Goat restocking and pass on as a critical entry point to help vulnerable farmers

In risk prone farming areas like Marara District, goats are a profitable and resilient source of income. A goat restocking and pass-on approach – providing goats to extremely poor farmers who would then pass on the goats’ first offspring to other farmers – was developed, thus enabling the farmers to participate in local development pathways via goat farming. Benefits were identified at different levels of participation. Selling goats enables smallholder farmers with the means to pay for food, education, human health and farm labor, enabling them to transition to a better livelihood. For communities, an activity such as restocking strengthens their capacity to respond to threats (drought, theft) by building a common knowledge base and developing assets. Stakeholder networks bring goat market partners closer for cost-effective collection and sale/purchase of goats

New Methods to Assess Climate Change Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation of Agricultural Production Systems: The experience of AgMIP’s Regional Integrated Assessments in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia

The climate change research community has recognized that new pathway and scenario concepts are needed to implement impact and vulnerability assessment that is logically consistent across global, regional and local scales. The most common challenge is that global models do not provide context-specific answers, while scientists and decision makers require data and information about climate change, vulnerability, adaptation, mitigation and impacts at the local scale. The Agricultural Model Inter-comparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP) provides the link between global climate change projections and sector-specific and regional pathways and scenarios (Antle et al., 2015; Rosenzweig et al., 2013). AgMIP, through a trans-disciplinary process involving both scientists and stakeholders, is developing Representative Agricultural Pathways (RAPs) for agricultural systems at both global and regional scales. In addition to climate modeling, RAPs include bio-physical and socio-economic drivers, associated capabilities, challenges and opportunities. RAPs can then be translated as components of the AgMIP Regional Integrated Assessments (RIA) of climate vulnerability and impacts

Improving food security, nutrition and incomes: the contribution of small stock

Despite years of work, the development indicators relating to sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) often disappoint. For example, the highest incidence of undernourishment in the world occurs in SSA where one out of every three people suffers from chronic hunger (WDR, 2007). Per capita food consumption in SSA is on the decline (Shapouri et al., 1999). Sub-Saharan Africa is the only region in the world where the number of rural poor is on the rise (WDR, 2007). The majority (86%) of SSA’s combined population of 200 million relies on the agriculture sector. Therefore, it is no surprise that we look to this sector to provide solutions to the issues of chronic poverty, food insecurity, and malnutrition. Improvements here have the possibility of impacting millions. This brief looks at the contribution that livestock, small stock in particular, can make towards achieving food and nutritional security and improving social wellbeing in southern Africa

Assisting smallholder farmers in mixed crop-livestock systems to understand the potential effects of technologies and climate change through participatory modeling

Smallholder farming systems in the semi-arid areas of Zimbabwe are characterized by low production. This low production is not solely due to lack of technologies but also due to a lack of integrating a diversity of viewpoints belonging to local, expert and specialized stakeholders during technology development. Participatory approaches combined with computer-based modeling are increasingly being recognized as valuable approaches to jointly develop sustainable agricultural pathways. The paper discusses the application of this integrated and iterative process in developing and evaluating the impact of interventions aimed at improving food and feed production. The paper concludes that the process allows farmers to determine the impact of their decisions, evaluate new options and define realistic production and management options tailored to their particular circumstances. While in-turn scientists and other stakeholders learn more about the farmers’ decision-making process, input and managerial potentials as well as knowledge gaps

National and Regional Livestock Markets: Opportunities for Growth in SADC

The last forty years has seen a continuous rise in the demand for meat, milk, and other livestock products worldwide. Fueled by trends such as increased urbanization, growing populations, and income growth in the urban areas, it is clear that this demand will only continue to grow (Delgado et al., 1999). Although decision makers in agriculture have traditionally focused on crop production, the growing demand for livestock products makes a good case for improving the livestock sector. Gains made here will ultimately benefit the many small-scale farmers who collectively own more than 80% of the livestock in southern Africa (SADC RISDP, 2006)

Using flock simulations for modern goat market systems in Central Mozambique

In marginal and high-risk farming areas like Marara District in Central Mozambique, goats are a quick investment pathway for smallholder farmers and can enhance the benefits from agriculture. The current goat value chain involving sales at the feira (informal goat sales venues), with unscrupulous intermediaries, does not enhance the development of smallholder farmers. Those with small flocks cannot participate in goat markets while those with large flocks are not motivated to use their flocks more productively. As a result, the entire community operates below potential. Goat farmers and buyers are far apart, both geographically and in terms of understanding and co-operation. Enhancing communities’ capacity to organize and manage decentralized goat markets can benefit smallholder farmers immensely. Volumes and quality of goat sales can be increased by addressing the needs and interests of owners of larger and smaller flocks alike within the same community. A community-based goat market system builds social responsibility and helps communities to manage risk. The private sector has also expressed an interest to invest for enhancing communities’ technical capacity..

Nudging sustainability transitions in Central Mozambique

An Agricultural Innovation Platform (AIP) facilitates and accelerates transition of farmers from subsistence farming to socially inclusive, environmentally sound and market-oriented farming. AIPs adapt interventions around interlinked levers in the food value chains, with entry points based on a good understanding of farming systems and input/output market requirements. Learning activities around these entry points strengthen stakeholder networks. Capacitating farmers through stakeholder networks, using mutual learning and additional technical training sessions, improves their self-organization and helps them become entrepreneurs, with the private sector as business mentors and government and extension as facilitators and support. Prospects for change in complex farming systems often appear few and uncertain, leaving farmers feeling helpless in the face of challenges. AIPs demonstrate that small interventions around significant leverage points will have far-reaching benefits. With time, stakeholders facilitate multiple changes through AIPs, magnifying the impact and paving the way for initiatives beyond a project’s lifespan. The ‘AIP experience’ changes their self-perception, resilience, motivation and empowerment forever

Biomass in crop-livestock systems in the context of the livestock revolution

Mixed crop-livestock systems are the dominant source of livelihood supporting more than 80% of people living in the developing world and producing 50% of world cereals, around 34% of the global beef production and about 30% of global milk production. However, mixed systems are coming under increasing pressure with their human population predicted to increase from 1,099 million in 2000 to 1,670 million people in 2030 and their cattle population to increase from 230 million to 317 million from 2000 to 2030. Coupled with this increase in human and livestock populations, cereal yields have been stagnating in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) for the last 40 years (in contrast to growth rates of 1.5-2% per year for the rest of the developing world), with most increase in overall cereal production arising from expansion of arable land. Such trends cannot be maintained as land suitable for cropping is scarce, and additional cropland might also be more marginal and subject to greater climatic risks. There is increasing pressure on biomass in mixed systems and there are strong needs to find ways out of this ‘‘biomass trap’’ through increasing overall biomass yield and fodder quality and through increasing the efficiency of livestock production. Biomass from crop residues (CR) is used as a feed resource and as mulch to improve crop yields. Biomass is becoming scarcer and competition for CR is becoming more severe. This is reflected in changes of CR use from grazing to harvesting and storage, longer distances across which CR are transported and transacted and decreasing CR to grain ratios. The predicted increase in demand for livestock products, the so-called livestock revolution, will further fuel feed demand and increase the usage of CR for livestock feeding. Use of CR for mulch and conservation agriculture demands about 2 to 3 tons of CR per hectare which is often equal to their total yield under rain-fed conditions in the semi-arid tropics. Multidimensional crop improvement can mitigate competition for biomass by increasing CR quantity and by improving fodder quality. Increased CR yield will facilitate partitioning of CR between livestock and soil improvement and improved CR fodder quality will support intensification of livestock production where more animal sourced foods (ASF) can be produced with less feed. It is important to realize that feed biomass requirement is very context specific and decreases with increasing per unit animal productivit

Baseline and Situation Analysis Report: Integrating Crop and Livestock Production for Improved Food Security and Livelihoods in Rural Zimbabwe, Socioeconomics Discussion Series Paper Series 29

Farmers in Zimbabwe face many challenges, including low soil fertility, low and erratic rainfall, and poor market access. They are therefore often poor and vulnerable to risks and shocks. With increasing human populations and a dwindling natural resource base, farming systems are under greater pressure to provide sufficient food and sustain farmers’ livelihoods. There is a dire need to intensify farming systems on a sustainable basis. Previous efforts have been focusing on improving either crop or livestock production, often ignoring the potential synergies mixed systems offer. We believe that substantial gains can be made by better integrating crop and livestock systems, using the resources more effectively and following a more market-oriented approach. This report describes the baseline situation of crop-livestock systems in semi-arid Zimbabwe. It informs the ZimCLIFS project, which has the goal to improve rural food security and livelihoods through promoting sustainable intensification of integrated crop-livestock systems and market participation. The report focuses on communities in Nkayi and Gwanda Districts, situated in agro-ecological zones IV and V in southwestern Zimbabwe. In each district participatory community visioning was held to identify development pathways that the communities seek to pursue. About 300 households were interviewed to compile data informing a comprehensive farming systems analysis. Descriptive statistics characterize the households, including a disaggregated gender analysis. Through factor and cluster analysis, farm households were grouped into most common-farm types based on resource endowments, agricultural production levels and market markets. Communities in both districts saw their future in market-oriented agriculture. The levels of both crop and livestock production were however very low at both districts. Maize, the predominant crop, yielded less than 400 kg per ha, during a year of relatively low rainfall. Yields of sorghum and groundnuts were even less. Farmers relied mainly on using resources within their systems. Almost all households used animal draft power to plow crop fields, more than half the households fed crop residues to their animals and a third used animal manure as organic fertilizer. The use of external inputs was more limited. Fewer than 20% of households applied fertilizers. In Gwanda about a third of the livestock keepers fed commercial stock-feeds to their animals. As a result of low production, crop sales and livestock off-take rates were also low (<5%), and financial reinvestments limited. Farm typology analysis suggests that households experienced different levels of resource endowments and their investments in agriculture varied. The majority were very poor, especially female-headed households. They need safety support to protect their assets. For them drought-tolerant crops and small stock, improved management and strong support to start marketable production could make a difference. Distinctively different were the groups of intensifying farmers. They were better endowed in resources and access to information, practiced more diversified and integrated farming systems, and earned higher income from agriculture. Even though a small proportion, these farmers are important for promoting improved agricultural production. The farm typologies will be used to simulate potential yields and welfare gains for different types of household in their specific contexts

Effects of climate change and adaptation on the livestock component of mixed farming systems: A modelling study from semi-arid Zimbabwe

Large uncertainties about the impacts of climate change and adaptation options on the livestock component of heterogeneous African farming systems hamper tailored decision making towards climate-smart agriculture. This study addressed this knowledge gap through the development and use of a dynamic modelling framework integrating climate, crop, pasture and livestock models. The framework was applied to a population of 91 farms located in semi-arid Zimbabwe to assess effects on livestock production resulting from climate change and management interventions. Climate scenarios representing relative “cool-wet”, “hot-dry” and “middle” conditions by mid-century (2040–2070) for two representative concentration pathways were compared with the baseline climate. On-farm fodder resources and rangeland grass production were simulated with the crop model APSIM and the pasture model GRASP respectively. The simulated fodder availability was used in the livestock model LIVSIM to generate various production indicators including milk, offtake, mortality, manure, and net revenue. We investigated the effects of two adaptation packages targeting soil fertility management and crop diversification and quantified the sensitivity to climate change of both current and improved systems. Livestock productivity was constrained by dry-season feed gaps, which were particularly severe for crude protein and caused by the reliance on rangeland grazing and crop residues, both of low quality in the dry season. Effects on grass and stover production depended on the climate scenario and the crop, but year-to-year variation generally increased. Relative changes in livestock net revenue compared to the baseline climate varied from a 6% increase to a 43% decrease, and the proportion of farmers negatively affected varied from 20% to 100%, depending on the climate scenario. Adverse effects of climate change on average livestock production usually coincided with increased year-to-year variability and risk. Farms with larger stocking density faced more severe feed gaps and were more sensitive to climate change than less densely stocked farms. The first adaptation package resulted in increased stover production and a small increase in livestock productivity. The inclusion of grain and forage legumes with the second package increased milk productivity and net revenues more profoundly by 30%. This was attributed to the alleviation of dry-season feed gaps, which also reduced the sensitivity to climate change compared to the current system. Clearly, individual farms were affected differently by climate change and by improved farm management, illustrating that disaggregated impact assessments are needed to effectively inform decision making towards climate change adaptation