Optimizing benefits from crop residues in smallholder crop-livestock systems in Africa and South Asia
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/440
[Slp_project_slp10]
Optimizing livelihood and environmental benefits from crop residues in smallholder crop-livestock systems in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia: regional case studies
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Item type: Item , Assessing the potential of dual-purpose maize in southern Africa: A multi-level approach(Journal Article, 2013-09) Homann-Kee Tui, Sabine; Blümmel, Michael; Valbuena, Diego; Chirima, A.; Masikati, Patricia; Rooyen, Andre F. van; Kassie, Girma T.This paper explores the potential and challenges of increasing production of food and feed on existing maize fields in mixed crop-livestock systems in the semi-arid areas of southern Africa. It integrates results from different sources of data and analysis: 1. Spatial stratification using secondary data for GIS layers: Maize mega-environments combined with recommendation domains for dual-purpose maize were constructed for Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, stratifying the countries by demand factors (livestock densities and human population densities) and feed availability. Relative biomass contributions to feed resources from rangelands were compared to those from croplands to explore the usefulness of global datasets for feed supply estimations. 2. Verification through farming systems analysis: the potential demand for maize residues as feed (maize cropping patterns, maize yields and uses, feed deficits) was compared at contrasting sites, based on household survey data collected on 480 households in 2010. 3. Maize cultivar analysis: Genotypic variability of maize cultivars was compared to evaluate the potential contribution (stover quantity and quality) of dual-purpose maize to reduce feed deficits. The study results illustrate high spatial variability in the demand for and supply of maize residues. Northern Malawi is characterized by high livestock density, high human population density and high feed availability. Farmers achieve maize yields of more than 2 t/ha resulting in surplus of residues. Although livestock is important, southwest Zimbabwe has low livestock densities, low human populations and low feed availability; farming systems are more integrated and farmers make greater use of maize residues to address feed shortages. Central Mozambique also has low cattle densities, low human populations and low feed availability. More rangelands are available but maize yields are very low and livestock face severe feed shortages. The investigation of 14 advanced CIMMYT maize landraces cultivars and 15 advanced hybrids revealed significant variations in grain and stover yield and fodder quality traits. Where livestock densities are high and alternative feed resources are insufficient, maize cultivars with superior residue yield and fodder quality can have substantial impact on livestock productivity. Cultivars at the higher end of the quality range can provide sufficient energy for providing livestock maintenance requirements and support about 200 g of live weight gain daily. Maize cultivars can be targeted according to primary constraints of demand domains for either stover quantity or stover fodder quality and the paper proposes an approach for this based on voluntary feed intake estimates for maize stover.Item type: Item , Conservation agriculture in mixed crop-livestock systems: Scoping crop residue trade-offs in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia(Journal Article, 2012-06) Valbuena, Diego; Erenstein, Olaf; Homann-Kee Tui, Sabine; Abdoulaye, Tahirou; Claessens, Lieven; Duncan, Alan J.; Gerard, Bruno G.; Rufino, Mariana C.; Teufel, Nils; Rooyen, Andre F. van; Wijk, Mark T. vanConservation Agriculture (CA) is being advocated to enhance soil health and sustain long term crop productivity in the developing world. One of CA's key principles is the maintenance of soil cover often by retaining a proportion of crop residues on the field as mulch. Yet smallholder crop–livestock systems across Africa and Asia face trade-offs among various options for crop residue use. Knowledge of the potential trade-offs of leaving more residues as mulch is only partial and the objective of this research is to address some of these knowledge gaps by assessing the trade-offs in contrasting settings with mixed crop–livestock systems. The paper draws from village surveys in 12 sites in 9 different countries across Sub-Sahara Africa and South Asia. Sites were clustered into 3 groups along the combined population and livestock density gradients to assess current crop residue management practices and explore potential challenges to adopting mulching practices in different circumstances. Results show that although high-density sites face higher potential pressure on resources on an area basis, biomass production tends to be more substantial in these sites covering demands for livestock feed and allowing part of the residues to be used as mulch. In medium-density sites, although population and livestock densities are relatively lower, biomass is scarce and pressure on land and feed are high, increasing the pressure on crop residues and their opportunity cost as mulch. In low-density areas, population and livestock densities are relatively low and communal feed and fuel resources exist, resulting in lower potential pressure on residues on an area basis. Yet, biomass production is low and farmers largely rely on crop residues to feed livestock during the long dry season, implying substantial opportunity costs to their use as mulch. Despite its potential benefit for smallholder farmers across the density gradient, the introduction of CA-based mulching practices appears potentially easier in sites where biomass production is high enough to fulfil existing demands for feed and fuel. In sites with relatively high feed and fuel pressure, the eventual introduction of CA needs complementary research and development efforts to increase biomass production and/or develop alternative sources to alleviate the opportunity costs of leaving some crop residues as mulch.Item type: Item , Optimizing livelihood and environmental benefits from crop residues in smallholder crop-livestock systems in western Oromia: PRA case studies conducted across eight villages around Nekemte, Ethiopia(Report, 2012-03-07) Lule, D.; Kaba, W.; Degefa, A.; Degefa, K.; Negash, M.; Mekonnen, Kindu; Leta, Gerba; Duncan, Alan J.Item type: Item , Intensification of crop-livestock farming systems in East Africa: A comparison of 3 sites in the highlands of Ethiopia and Kenya(Poster, 2011-10-24) Mekonnen, Kindu; Duncan, Alan J.; Valbuena, Diego; Gerard, Bruno G.; Lule, D.; Bahta, Mesfin; Rachier, Gideon O.Item type: Item , Crop residue tradeoffs in crop-livestock systems: SLP project overview(Presentation, 2010-12-09) Gerard, Bruno G.Item type: Item , Crop residue tradeoffs in crop-livestock systems: Ideas for scenarios to be analyzed(Presentation, 2010-12-09) Wijk, Mark T. vanItem type: Item , Overview of SLP crop residues project sites in West Africa(Presentation, 2010-12-09) Abdoulaye, TahirouItem type: Item , Optimizing livelihood and environmental benefits from crop residues in smallholder crop-livestock systems in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia: Southern Africa case study(Presentation, 2010-12-09) Homann-Kee Tui, Sabine; Rooyen, Andre F. vanItem type: Item , Optimizing livelihood and environmental benefits from crop residues in smallholder crop-livestock systems in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia: Background on Study Regions in South Asia(Presentation, 2010-12-09) Teufel, Nils; Bhatia, M.; Bandhu, B.Item type: Item , Optimizing benefits from crop residues in smallholder mixed systems in Africa and South Asia: Modeling tools(Presentation, 2010-12-09) Valbuena, DiegoItem type: Item , Optimizing benefits from crop residues in smallholder mixed systems in Africa and South Asia: A comparison(Presentation, 2010-12-09) Valbuena, DiegoItem type: Item , Optimizing benefits from crop residues in smallholder mixed systems in Africa and South Asia: Sampling strategy(Presentation, 2010-12-09) Valbuena, DiegoItem type: Item , Optimizing livelihood and environmental benefits from crop residues in smallholder crop-livestock systems in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia: regional case studies. Progress and preliminary research findings for East African sites(Presentation, 2010-12-09) Mekonnen, Kindu; Duncan, Alan J.Item type: Item , Feeding Livestock, Feeding the Soil: Crop residue trade-offs in crop–livestock systems - Regional case studies(Brochure, 2010-04-13) International Livestock Research InstituteItem type: Item ,