One CGIAR and the Integrated Agri-food Systems Initiative: From short-termism to transformation of the world’s food systems

Govaerts, Bram; Negra, Christine; Camacho-Villa, Tania Carolina; Suarez, Xiomara Chavez; Espinosa, Anabell Diaz; Fonteyne, Simon; Gardeazabal, Andrea; González, Gabriela Garita; Singh, Ramesh Kumar; Kommerell, Víctor; Kropff, Wietske; Saavedra, Víctor Lopez; Lopez, Georgina Mena; Odjo, Sylvanus; Palacios-Rojas, Natalia; Ramírez-Villegas, Julián; Loon, Jelle Van; Vega, Daniela; Verhulst, Nele; Woltering, Lennart; Jahn, Molly; Kropff, M.J.

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0252832

Cited by 21 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…The trials were set up by farm advisors collaborating in the innovation hub fostered by CIMMYT in Oaxaca (Gardeazabal et al, 2021). In the hub, adaptive research is codesigned and implemented together with local farmers to improve farmers livelihoods while creating more sustainable production systems (Gardeazabal et al, 2021; Govaerts et al, 2021). In Oaxaca, the farmers expressed a lack of knowledge on weed management, especially under reduced tillage.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Weed management and tillage effect on rainfed maize production in three agro‐ecologies in Mexico

et al. 2022

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Maize (Zea mays L.) is grown in a wide range of agro-ecological environments and production systems across Mexico. Weeds are a major constraint on maize grain yield, but knowledge regarding the best weed management methods is lacking. In many production systems, reducing tillage could lessen land degradation and production costs, but changes in tillage might require changes in weed management. This study evaluated weed dynamics and rainfed maize yield under five weed management treatments (pre-emergence herbicide, post-emergence herbicide, pre-emergence + postemergence herbicide, manual weed control, and no control) and three tillage methods (conventional, minimum and zero tillage) in three agro-ecologically distinct regions of the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, in 2016 and 2017. In the temperate Mixteca region, weeds reduced maize grain yields by as much as 92% and the long-growing season required post-emergence weed control, which gave significantly higher yields. In the hot, humid Papaloapan region, weeds reduced maize yields up to 63% and preemergence weed control resulted in significantly higher yields than treatments with post-emergence control only. In the semi-arid Valles Centrales region, weeds reduced maize yields by as much as 65%, but weed management was not always effective in increasing maize yield or net profitability. The most effective weed management treatments tended to be similar for the three tillage systems at each site, although weed pressure and the potential yield reduction by weeds tended to be higher under zero tillage than minimum or conventional tillage. No single best option for weed management was found across sites or tillage systems. More research, in which non-chemical methods should not be overlooked, is thus needed to determine the most effective weed management methods for the diverse maize production systems across Mexico.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Weed management and tillage effect on rainfed maize production in three agro‐ecologies in Mexico

et al. 2022

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“…Design thinking is used in multiple disciplines and for multiple problems. Academic literature on design thinking for climate adaptation often has a strong focus on the design of the built environment [47][48][49] or on specific policy or industry related innovation, such as Govaerts and colleagues [50] report on design thinking for Agri-food systems that are threatened by climate change. These processes tend to be top-down processes, led by experts or leaders focused on key problems, and largely engaging designers or experts.…”

Section: The Hyperlocalism Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advancing a hyperlocal approach to community engagement in climate adaptation: Results from a South Florida pilot study in two communities

Harrison

Clark²,

Clement³

et al. 2022

PLOS Clim

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With increasing urgency of local and regional climate adaptation, there is a growing need for governments to identify and respond effectively to the concerns of communities they serve and to align investments. We designed and piloted a novel hyperlocal method for urban adaptation planning combining two social science tools that have been widely but separately used to foster community engagement and strategize solutions. Our not-for-profit community partners facilitated multi-session online workshops with participants from two communities in South Florida with whom they have well-established relationships and in which socio-economic conditions and climate risks represent notable vulnerabilities. The workshops first employed photovoice to elicit individual narratives about climate change impacts; participants then followed a design thinking protocol to critically evaluate the leading concerns they identified and propose adaptation solutions. Geospatial mapping and data tools were provided for participants to gain additional tools and further knowledge. Local planning and resilience officials attended some or all of the workshops as observers and interlocutors, dialoguing with participants. Comparative analysis revealed differences in risk awareness and primary concerns between communities, and further demonstrated that concerns and solutions proposed by members of at-risk neighborhoods do not always align with geospatial data that often drives infrastructure adaptation planning in the region, suggesting that more widespread use of community engaged methods could enhance government climate adaptation responses for local communities.

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“…Our study evaluated options for the sustainable intensification of smallholder maize production in the mountainous regions of Mexico. Two similar trials were implemented from 2014 to 2019 in the Cañada and the Sierra Norte regions of the state of Oaxaca, as part of a project aiming to improve the local agri-food system through evidence-based recommendations co-created together with local farmers and researchers (Gardeazabal et al, 2021;Govaerts et al, 2021). In the last decades land use in the Cañada and the Sierra Norte regions has changed from forestry to agriculture, with maize being grown on steep slopes (>30%) on soils of low fertility and high acidity and using few or no inputs (Vergara-Sánchez et al, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Innovating Traditional Production Systems Through On-Farm Conservation Agriculture and Agroforestry Research

Fonteyne

Avendaño²,

Sanchez³

et al. 2022

Front. Agron.

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Maize (Zea mays L.), the staple crop of Mexico, is often produced by smallholder farmers on sloping terrains. Historically, little agronomic research has been performed under the conditions of these farmers to support them in the sustainable intensification of their production systems. We set up trials at two locations in the state of Oaxaca to evaluate conservation agriculture and agroforestry in collaboration with local farmers. Crop diversification through crop rotations, multicropping, relay cropping or agroforestry increased system yields the most, by up to 1.4 t ha−1 in Teopoxco and 1.7 t ha−1 in Tamazulapam. Increased input use through increased fertilization or liming did not increase profitability enough to justify their use. Zero tillage and residue retention increased yields and reduced production costs. Conservation agriculture with agroforestry was a high-yielding, profitable system that also reduced farmers' risk by providing several harvests per year. The most profitable combinations of agroforestry and conservation agriculture could produce up to $4,854 USD ha−1 in Teopoxco and $2,143 USD ha−1 in Tamazulapam, while the control treatments in the same sites and years produced $175 USD ha−1 and $92 USD ha−1 respectively. In several years the main crop failed, while the trees were able to produce due to their different growing season compared to maize. Through adaptive investigation under farmers' conditions, sustainable intensification of traditional production system is possible with low-cost changes that are locally adapted and within farmers' possibilities.

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One CGIAR and the Integrated Agri-food Systems Initiative: From short-termism to transformation of the world’s food systems

Cited by 21 publications

References 44 publications

Weed management and tillage effect on rainfed maize production in three agro‐ecologies in Mexico

Weed management and tillage effect on rainfed maize production in three agro‐ecologies in Mexico

Advancing a hyperlocal approach to community engagement in climate adaptation: Results from a South Florida pilot study in two communities

Innovating Traditional Production Systems Through On-Farm Conservation Agriculture and Agroforestry Research

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