From plot to scale: ex-ante assessment of conservation agriculture in Zambia

Komarek, Adam M.; Kwon, Hoyoung; Haile, Beliyou; Thierfelder, Christian; Mutenje, Munyaradzi; Azzarri, Carlo

doi:10.1016/j.agsy.2019.04.001

Cited by 17 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…These studies are generally used to support and justify strategic research portfolio decisions in order to maximize the benefit of limited resources (see, e.g., case studies in Raitzer and Norton, 2009 ) and respond to increased up-front accountability demands from donors ( Pardey et al, 2016 ). Quantitative ex ante studies have been conducted for a range of different agricultural technologies and locations (recent examples are Ainembabazi et al, 2015 ; Komarek et al, 2019 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ex Ante Assessment of Returns on Research Investments to Address the Impact of Fusarium Wilt Tropical Race 4 on Global Banana Production

et al. 2020

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The spread of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense tropical race 4 (Foc TR4), causal agent of Fusarium wilt of banana (FWB), has been projected to reach 17% of the global banana-growing area by 2040 equaling 36 million tons of production worth over US$10 billion. This potential loss has fueled (inter)national discussions about the best responses to protect production and small-scale growers’ livelihoods. As part of a multi-crop ex ante assessment of returns on research investments conducted by the CGIAR Research Program on Roots, Tubers, and Bananas (RTB) from 2012 to 2016, four FWB research options were assessed: (i) improved exclusion, surveillance, eradication, and containment (ESEC) measures to reduce Foc TR4 spread, (ii) integrated crop and disease management (ICDM) to facilitate production of partially FWB resistant cultivars on Foc-infested soils, (iii) conventional breeding of FWB-resistant cultivars (CBRC), and (iv) genetically modified (GM) FWB-resistant cultivars (GMRC). Building on a risk index (Foc scale) predicting the initial occurrence and internal spread of Foc TR4 in 29 countries, an economic surplus (ES) model, cost-benefit analysis, and poverty impact simulations were used to assess impact under two adoption scenarios. All options yield positive net present values (NPVs) and internal rates of return (IRRs) above the standard 10% rate. For the conservative scenario with 50% reduced adoption, IRRs were still 30% for ICDM, 20% for CBRC, and 28% for GMRC. ESEC has IRRs between 11 and 14%, due to higher costs of capacity strengthening, on-going surveillance, farmer awareness campaigns, and implementation of farm biosecurity practices, which could be effective for other diseases and benefit multiple crops. The research investments would reach between 2.7 million (GMRC) and 14 million (ESEC) small-scale beneficiaries across Asia/Pacific, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America/Caribbean. The options varied in their potential to reduce poverty, with the largest poverty reduction resulting from CBRC with 850,000 and ESEC with 807,000 persons lifted out of poverty (higher adoption scenario). In the discussion, we address the data needs for more fine-grained calculations to better guide research investment decisions. Our results show the potential of public investments in concerted research addressing the spread of Foc TR4 to yield high returns and substantially slow down disease spread.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ex Ante Assessment of Returns on Research Investments to Address the Impact of Fusarium Wilt Tropical Race 4 on Global Banana Production

et al. 2020

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“…Results of the financial analysis of several case studies indicated a remarkable financial benefit in terms of internal rate of return and net present value. Other similar studies showed that CA-based systems in Zambia generated an increase of up to 33% in grain yields and consequently a greater net benefit (Komarek et al, 2019).…”

Section: Reasons For Crop-livestock Integration and Diversification U...mentioning

confidence: 78%

“…CL diversification refers to the combination of the production of one or more crops and livestock with the available resources (Komarek et al, 2019). Diversification is determined by multiple factors, including per capita income, the number of crops cultivated, livestock structure, and the total value of outputs.…”

Section: Reasons For Crop-livestock Integration and Diversification U...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing complementary synergies for integrated crop–livestock systems under conservation agriculture in Tunisian dryland farming systems

Dhehibi¹,

Fouzai²,

Frija³

et al. 2023

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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The aim of this paper is twofold. The first objective is to measure the technical efficiency of mixed crop-livestock (CL) smallholder producers operating under conservation agriculture systems in Tunisian rainfed areas. The second objective is to explore complementarities, synergies, and economies of diversification across the different production system components of these crop-livestock producers using the cross-partial derivative framework of output variables in the distance function. A simple random sampling process was employed to select and survey 59 CL smallholders operating under conservation agriculture. The collected data were analyzed using a stochastic input distance function in which synergies were estimated based on the second cross-partial derivative concept of output variables in the distance function. Results show that technical inefficiencies are significant in integrated crop-livestock systems, and there is evidence that economic diversification provides a productivity buffer against climate change threats. As a sustainable intensification strategy, this integrated system also offers a potential advantage. The results further contribute to the debate on crop diversification vs. specialization. Although an enhanced system integration could be a financially and ecologically viable option for mixed crop-livestock systems, more pathways for profitable and viable diversification of cereal-based or orchard-based systems remain to be explored.

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“…Based on that value, the silt pit technology could be recommended for farmers. The farmer will be motivated to conserve their soil (Komarek et al 2019;Beardmore et al 2019). The right technology to implement is the silt pit plus technology combined with mulch, double function biopore with green manure.…”

Section: Incremental B/c Ratiomentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effectiveness and Valuation of Using Silt Pit to Reduce Erosion and Nutrient Loss of Andosol

et al. 2022

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The silt pit is a method of soil management that functions to accommodate and absorb surface runoff. The research aimed to determine the silt pit effectiveness for erosion reduction and nutrient loss. The research is located at 576 above sea level (asl) in Sukamantri village, Taman Sari district, Bogor Regency. The experiment used a randomized block design with three replications and a slope group. The treatments were R0 (without silt pit); R1 (silt pit); R2 (silt pit + mulch); R3 (silt pit + mulch + biopore tube), R4 (silt pit + mulch + biopore tube + vertical crop tube). The highest runoff-decreasing occurred on R4 treatment, which pressed down 29.38% runoff. The highest value of erosion-decreasing occurred on R2 as 68.74% and followed by effectiveness in reducing the loss of 71% Organic C, 76% available P, and 67% total N. The dry seeds peanut yield was around 0.54 - 0.86 Mg ha-1, dried pods was 0.96 - 1.33 Mg ha-1, and dried biomass was 5.16 - 6.23 Mg ha-1 and not significantly different between all treatments. This study recommends that farmers apply silt pit innovation technology with a combination of mulch, biopore, and mature green media because the incremental B/C ratio was 1.175. It is a good economic indicator for farmers.

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From plot to scale: ex-ante assessment of conservation agriculture in Zambia

Cited by 17 publications

References 69 publications

Ex Ante Assessment of Returns on Research Investments to Address the Impact of Fusarium Wilt Tropical Race 4 on Global Banana Production

Ex Ante Assessment of Returns on Research Investments to Address the Impact of Fusarium Wilt Tropical Race 4 on Global Banana Production

Assessing complementary synergies for integrated crop–livestock systems under conservation agriculture in Tunisian dryland farming systems

The Effectiveness and Valuation of Using Silt Pit to Reduce Erosion and Nutrient Loss of Andosol

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