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Social impact

Written by rllopez on .

In the Loop

Updates from SIMLESA

-The Sustainable Intensification of Maize-Legume cropping Systems for Food Security in Eastern and Southern Africa(www.simlesa.cimmyt.org)
ABOUT SIMLESA:

  • SIMLESA has been running for 9 years.
  •  It is funded by the Australian Government through the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR)
  • Implemented in seven countries in Eastern and southern Africa under the coordination of CIMMYT together with more than 10 national and international institutions.
  • SIMLESA brings together farmers, scientists, government officials, extension experts and agribusinesses in an international Africa-Australia collaboration to promote sustainable intensification based on conservation agriculture.

Did you know?

On the social dimension side, SIMLESA continues to improve family fabric through the hosting of exploratory trials which promote the participation of men, women and youths thereby making everyone strategic and important participant in household farming activities. The approach has also led to improved family cohesion giving women opportunities to contribute to household decision- making.


  • Watch this video in which different women farmers talk about how they adopted SIMLESA’s agricultural technologies.
  •  Read this article  about a new book which draws on experiences of men and women farmers across eastern and southern Africa who bravely embraced change to improve their farming methods and the lives and livelihoods of their families.

Economic impact

Written by rllopez on .

In the Loop

Updates from SIMLESA

-The Sustainable Intensification of Maize-Legume cropping Systems for Food Security in Eastern and Southern Africa(www.simlesa.cimmyt.org)
ABOUT SIMLESA:

  • SIMLESA has been running for 9 years.
  •  It is funded by the Australian Government through the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR)
  • Implemented in seven countries in Eastern and southern Africa under the coordination of CIMMYT together with more than 10 national and international institutions.
  • SIMLESA brings together farmers, scientists, government officials, extension experts and agribusinesses in an international Africa-Australia collaboration to promote sustainable intensification based on conservation agriculture.

Did you know?

SIMLESA has led to reduction of production costs and increased productivity and dietary diversity in farm households and communities. This economic change is thanks to the introduction and use of Conservation Agriculture(CA) based sustainable intensification technology options like maize and legumes inter-cropping.


  • Watch this video in which SIMLESA farmers from the Western region of Kenya are celebrating increased productivity and enormous maize and beans yield gains after adopting the CA-based technologies.
  • Read this article to learn how the Uganda’s National Agricultural Research Organization has recommended the adoption and mainstreaming of Conservation Agriculture for increased productivity for small holder farmers
  • In this article SIMLESA scientists are recommending the adoption of conservation agriculture for sustainable intensification technologies to help farmers increase maize and legume yields in Tanzania.

SCIENTIFIC IMPACT

Written by rllopez on .

In the Loop

Updates from SIMLESA

-The Sustainable Intensification of Maize-Legume cropping Systems for Food Security in Eastern and Southern Africa(www.simlesa.cimmyt.org)
ABOUT SIMLESA:

  • SIMLESA has been running for 9 years.
  •  It is funded by the Australian Government through the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR)
  • Implemented in seven countries in Eastern and southern Africa under the coordination of CIMMYT together with more than 10 national and international institutions.
  • SIMLESA brings together farmers, scientists, government officials, extension experts and agribusinesses in an international Africa-Australia collaboration to promote sustainable intensification based on conservation agriculture.

Did you know?

SIMLESA has maintained its focus on generating scientific impacts. Through partnering with agricultural institutes in its target countries, the program has been able to share research methods, tools and their applications.

  • Watch this video in which agricultural experts met to discuss conservation agriculture technologies as the sustainable basis for regional food security.
  • In this video SIMLESA’s scientists and partner-researchers give insight into the roles of the multiple partners involved and how they each contribute in the research work.
  • In this article learn how a SIMLESA farmer in Kenya puts the Conservation Agriculture-based technologies such as zero tillage and crop residue retention into action.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Written by rllopez on .

In the Loop

Updates from SIMLESA

-The Sustainable Intensification of Maize-Legume cropping Systems for Food Security in Eastern and Southern Africa(www.simlesa.cimmyt.org)
ABOUT SIMLESA:

  • SIMLESA has been running for 9 years.
  •  It is funded by the Australian Government through the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR)
  • Implemented in seven countries in Eastern and southern Africa under the coordination of CIMMYT together with more than 10 national and international institutions.
  • SIMLESA brings together farmers, scientists, government officials, extension experts and agribusinesses in an international Africa-Australia collaboration to promote sustainable intensification based on conservation agriculture.

Did you know?

SIMLESA places environmental concerns as key to its agricultural development interventions because sustainable farming practices are critical to long-term profitability. The program continues to promote conservation agriculture and maize-legume intensification to respond to declining soil fertility and sustainably increase the productivity and profitability of current farming systems.


  • Read this article which discusses how SIMLESA encouraged the adoption of a set of practices to build soil health and adaption to climate variability and change.
  • Read this ACIAR report about the adoption of SIMLESA’s sustainable intensification practices is paying off in countries with variable climates.
  • In this article agricultural experts call out for the intensive efforts in scaling out of water and soil conservation practices and drought-tolerant seeds.

policy forum

Written by rllopez on .

In the Loop

Updates from SIMLESA

-The Sustainable Intensification of Maize-Legume cropping Systems for Food Security in Eastern and Southern Africa(www.simlesa.cimmyt.org)
ABOUT SIMLESA:

  • SIMLESA has been running for 9 years.
  •  It is funded by the Australian Government through the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR)
  • Implemented in seven countries in Eastern and southern Africa under the coordination of CIMMYT together with more than 10 national and international institutions.
  • SIMLESA brings together farmers, scientists, government officials, extension experts and agribusinesses in an international Africa-Australia collaboration to promote sustainable intensification based on conservation agriculture.

Did you know?

The SIMLESA project has been determined to reach out to the policy community with the publication and dissemination of more than 57 policy briefs these have been variously disseminated at project annual meetings, other gatherings.


  •  Read from this vast library of policy briefs touching on different topics including adaptive agronomy, socio-economic, gender studies, among others
  •  Read this article on a policy forum in Mozambique, recommending the scaling out of sustainable agricultural practices.
  •  Read this article on a policy forum where farmers, researchers and policy makers call for stronger incentives and institutional innovations to scale up climate smart agriculture in Malawi .
  • Watch this video of Radio Moçambique’s report on the SIMLESA’s policy forum; involving interviews with farmers and researchers.

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