Co-learning and innovating with communities for food security and environment sustainability: SOFECSA interventions in S

1. Co-learning and innovating with communities for food security and environment sustainability:SOFECSA interventions in Southern Africa Paul Mapfumo SOFECSA Regional Coordinator

2. Outline of presentation Sub-Saharan Africa: • The Food and nutrition Crisis • The Land degradation crisis • The ‘Nutrient crisis’ • Taking to the farmers’ fields • Indifallows • The learning centres • Innovation platforms

3. Who is SOFECSA? Soil Fertility Consortium for Southern Africa (SOFECSA) Multi-institutional, interdisciplinary consortium Founded on 18 May 2005 to: Develop and promote technical and institutional innovations that enhance contributions of integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) research and development to sustainable food security and livelihood options in Southern Africa …..With a deliberate focus on improving the capacity of individual scientists and national agricultural research and extension (NAREs) institutions to conduct quality research at different levels… Hosted by CIMMYT southern Africa, Harare

4. Major challenges for Southern Africa • Poor & declining soil fertility: smallholder production systems in Southern Africa are at rock bottom • Lack of resilience in the farming systems – limited market opportunities and livelihood options • Compounding effects of climate change and variability • Lack capacity to deliver agricultural research and development – ‘A broken pipe’ scenario • Existence of ‘A maize poverty trap’

5. Two major SOFECSA projects • Lack of resilience in African smallholder farming: Exploring measures to enhance the adaptive capacity of local communities to pressures of climate change (IDRC-CCAA) [Led by the University of Zimbabwe] • Integrating sustainable soil fertility management innovations in staple cereal systems and other value chains to enhance livelihoods and environmental systems in Southern Africa (FARA SSA-CP)

6. SOFECSA’s overarching objectives • Develop and promote technical and institutional innovations that enhance contributions ISFM R&D to sustainable food security and livelihood options in Southern Africa • Determine the effects of integrated agricultural research for development (IAR4D) approach in driving ISFM benefits and enhancing the productivity and competitiveness of maize-based smallholder farming systems • Explore measures to enhance the resilience and adaptive capacity of in African smallholder farming local communities to pressures of climate change and variability • Strengthen the capacity of NAREs to conduct quality research at different level using integrated approaches

7. LAND & CONFLICT Rural Poverty Poor & declining soil fertility • poor technology adoption • Loss of interest to participate • No capacity to invest even in low-input technologies • Poor market access • Unfavourable policies • Nutrient leaky systems • Low nutrient capital in soils • Poor access & availability of nutrient resources • Low & inefficient fertilizer use Poor soil fertility: a social, economic and biophysical problem The vicious cycle • Poverty traps’ beyond the reach of markets Climate change…extra load!!!

8. In search of ‘best-fits’ - no silver bullets! Biophysical Environment High potentialLow Maximization Constrained Maximization Poor Favourable Socio-economic Environment Strategic targeting

9. The food & nutrition crisis… • Failure to attain food-self sufficiency at household, community and national levels • ‘Tailored’ culture of dependence on aid and relief food sources • Legume are a major source of protein • used in small quantities • Supplied in aid/relief packages • local germplam neglected • Diminishing diversity of food sources • Undermining livestock products & social safety nets • One ‘meal’ a day as an indicator - type of meal

10. Characterising vulnerability & food insecurity with communities in Mozambique

11. The land degradation crisis Mutually self-reinforcing mechanisms land degradation …resulting in increasing poverty …and in turn, resulting in increasing land degradation

12. Soil Fertility as a limiting factor : example from Zimbabwe

13. The Nutrient Crisis…

14. 1. Mineral fertilizers….a must • Soils particularly deficient in in N and P • Low levels of use e.g. in Mozambique • High prices e.g. in Zimbabwe $0.55/kg N versus $0.27/kg maize • Low fertilizer use efficiency • Legumes perceived as soil improving crops that do not require fertilization

15. Taking to the farmers’ fields…

16. Indifallows: Restoring productivity on degraded soils

17. High quality biomass produced & non-legume biomass increased in the second season

18. Development and testing of ‘Sharaude’ (Best-fit) and ‘Learning centre’ concepts Best-fits concept - Calls tailoring technologies into locally relevant solutions to complex livelihood problems, taking into account farmer production goals and returns to investment ‘Learning centre’ is a field-based interactive platform integrating local, conventional and emerging knowledge on superior agricultural innovations requiring promotion or farm-level adaptive testing to address complex problems

19. Why Learning Centres? Enable us to “Write on the SOIL” Promotion of knowledge intensive technologies (e.g. ISFM) through traditional approaches has had limitations Need for participation of multiple partners in the design and testing of technologies from the outset Generating context-specific innovations, informed by experiences of stakeholders and target groups Ownership on initiatives by locals, and mobilization of policy makers at different levels

20. Mobilizing smallholder farmers for collective action to increase productivity and access to markets Employing integrated agricultural research for development (IAR4D) approaches Enhancing capacity of farmers to adapt to climate change & variability Increasing resilience Integrated Soil Fertility Management- ISFM- as an entry point Legume-cereal rotations Cereal/legume intercrops Increased mineral fertilizer use Matching farmer resource endowments Combining organic & mineral fertilizers Appropriate crop types & varieties Building Innovation Platforms • Communities • Local leaders • Service providers • Policy makers Crop diversification SOFECSA in Zimbabwe Reaching the vulnerable Innovating with communities Introducing TheLearning Centre approach Fertilizers – ‘a must’ Increasing productivity Communicating through drama & song Stimulating development Household food security Increasing availability of farm resources input& & output market opportunities Off-farm livelihood opportunities Building Capacity Escaping the ‘maize poverty trap’

21. Maize +manure + PKS Fertilized maize soyabean Sunnhempgreen manure Woodland litter + mineral fertilizer Employing ISFM Cattle manure

22. Observing good agronomic practices in the wake of climate change & variability e.g. appropriate planting time in response to rainfall

23. Putting ISFM to work according to farmer circumstances Resource endowed (3 >6 t ha-1) Resource constrained (<1  >2 t ha-1) Intermediate (1.5 >3 t ha-1)

24. Recognise the processes underpinning the farm production cycle • ‘External’ (free) Inputs from: • Government • NGOs • Research • Remittances Natural Resource Base Production Processing 1 2 • ‘Internal’ Inputs from: • Farmers own seed reserves • Direct markets purchases • Credit schemes by Govt./NGOs/Agro-Financing institutions • Contract farming schemes Packaging Consumption Storage Marketing Institutions & Policies 3 4

25. Emerging Main Focal Areas • Options for increasing productivity levels and response to market demands • Enhancing contractual arrangements and management of marketing platforms • Mobilizing communities and service providers for collective action • Sustainability of initiatives

26. Productivity: What commodities are prioritized?…Zimbabwean example • Cereal • Maize • Legumes • Soyabean • Sugarbean • Cowpea •  Horticultural • Tomatoes Example based on Olivine Industries & GMB demands: • Maize – targeted 5000 ha 2011 • Soyabean (100 t day-1) • Tomatoes (5 000 t yr-1) • Sugar-beans (300 t yr-1) • Michigan pea [Navy bean] (600 t yr-1) • Groundnut(needed > 1000 t yr-1) • Sunflower (erratic supplies)

27. Concluding remarks:Some key entry points • Increasing productivity (intercrops, rotations, sole crops) • Addressing soil constraints & input factors • Improving access to production technologies • Strengthening capacity of farmers to participate in markets • Co-learning with communities and service providers • Amplifying the role of women in legume technologies delivery • Integration of indigenous knowledge • Use of Participatory Action Research (PAR) approaches • Using innovation platforms to address institutional/policy challenges

28. What do we need? Policies that consistently reflect agriculture’s role as the backbone of national economies in terms of input and output pricing & supporting infrastructure Re-design our research and development approaches to reflect the ‘local context’ Come up with a production-marketing framework that balances food security concerns and farmers’ livelihood demands Strengthen scientific research & extension - embracing participatory action

29. THANK YOU!!!