Climate-Smart Push-Pull: An agricultural innovation for enhancing food security and

environmental sustainability in Africa

ZEYAUR R. KHAN International Centre of Insect Physiology

and Ecology (icipe), Nairobi, Kenya

www.icipe.org www.push-pull.net

HUNGER, POVERTY AND CLIMATE CHANGE IN AFRICA Africa faces increasingly serious problems in its

ability to feed its rapidly growing population, resulting in high hunger and poverty incidences.

Africas productivity is the lowest in the world (around 1t/ha compared with 2.4t/ha in South Asia, 3.2t/ha in Latin America and 4.5t/ha in East Asia and Pacific)

The major production constraints are degraded soil, accompanied by weeds and pests.

These constraints are expected to increase as a result of climate change.

Africa needs ecologically sound agricultural innovations that could continuously improve soil health and sustainably manage weeds and pests.

STEMBORERS AND STRIGA WEED ON CEREAL CROPS

Striga weeds threaten the lives of over 230 million people in SSA and infests >50 million ha. of arable land causing an annual loss of 14 billion dollars.

Cereal stemborers cause 30-80% yield loss causing an annual ecocomic loss of 15 billion dollars.

Napier Grass (Pennisetum purpureum)

Napier grass is a perennial fodder grass of African origin and of economic importance for livestock farmers in Africa.

Many varieties of Napier grass were found to be preferred for stemborer oviposition as compared to maize. However, Napier grass does not allow development of stemborer larvae to their adulthood. Napier grass

Desmodium Desmodium uncinatum

Perennial fodder legume Important cattle feed in eastern Africa

Can fix~ 110-160 Kg N/ha/year Repels stemborers and controls striga weed

The Push-Pull Strategy- an agricultural innovation The Push-Pull strategy is an innovation in pest

management which uses a repellent intercrop and an attractive trap plant. Insect pests are repelled from the food crop and are simultaneously attracted to the trap crop. The repellent crop also attracts natural enemies.

Attract naturalenemies

Moths are pushed away

Attract moths

Trap Crop

Main Crop

Cook, Khan and Pickett (2007) Annu. Rev. Entomol. 52 : 375-400 (www.push-pull.net)

Push-Pull Strategy: An agricultural innovation

Integrating push-pull with livestock production Integration of Push-Pull with livestock

NITROGEN FIXATION WITH VARIOUS INTERCROPS AFTER THREE YEARS

0

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2

0.25

Maize Monocrop Maize +Desmodium

Maize + Soybean Maize + Sunhemp Maize + Cowpea

Intercrops

Tota

l N (g

) / 2

50 g

Soi

l

a

b b b b

Khan et al. 2006. Biological Approaches to Sustainable Soil Systems, CRC Press

b

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

Collembola Acari Microarthropods

So

il fa

un

a p

er

plo

t

Maize monocrop

Maize-Desmodium

Beneficial Soil Fauna in Maize Mono Vs Maize-Desmodium

On-Farm Validation and Economics of Push-PullTechnology

Khan et al. 2008. Field Crops Research 106: 224-233

5

10

15

20

25

0

100

200

300

400

500

0

1

2

3

4

2003 2004 2005 2006

30

No. of emerged striga/63 maize plants

% stemborer damaged plants

Maize Yields (t/ha)

*

****

****

* * *

Maize monocrop fieldsPush-pull fields

-1

0

1

2

3

4

Trans Nzoia Suba Bungoma Busia

-200

0

200

400

600

800

1000

Ret

urn

to la

bou

r (U

SD

/man

day)

Return to Labour

Gro

ss b

enef

its

(US

D/h

a)

Gross benefits

Push-pull system Maize/bean intercrop Maize mono

Districts*Data averages of five years in each district

Khan et al. 2008. Crop Protection 27: 976-987

Benefits of Push-Pull Technology

Sustainable Development Gender & Social Equity

Stemborers and striga

control

Increased fodder

production

N-fixation and reduced soil erosion

Increased forage seed production

Conservation of biodiversity

Increased crop yields

Improved cattle health

Improved soil health

Increased household

income

Technological Empowerment of farmers

Improved human health

Empowerment of women

Improved dairy

production

Improved FYM

Production

Before

After

Push-pull effectively controls Striga and stemborers and improves soil fertility. > 96,000 farmers have adopted the technology in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Somaliland and Nigeria.

60% of adopters are women farmers because of its ease of use.

Push-Pull and Climate Change

With funding from EU, the push-pull technology has now been adapted to increasingly dry and hot conditions associated with climate change in Africa to ensure its long term sustainability. The climate-smart push-pull technology has provided a relevant and effective agricultural innovation for cereal-livestock smallholders living in those areas.

SELECTION OF NEW DROUGHT TOLERANT COMPANION PLANTS

Brachiaria cv mulato Brachiaria CV Mulato

Screening for drought tolerant grasses and desmodium for use in Climate-Smart push-pull for drier areas of Africa

Screening for drought and temperature resistance Desmodium intortum

Increased yield of maize and sorghum in climate-smart push-pull technology

Sorghum millet

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

Adapted Push-Pull

Control Adapted Push-Pull

Control

Maize plot Sorghum plot

Yiel

d, K

g/ha

On-farm results of maize and sorghum yields from push-pull plots planted with the drought tolerant companion plants: Brachiaria c.v.Mulato II as the trap plant and Greenleaf desmodium as the intercrop plant.

ADOPTION OF PUSH-PULL IN EASTERN AFRICA

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

80,000

90,000

100,000

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

ADOPT Conventional Push-pull

Total: 96,000 Climate-Smart Push-Pull: 32,650

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Increase in cereal

production

Decrease in striga

infestation

Increase in soil fertility

Increase in fodder

production

Decrease in stemborer infestation

Cereal and fodder

production

Increased milk

production

95% 90% 90% 91%

87%

67% 65%

97% 97% 96% 94%

85% 82%

62%

Benefits of push-pull technology to farmers in eastern Africa (N=461)

Male

Female

PUSH-PULL AND GREEN REVOLUTION IN AFRICA

The African green revolution will come from adoption of simple, environmentally sustainable and low cost platform innovations like push-pull. Push-Pull is addressing food security and livelihood of smallholders without requiring extra resources for crop protection and soil improvement without causing any ecological and social harm.

By 2020 we aim to eliminate hunger and poverty for 10 million people by extending the Push-Pull technology to 1 million households

THANK YOU

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