Author: rllopez
SIMLESA improves food security in Africa
The Australian-funded SIMLESA research program underway in 11 African countries is helping farmers grow drought-tolerant and improved varieties of maize and legumes using conservation agriculture techniques.
The aim is to conserve soil moisture and save farmers’ time by reducing ploughing. Links between farmers and others in the supply chain are being strenghthened to help increase incomes.
SIMLESA is supported by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), and is run by CIMMYT (the International Maize and Wheat Research Centre) in collaboration with national and regional agricultural agencies, with input from Australia.
CREDITS
This Crawford Fund film set in Tanzania was made by Sally Ingleton of 360 degrees films with support from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR)
Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister praises SIMLESA achievments in Africa
In a plenary address closing the 5th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture, held in Brisbane, Australia during 26-29 September 2011, Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Kevin Rudd singled out the impressive achievements of the initiative on Sustainable Intensification of Maize-Legume Cropping Systems for Food Security in Eastern and Southern Africa (SIMLESA) since its launch in early 2010. “This particular project is helping to develop drought and disease-tolerant maize and legume varieties and to educate farmers about new farming technologies in conservation in five African countries. In the first eighteen months of the program, we’ve helped train more than 150 agricultural researchers from Malawi, Mozambique, Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania and trialed conservation agriculture in 215 fields owned by local farmers. It’s on track to reaching its target of increasing crop productivity of maize and legumes by 30% on around half a million African small farms within 10 years.” Complete text for this address may be found at: http://www.foreignminister.gov.au/speeches/2011/kr_sp_110929.html
SIMLESA Program Annual Report July 2011–June 2012
SIMLESA is a four-year (July 2010-December 2013) program funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). The aim of SIMLESA program is to improve farm-level food security, in the context of climate risk and change, through the development of more resilient, profitable and sustainable farming systems that overcome food insecurity for significant numbers of farm families in eastern and southern Africa. SIMLESA promotes the use of adapted maize-legume technologies as well as improved varieties and develops
comprehensive agronomic packages that increase productivity of maize-legume intercropping systems at farm level. The key focus areas of the project are farmer and stakeholder participation and economic evaluation of the new technologies. The program has an identical set of activities in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania.
To read full report: click here
Farmers in Western Kenya showcase their harvest
Farmers in five African countries, including Kenya, are testing and adapting a system change encompassing conservation agriculture and improved varieties through the Australian-funded SIMLESA program. Here the Liganwa Farmers’ Group are showcasing their crops of maize that have been grown using a new approach that has seen some farmers more than triple their yields even though they’re spending less time in the field.