Smallholder farming households in much of sub-Saharan Africa are distinctly diverse within and across communities. Taking this reality into account when introducing technologies to farmers is therefore a key step, particularly in sustainable intensification under low external nutrients input cropping systems. This is because technologies and/or crop spatial arrangements introduced to farmers in this context need to optimize  use of available resources and at the same time fit with the different levels of resource endowment existing within the smallholder farming communities.

Through its research-in-development work on legume–cereal rotations in Tanzania and Malawi, Africa RISING has established that these rotations work better for larger farms, while intercropping targeted at smaller farms ensures crop diversity, while giving an opportunity for legumes to be grown, thereby bringing associated nitrogen-fixation ecological benefits. Through this work, the team has worked with smallholder farmers to refine technologies that present the best opportunity to increase productivity while also tapping into ecological provisions of leguminous crops for enhanced nitrogen cycling, and cropping arrangements/sequences that respond to farm sizes and agro-ecologies and integrate farmers production goals.

These efforts have identified some key technologies (listed below), that can transform stagnated farms. The technologies offer entry points for increasing land productivity and maintaining diversified crop production for food and income security. Extension systems and development partners need to be supported to disseminate and support adoption of the technologies.

• The pigeon pea-groundnut intercropping system that results in groundnut grain yields that are comparable to productivity in sole cropping, with additional pigeon pea grain. This technology is associated with large nitrogen inputs, ensuring successful maize production that is recommended as the sequence crop.
• Maize-pigeon pea intercropping mixtures: higher proportions of pigeon pea in intercropping (1:2 ratio of maize to pigeon pea) are more beneficial to farmers in low agro potential areas.

This poster summarizes experiences and insights gained by the project team when introducing these technologies to smallholder farmers in Tanzania and Malawi.

Written by Regis Chikowo, Michigan State University

In Babati District, northern Tanzania, a popular but misleading myth persists. That use of inorganic fertilizer ‘kills’ the soil. As a result, for many years, majority of farmers in the district do not use fertilizer to replenish depleted soil nutrients.

But, in the last five years, researchers in the Africa RISING program have invested significant resources and effort to dispel this myth. Some progress is being made, but more still remains to be done to change this belief.

The poster below shares finding from a study on ‘Economic analysis of fertilizer options for maize production in Tanzania’ that is demonstrating to farmers the difference that correct application of inorganic fertilizers makes to their maize yield. Different fertilizer options were compared in terms of financial benefits in maize production. The fertilizer options used in the study were Diammonium Phosphate (DAP), Minjingu Mazao, Minjingu rock phosphate, farmyard manure, and a combination of farmyard manure and Minjingu Mazao (mixed option). In the farm, maize was intercropped with legumes (pigeonpea in lowland villages and beans in upland village) and tested with all fertilizer options. Data from agronomic trials by Africa RISING in 2013 and 2014 was used.  A participatory cost benefit analysis involving 20 groups of farmers who tested two of the fertilizer options (DAP and Minjingu Mazao) on their farms was also done.

Results show that in general, application of fertilizer increases the net financial returns as compared to the farmers’ practice (not applying fertilizer).

Of the different fertilizer options, DAP fertilizer yields the highest net returns followed by Minjingu Mazao, Minjingu rock phosphate, and the mixed option. However, differences among these options are statistically insignificant implying that farmers could use any of the options without offsetting much income. Surprisingly, the net return associated with farmyard manure alone is lower than the control option (without any fertilizer).

The fertilizer options were also evaluated in terms of risk, which is an important factor that influences farmers’ decisions whether or not to adopt technologies. Results show that Minjingu Mazao is the most risk efficient option relative to the farmers’ practice.  However, combining Minjingu Mazao with farm yard manure would be the most preferred option for highly risk-averse farmers. Minjingu Mazao would take the next position with regards to risk.

Results of the participatory cost benefit analysis supports the above results. In this case, the net returns associated with DAP and Minjingu Mazao (the two fertilizer options considered for this analysis) are more than double the traditional practice; while farmers had the perception that the two options would result in comparable net returns.

The limited use of inorganic fertilizer by farmers in this part of Tanzania has hampered productivity growth. This study reveals that use of inorganic fertilizers would increase productivity and income. Therefore, more efforts by different stakeholders to encourage use of inorganic fertilizer would go a long way in enhancing food security and reducing poverty among smallholder farmers in the region.

See the poster:

Written by Bekele Kotu, IITA

A complex agricultural research program like Africa RISING needs the help of a dedicated team in keeping it ‘on the right track’ towards its goal of improving food, nutrition, and income security of smallholder families. This is especially critical because the program, now in its second phase, is seeking to strike the balance between science and development.

The newly-formed Science Advisory Group (SAG) started playing this counseling role in a meeting, held 22-23 June 2017 in Arusha, Tanzania. The meeting brought together the SAG members, most of the program coordination team (PCT), the three project chief scientists and ‘champions’ of four Africa RISING communities of practice (CoPs).

West Africa chief scientist Asamoah Larbi explains what happened in his region in the past nine months (photo credit: IITA/Jonathan Odhong).

The program SAG was initially set up in phase I of Africa RISING. It has now been revived in this second phase of the program (which was officially launched last January, also in Tanzania), to make it a functional guiding mechanism for the program. Six newly appointed members form the SAG:

1. Moses Tenywa, Makerere University, Uganda
2. Colettah Chisike, Zimbabwe
3. Jim Ellis-Jones, UK
4. Eva Weltzien-Rattunde, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
5. Nancy McCarthy, LEAD Analytics, Inc. USA
6. Brigitte Maass, independent consultant, Germany

All but Colletah Chitsike met for the first time in Arusha, Tanzania, to inaugurate the group and to meet with program staff including members of the program coordination team (PCT) as well as the champions of four out of seven recently-formed CoPs. The event brought together 20 participants.

This meeting focused on addressing the information needs of SAG members, program elements (including differences between Phase I and Phase II) and monitoring and evaluation. The CoPs each SAG member will be advising and contributing to were identified. Each of three groups (SAG, PCT and CoP champions) also met separately.

Understanding impacts

During the meeting, participants agreed on how to distinguish ‘reach’, ‘use’, ‘adoption’, and ‘impact’ in reporting project results. Among the topics discussed was what ‘scaling a technology’ means and how Africa RISING (and others) can better understand the impact of their technologies among farmers.

Haroon Sseguya, from the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), who is the champion of the scaling CoP on ‘research outputs to scaled innovations’, introduced the topic with this presentation:

Participants concluded that:

• Socio economists in the program need to further define these terms (based on existing donor meanings) and explain the relationships between them.
• Reach is part of standard monitoring and evaluation and it needs to also include ‘adoption’ etc.
• The wide diversity of innovations in Africa RISING should include how farmers are testing our technologies in the longer run.
• A sweet spot for Africa RISING includes routinely collecting information on indirect adoption and testing, and on direct testing and on non-compliance.

They suggested that further discussions on the subject be done in the scaling CoP.

Outcomes of team meetings

All three teams in the meeting shared the outcomes of their deliberations.

The program coordination team reported on the need to have clear publishing guidelines in the contracts of scientists; the importance of moving forward with the CoPs and to report progress in next PCT meeting in September; the decision to move forward with finalizing a Phase I summary document that should be ready by September. They also shared feedback on some plans regarding cross-regional exchange visits around specific themes; the hosting of the annual program learning event in 2018 Q1 in Ghana; and the support given to the two ‘bottom-up’ CoPs on watershed/landscape management and on virtual farming.

The CoP champions reported that the CoPs were off to a slow but good start and gave the following among other recommendations: having a two-tier membership structure with a core group and an active group with all other members; they suggested some certain individuals should join specific CoPs and they requested PCT support in getting everyone to sign up to the CoPs. A virtual meeting of all CoPs members and a face-to-face learning event are planned in future.

Moses Tenywa (front) and Jim-Ellis Jones (background) Africa RISING Science Advisory Group members and chief scientist East and Southern Africa Mateete Bekunda (middle) (photo credit: IITA/Jonathan Odhong).

The meeting closed after feedback from the science advisory group members which reported that.

• Jim Ellis-Jones was chosen as the chair (to work closely with the PCT chair Bernard van Lauwe).
• The SAG priorities will include moving from Phase I to Phase II, harmonization, scaling and synthesis of lessons learnt.
• Scaling up, communication and capacity building are interlinked;
• Platforms have a crucial role to play, especially if they connect from local to national level–and it would be great to look at them in the formal M&E approach of Africa RISING.
• The SAG members will each be keeping oversight of a specific CoP (with another SAG member actually backing up)–except for virtual farming;
• The SAG will communicate with the rest of the program through CoP interactions, regular Skype discussions and direct involvement in the learning events.

The next meeting of the three team is scheduled at the annual program learning event in March 2018.

Read all the meeting notes

See pictures of the meeting

Hon Dr Charles Tizeba, Tanzania’s Minister for Agriculture Livestock and Fisheries (far left) when he visited the Africa RISING Project farmer demonstration site at Kigugu Irrigation Scheme in Mvomero District. He is flanked by (from left to right): Firmin Mizambwa, chief executive officer of Agricultural Seed Agency; Kissa Kajigili, director of agricultural extension, Sophia Kashenge, Africa RISING-NAFAKA Project Rice Team leader; Neema Mkanga, extension officer, Kigugu Village, and Kebwe Stephen Kebwe, regional commissioner Morogoro Region.

The Africa RISING-NAFAKA project’s model for scaling and disseminating improved technologies has been lauded as ‘exemplary’ and the kind of approach needed to ensure sustainability of improved agricultural interventions for farmers by Tanzania’s Minister of Agriculture Livestock and Fisheries, Hon Dr Charles Tizeba.

The minister made the remarks during a visit to the Africa RISING-NAFAKA Project demonstration site at Kigugu Irrigation scheme in Mvomero District on 28 June 2017. He further lauded the model for being demand-driven and ensuring involvement of various stakeholders and encouraged other interventions working at the local level with extension officers and farmers to consider adopting the same approach.

‘I urge researchers and other stakeholders in agriculture to ensure that they provide extensive training to extension officers for sustainability of agricultural interventions,’ said Hon Tizeba after he was impressed by the depth of knowledge exhibited by the Village Agricultural Extension Officers (VAEOs) in response to his questions during the visit.

Figure 1. The research and development model for innovation delivery and scaling as applied by the Africa RISING-NAFAKA Project for rice technologies.

The Africa RISING-NAFAKA project approach involves VAEOs as an integral part of the process in promoting improved rice production technologies among farmers. The project’s scaling model introduces technologies in the communities using mother‒baby‒grandbaby demonstration sites which serve as training/learning sites for extension staff and farmers.

The extension staff and lead farmers undergo season-long training using the sites and they then train other farmers in a cascading mode, backstopped by staff from participating research and development institutions (Figure 1). Key principles that guide the process to make it successful include: international research institutions working with the national research institutions at all sites; close linkage and working with development partners (both government and non-government/private) that may be implementing activities in and around the project site; leveraging resources among participating institutions; close collaboration with district agricultural extension officers, ward agricultural extension officers, and VAEOs; use of Geographical Information Systems for better targeting of interventions; and ensuring regular communication via different modes (WhatsApp groups, reports, meetings) among stakeholders—farmers, implementing partners, government, and donors.

Through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Africa RISING-NAFAKA Project, Dakawa Agricultural Research Institute (ARI- Dakawa) is leading implementation of activities to improve rice productivity in Tanzania’s Mvomero, Kilombero, Iringa Rural, and Mbarali districts. The project’s aims are three-fold: Ensuring that at least 47,000 smallholder farm households in rural Tanzania can access technologies to diversify and increase their food supply and income sources, and improve the quality of degrading smallholder cropland; expanding the area under improved crop production technologies by at least 58,000 hectares; and increasing the yields of both maize and rice by 50% as a result of the technologies being applied.

Africa RISING–NAFAKA project partners pose for a group photo during the end-of-phase meeting (photo credit: Gloriana Ndibalema/IITA).

In September 2014, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Tanzania Country Mission unveiled a project unlike any they had initiated before—a partnership project bringing together two consortia with capacity and technical nous for agricultural research on one hand, and development on the other. The kind of partnership project that would effectively ensure that life-changing improved agricultural technologies from the research process would get into the hands of, and be used by, smallholder farmers.

Through this move, the Tanzania Staples Value Chain Project, also know as Africa RISING–NAFAKA, was born. It joined up the work of two equal partner USAID-funded programs that were working in the country leading to a convergence of vision and complementarity of skills to reach the following targets:

• Ensure at least 47,000 smallholder farm households in rural Tanzania were enabled to access technologies to diversify and increase their food supply and income sources, and to improve the quality of degrading smallholder cropland;
• Expand the area under improved crop production technologies by at least 58,000 ha; and
• Increase yields of both maize and rice by 50% as a result of the technologies being applied.

On 3-4 July 2017 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, the partners who are implementing the project came together to review achievements made during a largely successful run of the project’s initial three-year phase. They reported on the milestones made by the project such as the introduction of improved crop varieties, better agricultural practices, natural resource management, reduction of food wastage and spoilage, and community capacity building.

An important project, a unique model

‘This project pioneered a first-of-its-kind technology delivery model in Tanzania and we now have a clear path for turning research outputs into development outcomes,’ said Victor Manyong, the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) director for the Eastern Africa Hub, at opening of the meeting. ‘We are very interested in the lessons form this project because they give us an indicator of how organizations like IITA will need to carry out research in the future,” he added.

The Africa RISING–NAFAKA project model has become a case study within USAID on how future partnership projects funded by the agency may look like. Speaking at the opening, USAID Tanzania’s research and production advisor, Elizabeth Maeda, said that despite some ups and downs during implementation, there was a lot of perseverance by partners in the project who each gave the results and information needed to defend and explain the projects work. ‘Africa RISING–NAFAKA is lauded within USAID as a great example of how a collaboration should work between an international research institute and a local partner project to create lasting impact on farmers’ lives,’ she added.

 Numerous achievements and lessons learnt

At the top of most partners’ lists of key achievements by the project was the good working relationship and understanding between implementing partners. ‘We have remained committed to common goals during the past three years of the project and there is virtually no competition between partners for attribution or visibility,’ said Thomas Carr, the NAFAKA project chief of party. ‘Our third year 2016/2017 is for me the best of our collaboration because the relationships got better. And I believe this will continue into the second phase of this project.’

Through a gallery tour and a series of presentations, partners also highlighted the key achievements in the maize (and legume), rice, and vegetable value chains as well as aflatoxin mitigation and post-harvest management.Some of the key results highlighted were:

• Successful introduction of drought-tolerant and resilient crop varieties (maize, rice, legumes and vegetables) to over 40,000 farming households in Tanzania.
• Promoting good agricultural practices among at least 40,000 households thereby contributing to sustainable intensification of agro-ecosystems.
• Working with at least four national agro-input companies to ensure that the improved crop varieties and associated agro inputs are available to farming households.
• Working with Tanzania Official Seed Certification Institute (TOSCI) and 10 district councils to promote the quality declared seed system for rice and legumes, reaching over 200 producers.
• Introducing labour-saving technologies and aflatoxin management techniques in the maize/legume farming system of seven districts thereby contributing to improving the quality of agricultural produce for enhanced market access and nutrition.
• Strengthening the capacities of over 150 government agricultural extension staff and village-based agricultural advisors (VBAAs) so that they can sustain project achievements going into the future.
• Use of geographic information systems (GIS) to better target project interventions to suitable agro-ecosystems.

Africa RISING–NAFAKA project progress towards achievement of key life of project target indicators on 3-4 July, 2017.

Partners also took time to tease out the lessons learnt so far from the project’s implementation. The following emerged.

• Initiating and maintaining partnerships with the private sector is critical for sustainability and wider adoption of technologies. For example, the post-harvest team established partnerships with a private company called A-to-Z Textile Mills for the supply of PICS storage bags to a larger number of farmers.
• On some of the topics like creation of awareness about Aflasafe, engaging with members of the civil society added immense value to the awareness creation efforts.
• For all project activities at the local level, involving the local institutions like the District Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock Cooperatives Offices (DAICOs), village heads etc. was critical for success and helped address questions about sustainability.
• Incorporating cooking shows and preparation of different recipes as part and parcel of activities to promote elite vegetable varieties enhanced the success achieved in technology dissemination by the vegetables team.
• As part of a broader exit strategy, the rice team linked-up with agro-dealers to make sure that the seeds and other inputs are available to farmers in the future.
• Using the VBAAs and champion farmers can be challenging but is one of the effective methods of technology dissemination.
• The vegetables team trained farmers to produce their own seeds as a step toward sustainability. However, to further enhance sustainability, they team plan to attract more seed companies.
• Some partners created WhatsApp groups which resulted in much closer interaction on any technical issues arising.
• Use of the modular approach to train farmers helped the vegetables team to provide a more holistic training to farmers.

Support from USAID

In a message delivered on behalf of the project management team, Africa RISING manager for East/Southern Africa and West Africa projects, Irmgard Hoeschle-Zeledon thanked USAID for staying steadfast in supporting the project despite ongoing changes at the agency and competing priorities for funding.

‘For a long time, we in Africa RISING tried to work with NAFAKA in areas of common interest but this never took off until USAID provided additional funds. Technology dissemination is costly and needs particular technical expertise. These resources allowed IITA to get this extra-expertise to support the excellent work that NAFAKA has been doing so far. So, Africa RISING is grateful to USAID for providing us with resources to develop products/technologies and then to also ensure they get scaled up and farmers can access them,’ said Irmgard.

A planning meeting is scheduled for August 2017 where partners will develop activity work plans as the project shifts gears into a new implementation phase.

Read all the review meeting notes

See pictures from the meeting

Taking charge: An extension agent talks to farmers in a field day meeting  in Babati District, Tanzania (photo credit: Job Kihara/CIAT).

One of the major paradoxes confounding agricultural development researchers today is: Why, in several instances, don’t smallholder farmers adopt agricultural innovations and technologies whose ability to improve livelihoods has been validated through scientific processes? Various arguments have been made to explain the problem on a technology-by-technology basis, but there are few assessments of role played by agricultural extension—often the means through which these technologies are first introduced to farmers—in addressing the problem.

For the past six years, a multinational and multi-institutional team of scientists working first under the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Africa RISING program and now in the Africa RISING-NAFAKA project, have been engaged in participatory agricultural research and scaling activities aimed at improving the livelihoods of thousands of smallholder farmers in 10 districts of Tanzania. The initial focus of the program (and the scientists) was on validating improved technologies in participatory research with farmers. Now the team is taking the technologies to scale targeting thousands of farmers beyond the communities where the validation was done. This wider focus is changing how the project team is going about the business of agricultural extension.

Babati District, the epicenter of change

In July 2017, Babati District (one of the 10 Africa RISING focus districts in Tanzania) has been a beehive of activity. Extension personnel from the district, ward, and village levels have been holding farmer field days to share experiences and lessons learned from project activities. Valuable messages about the technologies and practices are being shared in a practical and user-friendly manner, and more importantly, through the most appropriate mediums—the extension staff—who are able to simplify scientific messages on improved technologies because they ‘speak the farmers’ language’.

This represents a break from how the previous program’s (Africa RISING) farmer field days were organized. Most of the field days then were largely researcher-led. The change was occasioned by realization that researchers can only conduct a few field days and reach a small number of farmers. The project team adapted their methods and began working with district, ward, and village extension agents who live and work in the villages. The project team facilitated the agents’ to carry out demos and field days in their villages.

‘The scientists have worked with us and the farmers to set-up demonstration plots where these improved technologies can be observed, we then take-over to educate the farmers through self-organized field days,’ explains Jonas Massam, the acting District Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock Cooperatives Officer in Babati District.

Minimal support, maximum impact

With minimal support from the scientists, the extension agents have conducted field days in 13 villages attracting between 35 and 165 farmers at each event. To ensure that they are not spread too thinly when managing a large number of farmers during a field day, the extension agents have also established a mechanism whereby their colleagues from neighbouring villages come to help when many farmers are expected.

A self-organized field day led by the extension agents underway in Babati District (photo credit: Job Kihara/CIAT).

‘The team spirit exhibited by the extension agents is amazing. This kind of effort at the grassroots can quickly transform agriculture for the better. The project will continue providing basic inputs for many more extension personnel to implement demos especially in locations where farmers normally conduct village meetings. I think this will be a good way of utilizing the existing network and local know-how of the agents and farmers,’ says Job Kihara, a senior scientist with CIAT and an agronomist for theAfrica RISING-NAFAKA project.

‘Our work over the past six years is paying off in a big way. It is good to persist with this capacity building effort for extension staff. We have trained them on technology evaluation and participatory economic analysis and it is encouraging to see them now go out on their own and work with farmers during the field days,’ adds Stephen Lyimo, a senior scientist at the Selian Agricultural Research Institute, one of the implementing partners of the Africa RISING – NAFAKA project.

Consistency in the quality of messaging

Ensuring consistency in messages and information transmitted from researchers to extension personnel and farmers, and ensuring feedback among actors is key for this approach to be effective.

First, the extension workers are trained by the scientists on the content and presentation of the messages during the cropping season. Second, the scientists attend the field days, not to lead, but rather to back up the extension staff in the event that a technical question they cannot handle comes up. Third, the extension staff are equipped with reference materials, which already have standardized messages and information that should be passed to the farmers.

So far, the topics that farmers have been trained on during the cropping season and seen demonstrated during the field days led by extension staff include: use of improved crop varieties, use of fertilizers especially in fields located on sloping land, appropriate management of farmyard manure, optimum spacing of plants, soil and water conservation measures, and the economic benefits of adopting the improved technologies.

Fred Kizito, a senior scientist with the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), which is implementing activities under the Africa RISING-NAFAKA project says that ‘this change of tack is a big deal for them. It is the make or break—without the commitment of our local partners (extension staff), we would not go far. The number of farmers we are reaching now with improved technologies and practices would not be possible and more importantly, our impact on the ground would be very limited’.

These messages on improving agricultural practices are reinforced with ICT messages from the MWANGA platform to farmers on market opportunities for their produce, and reminders to extension agents to conduct follow-up activities with farmers.

Gender-sensitive technology dissemination

The use of a gender-sensitive technology dissemination approach is also a significant change introduced in this enhancement of extension services by the Africa RISING scientists. For example, a field day that lasts 3-6 hours is now done in two parts—the first one involves visiting field demonstration sites in separate groups of male and female farmers and evaluating the performance of the technologies, with each group noting key observations and lessons. This is followed by a separate meetings of women and men to the technologies, their associated benefits, profitability assessment, and a discussion on key messages for moving forward. This process is particularly important because men’s and women’s roles, opportunities, and views of technologies are socially constructed and vary across different societies. Having two separate groups of men and women during the field days therefore helps to ensure that voices of both groups are heard in technology dissemination and fewer gender-biased technologies.

Beyond just getting new technologies into the hands of more farmers, this change in approach to extension is expected to lead to the generation of more gender-sensitive technologies by scientists using the feedback from the two farmer groups, enhanced capacity of extension service in remote villages, as well as stronger links and partnership between the international organizations working in Africa RISING and the NAFAKA programs and the national programs and local partners.

Successful targeting of improved agricultural technologies is still a significant challenge hindering adoption of improved agricultural technologies. Traditional dissemination methodologies like the use of the extension systems or the establishment of demonstration sites have shown potential at localized scales, but there is a need for more cost-effective dissemination of technologies at much bigger scales through methodologies that complement and add value to the traditional dissemination styles.

A research paper published in the July 2017 edition of the Land Use Policy Journal has generated a considerable amount of interest after it showed the potential of geospatial tools in supporting evidence-based scaling of sustainable agricultural intensification technologies in Tanzania through the work of International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)-led Africa RISING-NAFAKA project.

The paper, which was authored by a team of scientists from IITA and partner CGIAR research institutes the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), uses spatial data obtained using remote sensing satellites and geographical information systems (GIS) to delineate 20 relatively homogenous zones with similar biophysical and socio-economic characteristics. These zones should be targeted for scaling appropriate improved crop varieties and good agronomic practices in Tanzania.

The foundation of the research presented in the paper is premised on several years of research demonstrating that scaling-out agricultural technologies in sites with similar biophysical and socio-economic characteristics reduces the chances of failed use of technologies, thereby enhancing the likelihood of adoption. Zones with similar biophysical and socio-economic characteristics are referred to as recommendation domains.

Findings by this research greatly improve the existing recommendation domains in many aspects. First, the newly generated domains are ecologically sustainable since critical ecosystems such as nature conservation parks and wetlands were masked out to ensure scaling-out of agricultural technologies has minimal negative impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services. The masked areas included Mikumi, Ruaha, and Udzungwa mountains’ national parks that are globally recognized biodiversity hotspots and water catchments with high vegetation biomass that store and sequesters significant amounts of carbon. Secondly, the new domains are generated using an objective data-driven approach compared to existing domains that were generated using subjective expert judgements.

Francis Muthoni of IITA who is the lead author of the paper points out that commonly used subjective descriptions of agroecologies such as ‘highlands’, ‘mid-latitudes’, and ‘lowlands’ will be a thing of the past, since they are not universal. ‘For instance, ‘highlands’ in Tanzania could be ‘lowlands’ in Nepal around Mt Everest,’ he adds. Such subjective classifications have limited potential for spatial extrapolation. The proposed method eliminates subjectivity making it easy to replicate in different ecologies provided that relevant input variables are available.

Furthermore, the article proposes an Impact Based Spatial Targeting Index (IBSTI) as an objective tool for priority setting when scaling agricultural technologies. IBSTI identifies priority areas within each sustainable recommendation domain that should be targeted to maximize potential impacts of a scaling intervention and enhances rationalization of limited resources. It helps to pinpoint priority zones with a high overall population, high poverty index, and number of women and children less than five years that are essential for targeting specific agricultural technologies. This index enables development agencies to estimate potential impacts of their technologies thereby supporting evidence-based site selection. This enhances effective allocation of limited resources and promotes achievement of greater impact especially for projects with a limited time span.

The opportunities for more effective, targeted scaling were manifest to the partners and donor representatives present at a recent Africa RISING̶ NAFAKA project partners meeting where the outcomes of this new publication were presented.

‘This information is very useful particularly for development partners to refer to when doing site selection. It may also be a good idea to integrate this GIS information into the protocols prepared by the different teams working in the Africa RISING-NAFAKA project to ensure that agronomists, for example, are able to use it in their work too,’ said the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Tanzania Country Mission’s research and production advisor, Betty Maeda during the event.

The Africa RISING ̶NAFAKA project aims to carry forward the work on the use of GIS for targeted scaling in the coming years by identifying the sustainable intensification (SI) technologies that are suited for each of the 20 homogenous zones. Once appropriate SI technologies are allocated to each zone, the spatial index (IBSTI) will be used to pinpoint the high impact clusters. Demonstration sites will be targeted to these high impact zones to facilitate reaching a higher number of farmers. It is expected that the identified zones will form the central basis for planning project activities rather than the traditional way of focusing on administrative boundaries that have no ecological significance.

Vitalis Joseph a vegetable farmer from Bermi in Babati District, Tanzania watering his Ethiopian mustard vegetables. He is among the smallholder farmers who have adopted elite vegetable varieties promoted by the Africa RISING project (photo credit: Inviolate Dominick/WorldVeg).

Persistent global hunger and undernutrition have underscored the need for urgent action towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that aim to end all forms of malnutrition and double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers by 2030. In sub-Saharan Africa, lack of dietary diversity is a key causal factor of malnutrition since a big part of the population consume mainly staples as their main food, which are high in carbohydrates, but low in micronutrients and vitamins. To address this dietary diversity and incomes gap, encouraging farmers to grow elite varieties of traditional African and global vegetables can make an important contribution to nutritional security and extend the income generation opportunities for smallholders as is already being illustrated by interventions by the Africa RISING project among farmers in Tanzania.

Since 2013, the project has targeted over 6,000 smallholder farmers in seven districts across Tanzania to promote vegetable farming as a complementary agricultural activity in the largely maize-dominated farming systems. Through capacity building for farmers about vegetable farming (from raising seedlings to marketing) and provision of seeds through a cascading scaling model; results are beginning to show that many farmers are turning to farming of the leafy greens. Vegetable farming has become a viable agri-business alternative with great potential for income generation.

Vitalis Joseph, a 32 year-old from Bermi Village in Babati District in the northeast Tanzania is one such farmer. His first interaction with the Africa RISING project staff was in 2013 when he had attended a meeting in his village that was convened by representatives from the World Vegetable Center. At the meeting, the team explained to the farmers how they could improve their nutrition and also earn additional income for their families through vegetable production. Joseph had been growing vegetables marginally before but had never considered it something that could earn him significant income.

Soon after, he started growing and selling tomatoes, Ethiopian mustard and amaranth. He notes that there is always a high market demand for the elite varieties he was introduced to by the project. Out of the proceeds from vegetable farming, he has constructed a permanent house for his family.

‘My friends and neighbours will tell you that I am where I am now because of farming and selling these vegetables. I come from a very poor background and others even wonder how I have managed to achieve this,’ says Joseph with a tinge of emotion.

Yet Joseph’s story is not an isolated one of the still unfolding success of Africa RISING’s vegetable technology interventions towards fighting poverty and malnutrition in the region.

Similar stories of success from vegetable farming have been documented from both young and old farmers.

Monica Paschal, 48-year-old farmer and a mother of five from Babati District

‘From my ¾ hectares of land where I grow tomatoes and other vegetables while also keeping chicken, I now earn nearly TShs 6 million in a season (approx. USD 2,500). In the old system, where I grew maize intercropped with pigeon pea I would earn just about TShs 2 million,’ says Monica Paschal (read her story). 

Haasan Saidi, 20 year-old farmer from Maweni Village, Babati town

‘This is now the third time that I have produced my own vegetable seeds from the WorldVeg varieties. Out of the six varieties they introduced to my village, I have chosen tomato (Tengeru 2010), African eggplant (DB3), and African nightshade (Nduruma). These are the best I have ever grown. I don’t need any other crops. I was able to harvest 20 bags of African nightshade, where I previously produced only 1.5 bags. My tomato yields have doubled, and I am still harvesting African eggplant from the seed that I sowed half a year ago! With these new varieties that are in high demand in the market, my income has increased by more than TShs 400,000 per season (USD 190),’ explains Haasan Saidi, who lives in Maweni Village, about 25 km east of Babati town (read his story).

The combined use of healthy seedlings with good agronomic practices has increased tomato production in the majority of the Africa RISING vegetable activity intervention sites by 3.4 times and of African eggplant and Amaranth by 2.8 times each. This turned out to be more of an economic venture and generated extra interest in identifying methodologies for better storing the increased quantities produced and accessing viable markets. Considering that typical smallholder farming households do not only focus on one activity like vegetable farming, livestock nutritionists involved in the project have started using the non-edible components of the vegetable plants as feed components in the poultry rations as highlighted in Monica Paschal’s story.

‘Data from the project sites in Babati, Kongwa and Kiteto districts show that from 2014 to 2016, farmers increased tomato production, on average, from 10.7 to 17.2 tonnes per hectare, African eggplant production from 8 to 14.4 tonnes per hectare, and amaranth production from 8.6 to 12.2 tonness per hectare following community sensitization, use of quality elite vegetable variety seeds and training in healthy seedling production,’ explained Justus Ochieng, a WorldVeg scientist.

Besides, a survey conducted in villages hosting demonstration sites in Babati District shows that 32% of the farmers have adopted elite seeds and healthy seedlings while 59% have started using inorganic fertilizers in producing vegetables. Many farmers (67%) are following other good agronomic practices, mainly mulching, timely weeding and planting, and manure use in their farms in order to ensure healthy growth of vegetables.

Ochieng adds that linking of farmers to high value markets has enabled several of them to sell their produce at higher prices. Other income was generated from selling healthy seedlings to neighbouring farmers through nurseries that they had set-up as a result of the increasing demand. These approaches have been particularly successful in the Africa RISING research villages of Matufa, Bermi, Galapo, Seloto and Shaurimoyo in Babati District where farmers utilize collective marketing of vegetables to access markets and reduce transaction costs.

Most farmers in the project have realized higher incomes from all the crops (amaranth, nightshade, African eggplant and tomato) planted which reflects the higher yields that they were able to achieve. Many of them also claim to have increased their household consumption of vegetables since the project started.

Increases in income are clearly important for reducing malnutrition. Greater incomes at the household level allow families to spend more on food, clean water, hygiene and preventive and curative healthcare. It gives families access to a more diversified diet and better childcare arrangements. At the community level, greater income will eventually lead to better access to and higher quality healthcare and diversified diets, improved water and sanitation systems, and better access to information.

Note: The data used in this story was generated from the Africa RISING ESA and the Africa RISING-NAFAKA projects. Implementation of both vegetable research and scaling activities is led by the World Vegetable Center.

Writers and contributors: Jonathan Odhong, Justus Ochieng, Andreas Gramzow, Inviolate Mosha and Gloriana Ndibalema.

Haroon Sseguya, IITA technology scaling specialist and Africa RISING-NAFAKA partnership project coordinator (photo credit: IITA).

The Africa RISING-NAFAKA partnership project which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Tanzania Mission has benefited over 50,000 rural smallholder households in Tanzania with integrated packages of improved agricultural technologies. Under the project, 58,000 hectares of farm land has been put under the improved technologies or management practices. In both cases the project has exceeded the targets that were set when it was unveiled in 2014.

These and other project achievements and strides were highlighted in a presentation on ‘Scaling sustainable agricultural intensification technologies in Tanzania: achievements, lessons and plans for future IITA interventions’ by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) technology scaling specialist, Haroon Sseguya, who is also the Africa RISING-NAFAKA coordinator, at a seminar presentation in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

The efficacy of the technologies being promoted by the project to increase agricultural productivity while meeting high standards for sustainability in environmental, economic, and social terms, had been proven through research in the first phase of the Africa RISING project.

These technologies include: new improved high-yielding, drought-tolerant varieties of food crops (maize, legumes, rice, and vegetables) and best-bet agronomic management packages using external inputs such as fertilizers, and improved postharvest management technologies. The project has also improved the protection of land and water resources through soil and water management, tackling soil acidity/salinity, and introducing and promoting food safety technologies such as Aflasafe as well as improved postharvest management technologies and motorized shelling machines, collapsible dryer cases (CDC) for drying, and the use of hermetic bags for grain storage.

Sseguya said investing in building the capacities of farmers to adopt these technologies was a critical lesson learned during the implementation of this work. The initiative trained and worked with lead farmers who in turn trained other farmers, which has enhanced the capacities of local communities to improve their farming methods.

‘Partnerships were also central to scaling sustainable intensification innovations.’ he said. ‘The partnerships needed to be flexible, depending on the task at hand and they were defined by shared accountability, constant dialogue, joint learning, joint mobilization of resources, and involved a range of partners’.

He added that the technologies also needed to be suitable to the agro-ecological and socio-economic conditions and documented through manuals and protocols that farmers could use.

Written by Catherine Njuguna, corporate communication officer, IITA.

Automated irrigation kit

A solar powered automatic irrigation kit is showing promise in helping vegetable farmers in Tanzania, particularly women, use water resources more efficiently in farming.

Currently being tested in Gallapo village of Babati District in northern Tanzania, the Smart Agricultural Research Optimization System (SAROS) irrigation kit saves labour and cuts water use in vegetable farming. It automatically monitors water use based on actual climate-smart data and knowledge, hence its moniker ‘smart irrigation kit’. By keeping tabs and using the real time data to ‘decide’ whether it is time for plants to get that much needed precipitation or not; the kit also reduces water wastage.

Early indications from a review of the kit’s use are that it will help the smallholder farmers use the increasingly scarce water more efficiently. Mama Monica Pascali, one of the farmers piloting the kit notes that the fact that it is solar powered allows her and fellow farmers to use in the village without relying on electricity. She adds that it reduces her labour demands and drudgery because it adapts to the specific amount of crop water demand by using a real-time system for monitoring the farm environment. An in-built soil moisture sensor auto-triggers irrigation based on soil water deficits resulting in 40% less water use and 60% labour savings.

A mobile phone-based extension information platform

Most smallholder farmers in the district do not have access to agronomic information including when to plant, when and how to apply nutrients and struggle with quick response to challenges they encounter in the field. Mobile phone usage in Africa is playing a vital role in the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. Being easy, fast and a convenient way to communicate, mobile phones allow for prompt answers to respective problems and for exchange of vital market information.

A mobile-based platform to improve decision-making dubbed MWANGA is now available to help smallholders overcome the gaping information lacuna. The MWANGA platform runs from a dedicated Android app ‘Telerivet’ and has a current membership of 2,050 individuals within 13 communities in Babati District, and is now expanding to sites in Mbeya and Iringa. The platform also provides farmers with information on when project activities such as meetings, field days and training opportunities are scheduled to take place and serves as a pass through communication channel to agricultural extension agents who are on the ground to offer subsequent advice to farmers.

‘There are synergies where input/output markets could provide information that can be pushed to thousands of farmers in just one click from the MWANGA Platform. The platform is interactive and farmers can also send information to the platform for subsequent feedback,’ notes Fred Kizito, the MWANGA Platform innovator and International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) scientist.

Soil testing kit

Fertilizer recommendations for smallholder farmers in Bahati are often based on regional soil assessments, with little relevance to critical local biophysical or socio-economic characteristics. Increasing crop yields and efficient use of inputs requires site-specific recommendations sensitive to local climate, soils, crops and yield potentials. Data on key soil properties are crucial for farmers’ decisions on managing soil and for agro-dealers to know what nutrients to sell. Soil testing is, however, rare outside of large commercial farms and experimental plots. Closest to Babati, soil analysis services are only available in Arusha and some advanced labs in Nairobi and the services are expensive.

SoilDoc is a portable, on-site soil testing kit that allows for diagnosing of soil constraints in farms and provides opportunity for tailored fertilizer and organic input recommendations for farmers. In this way, extension agents can advise farmers on best management of their farm to increase production including what types of nutrients are needed and where to apply. To boost capacity for soil testing, Africa RISING partners in 2017 trained 13 extension agents in Babati on essentials and operation of the SoilDoc kit. The awareness created has resulted into a demand for more kits, and scaling up the training to other agents.

Modifying cropping systems

‘Our traditional maize-bean-pigeon pea intercropping affects productivity even of maize. In this new practice which entails planting two rows of maize planted (about 45 cm) apart followed by a row of beans and a row of pigeon pea occupying the wide space before the next set of maize rows, I see already maize is doing good and beans too! I am satisfied with it under this season’s weather,’ notes Paulo Joakim, a smallholder farmer from Sabilo village in Babati District.

In the traditional intercropping system applied by most farmers in Babati, the productivity of beans and pigeon pea is always low partly due to competition from the maize being grown as part of the intercrop. A change in the plant configurations to allow more light and aeration of beans and pigeon pea within this system is important. In collaboration with the smallholder farmers, Africa RISING scientists have designed this  localized version of the ‘mbili intercropping’ and the ‘doubled-up legume system’, to overcome these challenges and ensure farmers get the best yields. This tailor-made innovative cropping systems involves two rows of maize planted about 45 cm apart followed by a row of beans and a row of pigeon pea occupying the wide space before the next set of maize rows.

So far, farmers say the new system has improved beans and pigeon pea yields relative to conventional maize-legume rotation system.

Fertilizer application
Soil fertility is steadily declining in locations that were hitherto considered ‘fertile’ due to continued farming with sparse organic inputs thereby benefiting only fields closer to homesteads. Research by Africa RISING in the district has shown that such areas can reclaim their fading fertility through modest application of fertilizers. In parts of Babati where this work has been implemented, nitrogen application rates of 50 kg N ha-1 are adequate to achieve a good crop harvest across all agro-ecological zones. Phosphorus is also needed but in small quantities. 15 kg P ha-1 is good enough. In a good season, or in the medium altitude zones, a shilling invested in fertilizers bought at prevailing market prices returns 2 or 3 more shillings (partial economic analysis; see table below). Under the same environment, up to 4 more shillings can be obtained. Only under low moisture conditions (low altitude low rainfall agro-ecological zone for example) where Minjingu Mazao was not profitable. It is good news that we have now moved to Minjingu Nafaka plus!

Table 1: Costs, benefits and marginal rates of return for different treatments in three ecozones of Babati District.

Livestock forage grasses

Farmers in Babati District struggle to produce enough food for their families. Part of the reason is that water and wind erode the top soil – the most productive part of the soil which helps farmers boost their yields.

Through Africa RISING, smallholder farmers have been introduced to systematic planting of forage grass–forage legumes which ensure farmers get other benefits in addition to having a source of nutritious feed for their livestock. Action research implemented in the farming communities has shown impressive benefits accruing to farmers when they plant these forage grass-forage legume combinations, particularly for erosion control and soil moisture retention.

The studies demonstrate that the combinations significantly lower water run-off by 4- 60% when implemented in intercrops with maize and pigeon pea for example. Plots with the same intercrops also records higher soil moisture storage with an average of about 25 mm of moisture over a depth of 50 cm — 30% higher (supporting ecosystem services) — in areas with forage-legumes than in areas without forages as well as erosion control in the landscape (regulating services). A significant contribution of this intercrop arrangement has also been shown to significantly contributing to recharge of the aquifers and subsurface flow.

Not only do forage legumes such as lablab and cowpea provide ground cover and reduce soil water evaporation, but they are also dual-purpose crops that provide a secondary source of food that helps farmers meet household nutritional needs. Cover crops and fodder legumes are known for high nitrogen fixation. The yields from forages can also be sold through the fodder value chain and they play a critical role in risk reduction as income buffers. In addition, through the well-known ‘push-pull’ practice, forages serve as a pest and disease control mechanism. The forages further help reinforce contours which require less labour to maintain during the cropping season.

Linking farmers to markets

Majority of smallholder farmers in Babati are engaged only in farming and have no influence over the management or participation in farm product value chains. Such farmers are not well connected to markets, so their production is not well tailored to what the markets need. Africa RISING partners have been implementing specific activities to link these farmers to profitable markets.

A first step to their integration in the value chain was to support them to improve their farming skills through use of improved seeds and fertilizers in the cereal-legumes value chain so that they could produce higher yields of more consistent quality and that was better suited to the market.

Taking a marketing approach, the team brought the farmers together to strengthen their competitive advantage at the point of sale by improving quality, quantity and time of delivery through collective action. This also enabled them to access marketing information readily. Eighteen farmer groups have been established/strengthened in 10  villages and farmers have been trained on the use of improved seeds and fertilizers to increase production, value chain concepts, marketing and agri-business skills and how to use ‘e-soko’ to access market information. They have also been linked to big maize/pigeon pea/common beans traders in the district such as the Export Trading Group, Bajwa Farmers and Traders, Monaban, and Mohamed Enterprises Ltd, who can buy their produce at harvesting, or through contracts arrangements.

Developing better performing crop varieties

A critical element of Africa RISING  strategy for sustainable intensification is to actively engage in developing, validating and deploying new and improved germplasm to smallholder farmer communities. Scientists and agronomists involved in the program have over the years been working to provide higher yielding, more nutritious, and drought and climate resilient crop varieties to farmers. Importantly too, these new varieties are adapted to the local context and farmers’ localized production conditions.

In Babati, new maize varieties Meru H513 and Meru H515 have been tested locally by farmers both in low and medium elevation and have shown impressive results over the past cropping seasons. The improved pigeon pea variety, Mali, which was also validated by farmers has shown excellent performance in terms of yield and is replacing the local varieties grown as intercrops by farmers.

Farmers are looking for improved crop varieties that will enhance their productivity, and these new varieties and others still being validated by Africa RISING in Babati will go a long way in helping them improve their livelihoods.

The Africa RISING–NAFAKA project has trained more than 250 government extension staff and more than 40 lead farmers from Tanzania’s southern highlands on fall armyworm (FAW) management. The training sessions took place from 22 January–6 February 2018 in the districts of Kilolo, Iringa Rural, Mufindi, Wanging’ombe, Mbozi, Momba, Mbarali, and Kilombero where FAW has been reported.

The extension officers and lead farmers learned how to scout for and identify the worm, appropriate control methods such as safe and correct use of pesticides, and cultural practices for managing the pest. This training is part of concerted efforts by the government and stakeholders in Tanzania’s agricultural sector to reduce losses being suffered by maize farmers across the country due to this highly invasive pest.

A maize farmer inspecting crops affected by the Fall Army Worm pest. Photo credit: Frednand Japhet/IITA.

According to a report published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in August 2017, the pest had been reported in 14 regions in Tanzania: Songwe, Katavi, Mbeya, Iringa, Njombe, Ruvuma, Lindi, Mtwara, Morogoro, Rukwa, Arusha, Manyara, Shinyanga, and Kilimanjaro and caused a 3% reduction in maize yields in 2017 below the previous five-year annual average of 5.6 million tons.

‘We expect that each of the trainees (extension staff) will train at least 200 farmers in each village on how to control the fall armyworm, design spraying programs as well as support the spray service providers made up of youth, producer organizations, and village-based agricultural agents who were trained by the project. We agreed that they will report every week to district authorities on the progress,’ explains International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) technology scaling specialist, Haroon Sseguya.

The extension workers welcomed the training, saying it was crucial in their efforts to support farmers in saving their maize.

‘The fall armyworms invaded our village from 2016 and in 2017 they caused a lot of damage. We did not know it was a new pest. We thought it was the maize stalk borer and we applied the same control measures, both traditional and modern, using chemical pesticides, but we were not succeeding in controlling it,’ said Lydia Shonyera, district crops officer from Mbozi District, Songwe Region and one of the trainees.

‘We have benefited a lot from the training; we now have the correct information for the farmers. We only wish that this training had taken place much earlier. We could have saved our harvest. But we will now be able to protect this year’s harvest from the pest,’ she said.

This was reiterated by Marcodenis Misungwi, a village extension officer from Nansama village, also in Mbozi District, who said that while the pest was not yet a big problem in his village, the training would enable them to contain it and reduce damage before it was too late.

Fall armyworm invasion was first reported in Africa in Nigeria in January 2017, and in both Tanzania and Kenya in March of that year. Since then it has spread rapidly across the continent attacking maize farms with no regard for country borders.

These training sessions were supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Tanzania Mission which funds the Africa RISING–NAFAKA Partnership and Scaling Project. Through this collaborative and synergistic partnership activity, the two projects are promoting and supporting adoption of promising interventions that enhance agricultural productivity in Tanzania. Key interventions include promotion of climate-smart agricultural innovations, dissemination of best-bet crop management packages, rehabilitation and protection of natural resources, and reduction of food waste and spoilage in three crop enterprises—maize, rice, and legumes. Nutrition and postharvest handling are also integrated as cross-cutting themes.

Written by Catherine Njuguna, Jonathan Odhong’ and Haroon Sseguya.

In this blog post, Kindu Mekonnen, chief scientist in the Africa RISING project in Ethiopia, reflects on his recent  project sites visits in Tanzania.

The Africa Research in Sustainable Intensification for the Next Generation (Africa RISING) project in east and southern Africa recently organized field visits in Tanzania to share experiences and strengthen project collaborations across the three Africa RISING projects (Ethiopian Highlands, East and Southern Africa, and West Africa).

The visit to Mbeya, Iringa, Kongwa (Dodoma), Babati and Arusha project areas took place 1–12 March 2018 and included tours of the mother trials demonstration sites of maize and legume cropping systems, visits to see soil and water conservation practices (agroforestry, tie-ridging, ‘fanya juu/chini’ terracing), livestock production interventions (forages and feed processing, poultry housing and feeding), improved vegetables production (micro-irrigated vegetables in screen houses), post-harvest technologies (maize shellers, pick bags and dryers), and nutrition interventions (food formulations for children).

Photo 1: The project is benefiting the youth through poultry production interventions (photo credit:ILRI/Kindu Mekonnen).

Lessons learned from the field visit

Strong scaling up partnerships: The link between Africa RISING and the Tanzania Staples Value Chains (NAFAKA) projects is very strong and they jointly facilitate scaling of shared technologies/innovations that have been validated. The two projects also have strong communication and capacity development activities and they jointly organize and provide training on sustainable intensification (SI) innovations/technologies and emerging issues such as armyworm control. They have also created partnerships with value chain actors such as agro-dealers, manufacturers, farmers, national and international research organizations, extension groups, non-governmental organizations and private entrepreneurs.

Photo 2: Soil erosion and gully formation in Africa RISING sites in Tanzania (photo credit: ILRI/Kindu Mekonnen).

Poultry interventions helping women and youth: Poultry research and development interventions are playing an important role in diversifying income through selling eggs and improving nutrition of smallholder farmers by providing more eggs and chicken meat for consumption. Improved poultry breeds and housing have been introduced to more than 100 households in Africa RISING sites in Tanzania and many women and youth are reaping benefits from keeping poultry (see photo 1).

New methods of vegetable farming: The use of research and development (R4D) strategies in vegetable production was seen in the use of appropriate water-lifting and delivery devices and irrigation practices. The idea of grouping/clustering farmers to work together and linking them to markets, providing appropriate training on agronomic practices and health-related issues were very instrumental in improving vegetable farming. A capacity building scheme has been used to expose farmers to high value vegetable varieties, improved irrigation methods that minimize vegetable food contamination, minimize pests and disease incidence and reduce over reliance on pesticides.

Photo 3: Soil and water conservation with community mass mobilization in Ethiopia (photo credit:ILRI /Kindu Mekonnen).

Improving household nutrition: The Africa RISING program contributes to the Feed the Future program goal of reducing hunger, poverty and undernutrition by delivering high-quality research outputs that address these problems. Consideration of nutrition research and demonstration of nutritious food formulation by the project in Tanzania has helped households link production with nutrition. The project has trained mothers with children under five years on food safety, hygiene and nutrition through intensive positive deviance approach during feeding trials. It has also conducted monitoring studies before and after feeding trials involving children.

Holistic interventions: The project has tried to integrate research interventions and to quantify products and services to convince beneficiaries such as farmers to integrate agroforestry, poultry production and soil and water conversations (SWC) approaches.  The use of these interventions was observed at the farm level during the visit. In Kongwa (Dodoma), Tanzania trees such as Gliricidia sepium have been planted along terraces in farms. They provide soil erosion control, improve soil fertility and the micro-climate in addition to providing wood for fuel, and feed for animals including chicken.

Use of multiple approaches: The use of different R4D and scaling approaches including working with village-based agri advisers (VBAAs) was observed. Learning villages (villages that successfully implement Africa RISING validated technologies) have also been created to share good agricultural practices (GAPs) to other farmers. A farmer-based approach, where lead farmers are selected and trained together with the public extension workers, was found useful to speed up scaling of Africa RISING technologies. Under this approach, farmers are clustered around lead farmers and learn-by-doing via on-farm evaluations and training. The Africa RISING team monitors progress and backstops lead farmers.

Communication and knowledge sharing: Informative posters have been prepared to demonstrate research activities in the field on topics such as integration of agroforestry, livestock for enhanced productivity and resilience, and integration of crops and poultry for enhanced productivity. These posters are brief and well-illustrated. They clearly show problems, research approaches, key results and conclusions. The project staff also work with farmers to help them document their observations of the action research interventions they have applied in their farms as way of ensuring that farmers’ capacities are built.

Suggestions for addressing current challenges

Strengthening documentation: During the field visit we observed that farmers are modifying technologies introduced by the Africa RISING project, for instance, poultry houses. Documentation of the modifications they are making is necessary because their experiences can help other chicken farmers. Taking photos of modified chicken houses and creating photo galleries could be one way of sharing these lessons with wider audiences.

Photos 4: Farmers’ feeding systems in Africa RISING sites in Tanzania (photo credit: ILRI/Kindu Mekonnen).

Sharing and learning visits: Soil erosion is a serious concern in the Kongwa and Babati project areas (see photo 2). Dealing with the problem requires government support at ward, district and regional levels and collective action by all agriculture sector players. Communities can also play a role in treating gullies using landscape or wide area planning approaches to halt land degradation. To this end, organizing experience sharing visits for agriculture officials, experts and influential farmers both within and beyond areas with SWC success stories, which has proved successful in Ethiopia, can help (see photo 3).

Combating soil acidity: Liming, or the application to soil of calcium- and magnesium-rich materials in various forms, is one of the interventions implemented to combat the effects of soil acidity. However, the replicability and sustainability of this intervention depends on a precise rate of lime application, access to materials, and frequency and methods of application. Due consideration should be given to combating the soil acidity problem in Iringa.

Photo 5: In Basona in Amhara, Ethiopia, farmers use improved feed troughs to feed  cattle (photo credit: ILRI/Kindu Mekonnen).

Enhancing animal feeding technologies: Farmers in different project sites use crop residues as livestock feed. But feed wastage and contamination is common. For example, the feed troughs that some farmers were using in Babati District lacked shading and were poorly constructed (see photo 4). In Ethiopia, however, the Africa RISING project has introduced a feeding trough technology which has been well received by farmers, which can be customized to the needs of Tanzanian farmers (see photo 5).

The Africa RISING program and the Future Sustainable Intensification Innovation Lab (SIIL) recently held a joint field visit to activity sites in Tanzania. The goal of the visit was to promote more cross-learning and establish potential areas for future collaboration between the two United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded agricultural sustainable intensification programs. The visiting team comprised of: Jerry Glover (USAID Bureau for Food Security), Vara Prasad (Kansas State University/SIIL), Irmgard Hoeschle-Zeledon (IITA/Africa RISING East and southern Africa [ESA] and West Africa [WA]), Peter Thorne (ILRI/Africa RISING Ethiopia), Sieg Snapp (Michigan State University/SIIL/Africa RISING), Kindu Mekonnen (ILRI/Africa RISING Ethiopia), Mateete Bekunda (IITA/Africa RISING ESA), Jovin Lwehabura (CIAT/SIIL) and Jonathan Odhong’ (IITA/Africa RISING ESA & WA). The team made courtesy calls to various government agricultural officials, visited activities implemented by both programs and interacted with farmers. Starting off the trip in the southern highlands (Mbeya and Iringa), the team made its way to central Tanzania (Kongwa and Kiteto districts), eventually rounding the visit off in northern Tanzania (Babati District). This photo report provides a summary of the very eventful trip. Click on the image or link below to read and learn more.

https://spark.adobe.com/page/ITdAoZGJ3CYiB/

Telling a complete story about the entire Phase I of Africa RISING program in one blog post is a challenging task. But if you are looking for the tell-all of the program’s first phase, please take a look at the recently published report Footprints of Africa RISING—Phase I: 2011–2016. As you can imagine, this multi-partnership, multi-year, farming systems research-in-development program has several moving pieces – each presenting separate, but synergistic and coordinated efforts on sustainable intensification of smallholder farm households in different communities and countries. 

Through the voices of seven Africa RISING implementing partners from Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Mali, Tanzania and Zambia; we get insights about what it took to implement Africa RISING phase I in different contexts and countries, what the first phase of the program gave to the farmers and global knowledge community (outputs), and some of the partner’s proudest achievements from working in the project over the years. These insights make for an interesting reading together with the Footprints of Africa RISING—Phase I: 2011–2016 report.

What it took

Ahmed Umer (photo credit: ILRI/Simret Yasabu).

In Ethiopia, different farmer research groups were established; theoretical as well as practical training was delivered at different times for different farmers; farmer field days were organized as a means of knowledge transfer and an experience sharing mechanism; cost benefit analyses were also done for some crops to avoid dependency on wheat; practical as well as theoretical training of trainers was delivered on how to improve diet diversity at household level, especially for women and children. Effort was also put into linking health extension workers, development agents and development partners with the goal of improving household nutritional security.

Ahmed Umer, director, University Industry Linkage and Technology Transfer, Madda Walabu University

Abdul Rahman Nurudeen (photo credit: IITA/Jonathan Odhong).

Africa RISING Phase I in Ghana concentrated on developing and evaluating integrated system technologies together with farmers (especially women) at farm level using the technology park approach. The technology park was a field demonstration centre where farmers learned and practiced different technologies under the guidance of a scientist and an agricultural extension agent. This approach helped direct and indirect Africa RISING beneficiaries to adopt the technologies fully or modify them to suit their system based on their resource endowment and traditional farming knowledge.

Abdul Rahman Nurudeen, Africa RISING site coordinator, Upper East Region – northern Ghana, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture

Regis Chikowo explains to farmers why they should not allow Striga to grow on their farms (photo credit: IITA/Jonathan Odhong).

Africa RISING had early buy-in from national extension services in Malawi — a key ingredient for scaling up within established systems. While the program had clearly defined ‘intervention’ sites as part of the research design, seeds for scaling that is central to Phase II where already sown during Phase I. This was unique as many research programs only superficially involve extension services, that are the more permanent feature in agricultural development and scaling.

Working with thousands of experimenting farmers is implied in a number of articles in this document but we can make it more explicit. Using the mother-and-baby trial technology development and adaptation approach, Africa RISING has built capacity of farmers to more critically evaluate technologies and how they fit in their own communities. The concept of best bet/fit was taken to a higher level with rich feedback from farmer action groups.

Regis Chikowo, Africa RISING Malawi project coordinator and agricultural systems scientist Crop Science Department, University of Zimbabwe

What it gave

Stephen Lyimo explains a point to the Africa RISING mid-term reviewers (photo credit: IITA/Jonathan Odhong).

It is not lost on me how far we have come with some of our farmers to ensure they adopted or adapted some of the improved practices we were introducing in Africa RISING. For example, in Babati District of Tanzania, prior to the testing and validation of Africa RISING innovations, majority if not all farmers in the target areas had a belief that inorganic fertilizers destroyed their soils. They also believed that farmyard manure was the only solution to their soil fertility problems and using inorganic fertilizers would not make their soils better! The only way to convince them and challenge this notion was to involve them in the demonstrations we were doing – and it worked! They were able to see that inorganic fertilizers were actually good for their soils and could get them up to three times the yield and income they would get without fertilizer. And supplementing small amounts of farm yard manure with small amounts of inorganic fertilizers increased their yields and incomes significantly compared to the use of big rates of farm yard manure alone, which was not available in their homesteads.

Stephen Lyimo, principal agricultural research officer, Selian Agricultural Research Institute, Tanzania

Sieg Snapp and Blessing Kadzimbuka (photo credit: IITA/Jonathan Odhong’).

Africa RISING phase I has provided novel insights into multiple dimensions of sustainable intensification on smallholder farms, including productivity, profitability and environmental tradeoffs. A unique aspect of this multidisciplinary farming systems research project has been the use of participatory action research and extension approaches to explore human and social dimensions of sustainable intensification as well. Gender-aware indicators and best-bet technology suitability mapping are some of the exciting new tools under development to support scaling out in the second phase of Africa RISING, so the best is yet to come.

Sieglinde Snapp, professor, soils and cropping systems ecologist, Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University

Christian Thierfelder (photo credit: ILRI/Simret Yasabu).

For the agro-ecological environment in eastern Zambia, a farming systems project like Africa RISING has been a blessing because in the past too much emphasis has been placed on commodity research only, disregarding the complex interactions and needs of smallholder farmers. We promoted sustainable intensification in conservation agriculture-based systems including green manure, doubled-up legume systems and other ‘climate-smart’ interventions and provided the necessary research evidence and proof-of-concept for larger scaling projects run by the Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the Community Markets for Conservations (COMACO) and the Total Land Care (TLC).

Christian Thierfelder, senior cropping systems agronomist, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Zambia

Proudest achievements

Augustine Ayantunde (photo credit: IITA/Jonathan Odhong’).

My proudest achievement with Africa RISING Phase I is the elaboration, development and formalization of local conventions (regulations) for natural resource management in the project communities in southern Mali, which has led to significant reduction in the incidence of conflict between host farmers and transhumant herders who pass through the communities. One of the communities visited by the evaluation team spoke proudly of how the regulations were reducing conflicts, preventing crop losses, improving natural resource management, and contributing to improved livestock management, given that regulations and penalties now apply for untethered animals.

Augustine Ayantunde, senior livestock scientist and West Africa regional representative, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)

Birhanu Zemadim (photo credit: Africa RISING).

My proudest achievement having been involved with Africa RISING Phase I is that in Mali, we have been able to develop participatory, demand-driven solutions that are well appreciated by farmers. Our work on natural resources management will pass to the next generation. In an era of climate variability and change, providing long-term investment solutions to increase agricultural productivity and minimize land degradation through efficient use of land and water management practices is key.

Birhanu Zemadim, senior scientist, land and water management, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Mali

Find out more about Footprints of Africa RISING—Phase I: 2011-2016

Read the full publication 

Neema Hussein (photo credit: ARI Dakawa).               

It has been a long winding road to rice paradise for Neema Hussein, a rice farmer from Mbarali District in the southern highlands of Tanzania. But she is now getting there. Finally, she can smile as her rice harvest keeps improving year after year.

In 2009, Hussein decided to grow an improved rice variety to improve her production (higher yields) and to benefit from other advantages like disease resistance and resistance to waterlogging. Her variety of choice was the SARO 5 (TXD 306). Her optimism for a quick change in fortunes quickly turned to despair that would last six years as she only noticed a marginal change in her harvest.

‘I used to harvest between 7 and 15 bags (each bag weighing 125 kg) from my 3-acre rice paddy when I was growing Kalamata, a local rice variety. Then in 2009, when I switched to SARO 5 (TXD 306) and my yield increased to about 30 bags for the next 6 years, I was disappointed because I could not reach the potential yield of 120 bags,’ notes Hussein.

‘I didn’t know what I was doing wrong, but I kept growing the improved rice variety since what I harvested was still much better than what I would get if I grew the local varieties,’ she adds.

It was not until she joined the Africa RISING-NAFAKA project rice productivity enhancement trainings (led by ARI Dakawa) during the 2015/16 cropping season that she ‘uncovered’ the golden secret to higher yields.

‘Growing an improved rice variety without applying good agricultural practices (GAPs) is like having a bicycle with a flat tire,’ she quips.

She explains the changes she has observed.

‘Since I started to complement growing the improved rice variety with GAPs such as levelling land before planting, applying fertilizers, applying correct spacing etc., my yield has been increasing year after year. In 2016, I harvested 75 bags, and 90 bags in 2017!” she adds with an distinct smile on her face.

With this positive trend, the sky is the limit for Hussein. She is now more determined and ambitious, and hungry for more success.

‘My aim is to raise my yield to more than 100 bags. If I can reach that target and  make a good profit from sales, then I plan to purchase a power tiller,’ she says.

Husseins dreams are valid. And so are those of 1,125 smallholder farmers in the southern highlands of Tanzania that are currently adopting improved rice varieties like SARO 5 (TXD 306) and being trained on good agricultural practices for rice production.

The SARO 5 (TXD 306) rice variety has a yield potential of 40 bags per acre. And if the markets are favourable, Hussein may just be in for a good pay day. In 2017, the prevailing market price for a bag of paddy was TZS 150,000 (USD67.5), therefore her yield was worth TZS 13,500,000 (USD6,075).

Resources: Africa RISING – NAFAKA Project Compendium of Rice Production Training Protocols

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Through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Africa RISING-NAFAKA Project, Dakawa Agricultural Research Institute (ARI- Dakawa) is leading implementation of activities to improve rice productivity in Tanzania’s Mvomero, Kilombero, Iringa Rural and Mbarali districts. The project’s aims are three-fold: Ensuring that at least 47,000 smallholder farm households in rural Tanzania can access technologies to diversify and increase their food supply and income sources, and improve the quality of degraded smallholder cropland; expanding the area under improved crop production technologies by at least 58,000 hectares; and increasing the yields of both maize and rice by 50% as a result of the technologies being applied.

This video highlights how through Africa RISING program interventions, a group of farmers at Mlali Village in central Tanzania are today making choices that will ensure they improve their livelihoods while conserving the natural resource base for the future generations.

Africa RISING is supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as part of the US government’s Feed the Future initiative. Work with smallholder farmer communities is being implemented in six countries – Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Mali, Tanzania and Zambia.

The third International Learning Alliance (ILA) meeting for sustainable intensification was held July 10–12, 2018, in Lusaka, Zambia. The ILA is a global-level Sustainable Agricultural Intensification Research and Learning in Africa (SAIRLA) program cross-institutional community of practice which aims at developing a strategy for informing policy and building institutional capacity for sustainable intensification.

This blog is a reflection  of the ILA  and lessons from the Ethiopia National Learning Alliance (NLA).

The previous two ILA meeting were held in Malawi (November 2016) and Ghana (October 2017). Million Gebreyes, the NLA lead facilitator and Simret Yasabu, communications expert with the Ethiopian NLA, attended the Lusaka meeting.

Other participants in the Lusaka NLA were the SAIRLA program management team, SAIRLA- supported research leads, a Department for International Development (DFID) representative and DFID- commissioned consultant, and NLA facilitation teams from Ghana, Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia.

The first day of the workshop was dedicated to sharing understanding and learning about the progresses of SAIRLA. In line with this, presentations were made by the SAIRLA program team, NLAs’ and SAIRLA Research Projects. The learning alliances went into detail about the policy or investment issues they are seeking to address for each learning theme they have identified, the evidence and tools they have or need to engage with these investment issues, and the available opportunities and the decision-makers they are engaging with, the processes they are developing for these opportunities and any outcome to date.

The presentations focused on the progress made towards achieving policy informing/influence which is a main goal of the SAIRLA program. The lessons shared in the meeting were also useful for the NLAs because they showed the challenges and opportunities in engaging with decision makers in Africa. Experiences from the  Tanzania NLA in working with parliamentarians was highlighted as a model to other NLAs in engaging policymakers.

On the second day, participants explored possible joint cross-country ‘products‘ from the NLAs. They brainstormed possible thematic areas which cut across countries and came up with ICT use for sustainable agricultural intensification (SAI), understanding trade-offs, and land tenure as the top three themes. Three groups, each with representatives of the national learning alliances deliberated on the current works of NLAs in the three thematic areas and developed an action plan for documenting cross-country experiences. Accordingly, the Ethiopian NLA is assigned to work on two of the thematic issues, ICT for SAI and trade-offs, to share Ethiopia’s experiences.

On the last day of the meeting,  discussions on investment options were held with key Zambia NLA stakeholders including donors and the private sector on possible investment areas and options. Later, four decision makers, the head of the national commodity exchange company, a Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) representative, representative from a non-governmental organization working with private sector, a farmer organization representative and a representative from the Swedish Embassy presented their views on the type of research they would like to see carried out the learning alliances.

Afterwards, the ILA participants made pitches to these decision makers and engaged with them. The exercise brought to the fore interesting insights for the NLAs. First of all, the engagement with the private sector actors revealed the importance of translating  messages into useable business ideas in order to persuade private actors. It was also interesting to see the role of boundary-spanning organizations, such as the NGO working to strengthen private sector actors, in bridging the gap between private sector actors’ development practitioners and donors.

Overall, the ILA meeting was useful in facilitating learning among SAIRLA projects. For the NLA facilitation teams, it showed that ensuring sustainable agricultural intensification presents a wicked problem with ambiguous definitions of what the problem is and even more ambiguous ideas on its solutions. Wicked problems require deliberation, negotiation and co-production to arrive at acceptable and useable solutions. The ILA opened up the space for a multi-stakeholder engagement and process in SAI to flourish.

By Million Gebreyes.

This poster presents the findings of a study that assessed the profitability of selected improved grain storage technologies and the potential impact of their adoption on food security and income of smallholder maize producers in Tanzania.

The study used on-farm experiment data, time series maize price data, and household survey data to address the objectives. The improved technologies evaluated were Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) bags, metallic silos, and polypropylene (PP) bags treated with Actellic Super® (Shumba). They were compared with PP bags without insecticide treatment as the control.

Results showed that PICS bags and PP bags plus Shumba are profitable in all locations and not significantly different. While the feasible storage period varies by location, farmers are likely to make losses if they sell their maize in the first two months after harvest and in the last two months before the next harvest.

There were mixed results with regards to the profitability of metallic silos; bigger silos are profitable for farmers who have economies of scale to use them while smaller ones are profitable only within the context of higher grain price and bigger seasonal price gap.

The results also show that PICS bags (or PP bags plus Shumba) are useful for improving food security and income among poor rural households whereas metallic silos with bigger storage capacity can increase the income of farmers who have bigger surplus grain to sale.

This poster was presented at the Africa RISING ESA Project Review and Planning Meeting held in Lilongwe, Malawi  3-5 October 2018.

Post-harvest food loss is the measurable reduction in quantity or quality of foodstuffs after harvest. Each year, close to one-third of all food produced for human consumption in the world is lost or wasted. For many households, such losses threaten food availability, nutrition, and income security. Quantitative losses cause reduced food supply resulting in high food prices, whereas quality loss connotes inferior nutritional value, health risks, and lost economic opportunity.

In the context of a rapidly growing global population where about 70% extra food must be produced to meet the food demand of 9.1 billion people by the year 2050, post-harvest losses go beyond food security issues to include sustainability concerns. Allowing post-harvest food losses to continue unabated also means wasting more resources, as arable land, seeds, fertilizer, water and labour are used to produce food that no one consumes.

These losses also have damaging impact on the environment and farm-level productivity. Earlier baseline studies [Abass et al. 2014] revealed that farm-level losses in Tanzania’s maize farming systems are about 300–480 kg of grain per ha, among households that produce only 1,200 kg/ha on average. Drying, processing and storage were found to be the key stages where these losses occur.

This poster outlines some post-harvest loss reduction technologies validated within the Africa RISING program namely; improved grain drying, threshing, and storage as a package, and gives evidence of the potential impact if the technologies are applied at scale. Improved drying using an optimized collapsible drier case improved grain quality by 30–44%, and decreased drying losses by 63% from 67.3kg/ton to 24.7kg/ton. Use of mechanical shellers reduced cost of labour by 77%, improved labour efficiency by 88%, improved grain quality by 55%, and reduced grain shelling and cleaning losses by 70% from ⁓68 to <20 kg/ ton. Storage in airtight devices reduced storage losses by at least 85% (from 150–250kg/ton to 22–40kg/ton), increased availability of food among net-buyers by 38% and reduced annual grain deficit of households by 17%.

Future research will target generating more evidence on nutritional, quality and safety improvements, and impacts on environmental, and social conditions as well as integrating post-harvest mechanization to amplify the relevance for smallholder mixed farming systems.

This poster was presented at the Africa RISING ESA Project review and planning meeting held in Lilongwe, Malawi on 3–5 October 2018.

Maize is a key staple food for the majority of smallholder farm families in central Tanzania. But the productivity of this staple crop is constantly called into question due to erratic rainfall, declining soil fertility, as well as pests and diseases. Additionally, the nutritive quality of the predominantly maize-based diets of the smallholder families living in the region is starch heavy, but protein and vitamin deficient. This means that a majority of these farm families are not food secure.

This poster presents the findings of an Africa RISING intervention in central Tanzania’s  Kongwa and Kiteto districts that aimed at addressing these challenges by testing and validating drought-tolerant quality protein maize (QPM) hybrids. QPM hybrids contain enhanced levels of Tryptophan and Lysine, precursors for protein synthesis. QPM can therefore contribute significantly in addressing nutritional gaps usually faced by many poor communities relying on mostly maize-based diets for nutrition.

This two-year research was conducted in eight villages, but good quality data used for analysis was collected from five villages. Key findings of the intervention were as follows:

1. The new QPM hybrids had two folds and a higher yield advantage compared to old QPM and non QPM hybrid (Figures 1 and 2 in the poster).
2. The new QPM hybrids had higher lysine and tryptophan content (Figure 2 in the poster).
3. Three villages which had similar ecological characteristics, while Sefu village achieved the most responsive results (Figure 3 in poster). Similar agro ecological characteristics in 3 villages implied that hybrids suitable in each of those villages can also be grown in the other villages within this ecological zone while the other two villages had distinct characteristics. This suggests that only specific hybrids suitable in those villages can be grown there (Figure 3 in poster). The new QPM hybrids and the local hybrid were stable and adaptable to the test environments while the old QPM (LISHE2 & KILIMAQH06) were not stable or adaptable in the test areas.

The new QPM varieties are more profitable compared to old QPM hybrids and the local hybrid (Table 1 in poster).

This poster was presented at the Africa RISING ESA project review and planning meeting in Lilongwe, Malawi, on 3–5 October 2018.