Richard Lamboll

Development of superior cassava cultivars in Ghana by farmers and scientists: The process adopted, outcomes and contributions and changed roles of different stakeholders

SummaryA participatory breeding programme involving farmers in two Ghanaian communities and scientists from CRI (Ghana) and NRI (UK) to develop superior cassava cultivars is described. Initial situation analyses of the communities indicated that cassava is increasing in importance both as a food and a cash crop. Most farmers utilised landraces of cassava; modern varieties were scarcely mentioned. Seeds of 16 half-sib families obtained from a crossing block in Nigeria at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture were planted in a field in each community. During seedling and subsequent clonal generations, accessions selected either by farmers or scientists were retained to the next generation. This selection process has identified 29 superior accessions from amongst 1350 original seedlings. Farmers were relatively consistent in their selection from year to year and their selections corresponded with their stated criteria. Official variety release requires additional multilocational and inspection trials and postharvest assays but otherwise seems harmonious with a participatory breeding approach; our early involvement of farmers may facilitate early release, an important factor in cost-effectiveness. A stakeholder workshop confirmed the need for improved markets for cassava; surveys of current and potential markets have led to field trials with cassava processors. Adoption of a participatory approach, with farmers and scientists taking on new roles and decentralisation of activities, implies a concomitant transfer of influence and resources.

Cashew nut production in Tanzania: Constraints and progress through integrated crop management

Cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) is the fourth most valuable Tanzanian export crop after coffee, cotton and tea. Following a steady increase in production from the middle of this century, there was a dramatic decline from 145,000 t in 1973 to 16,500 t in 1986. This was caused by a complex of socio-economic (low producer prices, inefficient marketing, villagisation) and biological factors (cashew powdery mildew disease, low tree yields, overcrowding of trees). Recently, higher cashew prices and liberalised marketing have created favourable conditions that have encouraged farmers to tackle several of the biological constraints on production. As a result, cashew production has risen steadily from 16,500 t in 1986 to 70,320 t in 1994.

Postharvest agriculture in changing climates: its importance to African smallholder farmers

Climate change and variability affect not only the field stages and yields of crops, but also what happens to them after harvest. There has been little discussion of the impacts of climate change on postharvest agriculture, and still less on these impacts in developing countries. Many studies have focused on potential crop yield and pre-harvest implications of different climatic projections, but have omitted an analysis of the need and ability to then protect this increasingly valuable harvest as a vital aspect of food security. Postharvest systems will be affected by changes in temperature, rainfall, humidity, extreme events and the natural and human responses to climate change and variability. This study describes typical grain postharvest systems in east and southern Africa and discusses the likely impacts of different climate change trends on postharvest activities, assets and human well-being outcomes. Adaptation opportunities for creating more climate resilient postharvest agricultural systems and associated livelihoods are identified. Many of these adaptation opportunities are already known and understood by postharvest service providers, highlighting the significant challenge of getting postharvest knowledge into use at a larger scale. A discussion is presented on the factors influencing attempts to strengthen the adaptive capacity of postharvest systems, such as its invisibility, its omission from training curricula, innovation system challenges, the policy bias towards pre-harvest agricultural spending, limited understanding of gender and diversity aspects of postharvest roles, and the dominance of maize in the food system. The study recognises the crucial role of postharvest agriculture in helping communities adapt and cope with change.

Cassava diversity in Ghanaian farming systems

SummaryThe diversity of cassava was studied in 10 communities spanning a range of socio-economic circumstances and located in the four main agro-ecological zones in Ghana. On average, each farmer grew about two cultivars, mostly landraces, both for home consumption and sale of the storage roots. In total, 35 differently-named landraces were mentioned, 26 in only single communities. Most communities had grown cassava for > 100 years and seem to have acquired an additional landrace about every decade. Landraces were also abandoned. The attributes mentioned of newly-acquired landraces were generally the reverse of landraces abandoned and most were related to the storage roots. All the current landraces in all the communities seem to have been obtained from other communities. None of the almost 300 interviewed farmers understood the role of pollination in setting seed and providing variation amongst seedlings, none purposely planted seeds and most farmers ignored or weeded out cassava seedlings. However, some did use planting material (stem cuttings) from self-sown seedlings, often when planting material from their crops was scarce, and some purposely grew cuttings from a few such seedlings, apparently as experiments. That many seedlings were both reported and seen in newly-planted crops suggests that some may be accidentally used as planting material, especially those seedlings that are perceptually indistinct from the planted crop, resulting in polyclonal landraces.

Perceived stressors of climate vulnerability across scales in the Savannah zone of Ghana: a participatory approach

Abstract Smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa are confronted with climatic and non-climatic stressors. Research attention has focused on climatic stressors, such as rainfall variability, with few empirical studies exploring non-climatic stressors and how these interact with climatic stressors at multiple scales to affect food security and livelihoods. This focus on climatic factors restricts understanding of the combinations of stressors that exacerbate the vulnerability of farming households and hampers the development of holistic climate change adaptation policies. This study addresses this particular research gap by adopting a multi-scale approach to understand how climatic and non-climatic stressors vary, and interact, across three spatial scales (household, community and district levels) to influence livelihood vulnerability of smallholder farming households in the Savannah zone of northern Ghana. This study across three case study villages utilises a series of participatory tools including semi-structured interviews, key informant interviews and focus group discussions. The incidence, importance, severity and overall risk indices for stressors are calculated at the household, community, and district levels. Results show that climatic and non-climatic stressors were perceived differently; yet, there were a number of common stressors including lack of money, high cost of farm inputs, erratic rainfall, cattle destruction of crops, limited access to markets and lack of agricultural equipment that crossed all scales. Results indicate that the gender of respondents influenced the perception and severity assessment of stressors on rural livelihoods at the community level. Findings suggest a mismatch between local and district level priorities that have implications for policy and development of agricultural and related livelihoods in rural communities. Ghana’s climate change adaptation policies need to take a more holistic approach that integrates both climatic and non-climatic factors to ensure policy coherence between national climate adaptation plans and District development plans.

Practical lessons on scaling up smallholder-inclusive and sustainable cassava value chains in Africa

Developing more inclusive and sustainable agricultural value chains at scale is a development priority. The ‘Cassava: Adding Value for Africa’ project has supported the development of value chains for high quality cassava flour (HQCF) in Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda, Nigeria, and Malawi to improve the incomes and livelihoods of smallholder households, including women. The project focused on three key interventions: 1) ensuring a consistent supply of raw materials; 2) developing viable intermediaries as secondary processors or bulking agents; and 3) driving market demand. Scaling-up experiences are presented, guided by an analysis of drivers (ideas/models, vision and leadership, incentives and accountability), the enabling context (institutions, infrastructure, technology, financial, policy and regulations, partnerships and leverage, social context, environment), and the monitoring, evaluation, and learning process. Lessons for scaling up of similar value chain interventions are presented. These highlight the tension between rapid development of value chains and achieving equity and sustainability goals; the need for holistic approaches to capacity strengthening of diverse value chain actors; the role of strengthening equitable business relationships and networks as a vital element of scaling processes; and how informed engagement with government policy and regulatory issues is key, but often challenging given conflicting pressures on policymakers. The scaling process should be market-led, but the level and type of public sector and civil society investment needs careful consideration by donors, governments, and others, in particular less visible investments in fostering relationships and trust. Addressing uncertainties around smallholder-inclusive value chain development requires adaptive management and facilitation of the scaling process.

Climate change in semi-arid Malawi : perceptions, adaptation strategies and water governance

Climate change and variability are a threat to sustainable agricultural production in semi-arid areas of Malawi. Overdependence on subsistence rain-fed agriculture in these areas calls for the identification of sustainable adaptation strategies. A study was therefore conducted in Chikwawa, a semi-arid district in southern Malawi, to: (1) assess community’s perception of a changing climate against empirical evidence, (2) determine their local adaptive measures, (3) evaluate the potential of irrigated agriculture as an adaptive measure in household food security and (4) challenges over access to available water resources. The study employed focus group discussions and key informant interviews to assess people’s perceptions of climate change and variability and their desired interventions. To validate the people’s perceptions, rainfall and temperature data for the period 1960–2010 were analysed. A participatory complete randomised experimental design in both rain-fed and dry season–irrigated conditions was conducted to assess a maize cropping system that would improve adaptation. The study established persistent declining yields from rain-fed production in part because of perennial rainfall failure. In response, the community has shifted its focus to irrigation as an adaptation strategy, which has in turn triggered water conflicts in the community over the control of the resource. Water legislation however fails to adequately provide for rules governing sharing of water resources between various stakeholders. This article therefore recommends development of an appropriate institutional framework that forms a strong basis for equitable distribution of water for irrigation in areas most vulnerable to extreme climate events – including droughts and floods.

Shaping, adapting and reserving the right to play: Responding to uncertainty in high quality cassava flour value chains in Nigeria

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explain why the high quality cassava flour (HQCF) value chain in Nigeria has not performed as well as expected. The specific objectives are to: analyse important sources of uncertainty influencing HQCF value chains; explore stakeholders’ strategies to respond to uncertainty; and highlight the implications of different adaptation strategies for equity and the environment in the development of the value chain. Design/methodology/approach The authors used a conceptual framework based on complex adaptive systems to analyse the slow development of the value chain for HQCF in Nigeria, with a specific focus on how key stakeholders have adapted to uncertainty. The paper is based on information from secondary sources and grey literature. In particular, the authors have drawn heavily on project documents of the Cassava: Adding Value for Africa project (2008 to present), which is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and on the authors’ experience with this project. Findings Policy changes; demand and supply of HQCF; availability and price of cassava roots; supply and cost of energy are major sources of uncertainty in the chain. Researchers and government have shaped the chain through technology development and policy initiatives. Farmers adapted by selling cassava to rival chains, while processors adapted by switching to rival cassava products, reducing energy costs and vertical integration. However, with uncertainties in HQCF supply, the milling industry has reserved the right to play. Vertical integration offers millers a potential solution to uncertainty in HQCF supply, but raises questions about social and environmental outcomes in the chain. Research limitations/implications The use of the framework of complex adaptive systems helped to explain the development of the HQCF value chain in Nigeria. The authors identified sources of uncertainty that have been pivotal in restricting value chain development, including changes in policy environment, the demand for and supply of HQCF, the availability and price of cassava roots, and the availability and cost of energy for flour processing. Value chain actors have responded to these uncertainties in different ways. Analysing these responses in terms of adaptation provides useful insights into why the value chain for HQCF in Nigeria has been so slow to develop. Social implications Recent developments suggest that the most effective strategy for the milling industry to reduce uncertainty in the HQCF value chain is through vertical integration, producing their own cassava roots and flour. This raises concerns about equity. Until now, it has been assumed that the development of the value chain for HQCF can combine both growth and equity objectives. The validity of this assumption now seems to be open to question. The extent to which these developments of HQCF value chains can combine economic growth, equity and environmental objectives, as set out in the sustainable development goals, is an open question. Originality/value The originality lies in the analysis of the development of HQCF value chains in Nigeria through the lens of complex adaptive systems, with a particular focus on uncertainty and adaptation. In order to explore adaptation, the authors employ Courtney et al.’s (1997) conceptualization of business strategy under conditions of uncertainty. They argue that organisations can assume three strategic postures in response to uncertainty and three types of actions to implement that strategy. This combination of frameworks provides a fresh means of understanding the importance of uncertainty and different actors’ strategies in the development of value chains in a developing country context.

Climate Change and Agricultural Systems

In this chapter we outline the two-way links between climate change and agriculture, with a particular focus on sub-Saharan Africa. The direct and indirect impacts of climate change on agriculture are explored. How agriculture and land use change contribute to greenhouse gas emissions/global warming is outlined, and then supply-side and demand-side options for mitigation in agricultural and food systems are provided. A range of approaches to farm-level adaptation to climate change are discussed, along with examples of adaptation and barriers to adaptation. Integrated concepts and approaches to addressing climate change in agricultural development, such as climate smart agriculture, are considered. Finally, we look at how agricultural innovation systems may be strengthened to respond to climate change under the headings of: Public policy and regulatory context; Knowledge management; Capacity strengthening; The private sector and the role of markets; Climate finance and agriculture; and Management under increasing risks, uncertainty and conflict. We conclude with suggestions for the ways forward in responding to climate change in agricultural systems.

Influence of Climate Change on Cocoyam Production in Aba Agricultural Zone of Abia State, Nigeria

The paper examined the influence of climate change on cocoyam production in Aba agricultural zone of Abia State. Data for the study was collected using a participatory pair-wise ranking technique from Key cocoyam farmers, village chiefs and Agricultural extension agents in a Focused group discussion and in-depth interview. Findings revealed that the major occupation of the people in the area is farming while the major crops grown are yam, cassava and plantain. Cassava ranked first as the major source of both income and food. On the average, size of farm is 0.3 ha while land acquisition is majorly by inheritance and leasing. The major source of labour is family members and hired labored. The cocoyam cultivars grown in the area are Edeocha, Ede Uhie, okpanambe, and Ede ofe. Farmer’s previous harvest and neighbor are the major source of planting material. Major cropping pattern done in the area is mixed cropping while crops planted with cocoyam include Maize, groundnut and vegetables. Farmers aim of producing cocoyam is for consumption and sometimes sales. All farmers agreed that there is a change in the climate of their zone. The major climate variables that is changing and as well affecting cocoyam production in the zone according to the farmers are rainfall, heat (atmospheric temperature) and sunshine (solar radiation) while the major influence of climate change on cocoyam production include decline in yield of cocoyam, reduction of soil fertility, uncertainty in planting and harvesting date, stunted growth of cocoyam, increase in decay of planted corms/cormels and increase loss during storage in the barns. The study then recommends that access to and cost of fertilizer should be enhanced and subsidized by the Government, this will help farmers to have access to fertilizer thereby overcoming the problem of soil fertility reduction. It further recommends that improved storage facility should be put in place to reduce the huge loss encountered during storage.