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..

Balancing co-benefits and trade-offs between climate change mitigation and adaptation innovations under mixed crop-livestock systems in semi-arid Zimbabwe

Achieving Zimbabwe’s national and international commitments to food systems transformation and climate resilience building is of high priority. Integrated simulation-based research approaches developed under the Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP) are important sources of evidence to guide policy decisions towards sustainable intensification. Through the identification of economically viable, socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable development pathways, the analysis in this study evaluates co-benefits and tradeoffs between climate change adaptation and mitigation interventions for vulnerable smallholder crop-livestock holdings in the semi-arid regions of Zimbabwe. We explore how climate effects disrupt the livelihoods and food security for diverse farm types, the extremely vulnerable and those better resource endowed but facing high risks. In an iterative process with experts and stakeholders, we co-developed context specific development pathways. They include market-oriented adaptation and mitigation interventions and social protection mechanisms that would support the transition towards more sustainable intensified, diversified and better integrated crop-livestock systems. We assess the trade-offs associated with adoption of climate-smart interventions aimed at improving incomes and food security but that may have consequences on GHG emissions for the different pathways and farm types. The approach and results inform the discussion on drivers that can bring about sustainable intensification, and the extent to which socio-economic benefits could enhance the uptake of emission reducing technologies thereof. Through this strategy we evaluate interventions that can result in win–win outcomes, that is, adaptation-mitigation co-benefits, and what this would imply for policies that aim at transforming agri-food systems

Farmer’s Resource Flow Decisions on Farm-Level Interventions on Livestock Water Productivity: A Conceptual Model Approach

Across sub-saharan Africa water related poverty occurs because farmers lack dependable water resources and capacity to use them. Improvement in agricultural water management offer opportunities in poverty alleviation at farm-level. An integrated framework was developed to identify sets of options as interventions for different farmer profiles in mixed crop-livestock systems. A combination of participatory rural appraisal (PRAs), household survey and gap analysis tools were used in Nkayi district, Zimbabwe to quantify the current crop and livestock production levels. The tools used identified gaps in animal health management, improved feeding, livestock sales and poor crop yields between different farmer wealth profiles in terms of mortalities, poor crop yield, reduced crop and livestock sales, poor feed quality and quantity. Interventions in terms of improved feed sourcing, improved animal health, soil fertility management and access to markets are possible solutions to the challenges faced by the different farmer profiles. If farmers’ different levels and capacities in terms of resources available are taken into consideration, there is a chance to improve the livestock water productivity at farm-level in semi-arid Zimbabwe

Climate change impacts and adaptation for dryland farming systems in Zimbabwe: a stakeholder-driven integrated multi-model assessment

Decision makers need accurate information to address climate variability and change and accelerate transformation to sustainability. A stakeholder-driven, science-based multimodel approach has been developed and used by the Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP) to generate actionable information for adaptation planning processes. For a range of mid-century climate projections—likely to be hotter, drier, and more variable—contrasting future socio-economic scenarios (Representative Agricultural Pathways, RAPs) were co-developed with stakeholders to portray a sustainable development scenario and a rapid economic growth pathway. The unique characteristic of this application is the integration of a multi-modeling approach with stakeholder engagement to co-develop scenarios and adaptation strategies. Distribution of outcomes were simulated with climate, crop, livestock, and economic impact assessment models for smallholder crop livestock farmers in a typical dryland agro-ecological zone in Zimbabwe, characterized by low and erratic rainfall and nutrient depleted soils. Results showed that in Nkayi District, Western Zimbabwe, climate change would threaten most of the farms, and, in particular, those with large cattle herds due to feed shortages. Adaptation strategies that showed the most promise included diversification using legume production, soil fertility improvement, and investment in conducive market environments. The switch to more legumes in the farming systems reduced the vulnerability of the very poor as well as the more resourced farmers. Overall, the sustainable development scenario consistently addressed institutional failures and motivated productivity- enhancing, environmentally sound technologies and inclusive development approaches. This yielded more favorable outcomes than investment in quick economic wins from commercializing agriculture

GGE biplot analysisof genotypes by environment interaction on sorghum bicolor L. (Moench) in Zimbabwe

The genotype by environment interaction (GEI) reduces the success of genotype selection and recommendations by breeders, thus slowing down the progress of plant breeding. The understanding of genotype by environment interaction (GEI) multi-locational yield trials (MLYT) enables researchers to identify locations which are efficient in distinguishing tested genotypes, which are ideal across the test-locations as well as environments which are good representatives of the target regions of interest. The main objective of the study was to assess the genotype by environment interaction on grain yield stability of promising sorghum genotypes across five diverse environments of Zimbabwe. Sorghum yield data of twenty-seven cultivars was obtained from the replicated trials. After performing a pooled analysis of variance for grain yield across five diverse environments during the 2013/14 rainy season, the GxE interaction was significant (P<0.001), and this justified need for testing for GEI components using the GGE biplot analysis to enhance the understanding the effects of components. The results revealed that three mega-environments were identifiable which are Matopos, Save-Valley and Kadoma falling in one mega-environment, then Makoholi was identified as a second mega-environment and then Gwebi was identified as the third mega-environment. Gwebi had the most discriminating ability and good representativeness whereby Save Valley had a poor discriminating ability as well as least representativeness

Agriculture extensification and associated socio-ecological trade-offs in smallholder farming systems of Zambia

One of the main drivers of deforestation in Zambia is the expansion of agricultural land for increasing production areas and for shift cultivation due to poor crop management practices. Land expansion was also echoed by farmers in Northwestern province as they aim to increase yield via land expansion. It was therefore important to understand possible associated socio-ecological trade-offs in agricultural extensification and identify pathways to improve ecosystem services delivery and reduce trade-offs. We used the Tradeoff Analysis model for Multi-Dimensional (TOA-MD) and Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM) to assess trade-offs in both current and future farming systems under extensification (CP) and sustainable agriculture intensification (SAI). Thirty-year simulations showed that agricultural extensification will lead to loss of soil organic carbon) and total soil nitrogen of about 23% and 22%, respectively leading to yield reductions of about 35% and increased poverty levels. However, SAI approach results showed that poverty can be reduced by about 20% for farmers with land holdings of 3 ha while those with 2 and 5 ha can be reduced by 10% and 5% respectively. The proposed SAI has potential to reduce poverty, maintain good current and future crop production, and potentially aid farmers to reduce opening new fields

Gendered livelihood implications for improvements of livestock water productivity in Zimbabwe

Scarcity, lack of access, and ineffective and inefficient use of water in Nkayi District, Zimbabwe, threaten agricultural production. The purpose of this study is to augment understanding of opportunities to increase livestock water productivity (LWP) in Nkayi District by taking into account key differences in the capacities, opportunities, and needs of women and men. There are two important types of female-headed households, de facto and de jure. The results from this study showed thatmale-headed and de facto and de jure female-headed households sharemuch in common.They all had similar areas of cropland and access to education, finances, veterinary and extension services, and transportation and markets. Households of all types had similar herd sizes. All were desperately poor with incomes much less than a dollar a day. To rise out of poverty, the knowledge, skills and effort of all household heads will be needed. In spite of severe poverty, household heads of all types are literate and have sufficient education that can help enable adoption of intervention options that can lead to increased agricultural production and improved livelihoods. The results also showed that major differences exist in terms of the roles of men and women in ownership, management and decision making related to livestock keeping and animal production. Men clearly dominate in both ownership and decision making even though women play a major role in animal management. Only in de jure female-headed households were womenmore likely thanmen to own cattle and goats. They were also more likely to be involved in farming as a primary livelihood activity. Surprisingly, men were more likely to be involved in animal management in these de jure female-headed households. Women were also excluded from water users’ and livestock producers’ associations although a minority of men was members. By not involving the already-developed capacity of women, the community loses out on a significant opportunity to increase LWP and animal production more widely. Greater inclusion of women in decision making will be an important part of future efforts to improve livelihoods through livestock development

Climate change and adaptation impacts in mixed crop-livestock systems in south west Zimbabwe

There is increased urgency in Zimbabwe toward climate change adaptation planning in agriculture, and towards building a shared national vision for agriculture and food systems transformation. However, there remain knowledge gaps in national level climate change adaptation planning for agriculture, including in terms of science but also policy making, as well as how best to create linkages across scale for implementation at a sub-national level

Working towards climate-resilient agricultural systems in Zimbabwe

Multiple challenges, including climate change and COVID-19, are affecting agricultural systems and livelihoods in Zimbabwe. An unstable macro-economic environment will exacerbate poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition, particularly among smallholder farmers. Zimbabwe is projected to face drier conditions, with the Southern and Western regions of the country being more affected (World Bank, 2021). Increasing temperatures will worsen the current dry conditions, e.g. causing soils to dry up quicker, limiting available soil moisture and affecting plant growth negatively. Seasonal rainfall is expected to decrease, with late onset of the season, season shortening and higher frequency of extremes such as prolonged dry spells, droughts, floods and intense rainstorms. A higher prevalence of diseases, due to variations in climatic conditions, has potential to adversely affect crops and livestock. There is also evidence that semi-arid conditions are expanding in the country. This will increase vulnerability to climate risk, resulting in food insecurity

Transforming Smallholder Crop–Livestock Systems in the Face of Climate Change: Stakeholder-Driven Multi-Model Research in Semi-Arid Zimbabwe

This study provides a unique contribution to improving agricultural systems in the face of changing climate and socio-economic conditions, integratingmulti-modeling research with stakeholder engagement to inform future-oriented decision processes. In areas like semi-aridZimbabwe, rural communities are highly vulnerable to climate variability. Climate risk is not a future issue, but constitutes a current threat to food security, if no improvement actions are taken. This study therefore frames the potential for agricultural systems to transform under current conditions and under future conditions where different pathways would lead agricultural systems to respond more favorably