Towards sustainable & productive farming systems for Africa: experiences

and lessons from SIMLESA

Mulugetta MekuriaSIMLESA Program Coordinator

CIMMYT Southern Africa Regional Office, Harare, Zimbabwe

Land degradation

Poor marketsClimate variabilityLimited resources

Food insecurity

Low productivity Scarce biomass

The Problem Complex

The Potential: closing the yield gap

Within the CAADP framework, SIMLESA is increasing maize and legume yields by 30% through:Conservation agriculture practicesImproved maize & legume varieties Better markets & value chains

It will reduce yield risks by 30%Enhancing capacity & sustainabilityTo benefit 650,000 householdsFacilitating spillovers to the region

Mrs Grace MalaichiCHAMPION FARMER,

MALAWI

A Response: SIMLESA in action

Where is ‘SIMLESA-10’ working?

ETH KEN TAN MAL MOZ ETH KEN TAN MAL MOZ0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Farmer practiceConservation Agriculture

Mea

n m

aize

ggr

ain

yiel

d (t

ha-

1)

WET AREAS DRY AREAS

Complex interactions:Rainfall × Soil × Tillage × Residue cover × inputs etc

SIMLESA Results on the Ground: Increased maize yield from CA in Malawi

CA FP0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

Plowing

Cultivation

Herbicide

Labour for row making

Labour for her-bicide applica-tion

Cost

(birr

ha-

1)

CA FP0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

40000

Retu

rn (b

irr h

a-1)

40% Higher returns 54% Lower variable costs

SIMLESA Results on the Ground: benefits of CA in Ethiopia

Scaling out: The weakest link in the R&D Continuum

In country• Strengthening and replicating innovation platforms • Build technical capacity at all levels• Build capacity in partnership formation

– Public private partnerships Across the region• Accelerating spillovers across countries

– Ethiopia/Kenya to Rwanda/Burundi/Uganda/South Sudan– Tanzania/Malawi/Mozambique to Zambia/Botswana

Further Research Gaps

• Integrated soil fertility management for CA • Integration of crop-livestock systems for CA

– Forage/fodder legumes• Post harvest technology, storage and processing, food quality• Policy options for sustainable intensification• Resilience enhancing and risk reducing technologies

– Stress tolerant QPM– Herbicide resistant maize and legumes– Cell-phone based insurance

Take Home Messages• Sustainable intensification through CA in Africa

is not only necessary but urgent

• Phased intensification across farming systems

• Focus on impact pathways, innovation platforms and systems integration

Happy SIMLESA Partners