Promoting production and marketing of root crops in Southern Africa in a changing climate using integrated Agricultural Research for Development (IAR4d) pathway

Climate change is expected to have adverse impacts on smallholder farmers whose livelihoods depend on rain-fed agriculture. In fact, climate change is expected to continue to pose a serious threat to agriculture in southern Africa as annual rainfall amounts are expected to decline and temperatures are expected to increase. Studies show that the impacts will depend on the extent of smallholder farmers’ adaptation in response to climate change and variability. However, despite numerous extension efforts and repeated past maize crop failures, smallholder farmers in southern Africa continue to show preference to maize over other drought resistant crops. The low rate of adoption of drought resistant crops in response to the changing climate has been blamed on the linear non-participatory manner in which agricultural research and development efforts are organised. The present study seeks to establish whether reorganising research and development in an integrated manner known as Integrated Agricultural Research for Development – (IAR4D) would contribute towards the adoption of drought resistant crops and also improve household incomes. The study used cross-sectional household survey data collected from Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi to determine the local average treatment effect of adopting drought resistant crops (in this case root and tuber crops) on household income. A multistage sampling technique was used to sample 600 households from the three countries. The data was collected as part of an end-line survey in the proof of IAR4D concept from conventional, treatment and control sites in each of the three countries. Results from the analysis show that smallholders in IAR4D villages which produced and sold root and tuber crops had higher household incomes than farmers who did not produce and sell these crops. The results also show that smallholder farmers who participated in IAR4D activities adopted roots and tuber crops to militate against the effects of climate change and variability. The study concluded that IAR4D could effectively deal with institutional and technical issues that constrain smallholders from adapting to climate change and variability. Furthermore, climate change adaptation strategies could be easily promoted using an integrated agricultural research for development approach.Key words: Climate, adaptation, marketing, agriculture, innovations Roots and tubers, Southern Africa, IAR4

2012 Approaches for setting-up multi-stakeholder platforms for agricultural research and development

Abstract: In order to facilitate improved returns to research and development in African agriculture, the innovation systems approach which engenders the involvement of multiple stakeholders in its innovation pathway, has been proposed. Despite the potential of this approach, the understanding of its implementation and particularly of the process of setting up its multi-stakeholder platform is still largely lacking. Yet, this platform is critical to the success and sustainability of the operations of the platform. This article introduces the concept of Integrated Agricultural Research for Development (IAR4D) and the constituent Innovation Platform (IP) as a workable multistakeholders approach for sustainable agricultural research and development. The IAR4D approach entails a multi-sectoral orientation to agricultural problem diagnosis and draws on integrated approaches using 'hard' and 'soft' sciences to provide solutions, while maximizing available resources. IAR4D is premised on the innovation systems approach and requires systemic interaction among all stakeholders around specific commodities or production systems. The procedure for the establishment of an IP requires a value chain analysis of the commodity of interest, followed by a systematic engagement of the identified stakeholders to the platform. The stakeholders in a balanced IP will cut across the private and the public sectors with distinct engagement of the non-traditional stakeholders as input dealers, financial institutions, policy makers, etc. The activity of a typical IP could be kick-started by joint development of a business plan and its proactive implementation in a partnership mood. A functional IP will normally experience series of iterative learning at the interphase of which innovation is generated. The set-up of multistakeholders platform in IAR4D mode has potentials to function effectively as a model for regional and national ARD planning