acai overview by dr abdulai jalloh during the acai-cabi cluster meeting

A member of CGIAR consortium www.iita.org

African cassava Agronomy Initiative: An overview

12th - 14th October 2016, Denis Hotel, Abuja, Nigeria


Presentation outline

Introduction - The need for an increase in cassava production

Constraints to increased cassava production

ACAI implementation strategy

Key targeted outputs and current achievements


The need to increase cassava production

• In sub Saharan Africa, increasing populations relying on cassava as its most important source of carbohydrates or protein (through leaf consumption) and increasing demand for industrial raw material will certainly require a continued increase in cassava production.

Presenter

Presentation Notes

East Africa and MRU/


Cassava - Opportunities

Diverse end-uses

Huge & untapped market opportunities


Productivity of cassava and yield gap in SSA

Yield gaps depending on regions and their

climate are estimated to range from small

gaps of only 1 – 5 t/ha to very high

gaps of 31 - 35 t/ha

Farmers are challenged with increasing cassava production in a situation where yield gaps are still

high while agronomic packages are not yet

satisfactorily assembled.


Causes for yield gap in cassava in SSA

• African farmers recognize pest and diseases as some of the most important production constraints.

• Other constraints mentioned by farmers are a lack of improved varieties and a shortage of marketable inputs (Nweke, 1994).

• There is virtually no mineral fertilizer use and soil

nutrients removed with the root harvest are seldom replenished by resource limited farmers.

• Production is also characterized by inadequate cultural practices - use of poor-quality planting materials, sub-optimal plant densities, and inadequate weed, pest, and disease management.

There is growing evidence that cassava

productivity can be relatively easily enhanced by improved agronomy and nutrient

management practices


A case for contextualized research

• Contextualized agronomic research has been neglected in cassava, partly because the notion that cassava does not need fertilizer.

• In particular investments in agronomy and nutrient management are lagging behind.

• A complete package of agronomic interventions increases average farmers’ yields by about 20t/ha to almost attainable yields

However, at each stage of increased management intensity, there is a high variability

in response of yield implying a need for site specific targeting of agronomic interventions.


Key Challenges in taking cassava agronomy to scale

• lack of basic information on cassava growth and nutrient requirements to develop best agronomic practices,

• lack of site-specific recommendations to reduce the cassava yield gap based on smallholder farmer resources and production objectives,

• lack of a decision support framework to interact with partners

and farmers and bring such recommendations to scale

• limited scientific capacity in the NARS • Ineffective linkage between research and end users of relevant

research products • Inadequate political will for agricultural development including

cassava


African Cassava Agronomy Initiative (Taking Agronomy to Scale in

Cassava-based Systems in Sub-Saharan

Africa) (ACAI)


ACAI

ACAI is a 5 year Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funded project in 5 countries in Africa (Nigeria, Tanzania, DRC, Ghana and Uganda)

ACAI aims at increasing the availability of appropriate and affordable technologies to sustainably improve short and long-term agricultural productivity in cassava in

the target countries.

ACAI will improve cassava root quality and yields, cassava supply to the processing sector as well as fertilizer sales.

ACAI will engage over 150,000 households including at least 30%

women farmers in the target countries and lead to the creation of a value of at

least US$ 40 million.


ACAI objectives

• Generating basic information on cassava growth

and nutrient requirements to enable the development of improved agronomic recommendations;

• Developing site specific recommendations based

on smallholder farmer resources and production objectives enabling farmers to reduce cassava yield gaps;

• Developing a decision support framework for development partners interacting with smallholder cassava farmers that allows bringing recommendations to scale; and

• Developing scientific capacity within the national

research systems by engaging them in transformative cassava R4D

Reducing the yield

gap

Reducing the

extension support gap


The various Work Streams around which ACAI is conceptualized


Implementation framework: Need based

Address the cassava agronomy needs expressed by development partners as priority needs, Project activities embedded in existing smallholder dissemination networks, The project will facilitate extension agents to deploy decision support tools/tools with direct beneficiaries (mainly smallholder farmers), and An effective ME&L framework will underpin all the above


Priority use cases for cassava

• Fertilizer recommendations

• Fertilizer blending

• Cassava intercropping

• High starch content

• Staggered planting


Key outputs • Nutrient constraints for cassava assessed and nutrient norms

established

• Cassava growth models developed for monocrops and intercropping systems

• QUEFTS modelling framework developed and used as a basis for fertilizer recommendation tool

• Geospatial layers to support the use cases (e.g., weather, soils)

available

• Cassava clusters established with engagement of all major stakeholders operating within cassava value chains in the target countries (led by the Africa Soil Health Consortium)


Tools developed • A cassava fertilizer blending decision support tool for the fertilizer blending industry

developed and validated

• A cassava fertilizer site-specific recommendation decision support tool for extension agents developed and validated

• A best planting practice decision support tool for extension agents/farmers developed and validated

• A cassava intercropping decision support tool for extension agents/farmers developed and validated

• A staggered planting decision support tool for farmers supplying the processing sector developed and validated

• A decision support tool advising on best agronomic practices for high root starch content at harvest for farmers supplying the processing sector developed and validated

• Specific decision support tools and tools developed within the context of cassava value chain initiatives, managed by partners


Capacity development of national institutions to

engage in transformative cassava agronomy R4D

• Enhanced capacity of national research institutions to conduct effective cassava agronomy research

• Enhanced capacity of national research institutions to develop and manage standardized databases

• Enhanced skills of national research institutions in geospatial data analysis (in coordination with AfSIS)

• Strengthened capacity of national research institutions and primary development partner organizations in project management

• Standardized soil and plant analytical laboratories network including Standard Operating Procedures to support cassava agronomy


The project was officially launched in Nigeria and Tanzania in January and

February 2016, respectively

A total of 563 trials (84% of total targeted number of trials) has

been established at the end of the first cropping season in both

Nigeria and Tanzania.

• 2 PhD students already enrolled • Over 50 people at various stages benefitted from

short term training


Work stream 6: Project governance,

management, coordination, and ME&L


Research and development Partners

Nigeria

• FUNAAB • NRCRI

• CAVA II • NOTORE • OYSCGA • Psaltry • SG2000

Tanzania

• ARI

• CAVA II • MEDA • Minjingu • FCI


Thank You for your attention

acai overview by dr abdulai jalloh during the acai-cabi cluster meeting

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