Research on Sustainable Intensification in the

CGIAR Research Programs

Sustainable Intensification

• Food, energy, water and material resources are being driven towards critical thresholds

• Key factors: – continued population growth – changing consumption patterns – impacts of climate change and environmental degradation

• Sustainable intensification– Increased productivity– Reduced negative impact on the environment– Increased contribution to natural capital & environmental services– Approaches should consider the trade-offs, local complexities; &

the social, economic and political perspectives

Sustainable Intensification

Conceptual Frameworks:• Benchmark area approach• Integrated Natural Resources Management (INRM)

approach• Agro-ecological Intensification (AEI)

Ref: CN on SI of maize-legume-livestock integrated farming systems in ESA

Sustainable Intensification

Examples:• 40 cases of projects in 20 countries in AfricaCommissioned by the UK Gov’t Office of Science Foresight project on Global

Food and Farming Futures [Ref: Pretty, Toulmin, & Williams (Eds.). Sustainable intensification: increasing productivity in African food and agricultural systems. Int. J. Agric. Sustainability 9 (1) 2011]

• Lessons– Science and farmer inputs into technologies & practices– Novel social infrastructure that builds trust– Improvement of farmer knowledge and capacity– Engagement with the private sector for goods and services– Focus on women’s educational, microfinance, & ag. tech. needs– Ensuring availability of microfinance and rural banking– Ensuring public sector support for agriculture

CGIAR Vision and System Level Outcomes

Vision: • To reduce poverty and hunger, improve human health

and nutrition, and enhance ecosystem resilience through high-quality international agricultural research, partnership and leadership

Outcomes:• reducing rural poverty• improving food security• improving nutrition and health• sustainable management of natural resources

CGIAR Research Programs (CRPs)• The change process will see the operations of the

CGIAR implemented through a number Research Programs (CRPs).

• The CRPs are the main mechanism by which the CGIAR will achieve the greater alignment of research outputs with the four System Level Outcomes

• These are aimed to better coordinate R4D efforts, enhance efficiencies, and encourage cooperation and collaboration with a focus on effective partnerships to achieve more development impacts.

CGIAR Research ProgramsCode Title Lead Center

1.1 Integrated production systems in dry areas ICARDA

1.2 Integrated systems for the humid tropics IITA

1.3 Aquatic agricultural systems WorldFish

2 Policies, institutions and markets IFPRI

3.1 Wheat CIMMYT

3.2 Maize CIMMYT

3.3 GRiSP – A global rice science partnership IRRI

3.4 Roots, tubers and bananas CIP

3.5 Grain legumes ICRISAT

3.6 Dryland cereals ICRISAT

3.7 Meat, milk and fish ILRI

4 Agriculture for nutrition and health IFPRI

5 Water, land and ecosystems IWMI

6 Forests, trees and agroforestry CIFOR

7 Climate change, agriculture, food security CIAT

CGIAR System on-going Reforms

Food security, Poverty, Natural Resources, Under-nutrition

Impact by 2025 Impact by 2025

Increase yield 60%Increase yield 60%

Sustain annual growth 0.5 % Sustain annual growth 0.5 %

RReduce poverty 15 %educe poverty 15 %

Production systems

CRP 1.2 Humidtropics Domain

Markets NRM integrity

CRP 1.1

Dryland

systems

CRP 1.3

Aquatic

systems

CRP 3: Sustainable Production

Systems

Grain legumes

Roots, Tubers, & Bananas

Assessment of new crop varieties, best management technologies & livestock integration

value addition

Integrated Soil Fertility

Management

forest margins

carbon dynamics

policy support

Livestock

WetDry Rainfall Gradient

Humidtropics: Integrated Systems for the Humid Tropics

The first of the four specific objectives is to:

Develop an integrated research program on sustainable intensification of rainfed smallholder farming systems in the humid and sub-humid tropics.

The program structure is built around the ff. complementary Strategic Themes:

• Systems Analysis and Synthesis • Integrated Systems Improvement• Scaling and Institutional Innovations

Humidtropics Program Structure

Western humid lowlands

Central humid lowlands

Western moistsavannas

Southern humid

lowlands

Southern moist

savannas

East and Central highlands

Southern moist savannas

Major farming systems (% of the land area by Dixon classification):

Cereal-root crop mixed (35%);Root crop (26%); Maize mixed (22%)

Humidtropics 6-step Model: Translating Research to Impact

CRP 1.2 Targets

15-year targets in the Action Areas:

•Increase staple food yields by 60%

•Increase average farm income by 50%

•Lift 25% of poor households above the poverty line

•Reduce the number of malnourished children by 30%

•Nutrient depletion on 40% of farms reversed to sustainable

nutrient flow

CRP 1.1: Dryland SystemsIntegrated Agricultural Production Systems for

the Poor and Vulnerable in Dry Areas

Target Systems• Areas/systems with the deepest endemic poverty and

most vulnerable populations often associated with severe natural resource degradation and extreme environmental variability.

• Systems with the greatest potential for impact on poverty in the short to medium term

CRP 1.1 Strategic Research Themes

• SRT 1: Approaches and models for strengthening innovation systems, building stakeholder innovation capacity, and linking knowledge to policy action

• SRT 2: Reducing vulnerability and managing risk, leading to resilient dryland agro-ecosystems with less vulnerable and improved livelihoods of rural communities

• SRT 3: Sustainable intensification for more productive, profitable and diversified dryland agriculture with well-established linkages to markets

• SRT 4: Measuring impact and cross-regional synthesis

SRT1. Better functioning innovation systems

1.1 Innovation

models

1.3 Policy

1.2 Partners

SRT4. Targeting, characterization & impact

4.1 Future scenarios 4.3 Measuring impact

4.2 Characterization and prioritization

SRT2. Reduced vulnerability

& risk

SRT3. Sustainable intensification

2.1 Design2.2 Scaling out2.3 Trade-offs

3.1 Design3.2 Scaling out3.3 Trade-offs

Overview of CRP1.1 Strategic Research Themes (SRTs) & their Outputs

CRP 1.1 Benchmark Areas focusing on reducing vulnerability (SRT2 type) or on sustainable intensification (SRT3 type). Circles/ovals indicate the 5 target regions

CRP 1.1 Action, Satellite and Knowledge Sharing (KSS) Sites in East and Southern Africa