Location: Tanzania

Tanzanian seed company holds field days to popularize drought tolerant maize varieties

Written by on August 28, 2013. Posted in Features.

Farmers gather during a field day hosted by a seed company in Tanzania.

Yield is one of the key things farmers consider when deciding what seed to buy. Farmers in Arusha, Tanzania shared this fact during a field day held by Suba Agro Trading & Engineering Company. The seed company held two field days in June in Arusha and Moshi to give farmers the chance to examine new drought tolerant maize hybrids, TZH536 and TZH538, in the field.

Farmers often get information on what variety to plant based on what they observe doing well in fields in their locale, the advice they receive from other farmers, and the information they receive from the agrovets they buy seed from. About 30 farmers drawn from the Arusha, Kilimanjaro and Moshi districts attended the Moshi field day, as well as local agricultural extension workers and civic leaders from the area. The meeting was held just in front of the field by the roadside, so as the discussions were going on, farmers were able to see the maize being referred to. The maize was labeled and Suba Agro field staff also cut some plants and exposed the cobs for the farmers to see their yield potential.

In Arusha, the field day was held on a Saturday which was market day. Many people popped in to learn about the new maize varieties before returning to the market to buy or sell wares. “Comparing what I see on this [demonstration] field with what is on the neighboring plot, I can see it is drought tolerant,” said Mariamu Hemedi, a local farmer. “We can see that it has not been watered—there is no tap or well here but the maize has thrived. Now we want to know how it is when it is shelled,” Hemedi added. As participants walked through the field examining the cobs, Sarah Muya, an administrator and assistant to the managing director at Suba Agro encouraged them to taste the grains from the green cobs. “It has a good taste,” she said while offering a cob to taste.

Farmers identified the double cobbing in TZH538 as a key feature they liked because it demonstrated they would get higher yields. “When farmers get good yields, it contributes to development as the extra money gained from selling surplus grain contributes to other development initiatives,” said Eliahidi Mvambi, another farmer. W. S. Chonya, the company’s product development manager, told farmers to buy seed early to be prepared for the rain. Muya advised farmers to ensure they buy certified seed and keep receipts of all their seed purchases to enable them trace the source of ‘bad’ seed. “Take up farming as a business,” Muya said, advising farmers to invest in inputs such as improved seed and fertilizer.

Rose E. Moshi, the ward agricultural extension officer, spoke at the event and urged the seed company to ensure the new seed varieties were distributed in the area before the start of the planting season. “Sometimes farmers identify good seed but when they go to the shops, it is unavailable,” Moshi said. She also spoke on the importance of seed purity, citing it as one of the key challenges farmers face. Chonya then explained the features on Suba Agro seed packets to the farmers, highlighting the quality of the paper and the Tanzanian flag at the top of the pack to help farmers identify and avoid counterfeit seed. “Now that you have seen how this seed performs in a farmer’s field, we request you to be our ambassadors in your villages,” Chonya said. The company is in the process of multiplying the seed for these varieties in preparation for the next planting season. The company also participated in agricultural shows in August in Arusha, Mbeya and Morogoro to give more farmers information about its products.

Learning to breed insect-resistant maize at CIMMYT-Kenya

Written by on August 21, 2013. Posted in News.

“The trip was an eye opener for me. We have no mass rearing facility in Ethiopia; neither do we practice artificial infestation of stem borers. We only undertake natural infestation for our trials, which does not give uniform infestation, leading us to wrong conclusions,” said Midekssa Ardessa from Bako Agricultural Research Center at the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR), who visited CIMMYT-Kenya during 21-27 July 2013 with a team of scientists from Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, and Mozambique, to gain hands-on experience in breeding insect-resistant maize. “We are now very knowledgeable on mass rearing of stem borers and on running an insectary after our visit and practical sessions at the CIMMYT Katumani Insectary,” added Abiy Dibaba from EIAR’s Melkasa Agricultural Research Center. “At the CIMMYT Kiboko Postharvest Lab, we learned a lot about maize weevils and the larger grain borer, and how to screen maize for resistance against these postharvest pests.”

The visit, organized and facilitated by the Insect Resistant Maize for Africa (IRMA III Conventional) and the Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) projects, aimed to build capacity in maize breeding for insect resistance using conventional approaches, insect resistance screening, and management of field and lab infestations. Participants came from EIAR; Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI); Selian Agricultural Research Institute (SARI), Tanzania; National Biological Control Program, Tanzania; Ministry of Agriculture, Tanzania; National Crops Resources Research Institute (NACRRI) of the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO), Uganda; and National Institute of Agronomic Research (IIAM), Mozambique.

“The visit provided an opportunity for the scientists to understand IRMA’s and WEMA’s research work in Kenya and a forum to share experiences in mass rearing, breeding, and pest control among participating countries,” said Stephen Mugo, CIMMYT principal scientist/maize breeder and IRMA and WEMA projects coordinator. It is also a learning process for CIMMYT scientists, he added. The team visited CIMMYT insect pests resistant germplasm nurseries and trials at the Embu, Kirinyaga University College, and Kiboko sites where they learned how to set up, infest, manage, and take data on stem borer trials and nurseries. At the KARI-Katumani IRMA III Conventional collaborative stem borer mass rearing facilities, participants learned to set up, equip, and manage stem borer mass rearing; in Kiboko they focused on the set up, management, and data collection for storage pests screening. The field and lab practical sessions were facilitated by CIMMYT scientist/entomologist Tadele Tefera.

The annual IRMA project’s program has trained more than 50 scientists since its inception in 2009. “Most of us talk very easily and confidently about insect rearing. However, it is quite a challenge when we engage in the practical aspects,” said Tefera. “What we have exposed you to is just a tip of the iceberg in the business of mass rearing of insects. There is still a lot to learn, much of it by yourself as you engage in the practical aspects of it.” The participants appreciated the effort taken by the organizers. One of them, Egas Nhamucho of IIAM, said: “Infestation of maize with stem borers was a real learning point for me, a real delicate task of picking out very tiny 10 insect larvae, ensuring that you do not pierce and kill them with the camel brush, and carefully and strategically placing them on each maize plant. The practical sessions really made me appreciate some of the tasks we have always taken for granted.”

Concluding the event, CIMMYT scientist/maize breeder Yoseph Beyene called on the participating scientists to ensure that as many people as possible get access to the knowledge they gained. “Invest in people to effectively and successfully undertake your research,” he said.

WEMA project manager Sylvester Oikeh thanked CIMMYT scientists for the support they provided to the Ugandan team in setting up the Namulonge Insectary. “I am looking forward to other countries emulating Uganda and setting up their insectaries,” Oikeh added.

Stepping up the fight against maize lethal necrosis in Eastern Africa

Written by on August 1, 2013. Posted in News.

MLN-Eastern-Africa1 “I can now identify with accuracy plants affected with maize lethal necrotic disease,” stated Regina Tende, PhD student attached to CIMMYT, after attending the CIMMYT-Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) “Identification and Management of Maize Lethal Necrosis” workshop in Narok, Kenya, during 30 June-3 July 2013. This was not the case a few weeks ago when Tende, who is also a senior research officer at KARI-Katumani, received leaf samples from a farmer for maize lethal necrosis (MLN) verification.

Tende is one of many scientists and technicians who experienced difficulty in differentiating MLN from other diseases or abiotic stresses with similar symptoms. According to Stephen Mugo, CIMMYT Global Maize Program (GMP) principal scientist and organizer of the workshop, this difficulty encouraged CIMMYT and KARI to organize this event to raise awareness about MLN among scientists, technicians, and skilled field staff; provide training on MLN diagnosis especially at field nurseries, trials, and seed production fields; train on MLN severity scoring to improve the quality of data generation in screening trials; and introduce MLN management in field screening sites to scientists, technicians, and skilled staff. The workshop brought together over 80 scientists and technicians from CIMMYT, KARI, and other national agricultural research systems (NARS) partners from Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe.

“It is important that all the people on the ground, particularly the technicians who interact daily with the plants and supervise research activities at the stations, understand the disease, are able to systematically scout for it, and have the ability to spot it out from similar symptomatic diseases and conditions like nutrient deficiency,” stated GMP director B.M. Prasanna.

Proper and timely identification of the MLN disease, which is a pre-requisite for effective control, is not easy. CIMMYT maize breeder Biswanath Das explains: “First of all, the disease is caused by a combination of two viruses, Maize chlorotic mottle virus (MCMV) and Sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV). Secondly, its symptoms –severe mottling of leaves, dead heart, stunted growth (shortened internode distance), leaf necrosis, sterility, poor seed set, shriveled seeds– are not always unique to MLN but could be due to other fungal diseases and abiotic conditions.” The training workshop was one of CIMMYT/KARI initiatives to combat the disease threatening all the gains made so far in maize breeding. “With nearly 99% of the commercial maize varieties so far released in Kenya being susceptible to MLN, it is important that institutions like CIMMYT and KARI, in strong collaboration with the seed sector, develop and deploy MLN disease resistant varieties in an accelerated manner,” stated Prasanna. One of the key initiatives in this fight is the establishment of a centralized MLN screening facility under artificial inoculation for Eastern Africa at the KARI Livestock Research Farm in Naivasha. Plans are also underway to establish a network of MLN testing sites (under natural disease pressure) in the region to evaluate promising materials from artificial inoculation trials in Naivasha. The state of the art maize doubled haploid (DH) facility currently under construction in Kiboko will also play a crucial role in accelerating MLN resistant germplasm development. “The DH technology, in combination with molecular markers, can help reduce by half the time taken for developing MLN resistant versions of existing elite susceptible lines,” stated Prasanna.

MLN-Eastern-Africa2 During his opening speech, Joseph Ng’etich, deputy director of Crop Protection, Ministry of Agriculture, noted that about 26,000 hectares of maize in Kenya were affected in 2012, resulting in an estimated loss of 56,730 tons, valued at approximately US$ 23.5 million. Seed producers also lost significant acreages of pre-basic seed in 2012: Agriseed lost 10 acres in Narok; Kenya Seed lost 75; and Monsanto 20 at Migtyo farm in Baringo, according to Dickson Ligeyo, KARI senior research officer and head of Maize Working Group in Kenya.

While this loss represents only 1.7%, Ligeyo assured everyone that Kenya is not taking any chances and has come up with a raft of measures and recommendations: farmers in areas where rainfall is all year round or maize is produced under irrigation are advised to plant maize only once a year; local quarantine has been enforced and farmers are to remove all infected materials from the fields and stop all movement of green maize from affected to non-affected areas; seed companies must ensure that seeds are treated with appropriate seed dressers at recommended rates, they must also promote good agricultural practices, crop diversification, and rotation with non-cereal crops.

Throughout the workshop, participants learned about theoretical aspects of MLN, such as the disease dynamics, management of MLN trials and nurseries, and identification of germplasm for resistance to MLN. They also participated in practical sessions on artificial inoculation, and identification and scoring. Several CIMMYT scientists played an active role in organizing the workshop, including breeders Stephen Mugo, Biswanath Das, Yoseph Beyene, and Lewis Machida; entomologist Tadele Tefera; and seed systems specialist Mosisa Regasa. They were accompanied by KARI scientist Bramwel Wanjala, KEPHIS regulatory officer Florence Munguti, and NARS maize research leaders Claver Ngaboyisonga (Rwanda), Dickson Ligeyo (Kenya), Julius Serumaga (Uganda), and Kheri Kitenge (Tanzania). During his closing remarks, KARI Food Crops program officer Raphael Ngigi, on behalf of KARI director, urged participants to rigorously implement what they had learnt during the workshop in their respective countries or Kenya regions to help combat MLN at both research farms and farmers’ fields.

Commenting on the usefulness of the workshop, technical officer at KARI-Embu Fred Manyara stated: “I will no longer say I do not know or I am not sure, when confronted by a farmer’s question on MLN.”

Tracking the adoption patterns in maize and legume farming system in Ethiopia

Written by on July 19, 2013. Posted in News.

DSC_5826_Group-photo-900x4001 Myths and cultural practices can block farmers’ acceptance of a new technology, particularly the principles of reduced tillage, residue retention, and cropping rotations that underlie conservation agriculture. This was one observation in a recent visit to farmers in four districts in Ethiopia by Australian International Food Security Centre (AIFSC) director, Mellissa Wood, and AIFSC Biosecurity and Food Safety Manager, Dennis Bittisnich.

Farmers in one village who continued intensive tilling instead of conservation agriculture said that tillage helps control crop diseases. Many Ethiopian farmers also keep livestock, so crop residues have higher value as fodder for cows than as cover for soils. “Maize stover is also used as fuel for cooking fires,” said CIMMYT socioeconomist Menale Kassie, who is also regional leader for the project Adoption Pathways to Sustainable Intensification in Eastern and Southern Africa. “Understanding the constraints and incentives affecting adoption is crucial, if innovations are to be relevant for farmers.”

The four-year adoption pathways project is funded by AIFSC, managed by the Australian

Fatuma Hirpo on her conservation agriculture demonstration plot where she has intercropped drought tolerant maize variety Melkassa II with beans.

Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), and led by CIMMYT, in collaboration with national universities and research institutes in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania; the University of Queensland, Australia; the Norwegian University of Life Sciences; and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

According to Menale, the project is closely linked to the Sustainable Intensification of Maize-Legume Systems for Food Security in East and Southern Africa (SIMLESA) program; working where SIMLESA has been promoting and testing conservation agriculture using demonstrations on farms and on national agriculture research stations.

Farmers learn from their peers, particularly early adopters and those who lend their farms to showcase the practices. Fatuma, a widowed mother of 10 and an early adopter who farms with help from her children, says reducing tillage has cut her work load. She is a role model to other farmers—a rare feat for a woman, according to village sources—and neighbors have decided to try conservation agriculture after seeing Fatuma’s crops flourish.

“The project will evaluate the data and use the rich survey information to advise on potential policy and technical interventions,” said Yirga, researcher with the Ethiopian Institute of Agriculture Research (EIAR) and country coordinator for the project. Innovative livestock management and community engagement can help, according to Chilot Yirga, as can providing alternative cattle feeds such as intercropped legume fodders, which also enrich soils by fixing nitrogen. “The way to show this is through on-farm demonstrations,” said Wood, lauding the researchers for the on-station trials and on-farm engagement. “In Australia, conservation agriculture is very important as we have a lot of drought and changing rainfall patterns; CA makes us more productive.”

SIMLESA scientists receive agronomy training in South Africa

Written by on July 19, 2013. Posted in News.

SIMLESA-ARC-trainees Fifteen young scientists from SIMLESA partner and spillover countries were recently trained by the Agricultural Research Council of South Africa (ARC-SA) on various aspects of agronomy and innovation learning platforms (ILePs), including conservation agriculture principles, nitrogen fixation, experimental design and field layout, agro-climatology principles, and data collection and analysis.

The training took place during 06-17 May 2013 at three ARC institutes: Institute for Soil, Climate and Water (ARC-ISCW), Plant Protection Research Institute (ARC-PPRI), and Grain Crops Institute (ARC-GCI), and aimed to expose the scientists to grain production information and to enable assimilation of terms, theories, and principles through practice. The training was based on experiential learning principles and employed a variety of interactive learning methods, scientific presentations, discussions, multiple practical sessions in the laboratory, and field demonstrations.

During field visits, such as the one to SOYGRO, a company manufacturing rhizobium inoculant and related products, trainees got to experience how the grain industry functions in South Africa from manufacturing and packing to the distribution processes.

Trainees also visited the NAMPO Harvest Day in Bothaville, Free State, taking place during the NAMPO Agricultural Trade Show, one of the largest privately organized and owned exhibitions in the world and the largest agricultural machinery and livestock show in the Southern Hemisphere. The show draws more than 650 exhibitors each year from all over the world, including Australia, Sweden, the USA, Italy, Brazil, and Germany. Another visit on the program was to the Unit of Environmental Sciences and Management at the North-West University, where Professor Driekie Fourie introduced the trainees to the University research programs and related study fields. Before the trip, Professor Johnny van den Berg from the University had given an introductory talk on integrated pest management.

The program was coordinated by CIMMYT agronomist Fred Kanampiu, Yolisa Pakela-Jezile from ARC-CO, and Annelie de Beer from ARC-GCI. Participants are expected to use their newly acquired knowledge and skills to train their colleagues.

Under the Memorandum of Understanding between ARC and CIMMYT under SIMLESA, ARC is responsible for organizing capacity building of scientists and extension officers in the five target countries (Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania) and the seven spillover countries (Uganda, Botswana, Rwanda, and South Sudan). SIMLESA is funded by the Australian government through ACIAR.

Building capacity of East African seed companies through training

Written by on July 2, 2013. Posted in News.

Seed production workshop participants visited a hybrid seed field at East African Seeds in Uganda.

In recent years seed companies in Tanzania and Uganda have seen tremendous growth, resulting largely from the uptake of new drought tolerant maize varieties from both national and international organizations (see Table 1). This is accompanied by an increasing number of improved maize varieties taken up by the companies, growth in seed production, and general expansion of the companies’ work volume, which results in need for more well-trained technical staff. Recognizing this, several companies in the region turned to CIMMYT with a request for a training course to equip seed technicians with skills to produce seed of various classes and to supply farmers with quality seeds. In response to the request, CIMMYT organized two training sessions: from 8-10 January 2013 in Tanzania and from 10-12 June 2013 in Uganda.

Delivered by James Gethi, Biswanath Das, and Mosisa Worku Regasa, together with Godfrey Asea in Uganda, the course covered all aspects of the seed value chain, including seed processing, quality control of seed production, customer service, contracting growers, maize varieties and their characteristics, seed storage, marketing strategies, and handling of unsold stock; it also touched on agronomy.

In Tanzania the course attracted 25 participants from 8 seed companies; in Uganda there were 39 attendees from 14 seed companies, the Uganda Seed Trade Association (USTA), and the National Crops Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI).

“Capacity building in local seed companies is important,” said Bob Shuma, executive director of the Tanzania Seed Trade Association (TASTA), encouraging participants to seek opportunities to enhance their skills and knowledge of the seed business from CIMMYT and other partners. “Products and services of good quality are key in the process of building customers’ trust, which contributes to the success of the company. This can only be achieved through training and adherence to laws and regulations set by the government,” he added.

To determine the effectiveness of the course and delivery methods, participants were evaluated before and after the course. The pre- and post-course quizzes indicated an improvement of knowledge in both countries by over 34%. Those with top scores on the quiz were recognized for their outstanding performance, and all participants received a CD with resource materials and a copy of The Seed Business Management in Africa (MacRobert 2009).

Godfrey Asea, crop breeder and cereal research leader at NaCRRI, and Masagazi Cliff-Richard, USTA chairman and managing director of Pearl Seeds Ltd, who participated in the course in Uganda, thanked CIMMYT for organizing the training and urged everyone to use the newly-acquired knowledge to produce and supply quality seed to Ugandan farmers. “Uganda needs an improved seed industry,” said Cliff-Richard emphasizing the value of the course. Tanzania-Group-photograph2

The CRP MAIZE will be hosting a side event on the role of maize in Africa at the Africa Agriculture Science Week (15-20 July) on 16 July in Accra, Ghana. Join us if you can and follow the AASW Blog and #AASW6 on Twitter.

Promising CIMMYT maize inbreds and pre-commercial hybrids identified against maize lethal necrosis (MLN)

Written by on June 14, 2013. Posted in News.

The maize lethal necrosis (MLN) disease first appeared in Kenya’s Rift Valley in 2011 and quickly spread to other parts of Kenya, as well as to Uganda and Tanzania. Caused by a synergistic interplay of maize chlorotic mottle virus (MCMV) and any of the cereal viruses in the family, Potyviridae, such as Sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV), Maize dwarf mosaic virus (MDMV), or Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV), MLN can cause total crop loss if not controlled effectively.

A regional workshop on MLN and the control strategies was organized by CIMMYT and KARI during February 12-14, 2013 in Nairobi, which was attended by some 70 scientists, seed company breeders and managers, and representatives of ministries of agriculture and regulatory authorities in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and the USA. The Workshop led to identification of important action points steps for effectively controlling the disease.

CIMMYT scientists have been working closely with virology experts from USDA-ARS and Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) to develop suitable protocols for testing the responses of maize germplasm against MLN, and to identify promising inbred lines and hybrids with resistance to MLN. During the 2012-2013 crop season, the CIMMYT-KARI team undertook extensive screening of inbred lines, pre-commercial and commercial hybrids in Naivasha and Narok in Kenya, under high natural disease pressure and artificial inoculation, respectively.

A trial featuring 119 commercial maize varieties (released in Kenya) under artificial inoculation during 2012-2013 revealed that as many as 117 varieties were susceptible to MLN. Another set of trials including 335 elite inbred lines, 366 pre-commercial hybrids and 7 commercial hybrids (as checks) under MLN artificial inoculation in Narok, and another set of trials comprising 350 elite inbred lines and 135 pre-commercial hybrids under natural disease pressure in Naivasha, led to identification of some promising CIMMYT inbred lines as well as pre-commercial hybrids showing resistance or moderate resistance. These results offer considerable hope to combat, through breeding efforts, the deadly MLN disease that has severely affected maize harvests and discouraged farmers from growing maize in eastern Africa.

Notes on trial results

The details of the promising CIMMYT elite inbred lines and pre-commercial hybrids against MLN are presented in Table 1 and Table 2, respectively. The results presented in Table 1 are based on evaluation of CIMMYT inbred lines in four independent trials, two under artificial inoculation (Narok) and two under natural disease pressure (Naivasha) during 2012-2013. In each trial, entries were replicated (minimum two), and MLN severity scores (on a 1-5 scale basis) were recorded three or more times during the crop cycle, from the vegetative to the reproductive stage. The highest average MLN severity score (max. MLN score), recorded at any stage during the trial, is presented as representative of a given entry.

The data must be critically assessed and cautiously used by stakeholders and partners. More weight should be given to data from artificially inoculated trials, since trials under natural disease pressure are more liable to ‘disease escapes’ and identification of false positives. Caution must be exercised when using specific lines identified as potentially resistant (R) or moderately resistant (MR), especially when classification is based on data from only one trial (even under artificial inoculation). Please note that in such cases, the responses of the lines need to be validated by CIMMYT through further trials.

CIMMYT is working closely with both public and private sector partners to significantly expand the MLN evaluation network capacity in eastern Africa, and will continue the intensive efforts to identify/develop and deliver new sources of resistance to MLN.

For further information on:
MLN research-for-development efforts undertaken by CIMMYT, please contact: Dr BM Prasanna, Director, Global Maize Program, CIMMYT, Nairobi, Kenya; Email: b.m.prasanna@cgiar.org.
Availability of seed material of the promising lines and pre-commercial hybrids, please contact: Dr Mosisa Regasa (m.regasa@cgiar.org) if your institution is based in eastern Africa, or Dr James Gethi (j.gethi@cgiar.org) if your institution is based in southern Africa or outside eastern and southern Africa.

Additional resources

UPDATE: Promising CIMMYT maize inbreds and pre-commercial hybrids identified against maize lethal necrosis (MLN) in eastern Africa
Maize lethal necrosis (MLN) disease in Kenya and Tanzania: Facts and actions (Download )
KARI-CIMMYT maize lethal necrosis (MLN) screeing facility (1.43 MB)
Maize lethal necrosis: Scientists and key stakeholders discuss strategies as the battle continues

Videos

MLN: A farmer’s plea

Maize lethal necrosis disease: A new challenge
for maize scientists in eastern Africa

Media coverage

Deadly maize disease resurfaces in N. Rift. Business Daily, 31 May 2013.

Fresh viral maize disease worries farmers. Daily Nation, 31 May 2013.

Alert out in Coast over maize disease. Daily Nation, 31 May 2013.

Giving power to African farmers: learning from the Indian experience

Written by on June 4, 2013. Posted in News.

Bhopal-096 From 29 April to 10 May, 16 agricultural engineers, agronomists, machinery importers, and machinery manufacturers from Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe took part in a study tour in India organized by CIMMYT, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), and the Australian International Food Security Centre (AIFSC). The tour was organized as part of the “Farm Mechanization and Conservation Agriculture for Sustainable Intensification” (FACASI) project to identify opportunities for exchange of technologies and expertise between India and Africa and strengthen South-South collaborations in the area of farm mechanization. The project is funded by AIFSC and managed by ACIAR.

India is the world’s largest producer of pulses, and the second largest producer of wheat, rice, potatoes, and groundnuts. But would India’s agricultural performance be that high if the number of tractors in the country was divided by six and the number of draught animals by three? Such a reduction in farm power would bring Indian agriculture close to the current situation of Kenya and Tanzania. In India, most agricultural operations are mechanized, including planting, harvesting, threshing, shelling, and transportation to the market; in Africa, these are generally accomplished manually. Bringing African agriculture closer to the situation in India is the goal of the FACASI project. This tour was designed as the first step in the construction of an enduring trilateral partnership between Africa, India, and Australia, consolidated by CIMMYT, to facilitate exchange of research and development results in the area of farm mechanization.

During his opening speech, S. Ayyapan, ICAR director general, stressed the importance of farm mechanization for agricultural intensification, pointed at the commonalities between the circumstances of Indian and African smallholders, and invited the group to develop concrete country-specific proposals regarding possible partnerships with India. The participants then spent five days at the Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering (CIAE) in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh state, where they were exposed to various low-cost gender-friendly technologies for post-harvest operations and weeding; sowing, fertilizing, spraying, and harvesting technologies adapted to animal traction; two-wheel and four-wheel tractors; as well as conservation agriculture based technologies. Through calibration exercises and other field activities, participants gained hands-on experience with these machines. The group also visited the Central Farm Machinery Training and Testing Institute in Budni.

The second part of the study tour took place in the states of Punjab and Haryana, where the group interacted with scientists from the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) and the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA), and was exposed to various Indian innovations including laser land levelers operated by two-wheel tractors, relay direct seeders, multi-crop planters, crop threshers, and rotary weeders. They also participated in a discussion session organized by a farmer cooperative society at Noorpur-Bet focusing on institutional innovations encouraging farmer access to mechanization, and interacted intensively with Indian agribusinesses such as National Agro-Industry, Dashmesh Mechanical Engineering, Amar Agro Industries, and All India Machinery Manufacturers Association.

The study tour was concluded by a visit of the Central Soil and Salinity Research Institute (CSSRI) in Karnal to observe the role of conservation agriculture in reclaiming degraded land, and a visit to the Indian Wheat Research Centre in Karnal.

The lessons learnt in India will be put in practice in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe through the FACASI project. The study tour has generated several ideas for the development of new machines by African engineers and created contacts between Indian manufacturers and African machinery importers which may materialize into business opportunities.

SIMLESA progressing and gearing up for Phase II

Written by on April 10, 2013. Posted in News.

Over 200 researchers, policy makers, donors, seed companies, and NGO representatives from Africa and Australia gathered in Chimoio, Mozambique, during 17-23 March 2013 for the third SIMLESA (Sustainable Intensification of Maize-Legume Systems for Food Security in Eastern and Southern Africa) annual regional planning and review meeting to discuss the project’s progress and achievements, share lessons learned throughout the last three years, and deliberate over better ways to design and implement future activities in the SIMLESA target (Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, and Mozambique) and spillover countries (Botswana, Uganda, South Sudan, and Zambia).

“SIMLESA had attained a ‘steady flight path’ and is on track to deliver significant impacts,” noted Derek Byerlee, Program Steering Committee (PSC) co-chair, and the Mid-Term Review (MTR) conducted last year supports his words: “The MTR Team has reviewed progress by objectives and the overall execution of the Program, and finds that in general it has made very good progress in its first two years.” Bekele Shiferaw, Program Management Committee chair, then highlighted MTR’s recommendations, including the following: SIMLESA should take concrete steps to overcome current socio-economic research capacity constraints in national agricultural research systems and in the areas of value chains, informal analyses, business management, participatory agronomy, and breeding research; focus on ‘smart’ sequences for testing conservation agriculture technologies with farmers resulting in step-wise adoption; and create representative and effective innovation platforms with clear roles, structures, and functions.

As SIMLESA Phase I is ending next year, participants brainstormed on key issues anticipated in Phase II, concluding that the overall approach should be holistic, flexible in dealing with complex systems, and should aim to devise effective ways to target different group of farmers, as one size does not fit all. Furthermore, it was noted that Phase II should focus on changing the mindset of farmers. “There are so many different technologies bombarding farmers. The real work therefore lies in dealing with the psychological, social, cultural, and environmental factors of the farmer that will determine the adoption of introduced technologies,” noted one of the participating groups during the plenary session. Following the discussion on Phase II, Byerlee shared PSC’s vision: apply a broader approach to system intensification (conservation agriculture elements, soil fertility, pest management, and diversification); be more country specific; create empowering, location-specific, and sustainable innovation platforms; and pay more attention to institutions and policies vis-à-vis technology.

In the words of Inacio Maposse, Agricultural Research Institute of Mozambique (IIAM) director general and PSC member, Phase II is not necessary only because Phase I is ending but also “because we want to add another dimension to the program, and perhaps a different philosophy, one that will lead us to success. And for me, success means to get farmers smile sustainably. Smile because they are better off. For this to happen, we have to design Phase II with heart and wisdom. We need Phase II because we are yet to produce significant adoption and impact on the farming communities.” John Dixon (senior advisor for cropping systems and economics and principal regional coordinator for Africa and South Asia, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research) added another reason for why to continue with SIMLESA: “Where resources are limited, sustainable intensification is the only option to feed the extra two billion people by 2050.”

Mellissa Wood, Australian International Food Security Centre (AIFSC) director, then explained some of the reasons behind the close cooperation between Australia and Africa: “Australia and Africa share many common agricultural challenges, including limiting soils, highly variable climates, pests, and diseases.” Consequently, AIFSC aims to accelerate adoption; bridge the gap between research and development; find new ways to support African agricultural growth through adoption, policy, scale-out, improved market access, diversification, and nutrition.

In her closing remarks, Marianne Bänziger (CIMMYT deputy director general for research and partnerships) called on the Phase II planners to design holistic packages that entail success and ensure SIMLESA provides farmers in the five target countries with diverse opportunities for improving their livelihoods. “Farmers should be able to get incomes not only from maize and legumes but also from other farm enterprises. You should come up with possible and realistic interventions in realistic time frames,” Bänziger concluded.

Throughout the meeting, implementing partners, researchers, and seed companies showcased their achievements and products at the ‘SIMLESA poster village.’ Participants learned about farmers’ perspectives and practices through field visits to Sussudenga maize breeding and exploratory trial sites, participatory variety trials in Vanduzi and Polytechnic Institute of Manica, and conservation agriculture and innovation platforms scaling out sites in Makate.

Farm mechanization & conservation agriculture for sustainable intensification project launched

Written by on April 8, 2013. Posted in News.

If asked “What is the most limiting factor to cereal production in sub-Saharan Africa,” most agronomists would say water, nitrogen, or phosphorus. Could farm power also have a place in this list? From 25 to 30 March 2013, a multidisciplinary group of 40 agronomists, agricultural engineers, economists, anthropologists, and private sector representatives from Kenya, Tanzania, Australia, India, and other countries attended a meeting in Arusha, Tanzania, to officially launch the ‘Farm Mechanization & Conservation Agriculture for Sustainable Intensification’ project, supported by the Australian International Food Security Centre (AIFSC) and managed by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). The meeting focused largely on planning for activities that will take place in Kenya and Tanzania, but the project will eventually explore opportunities to accelerate the delivery and adoption of two-wheel tractors (2WTs) based conservation agriculture (CA) and other 2WT-based technologies (transport, shelling, threshing) by smallholders in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. This project will be implemented over the next four years by CIMMYT and its partners.

Why do these issues matter? In many countries, the number of tractors has declined in the past decades (as a result of structural adjustment plans, for example), and so did the number of draught animals in many parts of the continent (due to biomass shortage, droughts, diseases, etc.). As a result, African agriculture increasingly relies on human muscle power. This problem is compounded by labor shortages arising from an ageing population, rural-urban migration, and HIV/ AIDS. Even in areas where rural population is increasing faster than the cultivated area, labor may be in short supply during critical field operations due to competition with more rewarding sectors, such as construction and mining. One consequence of low farm mechanization is high labor drudgery, which disproportionately affects women, as they play a predominant role in weeding, threshing, shelling, and transport by head-loading, and which makes farming unattractive to the youth. Sustainable intensification in sub-Saharan Africa appears unlikely if the issue of inadequate and declining farm power is not addressed. Power supply could be increased through appropriate and equitable mechanization, while power demand could be reduced through power saving technologies such as CA. Synergies can be exploited between these two avenues: for example, the elimination of soil inversion in CA systems reduces power requirements —typically by a factor of two— making the use of lower powered and more affordable tractors such as 2WTs a viable option. 2WTs are already present in Eastern and Southern Africa, albeit in low numbers and seldom used for CA in most countries. Several CA planters adapted for 2WTs have also been developed recently and are now commercially available. These are both manufactured outside (e.g. China, Brazil) and in the region (e.g. in Kenya and Tanzania).

The first set of the project’s activities will aim at identifying likely farmer demand by defining main sources of unmet power demand and labor drudgery. This will help determine the choice of technologies – from the 2WT-based technologies available for CA (seed drilling, strip tillage, ripping, etc.) and non-CA operations (transport, threshing, shelling) – to evaluate on-station and on farm, with participation of farmers and other stakeholders involved in technology transfer. The second set of activities will aim at identifying and testing site-specific unsubsidized business models – utilizing private sector service providers to support market systems – that will enable efficient and equitable delivery of the most promising 2WT-based technologies to a large number of smallholders; technologies affordable to the resource-poor and women-headed households. The project will also examine the institutional and policy constraints and opportunities that may affect the adoption of 2WT-based technologies in the four countries. Finally, it will create awareness on 2WT-based technologies in the sub-region and share knowledge and information with other regions, thanks to the establishment of a permanent knowledge platform hosted by the African Conservation Tillage network.

DTMA recognizes best-performing teams in Eastern Africa

Written by on March 26, 2013. Posted in News.

During 25-26 February 2013, 22 participants drawn from seed companies, national agricultural research institutes, and CIMMYT met in Arusha, Tanzania, for the regional Maize Working Group (MWG) meeting, a forum that brings together participants from country MWGs in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. The Drought Tolerant Maize in Africa (DTMA) project used this opportunity to recognize national partners that perform well in breeding, maize technology development, and dissemination, as the project has done in previous years. The National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) was awarded the best maize breeding team of 2012 prize, but its members were not the only ones receiving a plaque and certificates of recognition. “As this culture has served as a motivating tool for the partners involved in the project, it was decided to begin awarding not just the best team but also runners up,” explained the project’s administrator Kamau Kimani. “It is an honor to see recognition of the significant effort we have made in breeding and disseminating maize together with the private sector,” said Godfrey Asea, a NARO maize breeder. “It is also a challenge to keep the momentum to achieve targets in DTMA and translate this to food security for farmers,” added Asea.

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Speaking during the meeting, the DTMA project leader Tsedeke Abate emphasized that drought tolerant varieties perform well even under optimal conditions and are therefore not only meant for marginal drought-prone areas. “Varieties have to be supported by good management practices, land preparation, timely planting, input use, and cultivation,” said Abate. The work, challenges, and successes of MWG partners in the four above-listed countries were discussed. The participants received feedback on sub-grant proposals they had made for support in maize research activities in the region. The national programs and seed companies have benefited through “access to improved maize varieties, more collaboration on multi-locational variety testing, and exposure through interaction with other scientists,” said Sammy Ajanga, the chair of MWG Kenya. “Our varieties have a better chance of being released to the farmers,” said Ajanga as he cited the advantages of the multi-locational field trials facilitated through collaborative research across the region.

Participants also observed a minute of silence in memory of the late CIMMYT maize breeder Strafford Twumasi-Afriyie, a former key member of the MWG and the leader of Nutritious Maize for Ethiopia (NuME). “Twumasi was a very passionate maize breeder,” said principal scientist Stephen Mugo, highlighting the work he did in quality protein maize breeding.

During the meeting, Peter Matowo, a maize breeder from Tanzania, was elected chair of the Eastern Africa Regional MWG.

Maize lethal necrosis: Scientists and key stakeholders discuss strategies as the battle continues

Written by on March 7, 2013. Posted in News.

A recently-emerged disease in Eastern Africa, maize lethal necrosis (MLN), remains a serious concern. A regional workshop on the disease and its management strategies was held during 12-14 February 2013 in Nairobi, Kenya. Organized by CIMMYT and the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), the workshop brought together nearly 70 scientists, seed company breeders and managers, and representatives of ministries of agriculture and regulatory authorities in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, as well as experts from the U.S.A.

The key objective of the meeting was to “establish a strong interface between research and regulatory institutions in Eastern Africa to effectively tackle the MLN challenge, including the ongoing efforts and further steps to identify and deploy disease-resistant germplasm, and to create a system that can ensure a constant flow of varieties,” explained B.M. Prasanna, CIMMYT Global Maize Program director. Prasanna highlighted the difficulties faced by the maize farming community from the disease, and emphasized the need to accelerate deployment of MLN resistant maize varieties and to generate necessary awareness among the relevant stakeholders on management strategies. “It is necessary to break the MLN disease cycle and tackle the problem from multiple perspectives,” added KARI director Ephraim Mukisira. He mentioned that besides partnering with CIMMYT on breeding for MLN resistant varieties, KARI will also be distributing seed of alternative crops to farmers in affected areas. “As a dairy farmer, I will be planting napier grass instead of maize this season,” noted Mukisira.

The first signs of a new disease appeared in 2011 and 2012 in the Rift Valley Province, Kenya. A team of CIMMYT and KARI scientists identified it as MLN, a disease caused by a double infection of the maize chlorotic mottle virus (MCMV) and the sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV) and transmitted by insects. According to Godfrey Asea, plant breeder and head of the Cereals Program at the National Crops Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI), Kampala, MLN was also identified in Uganda. Furthermore, symptoms of MLN have been cited in Tanzania, said Kheri Kitenge, maize breeder at the Selian Agricultural Research Institute (SARI), Arusha.

Scientists, particularly breeders, have made significant progress in tackling the disease. Studies are already underway at two field sites (Naivasha and Narok) where responses of a wide array of inbred lines and pre-commercial hybrids are being evaluated under high natural disease pressure and artificial inoculation. Participants visited the Sunripe Farm in Naivasha, where they observed KARI-CIMMYT MLN trials under natural disease pressure. A trial under artificial inoculation in Naivasha featuring nearly 175 commercial maize varieties is showing high levels of susceptibility to MLN. Researchers remain hopeful as some of the elite inbred lines and pre-commercial hybrids developed under projects such as the Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) or Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) are showing resistance to the disease.

During the farm visit, KARI pathologist Anne Wangai and her team showed how to generate artificial inoculum for MCMV and SCMV, as well as the enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA) based technique for pathogen diagnosis at the national agricultural research laboratories at the KARI campus. The participants observed an artificial inoculation of maize seedlings in the field, followed by a discussion on some of the major changes in maize seed demand resulting from MLN incidence. “The maize seed industry is under stress in Kenya due to the need to replace some popular but MLN-vulnerable varieties as soon as possible,” explained Evans Sikinyi, Seed Trade Association of Kenya (STAK) executive officer. All stakeholders agreed that the foremost priority is to identify and speed deployment of MLN resistant maize varieties. “We also have to enhance the diagnostic capacity in the labs and ensure there is a rapid response and surveillance on MLN,” added Esther Kimani, general manager of phytosanitary services at the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS).

In the concluding session of the workshop, stakeholders identified key research areas and discussed partnership opportunities.

One size doesn’t fit all: training on farm household typology

Written by on February 1, 2013. Posted in News.

Since adopting a one-size-fits-all approach in technology generation and dissemination is unlikely to bring positive results, it is necessary to understand what intervention works for whom, where, and how in order for a program to be successful. Developing farm household typologies to target technology with respect to farmers’ endowments and environmental setting is one of the key components of the SIMLESA (Sustainable Intensification of Maize and Legume Cropping Systems in Southern and Eastern Africa) initiative. To identify farm household typologies from baseline surveys carried out in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, and Mozambique, the initiative organized a two-week workshop between November and December 2012 at the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. The event was attended by economists from the five SIMLESA countries and organized by Daniel Rodriguez, leader of Queensland Australia component of the SIMLESA project.

The first week consisted of lectures by experts in household typologies and household modeling in developing countries, econometric modeling of adoption and impact (facilitated by Menale Kassie of CIMMYT and John Asfau of the University of Queensland), household survey data mining, and the use of survey data to parameterize household models. The participants then prepared and delivered brief presentations covering the objectives, research questions, and hypotheses of the key publications distributed among them; methods and main results; and implications of the publications to their own work.

Reflecting their respective survey datasets, the workshop participants then developed a methodology to identify farm household typologies and, subsequently, a new tool using the free R statistical software. The tool was distributed to each of the participants. The utilized approach not only automates the process, but also ensures that the same methodology is applied to each country’s survey dataset, thereby enabling an easier comparison of the results. The workshop was concluded by a short presentation from each participant outlining their findings.
The feedback on the workshop was very positive: many participants intend to instruct their colleagues in their home countries on the techniques they learned to use during the workshop. The Australian SIMLESA team will continue to provide support on the use of R, as well as access to the script to identify household typologies.
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Value chain analysis training: putting farmers first

Written by on January 31, 2013. Posted in News.

Value-chain-training Understanding the value chain of maize and legume crops and the ability to define various actors as well as their contributions and constraints along the value chain is crucial in identifying feasible interventions. Since these activities fall within the scope of the SIMLESA (Sustainable Intensification of Maize and Legume Cropping Systems in Southern and Eastern Africa) initiative, national partners and CIMMYT staff took part in a training and writing workshop on value chain analysis held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 09 to 16 January 2013. The workshop was attended by 14 participants (8 national partners from Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique, and 6 CIMMYT employees), and facilitated by Mot Jaleta (CIMMYT). Its objectives included capacity building and finalizing of pending reports related to Objective 1 of the program (to develop and target opportunities for impact through baseline studies and analysis of input and output value chains with particular reference to maize and legume seed systems and local markets), and among the topics covered were basic concepts of value chain analysis, quantitative methods in value chain analysis, and the identification of opportunities, constraints, and interventions at various stages along the value chain.

In his opening remarks, SIMLESA program leader Mulugetta Mekuria stressed the importance of the socioeconomic component of SIMLESA for technology development and dissemination through interaction with local communities and other stakeholders. “The Objective 1 team should be part and parcel of the technology development process, constantly monitoring and evaluating, and not only waiting till the project ends to do an ex-post study,” stated Mekuria. He also emphasized the importance of understanding the opportunities and constraints underlying the SIMLESA maize and legume input and output markets and highlighted the need for SIMLESA to continue placing the interests of smallholder farmers at the center of the program.

The workshop was concluded by presentations on the progress made on the value chain analysis reports by individual countries. Menale Kassie, SIMLESA socioeconomic component coordinator, then thanked all participants for their attendance and contributions. The participants considered the training a successful platform for learning and sharing experiences, and partners requested more similar technical trainings in the future.

Gender integration and data analysis: a better way to move forward

Written by on January 30, 2013. Posted in News.

Gender mainstreaming in agricultural development is on the agenda of national governments and the international development community (for more information on CIMMYT and gender mainstreaming see “Integrating gender into WHEAT and MAIZE CRPs: A leap forward”). Building upon the 2012 World Development Report: Gender Equality and Development warning that the failure to recognize the roles, differences, and inequities between men and women could pose a serious threat to the effectiveness of agricultural development strategies, the Australian International Food Security Center (AIFSC) approved the Adoption Pathways project in Eastern and Southern Africa. The project aims to collect gender disaggregated data to achieve better understanding of technology adoption, agricultural productivity, and food security in the regions.

To contribute to the objective, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) facilitated a training on gender integration and analytical tools in agricultural research and gender disaggregated survey instruments design. The training took place during 08-12 January 2013 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and was attended by over 20 participants from 5 countries (Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania) involved in the Adoption Pathways project and the SIMLESA (Sustainable Intensification of Maize and Legume Cropping Systems in Southern and Eastern Africa) initiative. The training materials were based on case studies from IFPRI projects such as the Gender, Agriculture, and Assets Project (GAAP), and the training itself focused on the concepts of gender; gender in agricultural research; gender livelihood conceptual framework; qualitative methods; the relationship between gender, agriculture, and assets; Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI); and the need for gender disaggregated surveys. The training also provided concrete advice and feedback on how to analyze gender disaggregated data and covered the needs and opportunities for dissemination and outreach, including ways to share results and plans to synthesize lessons learned. Finally, it enabled participants to identify plans for next steps, including updating and refining the SIMLESA survey instrument with gender component.