Participants: Frederic Baudron (FACASI Project leader) . Moti Jaleta (FACASI Objective coordinator) .Paswel Marenya (CIMMYT) . Walter Mupangwa (CIMMYT). Erick Njau (Tanzania) . Tom Agwa (Kenya). Yared Derbie (Ethiopia). Raymond Nazare (Zimbabwe)
The Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA), in collaboration with CIMMYT (and their partners) are organizing a policy forum on conservation agriculture-based sustainable intensification (CASI) as part of the Summit of Patron Ministers from ASARECA member countries (plus Malawi and Mozambique).
The High-Level Policy Forum will focus on how CASI can drive critical shifts in farming practices and how innovations in agri-businesses and rural institutions can promote agricultural resilience and sustainability in Africa.
The SIMLESA project is funded by the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and coordinated by CIMMYT in partnership with national research institutions and other international collaborators. Find out more about this forum here.
Joshua Masinde
In Brief:
Despite maize and legumes being key staples in Tanzania, yields have remained low, at 1.2 tons per hectare for maize and 0.38 tons per hectare for legumes such as beans. Maize and legume farmers face numerous challenges, including weather variability, declining soil health, pest and disease infestation and worsening drought conditions.
However, having the right knowledge on, and supporting widespread adoption of innovations such as conservation agriculture-based sustainable intensification (CASI) practices, could ramp-up smallholder farmers’ resilience, food and livelihood security. Traditionally, many smallholders have focused on mono-cropping, labor-intensive tillage, biomass burning, and deforestation to reclaim land for farming. These have depleted soil nutrients, affected crop yields, occasioned environmental degradation and socio-economic uncertainty.
Since 2010, through the Sustainable Intensification of Maize and Legume Cropping Systems for Food Security in Eastern and Southern Africa (SIMLESA) project, farmers have been encouraged and supported to adopt CASI practices. This integrated approach entails, among other things, crop diversification with rotational, mixed or inter-cropping system, minimum tillage, livestock rearing, mechanization, to improve soil fertility, farmers’ productivity and yields. In Tanzania, SIMLESA’s aim is to sustainably increase productivity and income of the Maize-Legume Cropping Systems, with funding from the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). It is implemented by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in collaboration with the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI).
During the Tanzania National Policy Engagement Forum on CASI technologies held in Arusha on March 13, 2019, participants called for enhanced collaboration among all stakeholders to accelerate the scale up and entrenchment of CASI technologies in Tanzania. Since the project inception in the country in 2010, over 50,000 smallholder farmers have adopted CASI practices, which have potential to increase yields by as much as 4.5 tons per hectare for maize and 1.4 tons hectare for maize and legumes.
“The message we are now telling farmers is that when they take good care of their land through practices such as minimal soil tillage and retention of crop residue on the farm, the soil will retain moisture and nutrients for longer. This is essential for plant growth even in times of scarce rainfall. Other essential practices such as inter-cropping legumes such as beans with maize fixes nitrogen in the soil, while providing the smallholders with nutritious food, for consumption and sale for increased incomes,” said John Sariah, SIMLESA Tanzania Coordinator.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture in Tanzania, Innocent Bashungwa, who was the chief guest, lauded the productive collaborative efforts that went into developing and piloting CASI technologies in the country since 2010. “With the joint implementation of CASI initiatives by international research institutions, development partners, NGOs, the private sector, researchers from TARI, extension services and farmers, there is clear evidence of increased farm productivity, time savings through mechanization, improved soil health and resilience of farmers to challenges of climate change and variability. In fact, the technology has proven to cut down labor time by half, increased yields twofold and improved soil condition for proper crop nourishment,” he said. “We will ensure that the conclusions presented during the SIMLESA forum are included in the agricultural policy documents currently being prepared” he added.
He added that with the Tanzanian government focused on spurring industrialization, there is need for stakeholders to support investments in local production of appropriate machinery, implements, improved seeds, fertilizer, herbicides and pesticides. “This is critical for sustainable intensification of smallholders’ maize-legume farming system that farmers have easy access to local, affordable technologies.”
TARI Director General, Geoffrey Mkamilo, noted that CASI technologies are yet to reach a critical mass of farmers as desired. “TARI, through the Technology Transfer directorate, has started involving all key stakeholders, specifically policy makers at local and national levels, to expedite the dissemination of these technologies to more beneficiaries efficiently and at faster rate,” he said.
The TARI board chair and the chair of parliamentary committee on agriculture both emphasized the importance of effective communication of research findings to the farming community, in ways that encourages adoption of best practices.
The forum agreed to pursue countrywide outreach efforts, to showcase the best practices of CASI, including demonstrations of two-wheel tractors. It also urged private sector players to increase investments along the CASI value chain to make technologies such as small machinery widely accessible to farmers. They also called for increased training for researchers, trainers and local extension services in CASI technologies.
Cynthia Mahata and Jerome Bossuet
In Brief:
Malawi is a predominantly agricultural country with a population of about 18 Million, of which, 80% live in the rural areas practicing subsistence farming. Rapid population growth and unsustainable farming practices have led to widespread land degradation, with 20 tons of soil lost per hectare every year.
The Sustainable Intensification of Maize-Legume Systems for Food Security in Eastern and Southern Africa (SIMLESA) program has demonstrated, for the last 8 years, that Conservation Agriculture-based Sustainable Intensification (CASI) approach can work for resources-limited Malawi smallholdings to improve their crop yields and climate resilience, while sustaining the natural resource base.
SIMLESA impact: farmers can grow more with less with CASI
In Malawi, SIMLESA has been implemented by the Department of Agricultural Research Services (DARS) in collaboration with the Department of Agricultural Extension Services (DAES). The project tested locally-adapted conservation farming methods at district level, in two contrasting agro-ecologies i.e. low altitude (Salima, Balaka and Ntcheu districts) and mid-altitude (Kasungu, Lilongwe and Mchinji districts).
A research and policy dialogue ‘‘Promoting Resilience and Sustainability in Malawi through Climate Smart Innovations’’, was held in Lilongwe on March 1, 2019, to present SIMLESA findings and understand how CASI could help Malawi farmers, to representatives from research, extension, seed companies, NGO’s, scaling partners, Civil Society Organisations and farmer organisations.
The number of farmers using CASI in the 6 target districts grew from 2,000 to more than 51,000 farms. Adoption was facilitated by the engagement of the local extension system and the scaling partners from private sector thus NASFAM and Farm Radio Trust (FRT). Various presentations were made on the impact of CASI on yield, soil fertility and Agricultural Innovation Platforms. After 6 years of implementation, the SIMLESA program managed to raise farm level productivity by 17% in mid-altitude and 37% in low-altitude and reduced the negative impact of climate related shocks by 16%. This was translated by three additional months of food security compared to conventional farms. Long-term soil health was significantly improved under CA based rotation, as research showed a soil organic carbon content 30% higher than soils under conventional tillage.
While the national research and the SIMLESA initiative have investing considerable efforts in promoting these sustainable technologies and practices, more is needed to increase adoption. Some of the factors limiting adoption are a lack of interaction between researchers and farmers and weak policies that do little to create a conducive environment for large scale adoption.
The traditional way of technology development and transfer with formal release and demonstration, has often led to low uptake. During the Lilongwe dialogue, farmer representatives asked that farmers need to be recognized as innovators rather than just recipients of formal innovations. Researchers should integrate farmers’ indigenous knowledge when developing solutions against a new farming problem. Since the fall armyworm outbreak, farmers have been using fish soup to combat the emerging pest; yet research has not considered this indigenous solution when designing new pest management strategy.
Forum participants noted that there is need to harmonize extension messages. Edith Ngwaya, a farmer from Ntcheu district said a seed company advised to remove mulch when setting up a demonstration plot. Mr. Francis Mwale, an extension officer from the same district, works with development partners to define common CASI messages disseminated through the District Agricultural Extension Services System (DAESS). Yet he acknowledged that enforcing this CASI campaign by all partners can be difficult and that ‘’engagement of the district stakeholders, along with top government officials in agriculture and policy makers is necessary.”
Mr Shema from FRT highlighted FRTs efforts in popularizing CASI using different channels like rural radio and mobiles but the high costs of mobile services in Malawi prevent larger outreach. He pointed out the need for policy intervention to address this issue of accessibility of mobile advisories.
Mr Kumwenda from NASFAM asked stronger policies to ensure availability and affordability of farm inputs as well as better market linkages for farmers. He noted that market is a driver for increased production and therefore the success of CASI depends on functional maize and legume markets.
Mr Chaula, a gender and extension methods chief officer at the Department of Agricultural Extension Services, concluded the forum by asking to “shift from knowledge transfer to true innovation systems”. Capacity of institutions that deliver extension messages needs to be strengthened. A sustainable CASI business model can take off when farmers and stakeholders along the farming value chain have the right incentives to adopt these technologies. Connecting farmers with value chains through agricultural innovation platforms increased adoption of CASI practices by 35%.
This first research and policy dialogue has paved the way for a national SIMLESA policy dialogue, which will take place in Lilongwe on March 26, 2019.
