global theme - agro-ecosystems

Good management of natural resources is key to sustainable and productive agriculture. Over-exploitation of this fragile agro-ecosystem in the semi-arid tropics of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa has led to land and soil degradation, yield decline, and increasing hunger and poverty.

Harnessing synergies at the Community Scale in AsiaWatershed Management in Asia:Working together with communities living in the watersheds has identified:• Low-costwatercatchmentssystemsto

enhance water productivity and reduce soil erosion

• Overcomemicro-nutrientdeficiencies• Diversificationwithhigh-valuecrops• Rehabilitationofcommunitywastelandsfor

additional income• Increasedincomeforlandlessandwomen

through micro-enterprises.

Impact:• Innovationinfluencedpolicydecisionsin

India,China,VietnamandThailand.• Intenyears412watershedsestablishedinAsia.

South-south collaboration expanded this approach from India to East Africa.

Improved rural livelihoods, increased food security and sustainable Integrated Genetic andNatural Resource Management throughout the SAT

Climate Change: ICRISAT’s Hypothesis of HopeICRISATbelievesthatmuchcanbedonetomitigatetheimpactsofclimatechangeintheSAT.• TheirevolutionaryhistoryinhotanddryenvironmentsmakeICRISATcropsbetteradaptedthanothers.• ExanteanalysesindicatethatIGRNMinnovationsrecommendedfortoday will help mitigate impacts of climate

change tomorrow.

Our HypothesisInthemediumterm(2010-2050),ICRISATandpartnerswillhelpfarmersmitigatetheimpactsofclimatechangethrough:1. Applicationofexistingknowledgeoncrop,soilandwatermanagementinnovations2. Re-deploymentandre-targetingofthealreadyavailablegermplasmofitsmandatecrops.

The Current Yield Gap (green). Column1istheyieldthatfarmersgetundercurrentlowinputmanagement.Column5isthe yield that farmers get by adopting current affordable recommendations

Yield Gap 1 under Climate Change (red)Column2representstheslightlyloweryieldsthatfarmerswouldgetunderclimatechangeusingtoday’slowinputsystem.Column3representstheyieldsthatfarmerscouldget,evenunderclimatechange, if they adopted current improved practice recommendations. Yield Gap 2 under Climate Change (red). Column4representstheyieldsthatfarmerscouldgetunderclimatechangeiftheywere to adopt current improved practice recommendations together with germplasm better adapted to a warmer world.

A plot showing the difference when used with microdosing (top) and without microdosing (bottom) Inset: Applying a microdose of fertilizer.

a) Additional groundwater recharge at Kothapally watershed. b) Water storage for expanded irrigation. c) Bio-diesel extraction plant in the Powerguda watershed in Andhra Pradesh. d) Low cost soil and water conservation structures. e) Groundnuts with micronutrient amendments.

aa c

e

c

e

b

d

b

ApproachICRISATembracesanIntegratedGeneticandNaturalResourceManagement(IGNRM)approach.IGNRMexploitsthesynergies of crop improvement, crop, soil and water management, livestock science, social and economic research and climate science.

Boosting production at the Field Scale in Africa. Fertilizer MicrodosingDecliningsoilfertilityandhighfertilizerpricesaremajorconstraints.Precisionplacementofsmallamountsoffertilizerattheidealtime(microdosing),combinedwithmicrocreditschemes,and innovative marketing methods, boosts yields.

Impact:• 250,000farmfamiliesinAfricahavepositivelyevaluatedmicrodosing• Microdosingre-introducedfertilizeruseinZimbabwe,MozambiqueandSouthAfrica• Yieldincreasesbetween44to120%inMali,BurkinaFasoandNiger• Incomeshaveincreasedby30to130%.

ICRISAT is working with partners to scale up this work in the coming years.