Research for development approaches in mixed crop-livestock systems of the Ethiopian highlands

Million Gebreyes James Hammond Lulseged Tamene Getachew Agegnehu Rabe Yahaya Anthony Whitbread (2023, [Artículo])

This study presents processes and success stories that emerged from Africa RISING's Research for Development project in the Ethiopian Highlands. The project has tested a combination of participatory tools at multiple levels, with systems thinking and concern for sustainable and diversified livelihoods. Bottom-up approaches guided the selection of technological interventions that could address the priority farming system challenges of the communities, leading to higher uptake levels and increased impact. Joint learning, appropriate technology selection, and the creation of an enabling environment such as the formation of farmer research groups, the establishment of innovation platforms, and capacity development for institutional and technical innovations were key to this study. The study concludes by identifying key lessons that focus more on matching innovations to community needs and geographies, systems orientation/integration of innovations, stepwise approaches to enhance the adoption of innovations, documenting farmers' capacity to modify innovations, building successful partnerships, and facilitating wider scaling of innovations for future implementation of agricultural research for development projects.

Action Research Systems Thinking CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA INNOVATION PARTNERSHIPS SCALING UP INTEGRATED CROP-LIVESTOCK SYSTEMS

Energy and economic efficiency of climate-smart agriculture practices in a rice–wheat cropping system of India

Manish Kakraliya Deepak Bijarniya Parbodh Chander Sharma ML JAT (2022, [Artículo])

Intensive Tillage Conventional Rice–Wheat Systems Energy Efficiency On-Farm Studies Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA CLIMATE-SMART AGRICULTURE RICE WHEAT CROPPING SYSTEMS

Agricultura en tiempos de incertidumbre: ¿qué podemos hacer?

Jelle Van Loon (2022, [Objeto de congreso])

CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA FOOD SECURITY INFLATION FOOD PRICES AGRIFOOD SYSTEMS CLIMATE CHANGE SUSTAINABLE INTENSIFICATION

Redes de innovación para el escalamiento de prácticas sustentables: Hubs y la Iniciativa AgriLac Resiliente de OneCGIAR

Jelle Van Loon (2022, [Objeto de congreso])

CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA AGRIFOOD SYSTEMS INNOVATION SUSTAINABLE INTENSIFICATION TRAINING RESEARCH

Sowing the wheat seeds of Afghanistan's future

Nigel Poole Rajiv Sharma Orzala Nemat Jason Donovan Alison Bentley (2022, [Artículo])

Humanitarian Intervention CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA FOOD SECURITY IRRIGATION NUTRITION PLANT BREEDING SEED SYSTEMS

MLN disease diagnostics, surveillance, MLN disease-free seed production, and MLN disease management

Suresh L.M. (2022, [Objeto de congreso])

CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA DISEASES DISEASE MANAGEMENT SEED PRODUCTION MAIZE NECROSIS YIELD LOSSES ECONOMIC IMPACT SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS TRAINING

Appropriate surveillance and diagnostics tools in preventing the spread of Maize Lethal Necrosis (MNL) to Southern Africa

Suresh L.M. (2022, [Objeto de congreso])

CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA MAIZE DISEASES SEED PRODUCTION MONITORING SYSTEMS TRAINING

Sustainability assessment of vegetables farms in Benin: preliminary results

Sylvanus Odjo (2023, [Objeto de congreso])

CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT VEGETABLES STAPLE FOODS AGRIFOOD SYSTEMS FRUITS FARMERS

CIMMYT seed systems interventions

&

lessons to Bangladesh

AbduRahman Issa (2023, [Objeto de congreso])

CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA SEED SYSTEMS VALUE CHAINS POLICIES HYBRIDS MAIZE WHEAT

Multicriteria assessment of alternative cropping systems at farm level. A case with maize on family farms of South East Asia

Santiago Lopez-Ridaura (2023, [Artículo])

CONTEXT: Integration of farms into markets with adoption of maize as a cash crop can significantly increase income of farms of the developing world. However, in some cases, the income generated may still be very low and maize production may also have strong negative environmental and social impacts. OBJECTIVE: Maize production in northern Laos is taken as a case to study how far can farms' performance be improved with improved crop management of maize with the following changes at field level: good timing and optimal soil preparation and sowing, allowing optimal crop establishment and low weed infestation. METHODS: We compared different farm types' performance on locally relevant criteria and indicators embodying the three pillars of sustainability (environmental, economic and social). An integrated assessment approach was combined with direct measurement of indicators in farmers' fields to assess eleven criteria of local farm sustainability. A bio-economic farm model was used for scenario assessment in which changes in crop management and the economic environment of farms were compared to present situation. The farm model was based on mathematical programming maximizing income under constraints related to i) household composition, initial cash and rice stocks and land type, and ii) seasonal balances of cash, labour and food. The crop management scenarios were built based on a diagnosis of the causes of variations in the agronomic and environmental performances of cropping systems, carried out in farmers' fields. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that moderate changes in crop management on maize would improve substantially farm performance on 4 to 6 criteria out of the 11 assessed, depending on farm types. The improved crop management of maize had a high economic attractiveness for every farm type simulated (low, medium and high resource endowed farms) even at simulated production costs more than doubling current costs of farmers' practices. However, while an improvement of the systems performance was attained in terms of agricultural productivity, income generation, work and ease of work, herbicide leaching, improved soil quality and nitrogen balance, trade-offs were identified with other indicators such as erosion control and cash outflow needed at the beginning of the cropping season. SIGNIFICANCE: Using farm modelling for multicriteria assessment of current and improved maize cropping systems for contrasted farm types helped capture main opportunities and constraints on local farm sustainability, and assess the trade-offs that new options at field level may generate at farm level.

Bio-Economic Farm Model Smallholder Farms CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA CASH CROPS INDICATORS SMALLHOLDERS CROPPING SYSTEMS MAIZE