Presented by Irmgard Hoeschle-Zeledon at the Africa RISING ESA Review and Planning Meeting, Arusha, Tanzania, 9-11 September 2014

1. Africa RISING overview
and update
Irmgard Hoeschle-Zeledon
Africa RISING Coordinator East and Southern Africa
Africa RISING ESA Review and Planning Meeting,
Arusha, Tanzania, 9-11 September 2014

2. Mandate:
“Through action research and development
partnerships, Africa RISING will create
opportunities for smallholder farm households to
move out of hunger and poverty through
sustainably intensified farming systems that
improve food, nutrition, and income security,
particularly for women and children, and conserve
or enhance the natural resource base.”

3. Sustainable agricultural intensification:
(Montpellier Panel Report, 2013)
• Producing in a durable way more units of output per
unit input (land, labor, water, biodiversity, inorganic
chemicals, organic matter, seeds, financial capital,
knowledge, infrastructure, etc.) through
- their efficient and prudent use
- new combinations of these inputs
- use of supportive innovations (e.g. communication,
marketing, precision agriculture, …)

4. Sustainable agricultural intensification:
• Conserve or enhance natural resources for improved
environmental services and cultural value (smaller
environmental footprint)
• Increased resilience of the farming systems
• Livelihood perspective: whole-farm and household
issues; focus not only on economic aspects but also on
social, nutritional, gender, cultural conditions

5. Components of sustainable agricultural
intensification:
• Genetic: improved varieties and breeds
• Ecological: better use natural factors (sunlight, soil,
water, biodiversity)
• Socio-economic: enabling environment (fair and
transparent markets; strengthened FOs, CBOs,
extension services; women empowerment; informed
decision making)

6. The wider USAID context:
• In line with USAID country missions’ priorities
• Implemented in FtF target areas
• Research to backstop other FtF investments
• In line with the CGIAR Humidtropics CRP
• Need for conceptual harmonization between the Africa
RISING country projects
• Strong collaboration with USAID missions and other USAID
Bureaus (e.g. Africa Bureau)

7. What we do: Integrated farming systems research
Ken Giller, WUR

8. Where do we stand?
Guiding principle identified in 2012: stepwise
approach to sustainable intensification which
requires the adoption of various SI technologies

9. Our trajectory: (TZ, MAL)
• 2012: quick wins
• 2012/13: (i) situation analysis (baseline, agronomic,
livestock, vegetables production & consumption, pest
and disease, post-harvest losses, mycotoxin prevalence,
social & institutional constraints to adoption, soil surveys,
characterization of farming hh);
(ii) evaluation of disciplinary SI technologies (crop
varieties, fodder species, fertilizers, water harvesting &
conservation) and some combinations (doubled up
legumes, rotations, intercropping, crops/fertilizer, crops/
water harvesting)

10. • 2013/2014: increased number of research sites
(i) situation analysis (baseline surveys, farming systems &
value chain analyses), establishment of R4D platform
(Babati) and IP (KK)
(ii) integration of farmer selected or “proven-by research”
technologies; new: livestock, vegetables, post-harvest &
nutrition technologies;
some farmers’ preferred technologies subjected to
impact and adoption studies

11. Africa RISING Years 1-3
• Site selection
• Situation analysis
• Partnership building
• Design of research
• Implementation

12. 2014-2016:
greater integration of technologies
further refining
assessment of their potential impact on the natural resource
base
identifying what really works for who (farm typologies)
looking further into the drivers of technology adoption (value
addition for better marketability, shelf life; demonstrated
profitability and social acceptability, cost-benefit analyses,
identification of best-fit technologies)
consolidating/strengthening R4D Platforms/IPs
new partners for promotion & scaling of proven technologies
technical support to other FtF projects

13. Conceptual progress towards sustainable intensification
Cross-cutting studies (impact, markets, nutrition, gender, policy…) and
actions (scaling…)
C+L+S
C+L; C+S; L+S
C, L, S
Baseline, FSA,
Discipline surveys
Low hanging fruits,
Team building
2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-15
Toward full SI
Mateete Bekunda

14. 2014-2016:
greater integration of technologies
further refining
assessment of their potential impact on the natural resource
base
identifying what really works for who (farm typologies)
looking further into the drivers of technology adoption (value
addition for better marketability, shelf life; demonstrated
profitability and social acceptability)
consolidating/strengthening R4D Platforms/IPs
new partners for promotion & scaling of proven technologies
scientific support to other FtF projects

15. Africa RISING Years 3-5
• Implementation with higher integration
• Research refinement & expansion (e.g.,
IPM, socio-economic studies)
• Platforms
• Transfer of research outputs
• Scientific support to FtF projects

16. Update on changes and highlights since September
2013:
• collaboration with SIMLEZA Project in Eastern Province of
Zambia (funded by USAID mission, addit. funds received
from BFS)
• new project component with MSU to study the Impact of
Sustainable Intensification on Landscapes and Livelihoods
in Zambia; funded by USAID Africa Bureau; will help making
further investment Decisions in Zambia, lessons for other
Africa RISING sites
• proposal to USAID Tanzania mission on strategic scientific
support to NAFAKA and TUBOCHA

17. 2013/2014 Fund allocation
Institution/Country Funds ($)
MSU 725,000
ICRISAT 648,000
CIMMYT 198,000
CIAT 189,000
SELIAN 55,000
AVRDC 69,000
ILRI 156,000
IITA (further sub-contracts) 405,000
CIMMYT (Zambia) 175,000
IITA (Zambia) 105,000
WU (Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania) 117,000
Malawi 745,000
Tanzania 1,747,000
Zambia 350,000

18. Field visits:
• September 2013: USAID delegation in Zambia
• January 2014: Chief Scientist and Coordinator in Malawi
and Zambia
• March 2014: USAID Delegation in Tanzania; Researchers
visit to Malawi
• April 2014: Steering Committee members in Tanzania

19. Capacity building:
21 students for BA, MSc or PhD attached to the
project
16 from Africa, 6 female, 4 from iAGRI

20. Student Sex Country
of
Origin
Country of
Research
Africa RISING
Supervisor
University Degree Period
Semeni Ngozi (iAGRI) F Tanzania Tanzania Per Hillbur Egerton Univ,
Kenya
MSc May 14 - May 15
Marco Sanka (iAGRI) M Tanzania Tanzania Per Hillbur Makerere Univ,
Uganda
MSc Nov 14 - Aug 15
Maria Klerfelt Johansson F Sweden Tanzania Per Hillbur Gothenburg Univ,
Sweden
BA Mar 14 - Sept 14
Marcus Bengtsson M Sweden Tanzania Per Hillbur Gothenburg Univ,
Sweden
BA Mar 14 - Sept 14
Christopher Alex Msongore M Tanzania Tanzania Adebayo
Abass
SUA, Tanzania MSc 2013 - 2014
Chacha Nyangi (iAGRI) M Tanzania Tanzania Fen Beed SUA, Tanzania MSc 2013 - 2014
John Joseph Malley M Tanzania Tanzania Fen Beed SUA, Tanzania MSc 2014 - 2015
Leonard Joseph Marwa M Tanzania Tanzania Ben Lukuyu SUA, Tanzania PhD 2014 - 2017
Alphonse Haule M Tanzania Tanzania Ben Lukuyu SUA, Tanzania MSc. 2014 - 2015
Mawazo Shitindi (iAGRI) M Tanzania Tanzania Mateete
Bekunda
Tuskegee Univ,
USA
PhD 2013 - 2016
Gregory Sikumba M Zambia Tanzania Ben Lukuyu University of
Nairobi, Kenya
PhD 2013 - 2016
Isaac Jambo M Malawi Tanzania,
Malawi,
Zambia
Jeroen Groot
& Mateete
Bekunda
Wageningen
University, The
Netherlands
PhD 2014 - 2018

21. Student Sex Country
of
Origin
Country of
Research
Africa RISING
Supervisor
University Degree Period
Michelle Hockett F USA Malawi Robert
Richardson
MSU, USA MSc 2013 - 2014
Alex Smith M USA Malawi Sieg Snapp &
Regis Chikowo
MSU, USA MSc 2013 - 2014
Edward Mzumara M Malawi Malawi Regis Chikowo &
Wezi Mhango
LUANAR, Malawi MSc 2013 - 2014
Soflet Mwafulirwa F Malawi Malawi Agnes Mangwela LUANAR, Malawi MSc 2013 - 2014
Erin Anders F USA Malawi Sieg Snapp &
Regis Chikowo
MSU, USA PhD 2013 - 2016
Justin Chipomho M Zimbab
we
Malawi and
Zimbabwe
Regis Chikowo &
Sieg Snapp
University of
Zimbabwe
PhD 2013 - 2016
Anita Kaleba F Zambia Zambia Christian
Thierfelder
UNIZA, Zambia MSc 2013 - 2014
John Banda M Zambia Zambia Christian
Thierfelder
UNIZA, Zambia MSc 2013 - 2014
Frederick Mwansa M Zambia Zambia Christian
Thierfelder
UNIZA, Zambia MSc 2013 - 2014

22. Thank You
Africa Research in Sustainable Intensification for the Next Generation
africa-rising.net
The presentation has a Creative Commons licence. You are free to re-use or distribute this work, provided credit is given to ILRI.