The agro-ecological solution?! Food security and poverty reduction in sub-Saharan Africa, with an emphasis on the East African highlands

Smallholder farming in sub-Saharan Africa keeps many rural households trapped in a cycle of poor productivity and low incomes. Two options to reach a decent income include intensification of production and expansion of farm areas per household. In this study, we explore what is a “viable farm size,” i.e., the farm area that is required to attain a “living income,” which sustains a nutritious diet, housing, education and health care. We used survey data from three contrasting sites in the East African highlands—Nyando (Kenya), Rakai (Uganda), and Lushoto (Tanzania) to explore viable farm sizes in six scenarios. Starting from the baseline cropping system, we built scenarios by incrementally including intensified and re-configured cropping systems, income from livestock and off-farm sources. In the most conservative scenario (baseline cropping patterns and yields, minus basic input costs), viable farm areas were 3.6, 2.4, and 2.1 ha, for Nyando, Rakai, and Lushoto, respectively—whereas current median farm areas were just 0.8, 1.8, and 0.8 ha. Given the skewed distribution of current farm areas, only few of the households in the study sites (0, 27, and 4% for Nyando, Rakai, and Lushoto, respectively) were able to attain a living income. Raising baseline yields to 50% of the water-limited yields strongly reduced the land area needed to achieve a viable farm size, and thereby enabled 92% of the households in Rakai and 70% of the households in Lushoto to attain a living income on their existing farm areas. By contrast, intensification of crop production alone was insufficient in Nyando, although including income from livestock enabled the majority of households (73%) to attain a living income with current farm areas. These scenarios show that increasing farm area and/or intensifying production is required for smallholder farmers to attain a living income from farming. Obviously such changes would require considerable capital and labor investment, as well as land reform and alternative off-farm employment options for those who exit farming.

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Adoption of Crossbred Cow Technologies and Increased Food Security Among Smallholder Dairy Farmers in the East African Highlands

Journal of Crop Production ◽

10.1300/j144v06n01_14 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 6 (1-2) ◽

pp. 319-337 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

M. Ahmed ◽

S. Ehui ◽

M. Saleem

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

East African ◽

Dairy Farmers ◽

Smallholder Dairy ◽

African Highlands ◽

East African Highlands ◽

Crossbred Cow

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DIVERSITY, DISTRIBUTION AND FARMER PREFERENCE OF MUSA CULTIVARS IN UGANDA

Experimental Agriculture ◽

10.1017/s0014479702000145 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 38 (1) ◽

pp. 39-50 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

C. S. Gold ◽

A. Kiggundu ◽

A. M. K. Abera ◽

D. Karamura

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Total Production ◽

East African ◽

Banana Production ◽

Ney Poovan ◽

Cultivar Diversity ◽

African Highlands ◽

Set Up ◽

East African Highlands ◽

Individual Farm

The East African highlands, home to more than 80 cultivated varieties of locally evolved bananas, constitute a secondary centre of banana diversity. Uganda is the leading producer and consumer of banana in the region and also enjoys the highest diversity of a group of bananas uniquely adapted to this region. These East African highland bananas comprise cooking and brewing types. The former is a staple for more than 7 million people and thus important for food security. Little is known about the distribution of the vast germplasm and this study was set up to help determine a distribution pattern and to understand the dynamics of cultivar change using farmers participatory appraisal methods. The study involved a guided interview with 120 farmers, at 24 sites throughout the banana-growing region of Uganda, to reveal cultivar diversity, proportions, distribution and preferences. Cultivar diversity ranged from 18 to 34 (mean = 26) cultivars per site, and from 4 to 22 (mean = 12.3), cultivars per individual farm. Such high diversity was attributed to a variety of end uses, better food security and the perception that each cultivar had a unique range of strengths and weaknesses. Highland banana (AAA-EA) represented 76% of total production while Kayinja (‘Pisang Awak’ subgroup) (ABB) contributed 8%; Ndiizi (’Ney Poovan’ subgroup) (AB) 7%; Kisubi (‘Ney Poovan’ subgroup) (AB) 5%; Gros Michel (‘Bogoya’) (AAA) 2%; and plantain (AAB) 2%. Although 130 highland cultivars were recorded, only 10 constituted 50% of highland banana production while 45 cultivars were found at only 1 or 2 sites. A few cultivars showed more universal distribution and it is proposed that these may be the oldest and best performing local landraces.

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The Role of Agriculture for Food Security and Poverty Reduction in Sub-Saharan Africa

The Palgrave Handbook of Contemporary International Political Economy ◽

10.1057/978-1-137-45443-0_25 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 391-410

Author(s):

Renu Modi

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Poverty Reduction ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Sub Saharan

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Predicting energy and protein supply and milk production of dairy cows consuming high forage rations in the central highlands of Kenya

Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science ◽

10.1017/s1752756200020354 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 2007 ◽

pp. 132-132

Author(s):

F.V. Nherera ◽

A.N. Pell ◽

D.G Fox ◽

L.O Tedeschi ◽

D.M Mbugua ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cattle ◽

Milk Production ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Feeding Strategies ◽

Animal Performance ◽

East African ◽

Smallholder Dairy ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

East African Highlands ◽

High Forage

Level 1 of the Cornell Net carbohydrate and Protein System (CNCPS) model has not yet been used to predict animal performance on smallholder dairy farms in African conditions. Over 60% of the smallholder dairy cattle in sub-Saharan Africa are in the East African highlands. Although the level of production is low, dairy cattle contribute significantly to the livelihoods of rural families. If the model predictions reflect animal performance, the CNCPS model could be a useful tool to develop feeding strategies to enhance animal production. The objectives of our study were to: (1) evaluate the accuracy of the predictions of dry matter intake, milk production and phosphorus excretion of the CNCPS model for dairy cattle on smallholder farms; (2) predict nutrient requirements and supply of confined and lactating crossbred cows consuming high forage rations and (3) determine the variation in feed quality and milk production.

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Contribution of improved rice varieties to poverty reduction and food security in sub-Saharan Africa

Global Food Security ◽

10.1016/j.gfs.2017.03.001 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 14 ◽

pp. 54-60 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

A. Arouna ◽

J.C. Lokossou ◽

M.C.S. Wopereis ◽

S. Bruce-Oliver ◽

H. Roy-Macauley

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Poverty Reduction ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Rice Varieties ◽

Sub Saharan

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Short term fallow and partitioning effects of green manures on wheat systems in East African highlands

Field Crops Research ◽

10.1016/j.fcr.2021.108175 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 269 ◽

pp. 108175

Author(s):

Tilahun Amede ◽

Gizachew Legesse ◽

Getachew Agegnehu ◽

Tadesse Gashaw ◽

Tulu Degefu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Green Manures ◽

East African ◽

Short Term ◽

African Highlands ◽

East African Highlands

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Is High Whitefly Abundance on Cassava in Sub-Saharan Africa Driven by Biological Traits of a Specific, Cryptic Bemisia tabaci Species?

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects12030260 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 260

Author(s):

Habibu Mugerwa ◽

Peter Sseruwagi ◽

John Colvin ◽

Susan Seal

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Bemisia Tabaci ◽

Development Time ◽

Adult Emergence ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Biological Traits ◽

Population Development ◽

Species Classification ◽

First Instar ◽

Sub Saharan

In East Africa, the prevalent Bemisia tabaci whiteflies on the food security crop cassava are classified as sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) species. Economically damaging cassava whitefly populations were associated with the SSA2 species in the 1990s, but more recently, it has been to SSA1 species. To investigate whether biological traits (number of first instar nymphs, emerged adults, proportion of females in progeny and development time) of the cassava whitefly species are significant drivers of the observed field abundance, our study determined the development of SSA1 sub-group (SG) 1 (5 populations), SG2 (5 populations), SG3 (1 population) and SSA2 (1 population) on cassava and eggplant under laboratory conditions. SSA1-(SG1-SG2) and SSA2 populations’ development traits were similar. Regardless of the host plant, SSA1-SG2 populations had the highest number of first instar nymphs (60.6 ± 3.4) and emerged adults (50.9 ± 3.6), followed by SSA1-SG1 (55.5 ± 3.2 and 44.6 ± 3.3), SSA2 (45.8 ± 5.7 and 32.6 ± 5.1) and the lowest were SSA1-SG3 (34.2 ± 6.1 and 32.0 ± 7.1) populations. SSA1-SG3 population had the shortest egg–adult emergence development time (26.7 days), followed by SSA1-SG1 (29.1 days), SSA1-SG2 (29.6 days) and SSA2 (32.2 days). Regardless of the whitefly population, development time was significantly shorter on eggplant (25.1 ± 0.9 days) than cassava (34.6 ± 1.0 days). These results support that SSA1-(SG1-SG2) and SSA2 B. tabaci can become highly abundant on cassava, with their species classification alone not correlating with observed abundance and prevalence.

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Effect of Seasonal Drought on the Agronomic Performance of Four Banana Genotypes (Musa spp.) in the East African Highlands

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy11010004 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 4

Author(s):

Brigitte Uwimana ◽

Yasmín Zorrilla-Fontanesi ◽

Jelle van Wesemael ◽

Hassan Mduma ◽

Allan Brown ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Yield Traits ◽

East African ◽

Ploidy Levels ◽

Early Effect ◽

Seasonal Drought ◽

Musa Spp ◽

Drought Tolerant ◽

Genome Group ◽

African Highlands ◽

East African Highlands

Banana (Musa spp.), a perennial (sub-)tropical crop, suffers from seasonal droughts, which are typical of rain-fed agriculture. This study aimed at understanding the effect of seasonal drought on early growth, flowering and yield traits in bananas grown in the East African highlands. A field experiment was set up in North Tanzania using four genotypes from different geographical origins and two different ploidy levels. The treatments considered were exclusively rain-fed versus rain supplemented with irrigation. Growth in plant girth and leaf area were promising traits to detect the early effect of water deficit. Seasonal drought slowed down vegetative growth, thus significantly decreasing plant girth, plant height and the number of suckers produced when compared to irrigated plants. It also delayed flowering time and bunch maturity and had a negative effect on yield traits. However, the results depended on the genotype and crop cycle and their interaction with the treatments. “Nakitengwa”, an East African highland banana (EAHB; AAA genome group), which is adapted to the region, showed sensitivity to drought in terms of reduced bunch weight and expected yield, while “Cachaco” (ABB genome group) showed less sensitivity to drought but had a poorer yield than “Nakitengwa”. Our study confirms that seasonal drought has a negative impact on banana production in East Africa, where EAHBs are the most predominant type of bananas grown in the region. We also show that a drought-tolerant cultivar not adapted to the East African highlands had a low performance in terms of yield. We recommend a large-scale screening of diploid bananas to identify drought-tolerant genotypes to be used in the improvement of locally adapted and accepted varieties.

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