Systems agronomy – From elds to farms and farming systems

24 Pages·2016·9.86 MB·English

Systems Agronomy: From Fields
to Farms and Farming Systems
Ken Giller
Plant Production Systems, Wageningen University
CIMMYT-Africa in the 1990s
• Building on a strong legacy of farming systems
research
• Focus on diversification with legumes and crop-
livestock integration
• Regional network supporting national research teams
Waddington, Murwira, Kumwenda,
Hikwa, & Tagwira (1998)
SoilFertNet/CIMMYT-Zimbabwe,
The problem
• Maize-dominated farming systems
• Declining soil fertility
• Need for diversification
Green manures on smallholder farms
…there are no silver bullets….
Steven Waddington,
Tim Reeves,
CIMMYT
CIMMYT DG
NPK
NPK
NPK
Options
Giller et al. (2006) Agricultural Systems, 88, 8-27.
Reducing complexity – farm and field types
Tittonell & Giller (2013) Field Crops Research, 143, 76-90.
N2Africa is a development to research project
• Delivery and dissemination
Research are the core
• Monitoring & evaluation
M&E
provides the learning
• Research analyses
D&D and feeds back
Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa
Climbing beans in Rwanda
No With
manure Manure
and P
Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa
Response of climbing bean to P fertiliser,
segregated by wealth category in N Rwanda
7

d
n 6
a
Without P With P
r
e
s fertiliser fertiliser
li 5
i
rt) (kg/ha) (kg/ha)
e1
f-a
P h Very poor 683 1061
h n 4 Very poor
tai
i
wr
g Poor 1256 1891
Poor
d
t
l(
e 3
yire Well-off Well-off 1356 2006
u
n
n
aa Rich
e
bm 2 Rich 4167 5694

g
n
i
b
m
1
i
l
C
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Franke, Baijukya, Kantengwa,
Climbing bean yield with manure only (t grain ha-1)
Reckling, Vanlauwe, Giller (2016)
Exp. Agric. online
Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa