Sustainable intensification of cereal-based farming systems in the Sudano-Sahelian zone of West Africa

Rice-based farming systems

Olupomi AjayiAfrica Rice Center, Cotonou

Sustainable Intensification of Cereal-based Farming Systems in the Sudano-Sahelian Zone of West Africa: Project Design Workshop, Tamale, Ghana, 9-12 January 2012

Outline of presentationBackgroundPurpose and objectivesGeographical focus Project implementation strategyProject outputs and activitiesProposed partnersOptions for scaling outMonitoring and evaluationProject management

Project Design Workshop, Tamale, Ghana, 9-12 January, 2012

Background• Part of the United States government’s Feed the Future Initiative and supported by USAID

• Primarily on maize-based and rice-based production systems in northern Ghana and sorghum-based production systems in southern Mali but with spill-over effects to similar agro-ecologies elsewhere

• Involves several donors and partners (regional organizations, universities, the private sector, national and international agricultural research institutes, and NGOs)

Project Design Workshop, Tamale, Ghana, 9-12 January, 2012

Purpose and objectives• Africa has about 190 million ha of inland valleys• Only 10-25% are currently used for agricultural production• Northern Ghana:

• accounts for 60% of rice cultivated in Ghana• rice produced mostly in inland valley systems• favorable water availability (irrigation schemes, small

reservoirs, and natural depressions) which allows supplementary irrigation

• Inland valleys are more suited for intensive and diversified cropping systems

Project Design Workshop, Tamale, Ghana, 9-12 January, 2012

Purpose and objectivesGoalImprove livelihoods through sustainable intensification and diversification of rice-based systems in northern Ghana

PurposeEnhance the productivity and competitiveness of inland-valley lowlands through sustainable intensification and diversification of agricultural productivity and product value chain development, while conserving land and water resources

Project Design Workshop, Tamale, Ghana, 9-12 January, 2012

Geographic focus

• Northern Ghana• Actual sites to be determined with partners• Preferably in areas covered by a 5-year (2011-2016) CIDA-

funded project on “Enhancing food security in Africa through the improvement of rice post-harvest handling, marketing and the development of new rice-based products”

• Navrongo (Sudan Savannah, Upper East Region), Afife (Southern Guinea Savanna, Volta Region), and Attebubu (Brong Ahafo Region, Transition between Forest and Southern Guinea Savannah)

Project Design Workshop, Tamale, Ghana, 9-12 January, 2012

Implementation strategy• An innovation systems approach to research• A truly integrated agricultural research approach• Collaboration between national and international researchers,

smallholders, pastoralists, extension agencies, the private sector and NGOs for impact

• Builds on the achievements of the European Union-funded project on “Realizing the potential of inland valley lowlands in sub-Saharan Africa while maintaining their environmental services” (RAP) (Benin & Mali, 2009-2010)

Project Design Workshop, Tamale, Ghana, 9-12 January, 2012

Activities during RAP Phase 1• Agronomic diagnosis at farm and field levels: Characterization of farming systems and rice-based cropping systems

Analysis of cultural practices and determinants of crop management (rice and vegetables) Analysis of constraints and opportunities for different agricultural activities (rice, vegetables, pisciculture, …)Yield gap analysis (rice)

• Experimentation: Weed control in rice-vegetable systems (PhD work) Lowland rice varieties Seed production (collective action)

• Economic survey: Profitability of rice-based systems

Project Design Workshop, Tamale, Ghana, 9-12 January, 2012

Productivity of rice, maize, sorghum and vegetable crops in Sikasso circle (Mali)

Period Crop Number of IV Yield (t/ha)Market Price

(Fcfa/kg

Gross Margin/ha (kFcfa/ha

Rainy season

Rice 35 0.8 – 2.5 100 - 250 120 – 400

Maize 12 1 – 3 50 – 125 120 – 380

Sorghum 4 0.6 – 1.4 40 – 90 40 – 120

Dry season

Potato 17 10 – 25 120 – 250 1000 – 5000

Sweet potato 12 2 – 8 40 – 75 130 – 500

Tomato 15 1 - 4 50 – 150 200 – 600

Project Design Workshop, Tamale, Ghana, 9-12 January, 2012

Outputs and activities – WP05 Work Packages (WP0-WP4)WP0: Project management, monitoring and evaluation

Activities (Years 1-5):•Organization of inception and yearly planning workshops•Identification of M&E indicators and baseline study•Backstopping visits by AfricaRice to key sites•Participation of project staff in yearly meetings of the Inland Valley Community of practice (IVC) to exchange experiences and discuss progress•Exchange visits with multi-stakeholder platforms (MSPs) focusing on inland valley systems in Mali, Benin, Liberia, and Tanzania•Yearly M&E

•WP1: Participatory development of competitive, gender-sensitive and environmentally sound value chains in rice-based inland valley systems through multi-stakeholder platforms (MSPs)

•WP2: Analysis of opportunities and risks related to agricultural production and environmental goods and services

Project Design Workshop, Tamale, Ghana, 9-12 January, 2012

Outputs and activities – WP1WP1: Participatory development of competitive, gender-sensitive and environmentally sound value chains in rice-based inland valley systems through multi-stakeholder platforms (MSPs)

Activities Years 1-2:•Diagnostic surveys•Starting-up of MSP process at key-sites•Value chain analysis for rice (paddy and by-products) and vegetables Years 1-4:•Evaluation of MSP effectiveness for improving production, marketing and management across the value chains •Scaling-up and –out of MSP process from key sites to neighboring communities

Project Design Workshop, Tamale Ghana, 9-12 January, 2012

Outputs and activities – WP1Years 4-5:•Monitoring and evaluation assessment to evaluate adoption of agricultural innovations at all country sites.

•Scaling-up and –out of MSP process and functioning to the regional level (northern Ghana).

•Scaling-up and -out of proven, cost-effective and environmentally friendly innovations and novel institutional arrangements for higher productivity, incomes, food and nutritional security to enhance livelihoods.

Project Design Workshop, Tamale, Ghana, 9-12 January, 2012

Outputs and activities – WP2WP2: Analysis of opportunities and risks related to agricultural production and environmental goods and services

Activities Year 1:•Start of a PhD thesis on geospatial and environmental services of inland valley lowlands. Years 1-3:•Remote sensing analysis to classify inland valleys from satellite imagery.•Field survey to support the validation of the remote sensing analysis.•Development of a spatial model and application in a GIS environment for the pilot areas.•Collection of essential data sets to feed the model from partners and government agencies.•Field survey to validate the spatial model.•Dev. of a land and water use model for assessing ecosystem services.• Project Design Workshop, Tamale, Ghana, 9-12 January, 2012

Outputs and activities – WP2

Years 4-5:•Adjustment of methods and the classification of inland valleys from satellite images, based on results of the validation study.•Application of the model to assess the potential of inland valley systems at the national scale in a GIS environment using the data sets collected. •Survey in different agro-climatic zones to validate the maps displaying the potential for development.•Evaluation of the model and development of recommendations for further improvement.

Project Design Workshop, Tamale, Ghana, 9-12 January, 2012

Outputs and activities – WP3WP3: Development of innovative technologies that allow for sustainable intensification and diversification of productive resources linked to farm diversity

Activities Years 1-2:•Start of a PhD thesis on the organization and space-time evaluation of rice-based cropping systems in inland valley systems.•Yield and productivity gap surveys. Years 2-4:Development of a first version of a basket of ‘Good agricultural practices’ (GAP)•Testing of GAP with farmers at key sites. •Evaluation of agronomic innovations (e.g., NERICA-L, rice-vegetable rotation) for enhancing rice productivity under low-input conditions.•Evaluation of options for diversification of rice-based systems (rotations and relay-intercropping).

Project Design Workshop, Tamale, Ghana, 9-12 January, 2012

Outputs and activities – WP3Years 3-5:Development of new versions of GAP baskets and monitoring of farmer adoption.

Project Design Workshop, Tamale, Ghana, 9-12 January, 2012

Outputs and activities – WP4WP4: Support to development projects promoting sustainable development of inland valley systems in Africa

Activities Years 3-5:•Develop ready-to-use products for different audiences, in particular extension agents from government organizations, development projects, NGOs, and the private sector.•Develop videos on institutional change for enhancing lowlands agricultural productivity.•Develop linkages with members of IVC for validation and diffusion of tools and methods obtained.•Develop linkages with the private sector and development projects

Project Design Workshop, Tamale, Ghana, 9-12 January, 2012

Proposed partners• Resource-poor smallholder farmers & their organizations• Local entrepreneurs (processors, traders, etc.)• Change agents from NARES and NGOs as service providers• NARS (SARI, ARI, FRI) – to plan and implement activities• Government agencies, NGOs, the private sector and

development projects• AfricaRice – backstopping (action research, lowland NERICA

varieties, lowland rice integrated crop management, etc.)• Wageningen Univ. – backstopping (farm-level agronomy and

ecosystem services)• AVRDC – Dev. of sustainable rice-vegetable cropping systems

Project Design Workshop, Tamale, Ghana, 9-12 January, 2012

Options for scaling out• Results will be scaled-out to appropriate recommendation

domains (a function of e.g. degree of water control, distance to markets, degree of organization of producers, etc.).

• Use of participative approaches and Multi-Stakeholder Platforms will ensure ownership of research results and rapid diffusion of knowledge beyond the key sites.

• Active linkages with development projects and the private sector will facilitate out-scaling.

• Videos will be used as a primary vehicle to out-scale results obtained.

Project Design Workshop, Tamale, Ghana, 9-12 January, 2012

Options for scaling out

• Report of project results and methodologies at annual meetings of the National Experts’ Committee (AfricaRice’s 24 member countries) and the IVC.

• Training sessions planned in different key domains (water management, conception of sustainable cropping systems, value chain analysis, gender and equity, impact assessment and overall competitiveness of the cropping systems in the lowlands) and for different types of trainees (researchers, technical agents, farmers, students).

• A minimum of 30% of participants in these training sessions will be women.

Project Design Workshop, Tamale, Ghana, 9-12 January, 2012

Monitoring and evaluation

• AfricaRice will assist the project in defining indicators to be monitored yearly and conduct a base-line survey.

• These indicators have been captured in a Results-based Logical Framework

• Yearly workshops will allow for evaluation of results obtained and refining annual workplans.

Project management• AfricaRice will supervise project activities through the Inland

Valley Community of practice (IVC)

• NARS in Ghana will conduct all project activities, coordinated by CSRI-SARI with backstopping by AfricaRice

• Coordinated by a National Project Coordination Unit chaired by CSRI-SARI

Project Design Workshop, Tamale, Ghana, 9-12 January, 2012

Thank you

Project Design Workshop, Tamale, Ghana, 9-12 January, 2012