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Understanding the drivers and determinants of agency in agri-food systems in Zimbabwe
No full text21 page
Willingness to pay for agricultural mechanization services by smallholder farmers in Malawi
No full textOne of the main barriers to adopting smallholder agricultural mechanization in developing countries is the mismatch between the economies of scale of machines and farm size. Private sector-led mechanization services hold a promise to address this challenge, but there is a lack of evidence on demand for smallholder mechanization services. This study estimates the farmers' willingness to pay for mechanization services using the double-bounded contingent valuation method and data from 1512 households. Results show that, on average, farmers are willing to pay 11%, 33%, and 5% more than prevailing market rates for land preparation, maize shelling, and transportation services, respectively. The amounts farmers are willing to pay for the mechanization services vary by sex, age group, size of cultivated land, the value of farmer assets, market access, and agroecology. Men are willing to pay 26%, 25%, and 11% more than women for land preparation, maize shelling, and transportation services. Moreover, 40% of female and 90% of male farmers are willing to pay more than or equal to the prevailing market rate for land preparation services. The high demand for mechanization services among smallholder farmers points to the need for making the machinery available to rural communities through mechanization service providers or machinery hiring centers run by the private sector. The paper concludes by discussing the contextual factors and policy options for promoting smallholder mechanization in Malawi. [EconLit Citations: O33, Q11, Q13, Q16].248-27
Enhancing nutritional yields through efficient crop diversification: Comparison to the common of rice-rice system in Bangladesh. Comparing diversified cropping patterns in Dinajpur, Bangladesh
No full textFocusing on economic access to nutritious foods, updated and improved estimates show that more than one-third of people in the world – about 2.8 billion – could not afford a healthy diet in 2022. low-income countries having the largest percentage of the population that is unable to afford a healthy diet (71.5 percent). (FAO, 2024) This research note focuses to accelerate the transformation of our agrifood systems through introducing different diversified cropping options especially for the northern part of Bangladesh to strengthen their resilience to the major drivers and address inequalities to ensure that healthy diets are affordable and available to all. The research trial was established at the Bangladesh Wheat and Maize Research Institute (BWMRI) in Dinajpur, Bangladesh in August 2022.13 page
Integrated spatial modeling of fertilizer investment returns to guide strategic investments: Application of a spatial ex ante analytical framework to smallholder maize production in Nigeria
No full textSustainably increasing the low rates of inorganic fertilizer use by smallholder farmers is a primary policy objective in Sub-Saharan Africa. Recognized constraints to fertilizer usage by resource-constrained and risk-averse farmers include (i) overly generalized recommendations, (ii) recommended application rates which are not profitable, and (iii) riskiness of productive investments in rainfed farming systems. To better identify and address these constraints, we describe a spatially-explicit modeling framework which uses empirical yield response data distributed across time and space to estimate the agronomic and economic returns to fertilizer investments. A novel feature of our framework is the formal incorporation of stochastic production outcomes, which allows us to model the riskiness of returns. We illustrate the application of this framework with data on maize farming in Nigeria. We also show how model results can be used to frame intervention areas for policy and investment programming designed to improve agricultural productivity through increased fertilizer usage.18 page
Youth And Women Quality Centres innovative demand led and supply responsive model for last mile quality seed access in Southern Tanzania
No full text9 page
Factors influencing Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation efficiency in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)
No full textAssessment of the efficiency of Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediated transformation in four bread wheat varieties was focused and upon optimization of experiments done to obtain tangible results. The four varieties, Fielder, Navojoa, Baj and Kachu/saul, were transformed with optimized protocols and randomly selected from a selection medium amalgamated with phosphinothricin (Glufosinate). Initially, the variety Fielder has proceeded with 36 different concentrations of synthetic auxins 2,4-D and picloram as 36 treatments. The treatment 30 (48 µg of 2,4-D and 64 µg of picloram) has shown higher efficiency and is comparable in terms of the three traits studied. Additionally, antioxidants and growth regulators were adjusted to obtain better results towards reasonable transformation frequency. Additional varieties were also tested and selected against the selectable marker PPT based on the optimization for the variety Fielder. Selected genotypes were subjected for gusA or Bar gene PCR amplification. The result revealed the frequency of transgenesis in the range of 60 to 70% with the varieties studied. However, the whole experiment needs further repetitions for confirmatory results. Transgenic genotypes of the Fielder variety showed moderate to strong GUS expression in leaves, anthers, seeds, seed coats, and roots compared to non-transgenic control plant tissues. PPT leaf painting assay showed the lack of necrosis on the painted area of leaves in transgenic genotypes compared to the non-transgenic ones.63-7
Generating nitrogen recommendations for maize: Economic considerations
No full textThe use of excessive amounts of nitrogen fertilizers in crops usually results in nitrogen (N) losses, increasing environmental pollution and contributing to climate change, while also elevating crop production costs. This study aimed to determine in maize (Zea mays L.): (1) the economic optimal nitrogen rate (EONR), economic optimal yield (EOY), and N use efficiency (NUE) utilizing the current N/maize (grain) price ratio (N/MPR) for attainable yield levels; and (2) the effect of an increase in the N/MPR on the EONR, EOY, net income (NI), NUE, and the loss of N. Data from 140 maize response experiments to increasing rates of N, conducted between 2010 and 2019 across 18 states in Mexico under rainfed and irrigated conditions, were analyzed. In these experiments, the average maximum yields were 4.971 ± 2.716 Mg ha-1 under rainfed conditions and 11.776 ± 2.366 Mg ha-1 under irrigated conditions. The EONR, EOY, and NUE were determined with the current N/MPR for attainable yield levels. At these levels, both the EONR and NUE increased with higher EOY and decreased with increased yield without N treatment. An increase in N/MPR reduced EONR and its associated costs without significantly affecting EOY and NI. The reduction in EONR resulted in higher NUE and, consequently, lower N losses. By utilizing N/MRP in economic optimization, recommended N rates for maize can be reduced, leading to decreased N losses and environmental pollution.229-24
Understanding the interactions of genotype with environment and management (G×E×M) to maize productivity in Conservation Agriculture systems of Malawi
No full textClimatic variability and soil fertility decline present a fundamental challenge for smallholder farmers to determine the optimum management practices in the production of maize. Optimizing genotype (G) and management (M) of maize under different environmental conditions (E) and their interactions are essential for enhancing maize productivity in the smallholder sector of Malawi where maize is the main staple food. Here, we evaluated over seven seasons, the performance of four commercial maize genotypes [including hybrids and one open pollinated variety (OPV)] managed under different Conservation Agriculture (CA) and conventional practices (CP) across on-farm communities of central and southern Malawi. Our results revealed significant G×E and E×M interactions and showed that hybrids such as DKC 80–53 and PAN 53 outyielded the other hybrid and the OPV in most of the environments while the OPV ZM523 had greater yields in environments with above-average rainfall and shorter in-season dry spells. These environments received a maximum of 1250 mm to 1500 mm of rainfall and yet the long-term averages were 855 mm and 1248 mm, respectively. Despite yielding lower, the OPV ZM523 also exhibited higher yield stability across environments compared to the hybrid MH 30, possibly due to its resilience to drought, heat stress, and low soil fertility conditions which are often prevalent in the target communities. Conservation Agriculture-based practices outyielded CP across the genotypes and environments. However, amongst the CA-based systems, intercropping of maize with pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp] and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata Walp.) performed less than monocropping maize and then rotating it with a legume probably due to competition for moisture between the main and the companion crops in the intercrop. The key findings of this study suggest the need to optimize varietal and management options for particular environments to maximize maize productivity in Malawi. This means that smallholder farmers in Malawi should adopt hybrids and CA-based systems for enhanced yields but could also consider OPVs where the climate is highly variable. Further rigorous analysis that includes more abiotic stress factors is recommended for a better understanding of yield response
CIMMYT and Australia: history of impact, future of promise
No full textAustralia and CIMMYT’s nearly five-decade research partnership and the generous funding of Australian institutions have contributed enormously to global efforts to ensure food security, reduce hunger, and advance sustainable agriculture, as well as greatly profiting Australian wheat farmers.4 page
Exploring actor roles, behaviors, and agency through participatory timelines in Zimbabwe
No full textThis report highlights learnings from participatory timelines for agroecological transition conducted in Murehwa and Mbire Districts of Zimbabwe in 2022, and key informant interviews conducted from 2023-2024. Mbire’s timeline starting point was defined to be the tsetse fly aerial spray programs in the late 1980s, followed by rural resettlement and cotton promotion programs that contributed to a major expansion of agricultural and agropastoral activities. The region then saw a series of forest and wildlife conservation initiatives that promoted non-agricultural livelihoods alongside government programs supporting agricultural intensification. In the 2000s, government and NGO projects in the region focused on integrating conservation and agricultural production goals. In Murehwa, the starting point of the timeline was defined by Zimbabwe’s Fast Track Land Reform Program of the early 2000s, which redistributed land largely from white commercial farmers to black smallholders and medium-scale farmers, many of whom had previously farmed communal lands. This process pushed former farmworkers to begin clearing and farming previously conserved land. While it expanded new landowners’ agency, many lacked adequate resources and knowledge to productive farm their new land. In the following decades, government and NGO projects emphasized low-cost, resource-efficient practices such as conservation farming. The timelines highlighted the varied experiences of actor groups, including different types of farmers (smallholders, commercial farmers, landless workers, women). The land reform process affected these groups of farmers differently. Men were often more capable of benefitting from agricultural programs and projects than women due to their ownership of land and access to finance. However, women and youth have seen increased agency through empowerment programs. The timelines demonstrated incremental improvements in farmers’ knowledge about and uptake of sustainable practices and their agency to change their on-farm production systems. However, their involvement in governance and decision-making was modest throughout the timeline and remains low. Government actors, especially environmental agencies, local government bodies, and extension services, saw significant gains in agency and involvement in decision-making over the timeline, while traditional leaders lost power. International NGOs also gained de facto power over the agricultural development agenda as they provided crucial resources. Private sector actors played a relatively minor role in the timelines thus far, and barriers to their more active support of agroecological transition included unsupportive policies and a lack of consumer demand. These findings added breadth and depth to insights generated through previous WP5 activities and highlighted potential areas for change in AE-I implementation. These include supporting more transformational change through collective action, which could boost farmers’ involvement in broader decision-making and governance processes; monitoring farmers’ voice and agency, especially women and youths’, as important outcome indicators; and pursuing and formalizing partnerships with powerful government actors, influential civil sector actors, and private sector actors whose engagement has been modest but who have substantial potential for impact on behavioral outcomes.19 page