Crop residue tradeoffs in crop-livestock systems“Improving livelihood and environmental benefits from crop residues in smallholder crop-livestock systems in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia:

regional case studies”.

Bruno Gerard

CGIAR Systemwide Livestock Programme‘Mind the Gaps’ Meeting

Naivasha, Kenya27-29 April 2011

Background

Smallholders in mixed crop-livestock: very large fraction of farming enterprises in developing countries, crop residues (CR) being a strategic production component (multiple use).

Mixed crop-livestock systems are very dynamic, responsive to external drivers such as demographic pressure, development of urban markets and increased demand for crop and livestock products, climate variability and change.

In addition, the recent interest for bio-fuel production exacerbates further the pressure on biomass in production systems.

Background (cont)

The major tradeoff in most systems is the short term benefits of using crop residues to feed livestock versus leaving the crop residues in the field to improve soil productivity (nutrient balance, erosion control, and soil health).

The study focuses on the decision making processes at the farm/household level and attempt to capture the diversity/contrasts and recent changes in CR uses at various scales in order to better target technical, institutional and policy options to improve livelihood without compromising long term system sustainability.

TOPIC

Ranking summary

Total weight/ Grade

Competitive (No. of persons)

Commissioned (No.

of persons)

1.1Optimizing livelihood and environmental benefits from crop residues in smallholder crop-livestock systems in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia: regional case studies and their strategic lessons

71 6 4

2.1Targeting interventions to benefit vulnerable groups in intensifying smallholder crop-livestock systems 62 4 5

2.2Alleviating poverty in intensifying smallholder crop-livestock systems: methods for setting R&D priorities 48 1 8

3.2Enhancing soil nutrient and water management for the sustainable intensification and diversification of smallholder crop-livestock systems in extensive areas

46 5 1

4.1Assessing energy options from renewable sources for poor households in crop-livestock systems 41 8 1

5.1Overcoming barriers to market access for smallholder crop-livestock systems in extensive areas 38 6 2

3.1Institutional options for improving soil health in smallholder crop-livestock systems 25 5 2

Ranking by LPG of Proposed Research Topics for SLP 2008 Funding

Research Questions

What determines the decisions about crop residue use (current crop management, agro-ecology, markets/institutions, resource endowments, dynamics,…)?

What is the impact of those decisions on livelihoods and sustainability?

What are the technological, institutional and policy options that would enhance livelihood and environmental benefits?

Research Approach

Combination of village and household surveys and modelling (tradeoff, productivity)

(4 regions, 9 countries, 11 village clusters)

Households surveyed in the four regions using stratified sampling, based on intensification level and market access.

Village group survey to capture: i. Drivers and market access;ii. Communal feed resources;iii. Systems evolution in term of feeding strategies and

soil productivity.

Household survey to capture:i. Decision making for the allocation of crop residues;ii. Identification of soil fertility management practices

and feeding strategies;iii. Retrospective questions to understand farm

evolution/trajectories.

Collection (primary and secondary data) of key bio-physical parameters (minimum data set) to address sustainability issues.

Contrast and trend analysis at household, village, system scales and identification of potential solutions under a range of scenarios.

From Dec 2009 meeting

- progress on village level surveys and finalization of the household survey instruments

- Workplan (conducting household survey, collecting secondary data,…)

- Systems evolution/trajectories and scenario

- Expertise on SA/Modelling missing (videoconference only)

-> Need to conduct a workshop to bring together regions and system analysts (expertise from inside and outside the project)

- Review approaches (combination socio-economic characterization and modelling)

- Confirm we have the right tools to answer the project questions

- Identify methodological, scale and data gaps and how to fill those gaps

- Refine indicators

- Develop collective workplan for analysis

- Link this work with other on-going and future research (ie SLF, CRPs, new projects)

- Follow-up project (Solution)

-Publications….

This project (2010-2011)

What determines the decisions about crop residue use (current crop management, agro-ecology, markets/institutions, resource endowments, dynamics,…)?

What is the impact of those decisions on livelihoods and sustainability?

Follow-up project (2012)

What are the technological, institutional and policy options that would enhance livelihood and environmental benefits?