Applying a Systems Framework to Research on African Farming Systems CRP1.1 Regional Inception Workshop East and Southern Africa 5-7 June 2012

Expanding Global Agendas and Increasing Demands on Agricultural Research  Global food security under increasing land and water constraints  Provision of ecosystem services and eco-efficiency of farming systems  Adaptation and mitigation to climate change  Agroecological intensification of smallholder agriculture and poverty

Changing Research Methods and Technology Design  Production systems research  Integrating ecological science  Place-based research methods  Research consortia  Scaling up integrated into research design  Flexible institutional arrangements

Design Issues in Production System CGIAR Research Programs  Target Area Selection  Research Site Selection -Target area characterization -Research hypotheses -Methodology for research site selection -Baseline and monitoring of system change  Methods for Research on Farming Systems

Developing the Science of System Intensification Data and Analytics for:  Characterization and targeting  Extrapolation  Baseline and monitoring  Causal relationships -System change -Comparative frameworks

Design Characteristics for Analyzing African Farming Systems  Heterogeneity: system boundaries and classification strata -Spatial Characterization -Within site household stratification  System Change and Dynamics: drivers and intensification pathways  Embeddedness: landscape, market/sub-sector, agricultural sector

Implementation programs INSTITUTIONALMANAGEMENT EXOGENOUSENDOGENOUS Livelihood Capitals Livelihood strategies Institutions and policy network Key variables Spatial Scale

Structure of Farm/Household System  Asset base: five capitals  Production activities  Household objectives: -Subsistence/food security -Risk management -Income Within site variability: typologies

System Boundaries and Classification Frameworks Hierarchical Classification  Land use: Cultivated land within managed natural ecosystems  First order spatial classification -Agroecology: eg semi-arid, highlands -Crop-livestock interaction: eg pastoral  Staple food crop: spatially contiguous?  Sub-system speciation

System Speciation East African Highland Banana Systems Utilization  Matoke: Uganda  Beer bananas: Rwanda and Burundi  Enset: Ethiopia Crop Management  Commercial: southwest Uganda  Soil fertility constrained: Bukoba

System Variation and System Performance System Performance -Productivity, profitability, income -Vulnerability, food security -Resource efficiency, resilience System Variation -Spatial/causal comparative frameworks -Within-site socio-economic variation

Drivers of System Change  Rural population growth -Declining farm size -Increasing inequity in farm distribution -Pressure on common resources and natural capital  Improvements in Market Access -Transaction costs and input/output -Staple terms of trade  Changes in agroecology from climate change or biotic pandemics

Relative Prices and Marginal Returns to Nitrogen Application Marginal Return (kg) Relative Price Kenya: HYV Maize Kenya: Recycled Maize Uganda: HYV Maize Uganda: Recycled Maize

Pathways of System Change  Intensification of existing production patterns: sustainable and unsustainable  Diversification of production  Expanded farm size or herd size: high vs low population densities  Increased off-farm income: expanding non-farm rural economy vs transfers  Exit from agriculture

East Africa: Average Farm Income, KenyaUgandaEthiopia Per Capita Income % Crop Income % Livestock Income % Non Farm Income

Kenya: Crop Diversification Indices by Zone

Markets as a Driver of Farming System Evolution Stage in Farming System Evolution Farmer ObjectivePrincipal Driver Static EquilibriumSubsistence DominatesRural Population Growth DiversificationBoth Income and Subsistence <Shifting Farm Gate Terms of Trade <Staple Food Productivity SpecializationIncome Dominates<Price Signals in Efficient Markets <Regional Competition and Comparative Advantage