N2 africa 2010 general presentation (gap)(2)

Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa

Putting Nitrogen Fixation to

Work for Smallholder Farmers

in Africa

N2Africa


• The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded

the four year grant to Wageningen University,

September 2009

• CIAT-TSBF and IITA are subcontractors leading

the implementation of the project partnering with

NARS, NGOs, CBOs, in the 8 countries: Nigeria,

Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, DR Congo, Zimbabwe,

Malawi and Mozambique

• Main crops: soybean, groundnut, cowpea and

common bean – and legume forages


N2Africa Action Sites


N2Africa: Research & development

Development: making best varieties,

inoculants, agronomic practices available

to farmers, market linkages

Research: on agronomy, rhizobiology and

unique opportunity for comparative

research between 8 countries


Why legumes?

Legumes have great potential to address soil

fertility problems in Sub-Saharan Africa, linking

protein & nitrogen needs of African farmers

Presents a mechanism of renewable soil fertility

management through N2-fixation and crop

rotations

Provides farmers with improved nutrition options

and income-generating crop production

enterprises


Vision of success

To raise legumes yields by 954 kg/ha, to

increase average BNF by 46 kg/ha, and

to increase average incomes by $465,

benefiting 225,000 households

(1,800,000 individuals) from Nigeria,

Ghana, DRC, Kenya, Rwanda, Malawi,

Mozambique, Zimbabwe.


• Increase the area of land cropped with legumes

• Increase legume productivity - agronomy and P

fertilizer

• Select better legume varieties

• Select better rhizobium strains and inoculate

• Link to markets and create new enterprises to

increase demand for legumes

Increase of overall legume production:


Objectives

1. Establish a baseline of the current status of N2-

fixation, identify farm enterprises and niches

for targeting N2-fixing legumes in the impact

zones, and establish mechanisms for

monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and impact

assessment

2. Identify and field-test multi-purpose

legumes that provide income, food, animal

feed, and high quality crop residues with

enhanced N2-fixation and integrate improved

varieties into farming systems


Objectives

3. Collect and characterize superior rhizobia

strains for enhanced N2-fixation and develop

inoculum production capacity in sub-

Saharan Africa through collaboration with

private sector partners

4. Deliver legumes, inoculant technologies and

associated N2-fixation technologies to farmers

throughout sub-Saharan Africa

5. Develop and strengthen capacity for N2-

fixation research, technology development, and

application


Utilization of inputs (West Kenya)

With P Without P


control +Pfert +ino +Pfert+ino

Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africamaize following maize maize following climbing beans


Central-East Africa (DRC, Rwanda, W-Kenya):- Farmers planted for 2nd time

West Africa (Ghana, Nigeria):- Farmers planted in June/July – harvesting

Southern Africa (Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe):- 1st growing season is about to begin, lead farmers have been

trained, inputs are being distributed

Progress


Monitoring & Evaluation

• Characterization of impact zones


N2Africa Impact Zones



• Characterization of impact zones

• Baseline survey (400 HH in 8 countries, gender

disaggregated data, some qst on decision making,

control of harvests, etc)

• In-depth income & nutrition – still to be done

• Detailed farm characterizations



Participatory farmer evaluations of trials &

demo‟s


• Participatory farmer evaluations of trials &

demo‟s

• M&E indicators & development of instruments

• Developing tools for evaluating dissemination

approach (adoption)



Gender – where does it come in?

• Legumes considered to be “women‟s crops” in

many places in Africa

• Legumes often have direct impact on household

nutrition

• Opportunities to engage women in processing &

marketing

• Crucial importance of „gender‟ is recognized by

participating organisations & donor, but….


But….

• Insufficient expertise at level of project staff

• Diversity across countries need for very

context-specific strategies

• Profit making processing cq marketing offers

opportunities but also at risk to be taken over by

men – no strategies in place (yet) to address this

challenge

• Late action on gender – part of the project

proposal & activities, but no „action-priority‟ on

gender


Assets

• Framework is useful - stimulated us to look at

N2Africa from a different perspective


www.n2africa.org

N2 africa 2010 general presentation (gap)(2)

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