This document summarizes a multi-disciplinary effort between the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture and International Livestock Research Institute to promote sustainable intensification of smallholder farming systems in Africa. The goal is to create pathways out of poverty for smallholder families. Key activities include advancing production, improving nutrition and food safety, and transforming production systems. The document provides details on situation analysis conducted in Babati district of Tanzania that identified challenges like poor agricultural practices, high crop losses, and livestock malnutrition. It outlines prioritized intervention niches being tested, like fodder banks and intercropping, as well as expected outputs which include identifying suitable forage species and describing integrated packages to farmers.

1. A multi-disciplinary effort to provide
options for sustainable intensification of
African smallholder farming systems
Ben Lukuyu2, Adebayo Abass1, Mateete Bekunda1
1- International Institute of Tropical Agriculture
2-International Livestock Research Institute
CGIAR Consortium Meeting
Dar es Salaam, 18 March 2014.

2. A Program of the Feed the Future Initiative
Goal:
• Create pathways out of hunger
and poverty for smallholder
families through sustainably
intensified farming systems
Three Research Themes:
• Advance the production frontier
• Improve nutrition and food safety
• Transform key production systems
Sudano-Sahelian
Systems in WA
(Ghana, Mali) Ethiopian
Highlands
Maize& Livestock
mixed Systems in
ESA (Tanzania
Malawi, Zambia)

3. …is in line with Humidtropics CRP
Africa RISING
Outputs
Humidtropics Strategic
research themes
Selected tools and methods common to both
programmes
RO1. Situation
analysis and
program-wide
synthesis
SRT1. Systems Analysis and
Synthesis (includes M&E)
Random selection of action and control sites
Action area characterisation and critical entry points
Visioning the outcomes of the R4D platforms
Base, mid and end line surveys
RO2. Integrated
systems
improvement
SRT2. Integrated Systems
Improvement
Trade-off analyses and typologing
On-farm multi-location research campaigns
Value addition and market integration
Agroecological intensification (GxExMxM1 framework)
RO3. Scaling
and delivery
SRT3. Scaling and
Institutional Innovation
Econometric and meta-modeling
Crop growth simulation models
Costed templates for scaling by development investors
Validate scaling approaches for integrated systems
RO4.
Monitoring and
Evaluation
Validation of indicators and impact pathways
Ex-ante assessment of outcomes, impacts, spillovers
Assessment of nutrition and gender outcomes
Target adoption and impact studies

4. What problems are we addressing?
Situation analysis revealed several indicators to low
smallholder productivity:
• Poor agronomic practices (planting periods, spacing,
weeding, IPM, crop mixtures, pre-harvest technologies)
• Variable and high crop yield gaps (average 30% of potential yield)
• Poor post-harvest management (value addition, storage
& utilization, agro-processing)
• Very high harvest product losses (up to 40%)
• Poor conservation of natural resources
• High resource degradation
• Low use of external inputs (as low as 3% fertilizer usage)

5. What problems are we addressing?
Situation analysis revealed several indicators to low
smallholder productivity:
• Lack of appropriate seed (crops and forages):-tolerant to
draught, pests, diseases; variety diversification
• Livestock management (knowledge gaps, inadequate
feeds (quantity and quality), poor feed processing)
• Under fed livestock (only 65% of the feed needs met under best conditions)
and seasonal feed variations
• Poor market access: organizational, opportunities, niches
• Lack of capacity building, information and communication
• Institutions: innovation platforms, farmer organizations,
networks

6. How are we solving these problem?
WP Linking farmers to markets
RO1 Characterization and synthesis
WP Crop management
WP Livestock and land management
WP Mycotoxin management
WP Post-harvest handling
WP Vegetable integration
WP Poultry husbandry
RO3 Scaling
Development
partners, R4D
platforms, farmer
groups
Markets
Farm
RCTs
Integration
Babati concept of integration

7.  Random testing of farmer-prioritised technologies to
assess HH typology-based adaption and aggregated
impact
 Multi-stakeholder engagement as a means of scaling
and adoption
 Transmit the lessons learned by the project to the
wider research and development community
Current activities and next steps

8. Crop-Soil-Livestock integration in Babati district:
A n example of fodder and feed – led SI research
Objectives:
• Utilize the introduction of exotic diary fodder and feed
crops as drivers of sustainable intensification of crop
livestock systems.
• Enhance the recycling of crop residues through feed
processing technologies

9.  Situation analysis using FEAST
 Prioritisation of Entry points based on ability to:
o Increase feed quantity and quality
o Increase soil fertility through BNF
o Minimise degradation – reduce soil loss
 Validate prioritised technologies (research outputs)
 Plan scaling (outcomes)
Research Sequencing

10. Achievements to date: Results from situation analysis
1. The systems are dominated by crop production
Contribution to livelihood
Area committed to forage production is on average 0.04 ha per household only

11. 2. The cattleare hungryand the
land is degrading
 The cattle are underfed most of the time
(40% wet season; 80% dry season)
 There is poor storage, processing and
utilization of crop residues
 There is some fodder trading especially
of crop residues happening at small scale
 There is lack of information about
fodder, feeds and feeding
 There is evidence of land degradation
due to overgrazing of community and
public land.

12. Prioritized intervention niches
Potential niches Rationale
1. Fodder banks
• Demonstrate the impact of committing planted fodder
to livestock (farmers can realize benefits quickly)
2. Planting fodder on field
boundaries and soil conservation
structures
• This intervention suits farmers who face land and water
constraints. Maximizes land use, strengthens soil against
erosion and retains sub surface water for crops (efficient
water use).
3. Intercropping cereals with
forages (Cereals/forage legumes
or planted fodder/forage
legumes) that add nitrogen to
the soil.
• Where land is scarce intercropping option is one way of
spatially integrating fodder into intensive farming
systems. Is an entry point of introducing forages into
existing systems and forms a basis of studying potential
benefits of introducing forages on land management
4. Community fodder nurseries
• For sustainable adoption of the technologies enhancing
access to forage seed through establishment of
community forage nurseries is essential.
5. Introduction of feed
processing
• Increase the feed value of crop residues and eventual
return to the soil as quality manure

13.  Bulking plots for planting materials set up at LITA, Tengeru,
Arusha. (16 different species of improved fodder (grasses and legumes)
 Participatory action research trial designs representing
these forage species and niches have been installed on 9
farms in 3 villages of Babati district.
 Three community fodder nurseries have been set up in
each of the three villages and will double up as a learning
platform for farmers
 Small scale mobile forage choppers purchased for feed
processing trials after harvest
Validation of technologies

14.  At least two forage ‘best fit’ species suitable for target
niches identified in different farming systems
 A package for integrating forages in existing system
formulated and delivered to farmers and extensionists
 A package for processing and utilizing crop residues
described and delivered to farmers and extensionists
 A verified impact of these trials on soil, water and
nutrient cycles on farmers fields
Expected outputs

15. Africa Research in Sustainable Intensification for the Next
Generation
africa-rising.net