towards sustainable & productive farming systems for africa: experiences and lessons from...
TRANSCRIPT
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 households
Facilitating spillovers to the regionMrs Grace Malaichi
CHAMPION FARMER, MALAWI
A Response: SIMLESA in action
Where is ‘SIMLESA-10’ working?
ETH KEN TAN MAL MOZ ETH KEN TAN MAL MOZ0
1
2
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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
(bir
r 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