Your search found 5 records
1 Gebreyes, M.; Mekonnen, K.; Thorne, P.; Derseh, M.; Adie, A.; Mulema, A.; Kemal, S. A.; Tamene, L.; Amede, T.; Haileslassie, Amare; Gebrekirstos, A.; Mupangwa, W. T.; Ebrahim, M.; Alene, T.; Asfaw, A.; Dubale, W.; Yasabu, S. 2021. Overcoming constraints of scaling: critical and empirical perspectives on agricultural innovation scaling. PLoS ONE, 16(5):e0251958. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0251958]
Agricultural innovation systems ; Scaling ; Strategies ; Agricultural research ; Development projects ; CGIAR ; Farming systems ; Farmers ; Constraints ; Social aspects / Africa / Ethiopia / Amhara / Oromia / Tigray / Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (SNNPR)
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050439)
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0251958&type=printable
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050439.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050439.pdf
(0.76 MB) (778 KB)
Scaling is a ubiquitous concept in agricultural research in the global south as donors require their research grantees to prove that their results can be scaled to impact upon the livelihoods of a large number of beneficiaries. Recent studies on scaling have brought critical perspectives to the rather technocratic tendencies in the agricultural innovations scaling literature. Drawing on theoretical debates on spatial strategies and practical experience of agricultural innovation scaling in Ethiopia, this paper adds to the current debate on what constitutes scaling and how to overcome critical scaling constraints. The data for the paper came from a qualitative assessment using focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and document analysis on scaling work done in Ethiopia by a USAID-funded research for development project. The paper concludes with four broad lessons for the current understating of agricultural innovation scaling. First, scaling of agricultural innovations requires a balanced focus on technical requirements and associated social dynamics surrounding scaling targets, actors involved and their social relations. Second, appreciating the social dynamics of scaling emphasizes the fact that scaling is more complex than a linear rolling out of innovations towards diffusion. Third, scaling may not be strictly planned; instead, it might be an extension of the innovation generation process that relies heavily on both new and long-term relationships with key partners, trust, and continuous reflection and learning. Fourth, the overall implication of the above three conclusions is that scaling strategies need to be flexible, stepwise, and reflective. Despite the promises of flourishing scaling frameworks, scaling strategies it would appear from the Africa RISING experience that, if real impact is to be achieved, approaches will be required to be flexible enough to manage the social, processual and emergent nature of the practice of scaling.
2 Worqlul, A. W.; Dile, Y. T.; Schmitter, Petra; Bezabih, M.; Adie, A.; Bizimana, J.-C.; Srinivasan, R.; Lefore, N.; Clarke, N. 2021. Constraints of small-scale irrigated fodder production and nutrition assessment for livestock feed, a case study in Ethiopia. Agricultural Water Management, 254:106973. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2021.106973]
Small scale farming ; Fodder ; Livestock feed ; Nutrition ; Assessment ; Irrigation ; Small scale systems ; Water use efficiency ; Fertilizer application ; Rain ; Runoff ; Groundwater ; Water stress ; Forage yield ; Pennisetum purpureum ; Lathyrus cicera ; Oats ; Farmers ; Watersheds / Africa South of Sahara / Ethiopia / Robit Watershed / Lemo Watershed
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050449)
(3.69 MB)
Livestock is an integral part of the agricultural system in sub-Saharan Africa, serving as a food source, income, fertilizer, and power for farming and transportation. However, the productivity of the livestock system has been hampered due to a lack of sufficient quantity and quality feed. This study evaluates the gaps and constraints of fodder and nutritional potential for livestock feed using small-scale irrigation (SSI). The study comprised of 30 randomly selected farmers from two different ecological zones in Ethiopia. Half of the farmers cultivated Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) in the Robit watershed in northern Ethiopia, and the other half cultivated mixed vetch (Lathyrus cicera) and oats (Avena sativa) in Lemo watershed in southern Ethiopia. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and Agricultural Policy Environmental eXtender (APEX) were applied in an integrated manner to assess the impacts of SSI at the watershed and field-scale levels, respectively. The watershed-scale analysis showed that there is a substantial amount of surface runoff and shallow groundwater recharge that could be used for dry season fodder production using irrigation. Field data calibrated APEX model indicated that Napier yield could be maximized with 550 mm of water in Robit watershed. While in the Lemo watershed, maximum vetch and oats yield may be achieved with 250 mm of water. The major constraints for Napier and oats production in the study sites were soil fertility, especially nitrogen and phosphorus, and vetch production was limited by high temperature. Fodder samples were collected at the time of harvest to evaluate feed quality. The nutritional analysis indicated that Napier grass has a higher dry matter and ash (mineral) content compared to oats and vetch. However, vetch has higher crude protein content (18%) compared to Napier (10%) and oats (6%). Overall the study indicated that cultivating vetch provided superior performance in terms of providing quality feed and environmental services.
3 Fenta, H. M; Hussein, M. A.; Tilahun, S. A.; Nakawuka, Prossie; Steenhuis, T. S.; Barron, Jennie; Adie, A.; Blummel, M.; Schmitter, Petra. 2022. Berken plow and intercropping with pigeon pea ameliorate degraded soils with a hardpan in the Ethiopian highlands. Geoderma, 407:115523. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2021.115523]
Agricultural production ; Intercropping ; Maize ; Pigeon peas ; Soil penetration resistance ; Soil degradation ; Soil analysis ; Hardpans ; Soil moisture ; Tillage ; Rainfed farming ; Runoff ; Water storage ; Highlands ; Smallholders ; Farmers ; Economic analysis ; Crop yield ; Soil chemicophysical properties ; Infiltration ; Sediment ; Watersheds / Ethiopia / Amhara / Robit Bata Watershed
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050790)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016706121006030/pdfft?md5=1a75bfbda044c2e453917450c6e20dab&pid=1-s2.0-S0016706121006030-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050790.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050790.pdf
(8.62 MB) (8.62 MB)
Closing the yield gap and enhancing efficiency in rainfed maize production systems in Ethiopia requires urgent action in increasing the productivity of degraded agricultural land. The degradation of land through continuous compaction and decline in the organic matter has resulted in a wide-spread formation of a hardpan that restricts deep percolation, prevents plant root development, and, ultimately can lead to increased erosion. Studies exploring practical low-cost solutions to break the hardpan are limited in Ethiopia. The main objective was to evaluate soil mechanical (i.e. modified plow or Berken plow) or biological intervention (i.e. intercropping with pigeon pea) effectiveness to enhance soil water management and crop yield of rainfed maize systems whilst reducing soil erosion and runoff. Five farm fields, each including four plots with different tillage treatments, were monitored during two rainy seasons in 2016 and 2017. The treatments were: (i) farmers practice under conventional (CT) tillage; plots tilled three times using an oxen driven local plow Maresha, (ii) no-till (NT), (iii) Berken tillage (BT), plots tilled three times using an oxen pulled Berken plow, and (iv) biological (CT + Bio), taprooted pigeon pea intercropped with maize on plots conventionally tilled. Results showed that mean tillage depth was significantly deeper in the BT (28 cm) treatment compared to CT and CT + Bio (18 cm) treatments. Measured soil penetration resistance significantly decreased up to 40 cm depth under BT and maize roots reached 1.5 times deeper compared to roots measured in the CT treatment. Under BT, the estimated water storage in the root zone was estimated at 556 mm, 1.86 times higher compared to CT, 3.11 times higher compared to NT and 0.89 times higher compared to CT + Bio. The positive effects on increased water storage and root development resulted in an average increase in maize grain (i.e. 15%, 0.95 t ha- 1 ) and residual above ground biomass (0.3%, 6.4 t ha- 1 ) leading to a positive net benefit of 138 USD ha- 1 for the BT treatment compared to the CT treatment. The negative net benefit obtained under CT and CT+Bio was mainly related to the high labor cost related to plowing, weeding, planting, and fertilizer application whilst in the NT this was related to the significantly lower maize yields. The positive effects in the BT treatment, and to some extent the CT+Bio treatment show great potential for smallholder rainfed maize systems where degraded soils with hardpans and high variability in rainfall prevail.
4 Hussein, M. A.; Riga, F. T.; Derseh, M. B.; Assefa, T. T.; Worqlul, A. W.; Haileslassie, Amare; Adie, A.; Jones, C. S.; Tilahun, Seifu A. 2024. Application of irrigation management and water-lifting technologies to enhance fodder productivity in smallholder farming communities: a case study in Robit Bata, Ethiopia. Agronomy, 14(5):1064. [doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14051064]
Irrigation management ; Water productivity ; Irrigation technology ; Smallholders ; Farmers ; Irrigation water ; Fodder ; Pennisetum purpureum ; Watersheds ; Labour productivity ; Dry matter ; Soil water content ; Livestock ; Case studies / Ethiopia / Robit Bata / Yinebo Watershed / Robit Watershed
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052854)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/14/5/1064/pdf?version=1715935300
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H052854.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H052854.pdf
(2.91 MB) (2.90 MB)
Small-scale cultivation of irrigated fodder is emerging as a vital production system in mixed farming communities. Efficient water management plays a key role in enhancing forage production, especially in the face of changing climate. A field-scale experimental study was conducted in Robit Bata kebele, Ethiopia, with the following objectives: (1) to examine the effects of conventional farmers’ irrigation scheduling versus climate-based irrigation scheduling; and (2) to assess the influence of water-lifting technologies (manual pulley and solar Majipump) on dry matter yield (DMY), water productivity (WP), irrigation labor productivity (ILP), and water productivity in terms of crude protein and metabolizable energy (WP.CP and WP.ME) of Napier grass. The experiment used 10 farmers’ plots each with a size of 100 m2 . Half of the plots were treated using farmers’ scheduling while the other half were treated using climate-based irrigation scheduling. Monitoring of irrigation water use and crop yield took place over two irrigation seasons from November 2020 to June 2021. Results showed there was an interaction effect of irrigation management (p = 0.019) and water-lifting technologies (p = 0.016) with season on DMY. The highest DMY occurred in the first irrigation season with climate-based scheduling and solar Majipump use. The interaction effect of irrigation management and season affected WP (p = 0.047). Climate-based scheduling had a higher WP in the first season, while farmers’ scheduling had a higher WP during the second season. On average, the solar Majipump outperformed the pulley, achieving 5 kg m-3 WP compared to the pulley’s 4 kg m-3 (p = 0.018). Emphasizing the seasonal impact, it is recommended to promote full irrigation (climate-based) in the first season for maximum yield and WP. Conversely, in the second season, advocating only deficit irrigation is advised due to water scarcity and sustainability concerns. Statistical parity in DMY and lower WP with full irrigation in the second season supports this recommendation, addressing the challenge of optimizing water use in the context of a changing climate and ensuring sustainable smallholder agriculture practices. Therefore, implementing appropriate irrigation management alongside efficient water-lifting technologies holds the potential to enhance fodder productivity and bolster smallholder farmers’ livelihoods. Future research should explore the comparative benefits of irrigated fodder versus other crops and the overall advantages of investing in irrigated fodder over vegetables.
5 Hussein, M. A.; Haileslassie, Amare; Derseh, M. B.; Assefa, T. T.; Riga, F. T.; Adie, A.; Tebeje, A. K.; Jones, C. S.; Tilahun, Seifu A. 2024. Enhancing irrigated forage crop production through water and nutrient management in the Ethiopian sub-humid highlands. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 8:1373698. [doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2024.1373698]
Forage ; Crop production ; Deficit irrigation ; Water management ; Nutrient management ; Water-use efficiency ; Water productivity ; Fertilizer application ; Yields ; Livestock ; Highlands / Ethiopia / Robit Bata
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052855)
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2024.1373698/pdf?isPublishedV2=False
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H052855.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H052855.pdf
(5.69 MB) (5.69 MB)
Introduction: The increasing pressure on land and water resources, fueled by high population growth and climate change, has profound implications for crop yield and quality. While studies thrive for various crops, a notable research gap exists in understanding the responses of forage crops to irrigation and nutrient management in developing countries. This study aims to address this gap by assessing the impact of irrigation and fertilizer application on forage production in the Ethiopian sub-humid highlands.
Methods: The experiment focused on four forage varieties, namely Napier grass (Cenchrus purpureus) cultivars, ILRI-16791, ILRI-16819, ILRI-16803, and Guinea grass (Megathyrsus maximus) ILRI-144 cultivated in experimental plots. Three irrigation levels designated as IR60 (60% of total available soil water), IR80 (80%), and IR100 (100%) were applied, along with three fertilizer rates: organic manure at 30 t ha-1 , and Urea-N at 100 kg ha-1 and 300 kg ha-1 . Agronomic data including growth performance, forage dry matter yield, and nutritional quality were collected during two trial years.
Results and discussion: Among the various irrigation treatments, IR80 demonstrated the most favorable balance between forage yield, WUE, net benefit, and LWP. In addition, the highest DMY, WUE, net benefit, and LWP were obtained for UREA at the rate of 300 kg ha-1 while the lowest DMY and WUE were observed for UREA at the rate of 100 kg ha-1 . Significant variations were observed among the four forage varieties, with Napier grass ILRI-16791 having the highest DMY (9.8 tons ha-1 ), WUE (39 kg ha-1 mm-1 ), LWP (0.28 USD m-3 for local cows, and 1.04 USD m-3 for crossbred cows), and net benefit (783 USD ha-1 ). For all forages combined, a 40 and 20% decrease in irrigation increased water use efficiency by 17 and 9.4%, respectively. These results indicate that a moderate level of deficient irrigation such as IR80 could be a viable water management strategy for irrigated forage, especially in water-scarce areas. The conserved water saved from the deficit irrigation can thus be used to irrigate additional land, contributing to a more sustainable and efficient water usage approach.
Methods: The experiment focused on four forage varieties, namely Napier grass (Cenchrus purpureus) cultivars, ILRI-16791, ILRI-16819, ILRI-16803, and Guinea grass (Megathyrsus maximus) ILRI-144 cultivated in experimental plots. Three irrigation levels designated as IR60 (60% of total available soil water), IR80 (80%), and IR100 (100%) were applied, along with three fertilizer rates: organic manure at 30 t ha-1 , and Urea-N at 100 kg ha-1 and 300 kg ha-1 . Agronomic data including growth performance, forage dry matter yield, and nutritional quality were collected during two trial years.
Results and discussion: Among the various irrigation treatments, IR80 demonstrated the most favorable balance between forage yield, WUE, net benefit, and LWP. In addition, the highest DMY, WUE, net benefit, and LWP were obtained for UREA at the rate of 300 kg ha-1 while the lowest DMY and WUE were observed for UREA at the rate of 100 kg ha-1 . Significant variations were observed among the four forage varieties, with Napier grass ILRI-16791 having the highest DMY (9.8 tons ha-1 ), WUE (39 kg ha-1 mm-1 ), LWP (0.28 USD m-3 for local cows, and 1.04 USD m-3 for crossbred cows), and net benefit (783 USD ha-1 ). For all forages combined, a 40 and 20% decrease in irrigation increased water use efficiency by 17 and 9.4%, respectively. These results indicate that a moderate level of deficient irrigation such as IR80 could be a viable water management strategy for irrigated forage, especially in water-scarce areas. The conserved water saved from the deficit irrigation can thus be used to irrigate additional land, contributing to a more sustainable and efficient water usage approach.
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