2 November 2018, No. 1773

NewsletterHappeningsIn-house version

Jim and Wendy Ryan Endowment Fund for researchers to use unique village studies data

Path-breaking village-level studies with over 40 years of data will be available at ICRISAT for further research with

support from the Jim and Wendy Ryan Endowment Fund. Instituted by the former Director General of ICRISAT, Dr Jim Ryan and his wife Wendy Ryan, this new fund will support researchers undertaking agricultural economics studies with data from the Village Level Studies (VLS) and the Village Dynamic Studies in South Asia (VDSA) that have been carried out by ICRISAT.

The VLS and VDSA data have provided various socio-economic insights on policy and on institutional constraints in agricultural development. Recognized by World Bank as an International Public Good and 'the goose that lays golden eggs', these datasets have been extensively cited since they provided valuable insights on development concerns.

Leader of the Economics Program at ICRISAT from 1974 to 1983, Dr Jim Ryan served as the institution’s Director

Snapshots from the past: Vintage pictures of Dr Jim Ryan and Wendy Ryan.Photos: ICRISAT

General from 1991 to 1997. Speaking of why they set up the fund, Dr Ryan said, “My wife and I have a deep affection for India and for ICRISAT. Having spent almost 15 years there, we thought we would like to leave a legacy that builds on the work. I was associated with ICRISAT in the early days, setting up Village Level Studies and putting in a lot of work, that built an international reputation. We thought the best way we could encourage people to make use of that database, which is rather unique, was to lend support to magnetizing scholars from around the world to make effective use of that data, for the rural poor of the semi-arid tropics.”

Dr Jim Ryan speaking about the Jim and Wendy Ryan Endowment Fund.

Several new research papers are expected to be published using this data.

For more information click here.

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Project: Tropical Legumes IIIFunder: Bill & Melinda Gates FoundationPartners: International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT); International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA); Institute for Agriculture Research, Ahmadu Bello University (IAR-ABU);-Centre for Dryland Agriculture, Bayero University, Kano (CDA-BUK); Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi (FUAM); Council for Scientific and Industrial Research Institute - Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (CSIR-SARI); Institut de l’Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles (INERA) Burkina Faso; Heritage Seeds Company Ltd and Epam Seeds Pvt. Ltd; local Nigerian Agricultural Development Projects; and ICRISATCGIAR Research Program: Grain Legumes and Dryland Cereals

Legumes beckon, children of soil return to roots in Africa

Ms Noba Francalini, owner of Epam Seeds Company, and farmer Nappon Iassane from Leo Village, Sissili Province in southern Burkina Faso, engaged in seed multiplication of improved cowpea and groundnut variety.

It was a gamble that 30-year-old Fuseini Zaanyeya realizes was worth taking. For, quality healthcare and primary

education are well within reach since he returned to agriculture under the third phase of Tropical Legumes Project. TL III aims to boost legume production in drought-prone sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

Before starting under TL III, Zaanyeya had migrated to the Ghanaian capital city of Accra in search of work, leaving the farming community of Gberimani-Tibogu behind. When those efforts proved to be in vain Zaanyeya returned to his hometown, Tolon. Enthused by a new tractor and renewed hope in agriculture, courtesy of the project, he took up cowpea production. For four years now he has chaired a farmers’ group engaged in cowpea seed business with Heritage Seeds Company. Stories like Zaanyeya’s echo from several households of West and Central Africa.

“With improved yield and higher income, I can now afford to pay school fees and hospital bills for my children,” a beaming Mr Zaanyeya told the TL III team, which visited West and Central Africa in September.

Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, TL III is being executed in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda and the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh to improve production of chickpea, common bean, cowpea and groundnut. It is being jointly implemented by ICRISAT, International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and national partners in target countries. During the first two phases of the project, 163 new seed varieties were released to replace older variants and seed production increased 221%, generating over US$ 1.3 billion in added value.

In Bichi, Nigeria, the TL III team learnt of 20 young farmers producing Samnut-24, an improved groundnut variety while working with the IITA and Bayero University (Kano, Nigeria). For young farmers like Zaanyeya, inter-organizational partnerships built across the value chain under the project are crucial.

Explaining benefits of cooperation reaped by the stakeholders, Mr Alhaji Zakaria Iddrisu, who runs the Heritage Seeds Company, says, “By engaging farmers from the region we are producing large quantities of improved variety cowpea and groundnut seeds, for which the foundation seeds are supplied by CSIR-SARI.”

“This arrangement not only allows us to have quality seeds but also empowers farmers with higher yield and improved income,” adds Ms Noba Francalini, owner of Epam Seeds in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

During this visit, the team also learnt of increased participation by women in strengthening seed systems.

Self-help initiatives like Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLA), that resulted from a partnership between TL III and the NGO Social Enterprise Development, have increased access to credit, seeds and land for women. The team noted that increased participation of women boosted efforts to replace a dated Chinese variety of groundnut, ‘Shi Tao Qi’, with newer varieties developed under TL III.

Commenting on the project’s progress, its Principal Investigator, Dr Rajeev Varshney, says, “The project’s role in strengthening capacities of National Agriculture Research Systems is visible in groundnut and cowpea breeding programs in Ghana, Burkina Faso and Nigeria. I am happy to note the progress made on ground with the strong support of our implementing partner IITA and dedicated efforts of our NARS partners - Institute for Agriculture Research at Ahmadu Bello University, Centre for Dryland Agriculture at Bayero University, Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, and ADPs.”

Under TL III, at least 50 resilient and productive legume cultivars with farmer-preferred agronomic and market traits are planned for delivery. For more on ICRISAT’s work in Nigeria, click here.For more on ICRISAT’s work on groundnut, click here.

Farmer Fuseini Zaanyeya.

Photos: N Mishra, ICRISAT

This work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals

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Moving away from silos, working towards ‘synthesis’ of learnings

A special ‘Synthesis’ issue that collates research

outputs from participating CGIAR centers was one of the key action points discussed at a workshop on Land and Water Solutions (LWS) – Flagship 2 of the CGIAR Research Program Water, Land and Ecosystems. Scientists presented their work and brainstormed on topics related to gender equity, sustainable irrigation and watersheds. As a follow-up, a ‘Science Synthesis Workshop’ was planned.

Progress report of the LWS flagship

In the introductory session, the flagship leaders Dr Anthony Whitbread, Research Program Director, Innovation Systems for the Drylands, ICRISAT, and Dr Jennie Barron, Professor at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden, presented the key achievements for 2017-18 and the next steps (See box).

A presentation made at the workshop shows the stark difference in landscapes in Ethiopia – (L) without interventions and (R) with sustainable intensification.

Photo: ICRISAT

Key highlights

▪ In 2017, the Ethiopian Prime Minister approved a policy to make all water technologies tax exempt;

▪ Helped the Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development develop a revised Ethiopian Soil Strategy and support a new irrigation map;

▪ Gender research in 2015-2017 was featured twice on the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Agrilinks seminar;

▪ Government of India to design new solar photovoltaic irrigation investment of US$7 billion;

▪ A special issue on “The productivity and profitability on small scale irrigation communal irrigation systems in Southern-Eastern Africa” was published by the International Journal of Water Resources Development.

Next steps

▪ Promotion of Watersheds/Gestion de Terroir approaches for integrated natural resource management in the Sahel;

▪ Development of policies for watersheds that consider gender and inclusion;

▪ Influence investment and focus in small-medium irrigation rehabilitation and management.

Session on writing

On the final day, a session titled – Write to Life: Science in the world of ‘popular’ writing – was conducted to encourage scientists to think out of the box, hone skills to disseminate their work and to support them to present their work in an attractive and easy-to-digest format. The creation of an ‘idea bank’ was proposed to extend the benefits of the workshop. The half-day session was led by the Strategic Marketing and Communication team of ICRISAT. Ms Mia Signs of the CRP Water Land and Ecosystems and Ms Jayashree Balasubramanian, ICRISAT, designed and conducted this ‘write-shop’.

Brainstorming sessions

The brainstorming sessions centered on sustainable intensification given the CGIAR focus on sustainable landscapes and included issues such as soil fertility, rainwater management, smallholder climate resilience and water productivity. Developing a synthesis paper for gender; guidance/tools for out-scaling and upscaling technologies, and benchmarking of medium- and large-scale irrigation were discussed.

One of the key issues discussed was on influencing the donor community in West and Central Africa, where scaling landscape solutions has limited government support. Solutions suggested included developing an investment case for watershed restoration and developing indicators for impact assessment of watersheds given the complex interventions.

Read more...

The LWS Science Workshop was held from 7-9 October at ICRISAT, India.

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Award

Busy. That’s the first word that comes to your mind as you wind your way through Eastleigh. It is the

neighbourhood of one of Africa’s oldest slums, Majengo, Easteleigh is also home to one of the biggest business centers, in Nairobi, Kenya, involving business of over 600 million dollars every month.

“You can find everything in Eastleigh,” laughs Clive Wanguthi, as I wonder how to describe him – local guide,

community worker, leader, activist or preacher – perhaps, all of these. Weaving his way expertly through the milling crowd, Clive cautions, “Stay ahead of me, I want to ensure that you are safe.” Indeed, after getting nearly hit by two vehicles, I take his advice and stay more cautious, which is somewhat difficult, given the riot of activity around. “I’ve got your back,” the former self-proclaimed outlaw, encourages me, as we walk through multiple distractions. “You can’t be too careful here.” A street-side store with the cheeky name of ‘Donald Trump’ blares its wares, while gold jewelry in little trays gleam at you for a song in dim lanes. Lines of steaming chapatti-beans food stalls and glowering gun-toting cops assail your senses, as Clive calls out an ‘As-salaam-alaikum’ every few seconds to an acquaintance. Everyone is busy.

Adjoining Eastleigh, the Majengo slum, is also the largest second-hand retail market in the continent. Clothes, shoes, linen, even undergarments arrive here, are sorted and segregated category-wise, before hitting the many small lanes, packed so closely with products, buyers and sellers. People move almost involuntarily amidst the surging crowd, pushcarts and headloads of goods. However, Majengo, is not just about shopping. It has also been an area vulnerable to illegal activities. One can come here to

The slum gurus of Nairobi – can agribusiness make a difference?

buy arms and ammunition while sex workers have been pushing their trade here for decades. In spite of how busy it is, Majengo is however extremely food insecure and also vulnerable to violence, extremism and gang activities. As we glide through, a young man stops Clive for earnest conversation. He tells us he’s looking for a job. Though bustling with business, changing tax laws and crackdown on unregistered vendors have made it more difficult for the livelihood of young people. “I do my best, to create opportunities – like these”, says Clive pointing to a youth-manned bike-wash center. “If there’s no work, youth become easy targets to be exploited or recruited into unlawful ways.” Read more…

Street market, Majengo, Nairobi. Photo: Jayashree B, ICRISAT

Honorary professorship for Dr Rajeev VarshneyDr Rajeev Varshney, Research Program Director - Genetic Gains, ICRISAT, received an honorary professorship at the Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences (ZAAS), China on 16 October 2018 from Dr Lao Hongwu, President, ZAAS. He was visiting China as a keynote speaker at the 2018 High-level Forum on “The Belt and Road” International Agricultural Sci-Tech Cooperation in Jinan, Shandong Province, during 16-19 October 2018. He spoke about ‘Advances in genomics and genetics for molecular breeding by design in legume crops’.Photo: ZAAS

Jayashree BalasubramanianLead - Communications and Library Strategic Marketing & Communication

Blog by

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CLIM2 website highlights crop and livestock value chain innovations

The Crop Livestock Integration and Marketing in Malawi (CLIM2) project has its own website now:

https://clim.icrisat.org/. In Malawi, where land is scarce and malnutrition rampant, improving farms and rearing livestock is everybody’s dream. CLIM2 works on improving the business environment for crop and livestock value chains to enhance local nutrition and the capacity to buy nutritious foods.

Expanding farmers’ options for producing nutrient-dense crops for food and feed; value addition for aflatoxin-free food and feed crops; and stimulating small and medium enterprises along high-potential value chains are some of the project’s key goals. To reach out to farmers more effectively, the project works with rural extension workers and business people, such as chicken club members, butcher-men and dairy processors.

The EU-funded project on is implemented by ICRISAT, The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Small Scale Livestock & Livelihoods Program (SSLLP) and NARES.

New communication product

A new Smart food ambassador for West Africa and a 'Master Class' for youngstersParis-based celebrity Chef Anto, an expert in African and French cuisines, joined the Smart Food campaign recently from Bamako, Mali, endorsing dryland cereals and legumes with four novel recipes of her own. See her create delicious sorghum crackers in this video of the latest episode of Le Chef Anto, her signature show.

A ‘Master Class’ on Smart Food was also held in Bamako in October 2018 to encourage use of Smart Food in more recipes and cuisines.

A few glimpses of the recipes and aspiring chefs.

Photos: A Diama, ICRISAT

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In the media

New projectsKULIMA – Promoting Farming in Malawi: Improving the access to and use of agriculture research innovations by Malawian farmersFunder: BMZ-GIZ thru International Potato Center (CIP)Grant period: 15 May 2018 - 31 July 2019Principal Investigator: Dr Patrick OkoriResearch Program: Eastern and Southern Africa

Agriculture Resilience: Linking Insurance and Technology with Climate Adapted Farming Systems (RIICE III India Chapter)Funder: Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)

Grant period: 10 October 2018 - 30 June 2021Principal Investigator: Dr Sreenath DixitResearch Program: Asia(RIICE: Remote sensing-based Information and Insurance for Crops in Emerging economies)

Accelerated varietal improvement and seed delivery of legumes and cereals in Africa (AVISA)Funder: Bill & Melinda Gates FoundationGrant period: 16 October 2018 - 30 September 2022Principal Investigator: Dr Jan DebaeneResearch Program: Office of Deputy Director General – Research

Use ‘Plantix app’ to spot plant disease“The armyworm live tracking tool helps us in monitoring and focusing on those states and districts that are most infected with it. This is essential to fight the spread of this bug effectively in the country as huge as India, and help growers receive effective advisories on the ground.” -- Dr Srikanth Rupavatharam, ICRISAT.

India-Myanmar pigeon pea project gets a research boostICRISAT working on developing climate-resilient pigeon pea

Pre-breeding scientists at International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) are exploring possible solutions to increase nutritional value in agriculture produce, sourced from wild species of cajanus.

A project funded by Global Crop Diversity Trust (GCDT), would evaluate promising pre-breeding lines in India and Myanmar, bringing them one step closer to cultivation, according to a release here on Thursday.

ABC Radio interviews Dr Rajeev Varshney, Research Program Director – Genetic Gains, ICRISAT on work mapping the genomes for nine crops, including chickpea, pigeon-pea, pearl millet and peanuts. “Genetic mapping work has paved the way for radical crop changes, like developing an allergy-free peanut,” says Dr Varshney. Listen to the full interview on https://ab.co/2ESvfuy

The Smart Food campaign continues with the Chef Anto (Second from Right) on Radio France Internationale (RFI) as part of the '7 billion of neighbors' program hosted by Emmanuelle Bastide (Third from Right). Listen to the full interview (in French) on https://bit.ly/2yOxpG7

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New publicationsBacterial ecology and rheological parameters of multigrain gluten-free sourdoughsAuthors: Adepehin JO, Enujiugha VN, Badejo AA, Young GM, Odeny DA, Wu FPublished: 2018, LWT-Food Science and Technology (TSI), 96. pp. 344-349. ISSN 00236438http://oar.icrisat.org/10689/

Developing climate-smart agriculture to face climate variability in West Africa: Challenges and lessons learntAuthors: Partey ST, Zougmore RB, Ouedraogo M and Campbell BMPublished: 2018, Journal of Cleaner Production (TSI), 187. pp. 285-295. ISSN 09596526http://oar.icrisat.org/10690/

Advancing knowledge on the costs and benefits of sustainable soil fertility management in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh /IndiaAuthors: Falk T, Kadiyala MDM, Gumma MK, Kumar S, Whitbread AM, Limberger S and Bartels LPublished: 2018, Project Report. ICRISAT.http://oar.icrisat.org/10691/

Mapping cropland fallow areas in Myanmar to scale up sustainable intensification of pulse crops in the farming systemAuthors: Gumma MK, Thenkabail PS, Kumara Charyulu D, Mohammed IA, Teluguntla P, Oliphant A, Xiong J, Aye T and Whitbread AMPublished: 2018, GIScience & Remote Sensing (TSI). pp. 1-24. ISSN 1548-1603http://oar.icrisat.org/10692/

Closing the Gap between Climate Information Producers and Users: Assessment of Needs and Uptake in SenegalAuthors: Ouedraogo I, Diouf NS, Ouedraogo M, Ndiaye O and Zougmore RBPublished: 2018, Climate, 6 (1). pp. 1-16. ISSN 2225-1154http://oar.icrisat.org/10693/

Future Smart Crops for paddy fallow agri-food systems in Southeast AsiaAuthors: Wani SP and Sawargaonkar GLPublished: 2018, In: Future Smart Food - Rediscovering hidden treasures of neglected and underutilized species for Zero Hunger in Asia. FAO, Bangkok, Thailand, pp. 61-78. ISBN 978-92-5-130495-2http://oar.icrisat.org/10696/

Candidate fodder species for goat production in Northern GhanaAuthors: Partey ST, Avornyo F, Ouedraogo M and Zougmore RBPublished: 2018, CCAFS.http://oar.icrisat.org/10697/

Can We Leverage Policies for Self-sufficiency?Authors: Kumar R and Raju KVPublished: 2018, Journal of Development Policy and Practice, 3 (2). pp. 155-178. ISSN 2455-1333http://oar.icrisat.org/10715/

Deciphering the tri-dimensional effect of endophytic Streptomyces sp. on chickpea for plant growth promotion, helper effect with Mesorhizobium ciceri and host-plant resistance induction against Botrytis cinereaAuthors: Vijayabharathi R, Gopalakrishnan S, Sathya A, Srinivas V and Sharma MPublished: 2018, Microbial Pathogenesis (TSI), 122. pp. 98-107. ISSN 08824010http://oar.icrisat.org/10716/

Effect of farm size on farm productivity: empirical evidences from IndiaAuthors: Anupama GV and Falk TPublished: 2018, In: Proceedings of Land and Poverty Conference 2018: Land Governance in an Interconnected World, March 19-23, 2018, Washington, USA.http://oar.icrisat.org/10741/

Effect of grain colour on iron and zinc density in pearl milletAuthors: Govindaraj M, Rao AS, Shivade H and Rai KNPublished: 2018, Indian Journal of Genetics and Plant Breeding (TSI), 78 (2). pp. 247-251. ISSN 0019-5200http://oar.icrisat.org/10742/

If you would like your recent publication to be included in Happenings (or in the OAR), please write to Ramesh Kotnana, Librarian, at k.ramesh@cgiar.org.

Connect with us: ICRISAT is a member of the CGIAR System Organization

About ICRISAT: www.icrisat.org

ICRISAT’s scientific information: EXPLOREit.icrisat.org

Editorial: Jayashree B, Jemima M and Rajani K; Design: Meeravali SK; Web: Fareeduddin M; Circulation: Prasad SV and Vinay R

ICRISAT @ Workplace – Our work, our place

– Contributed by Mr Moussa Magassa, Communication Assistant, ICRISAT, Mali, to ICRISAT FYI group on Workplace.

Do you have something to share? Share @Workplace or write to us at icrisathaps@cgiar.org

At a field day at the ICRISAT Niger research station in the Sahelian Sadore center on 26 October 2018, millet breeders and seed producers witnessed the genetic diversity in the regional genebank collection and selected desired accessions for their breeding programs and seed production respectively. Seventeen breeders and five seed companies from Niger, Mali, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Ghana participated in this field day.

The main objective of the field day was to increase seed distribution and enhance germplasm utilization by partners.