Dar USAID Feed the Future Initiative research strategy
Contents
Sustainable intensification of cereal-based farming systems in Eastern and Southern Africa[edit | edit source]
Project Inception Workshop[edit | edit source]
6-9 February 2012, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania[edit | edit source]
Presentation: Feed the Future (Dr. Rob Bertram, USAid)[edit | edit source]
This workshop provides an opportunity for a broad group of important stakeholders to both learn about the project plans and to share their views on expectations from and opportunities for synergies with the project (days 1 and 2) and for the core project team to finalize the project details (days 3 and 4).
- Food crisis in 2008 led USAid to review the strategy.
- Africa was particularly hit by the crisis. Richer countries were more resilient. The poorer countries - spending more money on food - had an affected ability to cope with it. Quality diets (meat, eggs etc.) went down in those days, in favour of basic staples.
- Feed the Future is holistic and has a strong emphasis on pro-poor growth.
- Goals are: accelerating inclusive agricultural sector growth, reducing child under-nutrition, including women, integrating climate change and environment.
- How to design agricultural programs that have a large impact?
- Poor people are particularly concentrated in West and Southern Africa (and Ethiopian highlands) and South Asia
- Research themes: productivity, nutrition, food safety.
- It is counter-intuitive for many to see the pockets of poverty in the areas where there is intensive agricultural production.
- Long term research areas: heat/drought tolerant and climate-adapted cereals + advanced tech solutions for animals and plants + legume productivity for improved nutrition and household incomes.
- Sustainable intensification:
What? Integrates component technologies, NRM, socio-economic aspects. Where? specific focal agroecologies, spillovers to other regions, targeted geographies and value chains. How? Aligning partnerships (national and regional CAADP plans, US unis e.g. CRSPs, International ag research centers, NARS, dev donors, private sector).
- Interventions of sustainable intensification - increasing productivity while reducing risk:
Improve water productivity/water use efficiency nutrient use efficiency; minimize negative environmental impact Increase adaption and reduce GHG emissions per unit of productivity integrate best component tech work in farmer context, integrating local knowledge/perspectives.
- Challenges: going beyond tradeoffs?
- The bigger picture: CAADP, other donors, USAid mission, impact assessment, an R&D model for alignment, coordination and integration).
