1512 - the system of tef intensification (sti)
TRANSCRIPT
OVERVIEWbull Food production will need to double in the next 35 years for the worldrsquos
farmers to feed their families and more non-farm familiesbull This doubling will have to occur with less land per capita lower and less
reliable water supplies and likely higher costs of productionbull Yield gains from Green Revolution technologies have slowed over several
decades both in absolute terms and relative to population growthbull Moreover the economic and environmental costs of these technologies are
rising farming profitability is decreasing for many households and soil health and water quality are being compromised by agrochemical inputs
bull The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) developed in Madagascar 30 years ago to benefit smallholding households there can raise the productivity of land water labor seeds and capital while promoting soil and environmental health
bull SRI concepts and methods originally developed for rice production have been adapted to many other crops this is becoming known as the System of Crop Intensification (SCI)
bull Here we consider how these methods have been adapted to the production of tef (Eragrostis tef) a major grain crop critical for food security in Ethiopia
SYSTEM OF CROP INTENSIFICATION (SCI)As with SRI SCI modifies the growing environment for crop plants both below and above ground It promotes more vigorous growth and functioning of cropsrsquo root systems and greater abundance diversity and activity of beneficial soil biota helping to nourish and to protect crop plants
SCI effects are achieved by greatly reducing plant populations through wider spacing enhancement of the soilrsquos organic matter and active soil aeration Crops can be established through transplanting young seedlings taking care to minimize trauma to the roots or through direct seeding to reduce labor The result is more robust and productive plant phenotypes from any genotype as the plantsrsquo genetic potentials are more fully expressed
SYSTEM OF TEF INTENSIFICATION (STI)In 2008 the first trials were undertaken at Debre Zeit with support from the Sasakawa Africa Association adapting SRI concepts and methods to the production of tef evaluating the following methods
bull Transplanting 14-day seedlingsbull 20x20 cm spacingbull Different soil nutrient amendments than conventional tef production
This gave grain yields about 4 times greater than conventional broadcasting methods which produced 500-1200 kg ha-1 STI methods produced 4400-5100 kg ha-1 using seeds that had been coated with fertilizer and 3400-4100 kg ha-1 with uncoated seeds It was further found that adding micronutrients (Zn Cu) to the soil in addition to N and P macronutrients gave unprecedented yields in the range of 7-8 t ha-1
STI phenotypes have more numerous and stronger tillers larger panicles and are more resistant to lodging which is a major yield limitation for tef plants
with conventional dense broadcasting In 2009 with a grant from Oxfam America further trials and demonstrations were undertaken These confirmed first-year results evoking government and donor interest
SPREAD AND IMPACT OF STI2010 The Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA) in collaboration with
the Federal Ministry of Agriculture the National Institute of Agricultural Research and ministries and research institutions of the four regions began overseeing further trials and demonstrations Good results encouraged ATA to try to expand farmer use of the methods
Tef farmersrsquo reluctance to move directly to fully-intensified crop management led to adapted STI using direct seeding This became known as TIRR standing for Tef Improved seed with Reduced seed rate and Row planting
2013 TIRR scaled up by national extension system reaching 13 million farmers up from 167000 the year before
2014 TIRR reached 22 million farmers 13 of Ethiopiarsquos tef-growing smallholder farmers on 11 million hectares 36 of the land under tef
2015 The ATA and Ministry of Agriculture expect 5 million farmers to adopt TIRR in 2 to 3 years representing a majority of the countryrsquos tef farmers
National production of tef in 201415 was 47 million tons more than 50 higher than production in 200809 when STI experiments started (see figure at right)
RELEVANCE FOR GLOBAL FOOD SECURITYThese kinds of gains in productivity in crop vigor and in resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses have been observed in a number of other crops ndash wheat finger millet maize sugarcane and others ndash raising yields substantially by 20-50 and sometimes by 100 or more with reductions in water use reduced seed requirements because plant populations are greatly lowered and greater precision and care in crop management Factors like spacing and timing are optimized to suit local conditions (httpsricalscornelleduaboutsriothercrops)
bull SCI does not negate or contradict the benefits of varietal improvement ndashfarmers are always advised to start with the most productive and suitable varieties for their circumstances and objectives
bull SCI isnrsquot necessarily only organic but can obtain profitable yields without relying primarily on inorganic sources of nutrients
bull Integrated nutrient management combining and optimizing nutrient sources is recommended emphasizing use of organic sources to improve structure and functioning of soil systems and for long-term fertility
bull SCI crops demonstrate greater resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses Farmers report and some research shows reduced pestdisease losses Increased ability to withstand drought and water stress storm damage
flooding and temperature extremes This resilience is attributable to the growth of larger better-
functioning root systems and to enhanced abundance activity and diversity of beneficial soil organisms
bull Applications of SCI to wheat finger millet and sorghum through farmer-centered research conducted by the Institute for Sustainable Development in Addis Ababa (wwwisdorget)
bull SCI like its parent SRI is still a work in progress
Already the technological breakthrough of STITIRR is contributing to reducing food insecurity in Ethiopia and this experience indicates how global food security can be improved quickly and at low cost by making better use of available genetic and other resources
The System of Tef Intensification (STI)Modifying crop management for greater food security in Ethiopia
T Berhe1 Z Gebretsadik1 A G Ayetenfisu1 and N Uphoff2
1Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA) Addis Ababa Ethiopia2SRI International Network and Resources Center (SRI-Rice) Cornell University Ithaca NY USA
Matured tef with full heads of grain under STI management
On left broadcasted tef plant and transplanted STI plant showing differences in their tiller number top right transplanting 15-day-old tef seedlings Debre Zeit 2009 bottom right same field four weeks after transplanting
Broadcasted tef plants on left compared with transplanted STI tef plants on right
Sources
Araya H S Edwards A Asmelash H Legesse GH Zibelo T Assefa E Mohamed and S Misgina (2013) SCI ndash Planting with space Farming Matters 29 (March) LEISA Wageningen 35-37 httpwwwagriculturesnetworkorgmagazinesglobalsrisci-planting-with-space
ATA (2014) 20132014 Annual Report Transforming Agriculture in Ethiopia Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency Addis Ababa wwwatagovetwp-contentuploadsAnnual_Reportpdf
ATAEIAR (2013) Results of 2012 New Tef Technology Demonstration Trials Agricultural Transformation Agency and Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research Addis Ababa httpsricalscornelleduaboutsriothercropsteffEthiopia_SCI_tef_2012_trialspdf
Berhe T Z Gebrestadik S Edwards and H Araya (2013) Boosting tef productivity using improved agronomic practices and appropriate fertilizers in Achievements and Prospects of Tef Improvement Proceedings of 2nd International Workshop Nov 7-9 2012 Debre Zeit eds K Assefa S Chanyalew and Z Tadele Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research Addis Ababa and Institute of Plant Sciences University of Bern pp 133-40
SRI-Rice (2014) The System of Crop Intensification Agroecological Innovations for Improving Agricultural Production Food Security and Resilience to Climate Change SRI International Network and Resources Center (SRI-Rice) Cornell University Ithaca New York and the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) Wageningen Netherlands
Average tef yield (t ha-1) with different planting methods and different seed rates 2012 Key 30 BC ndash broadcasting 30 kg ha-1 5 BC ndash broadcasting 5 kg ha-1 5 Row ndash row planting 5 kg ha-1 04 TP ndash transplanting 04 kg ha-1
13013
18013
26013
31013
013
113
213
313
413
3013 BC13 513 BC13 513 Row13 0413 TP13
Grain13 Yield13 (tons13 13 ha)13
013
0513
113
1513
213
2513
313
013
113
213
313
413
513
2008200913 2009201013 2010201113 2011201213 2012201313 2013201413 2014201513
Yields13 (t13 13 ha)13
Area13 13 (million13 ha)13 13 Produ
con
13 (million13 tons)13
Naonal13 Teff13 Area13 and13 Producon13 in13 Ethiopia13
Area13 (mill13 ha)13
Producon13 (mill13 tons)13
Trad13 yield13 (tons13 ha-shy‐1)13
TIRR13 yield13 (tons13 ha-shy‐1)13