AASW6: Improving the Livelihoods of Rural Communities in the Nile Valley and Sub-Saharan Africa Region

Improving the Livelihoods of Rural Communities in the Nile Valley and Sub-Saharan Africa Region: Sustainable crop and livestock management

Fawzi KarajehInternational Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Cairo- Egypt

6th Africa Agriculture Science Week and FARA General Assembly

15–20 July 2013Accra, Ghana

Major Challenge Facing Agriculture in NVSSAR

• climate change,• lack of adequate natural resources,• lack of enabling agricultural policies,• insufficient investment in agricultural research

and development, • shortage of experienced scientists, • poor seed production and distribution

programs, and• Lack of inter-regional and sometimes inter-

institutional collaborations.

Irrigated agroecosystems

• Low water productivity• Weak institutions• Inappropriate policies• Salinity• Poor-resource farmers

Rainfed agroecosystems

• Low water productivity• Weak institutions• Low and nonuniform rainwater• Dry spells• Low yields• GW depletion• Poor-resource farmers

Measures for increased WP1. Reduce Evapotranspiration

• Efficient water use germplasm• Best management practices- Agronomy• Proper and adequate land use –

Integrated crop-livestock production systems

• Improving management2. Water and mist harvesting3. Supplemental irrigation4. Deficit irrigation5. Improved full irrigation6. Incentive/disincentive (economic approach)7. Regulation8. Change water use

Improving the Livelihoods of Rural Communities in the Nile Valley and Sub-Saharan Africa Region: Sustainable crop and livestock managementRegional Project

GoalEnhanced food security, livelihoods and adaptive capacity of

resource poor farmers to cope with climate variability and change in the dry areas of the world

Objectivesidentify, test, evaluate, and disseminate productivity enhancing

technological, institutional and policy packages for integrated crop and livestock production in a context of climate change variability.

Project LocationEgypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan and Yemen

Project Focus Sustainable increased productivity of both rainfed and irrigated agriculture – producing 'more crop per drop.‘

Integrated crop-livestock management – more added value 'more income for better livelihood.‘

Rural communities existence 'more resilience to climate variability and change.‘

Originality of the Project -1-

Strong multidisciplinary multi-institutional research and development country teams coordinated by a senior scientist have been established drawing on expertise from NARSs and linking on-going IFAD financed development projects.

Site SelectionThe selected intervention sites, except fro Eritrea, have been within the target areas of an IFAD on going or completed project. Operational linkages have been developed with these projects in the form of in kind contributions and involvement of their extension staff.


Crop Production•The generation of improved technologies focused on existing staple cereal and food legume crops (wheat, maize, barley, tef, faba bean, chick pea and lentil) forage crops (clover, sorghum),

•a wide range of newly introduced crops for improving crop rotations and income diversification (sugar beet, soya bean, peanut, cowpea, onion, tomatoes, cucumber, cabbage), and

•The technology packages combined the use of high yielding and drought and heat tolerant varieties, optimum seed rates and planting time, fertilizer, weed and pest control, and irrigation regimes and seed production and distribution systems.


Originality of the Project

Livestock Production

•The focus has been on sheep and goats and to less extent on local dairy cows and apiculture, and •The technology packages combined herd management, animal nutrition with focus on supplementation feeding for lactating animals, fattening for value addition, forage production and conservation and genetic improvement).


Originality of the Project

For water use efficiency

The focus has been on optimum water requirements and the development and promotion of water saving irrigation practices such as raised bed row planting of irrigated wheat and maize, replacing existing earth canal water conveyance by PVC water conveyance, on-farm sprinkle and drip irrigation.


Project Target Indicators- Irrigated Agriculture

Wat

er P

rodu

ctiv

ity

Yie

ld

20%

Project Target Indicators- Irrigated Agriculture

Farmers income

Project Target Indicators- Rainfed Agriculture

Increase Yield by 100%

Soil Erosion Reduced by 50%

Increase Animal Feed by 20%Increase Farmers Income by 10%

Sudan -1-

The intervention site: Four of twelve villages in Lower Atbara River region of the River Nile State covered by the on-going IFAD loan funded Butana Integrated Rural Development Project (BIRDP).

Combined rainfed winter season crops with supplementary irrigation and summer crops with full irrigation.

Sudan -2-

Farmers are exposed:Climate change- season variability of surface water from Atbara riverlimited groundwater resources,poor irrigation efficiency, low agriculture productivity, wind erosion, and depleting pastoral resources.

Sudan -3-Field Interventions:Improved production packages for winter cereals and grain legumes, and introduction of chickpea and common bean as new cash crops. Livestock production improvement (forage legumes, forage cereals) and supplementary feedingSmall-scale irrigation schemes: modernized irrigation system (water savings systems)

Sudan -4-Crop production technology packages tested

Crop Improved crop production technology packages

Wheat

Use of high yielding heat tolerant early and late maturity varieties; early planting; 140 kg of seed per ha, 43 kg/ha of phosphate (P2O5) at land preparation, 130 kg N/ha; chemical and hand weeding control; 8 irrigations at on-farm trials (OFT) and 11 to 13 irrigations at on-station trials (OST)

Faba bean

High yielding varieties; early planting; 120 kg/ha of seed, chemical and hand weeding control; application of 7 irrigations at OFT and 10 at OST.

Chickpea

High yielding variety; early planting; application of 70 kg/ha of seed; 86 kg N/ha; application of 8.5 irrigations at OFT and 12 at OST; hand weeding at OFT; chemical weed control at OST

Common bean and Maize

Improved common bean variety and a self-pollinated maize variety; common bean sole cropping at OFT; inter-cropped common bean and maize at OFT; bean sole cropping at OST; early planting; 80 kg/ha seed; 86 Kg N /ha; hand weeding at OFT and a combination of hand and chemical weed control at OST; 8 irrigations at OFT and 11 irrigations at OST

Sudan -5-Livestock production

Mineral and concentrate supplementation feeding for lactating animals, strategic supplementary feeding of breeding ewes, sheep fattening, introduction of forage crops and dual purpose legumes, improving the nutritive value of crop residues and skill training for women on dairy processing.

Sudan -6-Results-Wheat and faba bean technology packages

Result indicator neighboring farmer practice

On-farm trial (OFT)

on station trial (OST)

Winter Wheat 2011-2012 crop season

Average yield (Ton/ha) 1.16 2.70 2.97 5.79 6.03

Yield increase over NFP - 132% 156% 400% 420%

Yield increase over OFD - - - 114% 103%

Net benefit over NFP - 1290% 1567% 4580% 4772%

Marginal rate of return - 197% 226% 416% 399%

Faba bean 2011-2012 crop season

Average yield (Ton/ha) 0.71 2.17 2.93

Yield increase over NFP - 205% 312%

Yield increase over OFD - - 35%

Net benefit increase over NFP - 551% 810%

Marginal rate of return - 3190% 1518%

Sudan -7-Results- Small-scale irrigation water saving trials 2012 summer growing season

Irrigation practice

Cost reduction from Input saving

Water Fuel Pumping time Labor

Pipe conveyance (PC) over OPC* 13-20% 24-28 % 19-23% 61-66%

Drip irrigation (DI) over Traditional IS (TIS)

37% 45% 37% 50%

Sprinkler irrigation (SI) over TIS 45% 31% 33% 56%

Yield achieved (ton per feddan)

Irrigation practice Tomato Clover* Clitoria ** Okra

Open channel conveyance (OPC) 4.17 14 16 0.45

PCV pipe water conveyance

Increase

7.0

66%

20

43%

20

25%

0.51

13%

**Based on 3 month cut period

Sudan -8-Livestock production Water savings with the highest on-farm

sprinkler irrigation (45%), followed by on-farm drip irrigation (37%) and pipe water conveyance (13 to 20%)

Fuel saving with the highest produced by drip irrigation (45%), followed by sprinkler irrigation (31%) and PVC pipe conveyance (24-28%)

Pumping time saving, with the highest achieved by drip irrigation (37%), followed by sprinkler irrigation (33%) and pipe conveyance (19-20 %);

Labor saving with the highest by PVC pipe conveyance system (61-66%), followed by sprinkler irrigation (56%) and drip irrigation (50%).

Ethiopia -1-

The intervention site: Site 1: Gedemso irrigation/rainfed site located in the Central Rift in Oromia region (arid to semi arid with 860 mm annual rainfall)

Site 2: Gumara-Maksegnit watershed rainfed site located in North Gondar in Amhara region (a dry land area with 1050 mm annual precipitation highly unpredictable and poorly distributed)

Ethiopia -2-Farmers are exposed:Climate change- season variability: aannual precipitation highly unpredictable and poorly distributed,Limited access to irrigation water,Small-scale irrigation schemes under the on-going project- need for enhancing the farmers capacity,poor irrigation efficiency, low agriculture productivity, Water erosion, Lack of feed during dry spills

Ethiopia -3-Field Interventions:

Gedemso irrigation/rainfed siteNew crops, develop test and evaluate associated improved technologies.

Gumara-Maksegnit watershed rainfed siteIntroduction of forage species for grazing, animal nutrition, animal health, genetic improvement, market linkages, value addition and capacity building.

Ethiopia -4-Results: Improved agriculture production technologies

Gedemso irrigation/rainfed siteOver 100 repeat on-farm field trials were conducted from 2011 to 2013 to demonstrate and evaluate improved crop production technological packages for rainfed and irrigation agriculture: improved crop varieties, optimum crop management options and efficient crop protection practices against excessive rainfall born pests and diseases.


Gedemso irrigation/rainfed site

Crop

RMT*T/ha

FMT**T/ha

NFP***T/ha

% IncreaseFMT over NFP RMT over

FMT

Maize 7.0 4.3 to 5.2

2.0 to 2.5 115 % to 108 %

63% to 35%

Wheat 5.0 2.4 to 3.3

1.2 to 1.8 100 % to 83% 108% to 51%

Tef 2.1 1.0 to 1.4

0.6 to 0.8 67% to 75% 110%to 50%

Barley 3.5 2.5 to 3.0

+ - 40% to 17 %

Faba bean 3.5 1.7 to 2.7

+ - 106% to 30%

* Researcher managed trial ** Farmer managed trial ***Neighboring farmer practice


Gumara-Maksegnit watershed rainfed siteNew forage species being introduced in the farming system:

2 Sesbania, 1 cajanus, 1 Penisetum, 5 vetch and 6 cactus cultivars are promising sources for increased feed availability and at the same time providing effective vegetative cover for soil and water conservation.


Gumara-Maksegnit watershed rainfed siteCost efficient feed mixes for goat fattening being developed.

On-farm produced forage legumes and enhanced nutritive value of crop residues. The work is at the initial stage.

Goat health and disease risk management practices being identified. Characterization of disease symptoms, blood and fecal laboratory analysis.Goat breeding and genetic improvement practices being developed.

Characterization of goat population and production systems, identification of breeding objectives and selection criteria, identification of all goats in the selected model village using the album method instead of the ear tagging practice rejected by farmers.

Study on goat marketing and value addition initiated. Data collection for market analysis. The work on high value goat products and access to niche markets is to be conducted in parallel with goat fattening activities.

Eritrea -1-

The intervention site: The village of Adi-Gheda and its surroundings

Eritrea -2-Farmers are exposed:Climate change- season variability: aannual precipitation highly unpredictable and poorly distributed,Limited access to irrigation water,Lack of improved quality of seeds (cereal and legumes),poor water use efficiency, low agriculture productivity, Water erosion, Lack of feed during dry spills

Eritrea -3-Field Interventions:Development of community based seed production practices and delivery systems, Development of Community based managed grazing land, and Generation of improved livestock production practices with focus on animal nutrition (feed blocks), animal health and forage cultivation,Capacity development

Eritrea -4-Results: Improved agriculture production technologies

Community based seed production and delivery model established. A significant quantity of seed of improved varieties has been produced and delivered to farmers. During 2011, a first group of 23 farmers produced 36 quintals of wheat, barley and chickpea seeds. During 2012, using the seed produced in 2010, a second group of 39 farmers produced 360 quintals of seeds.

Eritrea -5-Results: Improved agriculture production technologies

Feed block technologies developed tested. On the basis of the demonstration trials with a group of 20 sheep producers conducted during 2012, the results indicated that the use of feed blocks increased significantly the weight gain of sheep compared to the non-users of feed blocks.

A pilot community based grazing area model being tested. The progress made at this stage includes the establishment of a village based grazing area over an area of 15 ha.

Eritrea -6-Results: Improving livestock productivity

Sheep breeding – community approaches bring more income to farmers

• Grazing field using water harvested pond in period of drought• Better breeds through community based program• Feed blocks- village based practice at the cost of the production• Health evaluation and monitoring

bring more income, in turn, better livelihoods to farmers

Conclusions:

• Yes !! water productivity can increase substantially

• Improved production package can substantially reduce the amount of applied irrigation water

• Substantial increase in WP requires shift in focus from land to water and land integrated management

• The farmers income can improve by more than 10%.

Thank you

Technology

AASW6: Improving the Livelihoods of Rural Communities in the Nile Valley and Sub-Saharan Africa Region