermediate maturing, white, high yielding, drought tolerant, and resistant to TSC, MLB, and ear rots
CIM20LAPP1A-12
CIM20LAPP1C-9 Intermediate maturing, yellow, high yielding, drought tolerant, and resistant to MLB and ear rots
CIM20LAPP1C-10

 

Performance data Download the CIMMYT Latin America Stage 4 and Stage 5 Trials: Results of the 2020 and 2021 Trials and Product Announcement from Dataverse.
How to apply Visit CIMMYT’s maize product allocation page for details
Application deadline The deadline to submit applications to be considered during the first round of allocations is 25 November 2022. Applications received after that deadline will be considered during subsequent rounds of product allocations.

 

The newly available CIMMYT maize hybrids, CIM20LAPP1C-9, CIM20LAPP1C-10, CIM20LAPP1A-11 and CIM20LAPP1A-12, were identified through rigorous trialing and a stage-gate advancement process which culminated in the 2020 and 2021 CIMMYT Latin America Stage 4 and Stage 5 Trials. The products were found to meet the stringent performance criteria for CIMMYT’s LA-PP1A and LA-PP1C breeding pipelines. While there is variation between different products coming from the same pipeline, the LA-PP1A and LA-PP1C pipelines are designed around the target product profiles described below:

Product Profile Basic traits Nice-to-have / Emerging traits Target agroecologies
LatAM-PP1A

(Tropical Lowland White)

 Intermediate maturing, white, high yielding, drought tolerant, and resistant to TSC, MLB, and ear rots GLS, Fusarium Stalk Rot Latin-American lowland tropics and similar agroecologies.
LatAM-PP1C

(Tropical Lowland Yellow)

 Intermediate maturing, yellow, high yielding, drought tolerant, and resistant to MLB and ear rots GLS, Fusarium Stalk Rot Latin-American lowland tropics and similar agroecologies.
MLB: Maydis leaf blight; TSC: Tar spot complex; GLS: Grey leaf spot

 

Applications must be accompanied by a proposed commercialization plan for each product being requested. Applications may be submitted online via the CIMMYT Maize Licensing Portal and will be reviewed in accordance with CIMMYT’s Principles and Procedures for Acquisition and use of CIMMYT maize hybrids and OPVs for commercialization. Specific questions or issues faced with regard to the application process may be addressed to GMP-CIMMYT@cgiar.org with attention to Nicholas Davis, Program Manager, Global Maize Program, CIMMYT.

APPLY FOR A LICENSE

CIMMYT project helps educate farmers in Zimbabwe on seed practices and improved varieties

Written by Tawanda Hove on . Posted in News.

Jubilant farmers after buying seed during day two of a fair in Masvingo District, Zimbabwe. (Photo: Tawanda Hove/CIMMYT)

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center is working with its partners to support farmers in Zimbabwe embrace conservation agriculture and improved seed varieties to achieve more successful harvests in areas affected by climate change.

The R4 Rural Resilience and ZAMBUKO initiatives aim to help farmers through a number of activities. These include demonstrations of seed and conservation agriculture, field days and seed fairs, which look to develop farmers’ awareness about improved seed and novel varieties.

The fairs highlighted the importance of good seed practices and the benefits of improved varieties to both farmers and seed companies, who attended the events.

The initiative, which is run in collaboration with the Department of Specialist Services (DRSS), the Agricultural Advisory and Rural Development Services (ARDAS) and the World Food Program (WFP), with financial support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), helps those in the industry see the advantages of improved varieties over old ones, which may have been on the market for more than 20 years.

“It is now very critical for farmers from all walks of life to abandon old varieties which they have grown for decades and adopt the recently released varieties that offer some solutions to the new challenges,” said James Gethi, a seed systems scientist with CIMMYT. “There has been massive investment in research that has specifically focused on addressing the adversity of climate change and variability it brings, such as prolonged dry spells, heat stress, and new diseases that have emerged. As such, it is beneficial to the farmer to shift to the latest varieties as they suit the environmental context better compared to the older varieties.”

In recent years, Zimbabwe has experienced erratic rainfall and severe heatwaves during summer months, which is a key period for the growth of crops. This has led to low yields in various parts of the country, but the situation could improve through the combination of improved agronomy and varieties presented by seed and seed distribution companies who attended the fairs.

“Together with CIMMYT and other partners, we have invested in developing varieties that will help us achieve our annual food security goals,” added Busiso Mavankeni, head of the Crop Breeding Institute (CBI), which is housed within DRSS. “As such, farmers not adopting these new varieties contribute towards a huge waste of beneficial and relevant scientific research. Whilst it is not the farmers’ fault why they haven’t adopted them, we need to take deliberate steps to ensure farmers are aware of these varieties. That is the only way we can stimulate their adoption.”

Private sector partner poses with a happy farmer, who has procured drought tolerant seed. (Photo: Tawanda Hove/CIMMYT)

Improving seed management

One of the project’s core aims is to promote positive seed management practices to both farmer and seed companies. In fact, these seed companies have a key role to play in supporting farmers with this knowledge. Understanding how to store crops in optimal conditions, for example, can lead to a more successful harvest.

“It is essential for both the farmers and local agro dealers to know how to manage seed before sale and planting,” Gethi added. “For example, rarely do farmers check the expiry date of seed when they buy them from an agro dealer. Secondly, when the seed needs to be stored, it is essential for it not to be stored close to heat sources or to be unnecessarily exposed to the sun for prolonged periods. This compromises its germination potential. Furthermore, it is crucial for farmers to only buy seed from registered and reputable agro dealers.”

These important messages were relayed to farmer throughout the project’s demos and field days, which led up to the seed fairs.

In addition to purchasing seeds, farmers had the opportunity to learn about new developments and build relationships in the private sector by attending the fairs.

“With these seed fairs, we have not only brought this multitude of seed and machinery companies to your doorstep so that you easily access good seeds, but so that you can also talk and understand what new products are on offer,” explained Christian Thierfelder, principal cropping systems agronomist, innovation science leader for Africa within CIMMYT. “For this coming season, we do not want to see you growing ancient varieties but would want to see you purchase new products which perform better than the old ones.”

ARDAS agricultural extension officer Canaan Jakata was also encouraged by the success of the project’s activities and is looking forward to seeing the farmers who attended the seed fairs enjoy a successful yield during the upcoming summer season. “I am very keen on assessing the performance of farmers in my ward who bought these improved varieties at the seed fairs as compared to neighboring wards in the district which did not. Regardless of how the season turns out, I expect superior performance from my farmers,” said Jakata.

From seed to feed

Written by Sarah McLaughlin on . Posted in News.

In 2022, more than 2,000 households participated in CIMMYT’s Maize Commercial Model program, doubling the number of farmers and area of maize produced compared to data from 2021. (Photo: Aayush Niroula/CIMMYT)

Experts at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) are working with partners to drive self-sufficiency in poultry feed and achieve more sustainable maize systems in Nepal thanks to the Nepal Seed and Fertilizer (NSAF) project.

About 3,000 metric tons (t) of poultry feed is used in Nepal every day, with maize making up about half of feed ingredients. The Feed Association of Nepal estimates that more than 80% of maize for animal feed requirements are met through imports, which costs around $100 million a year. Maize imports are estimated to exceed $130 million in 2022.

Through the NSAF project — a project which facilitates sustainable increases in Nepal’s national crop productivity, income and household-level food and nutrition security across 20 districts — CIMMYT scientists have been supporting public private partnerships to increase commercial maize production and strengthen the “seed to feed” chain in the country.

In the Terai region, huge swaths of land lie fallow in the spring season. Experts estimate that enough maize grain could be produced on this land to substitute about 40% of maize imports to the country. Increasing spring maize production in these fallow lands has been one of the goals of the NSAF team, as well as improving coordination between public and private sectors. To do this, the team have designed a multi-stakeholder engagement initiative to strengthen the seed to feed chain.

In December 2020, CIMMYT experts began the initiative to scale up the use of new maize hybrid varieties and improved agronomic practices. In the spring of 2022, CIMMYT researchers partnered with public and private organizations in Banke, Bardiya and Kailali to help commercialize hybrid maize production and strengthen maize value chain coordination in the region. Partners included integrated agriculture and livestock development offices in Bardiya, agriculture knowledge centers in Banke and Kailali, local governments, farmer cooperatives, seed companies, agro-dealers and feed mills.

Working with these partners, CIMMYT scientists also advanced efforts to improve the capacity of actors to increase efficiency in supply chains, production and marketing, provide local employment and strengthen the market for domestically produced maize for poultry feed.

As of September 2022, the following milestones have been achieved:

  • Provincial governments have established multi-stakeholder maize commercial networks at sites where maize actors and stakeholders participate to coordinate commercial maize production, access to support services and to link farmers and grain buyers.
  • In 2022, more than 2,000 households from 19 local government units produced maize on 547 ha in Banke, Bardiya and Kailali. The total maize production increased from 1390t in 2021 to 3,232t in 2022. This was an increase of 61% in the number of farmers and 52% in area. The value of maize sold also tripled from USD 306,900 in 2021 to USD 915,700 in 2022.
  • The farm gate price of maize by 22% and the Government of Nepal invested $2.37 million to support access to quality seed, agriculture machinery and irrigation facilities.
  • Farmers sold 500t maize grains to feed mills in 2022, a huge jump from only 30t in 2021.
  • In partnership with the Government of Nepal, CIMMYT researchers organized training programs for farmers in maize commercial network sites on production, post-harvest, exposure visits and marketing to prepare them to produce maize as per buyers’ requirements. They also guided farmers on how to access credit, crop insurance, and digital advisory services to further improve their production and marketing.
Maize constitutes about half of all poultry feed products in Nepal and maize imports for feed are estimated to be worth around $130 million in 2022. (Photo: Aayush Niroula/CIMMYT)

Next steps

CIMMYT scientists plan to double the number of districts under the maize commercialization model from three to six in 2023. The Department of Agriculture under the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, and the local and provincial governments are keen to scale out the model to several maize production regions of Nepal.

In a joint assessment with the Government of Nepal and private sector partners, CIMMYT scientists identified a number of key areas for further development. These include supporting farmers to access high yielding, short duration and stress tolerant maize varieties, as well as best management practices for improving maize production. Other priorities include developing models for contractual arrangements between farmers groups and feed mills, encouraging public and private sector investment in village-level warehouses with drying facilities. Finally, CIMMYT and partners are eager to introduce incentives such as subsidies on grain produced and sold by farmers through cooperatives, develop national maize quality standards and update the 1976 Feed Act.

Going forward, CIMMYT’s research on public private partnership for commercial maize production will focus on drivers of uptake of technology and institutional innovations, the role of aggregation models and contractual arrangements in maize market system coordination and impact assessment on farmers benefits.