Eric Tollens

Development patterns under population pressure: Agricultural development and the cassava-livestock interaction in smallholder farming systems in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract This paper identifies the pathways along which smallholder farming systems evolve in a context of population pressure in the cassava producing zones of Sub-Saharan Africa. The analysis indicates the existence of the cassava-livestock interaction. Particularly the use of cassava roots by pigs is important. Generally, two alternative development paths can be observed. Land scarcity induced by population growth is the driving force behind them. For countries like Ivory Coast and Ghana, intensification of arable crop production including cassava is prevalent while in the East African countries, mixed crop (cassava)-livestock systems are emerging. The case of Nigeria is peculiar as farming systems evolve along both pathways. In the absence of population pressure and land scarcity extensive crop production systems evolve, as in Zaire. It is concluded that emphasis should be placed on institutional support and research that will encourage the productivity and sustainability of either systems. In Nigeria both policy strategies may have to be adopted.

Realizing Africa's rice promise.

Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice), 01 BP 2031 Cotonou, Benin ABSTRACT Rice consumption in Africa is increasing rapidly because of changes in consumer preferences and urbanization. In 2009, the continent imported one-third of what is available on the world market, costing an estimated US

Rural livestock asset portfolio in northern Ethiopia: A microeconomic analysis of choice and accumulation

5 billion. Soaring and highly volatile rice prices and relatively low levels of global stocks are predicted to remain the norm over the next 10 years. As witnessed by the food crisis in 2008 this is a very risky, expensive and unsustainable situation, and it may lead to severe food insecurity and civil instability in some African countries. However Africa has the human, physical and economic resources to produce enough rice to feed itself and many national, regional and continental rice sector development initiatives have seen the light since the food crisis. The critical challenge facing the African rice sector is to enhance performance in production, processing and marketing to respond to a major concern to be turned into an opportunity: the growing demand for rice as a preferred staple. The Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) is a pan-African research organization, that currently includes 24 member states, working to contribute to poverty alleviation and food security in Africa through research, development and partnership activities aimed at increasing the productivity and profitability of the rice sector in ways that ensure the sustainability of the farming environment. AfricaRice is also a member of the Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers (CGIAR). During its 28th Ordinary Session, held in September 2011 in The Gambia, AfricaRice’s Council of Ministers approved the Center’s 2011-2020 Rice Research for Development strategy. Through a priority setting process, seven Research for Development (R4D) Priority Areas (PAs) were identified that are considered crucial to realize Africa’s rice promise: 1. Conserving rice genetic resources and providing climate-resilient rice varieties to smallholder farmers that are better adapted to production environments and consumer preferences 2. Improving rural livelihoods by closing yield gaps and through sustainable intensification and diversification of rice-based systems 3. Achieving socially-acceptable expansion of rice producing areas, while addressing environmental concerns 4. Creating market-opportunities for smallholder farmers and processors by improving the quality and the competitiveness of locally produced rice and rice products 5. Facilitating the development of the rice value chain through improved technology targeting and evidence-based policy making 6. Mobilizing co-investments and linking with development partners and the private sector to stimulate uptake of rice knowledge and technologies 7. Strengthening the capacities of national rice research and extension agents and rice value chain actors

Balanced Nutrient Management System Technologies In The Northern Guinea Savanna Of Nigeria: Validation And Perspective

Livestock fulfill different functions. Depending on their livelihood strategies, households differ in their choice of what type of animal to keep and on accumulation of the chosen animal overtime. Using a panel data of 385 rural households in a mixed farming system in northern Ethiopia, this paper investigates the dynamic behavior of rural households’ livestock holding to identify determinants of choice and accumulation of livestock overtime. Choice is analyzed for a principal animal, the animal that constituted the largest value of livestock assets a household possessed, using a multinomial logit model. Results indicate that rural households differ in their choice of what type of animal to keep. Agro-climatic conditions, sex and age of household head, presence of an adult male member in a household, and liquidity are the major factors that influence the type of principal animal households keep. Conditional on the principal animal selected, we analyzed the factors that determine the accumulation of the chosen animals by correcting for selection bias. Area of land cultivated is the most significant factor that explains the number of animals households keep. Other factors include sex of household head, diversification into nonfarm self-employment, and shocks.

Rising trends and variability of rice prices: Threats and opportunities for sub-Saharan Africa

Based on experimental evidence that combining mineral fertilizers with organic matter may address poor soil fertility status and result in added benefits, farmer-managed demonstration trials were initiated in 9 villages in the northern Guinea savanna (NGS) of northern Nigeria. The trials had four treatments: (i) a farmers control in which the farmer grows maize according to his usual practice, (ii) the maize technology being promoted by the NGO Sasakawa-Global2000 (SG2000), involving hybrid seeds, proper plant density and fertilizer application practice, and fertilizer application rates that are relatively high for the region (136 kg N, 20 kg P, and 37 kg K ha-1), (iii) the Balanced Nutrient Management Systems (BNMS) manure technology that follows the SG2000 package for maize, except that part of the fertilizer quantity is replaced by animal manure; and (iv) a soybean-maize rotation, again with reduced fertilizer rate to the maize.