Towards the making of a workplan for the ESA Project

Mateete Bekunda andIrmgard H.-Zeledon

Development of the workplan is guided by the Africa RISING Research Framework which is a component of the Africa RISING Programme Document

Purpose of the Research Framework• Provide pathways out of hunger and poverty for

small holder families through sustainably intensified farming systems that sufficiently improve food, nutrition, and income security, particularly for women and children, and conserve or enhance the natural resource base

• Research contributes to the developmental aims of FtF.

Objectives: Research

• Create opportunities for smallholders to move out of poverty and improve their nutritional status – especially of young children and mothers – while maintaining or improving ecosystem stability

• Facilitate partner-led dissemination of integrated innovations for sustainable intensification beyond the Africa RISING action research sites

Outcomes: Development

• Wider adoption of innovations identified and tested by the program’s outputs within the Africa RISING action research sites enhances livelihoods through increased agricultural output, income diversity, reduced vulnerability to adverse environmental and economic challenges and improved nutrition and welfare; especially of young children and mothers

• Development community initiates programs, based on the knowledge tools and innovations developed and promoted by Africa RISING, that are directed at developmental goals that are consistent with the Africa RISING program purpose

Research outputs• Situation analysis and program synthesis to enable

characterisation and stratification of communities for effective interventions

• Integrated Systems Improvement via participatory technology identification, development and adaptation on common sites

• Scaling and delivery of integrated innovation, also addressing weaknesses in approaches of scaling out

• M & E for program-wide synthesis and co-learning

It is these outputs that the workplan is being designed to address

Issues addressed before the workshop

• Situation analysis and program synthesis

Action sites have been selected based on selected development domains (population density and agro-ecological potential) for the purpose of initiating field activities this coming season

AR operational zonesIdentified action sites (villages) in Babati District

This week’s workshop has identified research issues & entry options at integrated system improvement level.

They define potential Research Team action zones

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Integration is at the intersections between land, crop and livestock components

Cross-cutting challenges are part of the integration studies; e.g.

Seeds, breedsNutritionValue additionMarketsPolicyCapacity buildingM&EShocks & stressesGenderOthers

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Soil/Water – Crops integration (1) maize-based systems

different agro-ecologies (rainfall)

• NRM: soil/water conservation for arid/semi-arid areas: CA, ridging, terracing, ripping, hedges, sub-soiling) land rehabilitation: high biomass crops• Crop management: choice of agro-ecology adapted varieties, temporal/ special crop arrangement (rotations, inter-cropping, multi-purpose legumes)• Soil fertility and nutrient management: trees/shrubs integration, targeted combinations of organic/inorganic fertilizers, micro-dosing, foliar applications of micro-nutrients• IPM: variety selection, cultural practices to pre-empt and control, judicious use of pesticides, Striga management, mycotoxin management, diagnostics and monitoring of biotic stresses

Land – Livestock integration (2) Extensive systems

- pasture management- trees/shrubs for carbon sequestration- manure/crop residues exchange- stock management (breeds, rates, diseases)- land use planning- water harvesting & conservation

Crop – Livestock integration (3)Intensive & semi-intensive systems

• Enhanced poultry production for meat and eggs

• On-farm livestock feed production through - multi-purpose legumes and trees/shrubs (feeds, BNF, fuel) - utilization of cereal by-products

• Maximising nutrient recycling through animal manures & crop wastes

•Post-harvest technologies for crops and feed, including technologies to improve food and feed safety

Rice-based systems, vegetable systems

Addressing major production constraints rather than integration of different systems components

• Community-based seed and seedling systems for high quality seeds/ seedlings• Integrated crop management: land preparation, timing of operations, crop rotations, labour saving technologies• Water management: WUE enhancement and water conservation• Harvest and post-harvest handling: mechanization, packaging, grading, standardization• Markets: warehouse receipt system, FO, direct marketing to premium markets, food quality

Situation analysis and M&E• Determine development domains (agro-ecological potential, market

access, and population density)

• Prioritize target areas (welfare, sustainability, farming systems, degradation, governments’ & USAID priorities)

• Develop farm household typologies

• Identify pathway entry points

• Inventory of innovations

• Ex-ante potential of innovations

• Priority setting and planning for integrated systems improvement

• Program-wide synthesis and co-learning

Activities will be concurrent or stepwise