Integrated and Sustainable Agricultural Production Systems for Improved Food Security and

Livelihoods in Dry Areas [CRP1.1]

Groundwork ReportSustainable Intensification

Dryland Systems:

R. Serraj, R. Mrabet, S. Sabri, H. Dehghanisanij, and team

Ground work to address ISPC ‘must haves’: (a) Site characterization; Identification of major production systems within each Target Region, Benchmark Area and Action Sites.

(b) Research work plans; Identification of major constraints to and opportunities for increasing production system resilience by reducing vulnerability, and for diversifying and sustainably intensifying these production systems.

Steps: • CRP1.1 Dryland Systems Framework Development Workshop- 30

January – 1 February 2012, Dubai• Task Force workshop SRT2 (System resilience): April 1-4, Amman• Task Force workshop SRT3 (Sustainable intensification): April 9-12,

Rabat• Expert Consultation Systems analysis and Inn0vation systems: May 7-

10, Rabat• RIW, 2-4 July Rabat.

Selection of benchmark areas & action sites

1. Reducing vulnerability (SRT2 type)2. Sustainable intensification (SRT3 type)

Circles/ovals indicate roughly the 5 Target Regions.

NA & WA Target areas and action sitesSite characterization

Biophysical descriptors- Climate (precipitation, temperature, climate change projections)- Topography (landforms, elevation range, prevalent slope ranges)- Soils (soil types, soil problems posing serious management challenges)- Water resources (irrigation water availability, quality issues, e.g. waste water reuse)- Land use/land cover (kinds of agricultural/non-agricultural land, land use trends)- Land degradation (type and current severity of particular types of land degradation,

degradation trends)

Socio-economic descriptors- Demography (population, poverty, nutrition and health, employment)- Agricultural systems (classification, descriptors related to cropping component, descriptors related to animal component, market access and characteristics, access to land, water and other inputs, system problems, system dynamics, land tenure and property rights issues)- Governance, institutions, policies (institutional support, policies, local farmers organizations)- Opportunities for agricultural research (opportunities for research on land tenure policy, soil and water management, de-rocking, agro-biodiversity conservation, water harvesting for range shrub plantations, drought-resistant varieties, others)

Implementation programs

INSTITUTIONALMANAGEMENT

EXOGENOUSENDOGENOUS

Livelihood Capitals

Livelihood strategies

Institutions and policy network

Key variables

Aridity index

Length of growing period

Climate variability

Vegetation heterogeneity

Spatial Scale

Physical – livestock & crops

Financial – income & services

Human – knowledge & skillsSocial

– herd size, communities

Natural – water, land, vegetation

Mixed crop & livestockAgro-pastoralism

Extensive pastoralism

Access to marketsRoad network

Infrastructural developmentVillage – district level governanceFinancial services

Non agricultural employment

Location of the Meknès-Saiss Action Site area of about 1694 km2 in the north of Morocco

Meknes – Saiss Action Site

Major target region for Agricultural intensification and for the Green Morocco Green: Agropole

GDP per habitant (MDH) per region (HCP, 2007)

Meknes-Tafilalet

INDICATORS MEKNESCrop diversification CerealsPulsesForagesOilseed cropsVegetables Fruit treesFallowTOTAL

Area in hectares89,40013,500

5,0005,6007,100

22,00011,400

149,500Livestock BeefSheepGoatOthers

24,40090,900

8,90014,700

TOTAL 138,900

Opportunities for R4D on:- GMP- Pilar II (small holding farmers)- Diversification - land tenure policy, - soil and water management, de-rocking, - Agrobiodiversity conservation, - Water harvesting, - drought-resistant varieties, others

Regional Capacity Research Programs : INRA, ENA, IAV Hassan II, University of Meknes, Schools for technicians, Private sector (Agribusiness, value chains, etc.)

Opportunities for agricultural research

Egypt-Delta Site

Karkheh River Basin Site

Wheat-based system Biophysical/technical• Low Soil fertility• Lack of diversification /

rotation • Low input use: seeds,

fertilizers, pesticides• Post Harvest loss• Low rate of agronomic

packages adoption• Market/added value/

Insurance• Livestock: Insufficient

feed• Pricing policy (subsidies,

pricing, etc.)Institutional constraints :(Enabling Environments

Fruit-tree system • Low Input/technical use• Lack of technical package• Market/add value (value

chain)• By product use/

environmental impacts• Product quality (Olive,

oil/processing/policy…)• Post Harvest loss• Low adoption rate of

agronomic packages• Insurance• Livestock: Feed lack• Pricing policy (subsidies,

pricing etc.)

Vegetable-based systemLow sustainability(water) Post Harvest (storage) Price volatility Market stability Seed availability(Potato

Major production systems (Action Site)

Constraints and opportunities

Same analysis for Egypt and Iran sites..

Lessons learnt, successes and failures

Case 1: Mechanization in Morocco

Case 2: Moroccan agricultural extension system experience

Case 3: Success in fresh water area in Karkheh river basin

Case 4: Challenges and opportunities for improving in fresh water area in KRB

Case 5: Rapid salinization due to lack of drainage due to policy problem (Iran) – Same foe Egypt?

Source: MAPM December 2010

IMPLEMENTATION PLANResearch Questions and Hypotheses

CRP1.1 Objectives for sustainable intensification in North Africa and West Asia:

Smallholder farmers must have a future throughout the WANA region

Agro-ecosystems should be productive and sustainable

If progress is achieved it has to be gender equitable

A way must be found for smallholder farmers to benefit from market access

H1. Some form of farm aggregation (association/ organized farmers groups) will lead to the realization of economies of size, thereby leading to increased access to innovations, improved market efficiencies, competitiveness and value addition;

H2. Rainfed wheat-based system can be sustainably intensified and diversified through crop-tree-livestock integration, agricultural innovations, and institutional arrangements providing pathways out of poverty;

H3. Irrigated production systems can be sustainably intensified through policies and institutions that ensure efficient use of land and water resources;

H4. Use of innovation systems perspective will enhance the adoption and utilization of improved technologies, markets and policies;

H5. Equitable distribution of responsibilities and benefits along the value chain among men, women and youth will enhance development of the target areas;

H6. System analysis of production and market system performance will allow optimal intensification of the production and market systems and the assessment of potential impact of innovations both in socioeconomic and ecological terms.

Hypotheses

Outputs1. Innovation platforms for technology transfer, access to market, credit and insurance are developed and operational for the implementation of farmer’s aggregation, associating small farmers with pilot progressive farmers and/or private investor in Meknès and Delta-Egypt sites

2. Rainfed mixed wheat-based system are profitably and sustainably intensified and diversified through integrated crop-vegetable-tree-livestock TIPOs in the action and satellite sites

3. Irrigated production systems sustainably intensified by optimizing water and land productivity while conserving and valorizing natural resources (land, water, biodiversity) in the Delta-Egypt and Karkheh River basin

4. Harvest and post-harvest practices improved, and added-value options tested for better market access in the three target sites

5. Policy and institutional options related to farmers’ aggregation, market and value chain integration, land fragmentation, water valuation and allocation evaluated in the 3 target sites

6. Effective mechanisms for rural women and youth empowerment developed and tested in the 3 sites, to equitably share benefits and responsibilities of aggregation and intensification

7. Models and knowledge management systems developed and applied for optimized systems design, and scaling up/out improved Integrated TIPOs

8. Trade-offs between systems intensification, diversification and resource use and conservation analyzed and sustainability scenarios developed in the target sites

9. Impact of the R4D monitored and future scenarios developed for the target sites

The logical framework

Field (soil type)

Region

Farm type

Simple indicator

s

Aggregated Indicators (Region,

Vulnerable Zone)

Market

Farm typology

cropping system/AEnZ

FADN, survey, MARS…

Production, ExternalitiesAgro-

management

Agromanagement data

Economic and policy data

Regional model

Farm model

AM data base: by activity and Farm

type

Crop model

PricesSocio-economic context: GDP, price,….

Policy/environnemental measures: WFW, prime….

Technological innovation: no till, new rotations….

Modelling chain to assess farm decision and impacts

From Hatem Belhouchette

Agricultural Innovation System

From Ponniah Anandajayasekeram

Steps in the Functioning of Innovation Plateforms

From Ponniah Anandajayasekeram

Implications of using IP

• Viewing research as the central actor to being only one important component

• Partnerships and networks (institutions) are critical• Needs improved research systems governance and

researchers with additional skills• Investment to create innovation capacity (of all actors)

and build enabling environment• Increased investment in research itself• A set of complementary policies needed• Leadership and building a culture of innovation

From Ponniah Anandajayasekeram

Work to be done in the RIW:

• Fine‐tuning research hypotheses for the overall CRP1.1, and tailoring site‐specific hypotheses;

• Priority setting of main research‐for‐development undertakings for the Action Sites to achieve research outcomes for the impact pathway;

• Development of a logframe for each of the five Target Regions;

• Develop regional impact pathways, identifying partners at all stages and considering how social change (impact) will be achieved;

• Development of detailed workplans, underpinning scientific approaches and methods, involved partners and stakeholders.

• Establishment of Interdisciplinary Research Teams (IRT) and Regional Stakeholder Advisory Committees (RSAC)

http://cgiar-drylands.wikispaces.com/