Linking farmers to markets
ICRISAT-HOPE project facilitates sorghum
trade on behalf of farmers in Tanzania
Officials of Kwamtoro Sacco, Dunia Trust and ICRISAT-HOPE Project during the contract negotiation.
Highlighting the power of markets to improve the
livelihoods of smallholder farmers, ICRISATHOPE
project partners in Tanzania negotiated a
forward contract agreement for the purchase and
supply of 200 tons of sorghum grain between the
Kwamtoro Farmers’ Sacco and the Dunia Trust Ltd, a
commodity trading company. Spearheaded by
Tanzania’s Department of Research and
Development (DRD), District Agricultural and
Livestock Development Office (DALDO) and
ICRISAT, the meeting was held in Kwamtoro in
Kondoa District on 27 January.
Dunia Trust agreed to purchase from the farmers 200
tons of white-grained Macia sorghum, an improved
ICRISAT variety released in Tanzania. The farmers
will deliver the sorghum to Kwamtoro town in June
and July at a price of US$ 0.2 per kg. In case of price
increase, Dunia Trust agreed to adjust the price to a
maximum of 10% increase.
Threats to the implementation of the contract, as
well as resolution measures, were discussed during
the meeting. It was also agreed that there would be a
continuous monitoring of the progress by project
partners, and that farmers’ training on crop
management, postharvest handling, business
planning and marketing, and input supply
management would be held in the month of May.
Among those present at the meeting were: Dunia
Trust Managing Director Daniel Gisiri; Kwamtoro
Sacco Chairman Saidi Husseni; 23 office bearers of
five affiliate Saccos in Kwamtoro Division; Willbroad
Karugaba (World Food Program/P4P); Donald
Munisi and Pancras Swai (DALDO); Peter Sulumo
(DRD); Patrick Audi (ICRISAT-ESA); and Hamisi
Kitonka (RUDI-Rural Development Initiatives).
ICRISAT and Dunia Trust will finalize the contract
document to be signed by parties concerned by 15
February.
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ICRISAT’s social scientists hold annual meeting in Nairobi
Participants of the annual social scientists meet in Nairobi.
With ICRISAT’s IMOD strategy aimed at helping
subsistence farmers move towards greater
market orientation, the challenge for social scientists
has become greater than ever. Working within
multi-disciplinary research teams, especially under
the new CGIAR Research Programs, the demand is for
them to address related research concerns, develop
innovations and tap regional and global resources.
Serving as a platform to deliberate on new challenges
and future opportunities, ICRISAT conducted its
annual social scientists meeting in Nairobi, Kenya on
21-22 January. Led by Cynthia Bantilan, Research
Program Director, Markets, Policies and Institutions
(MPI), the meeting enabled 20 participants from West
and Central Africa (WCA), Eastern and Southern
Africa (ESA) and Asia to provide updates on their
global and regional research projects.
Discussions centered on global projects such as the
VDSA, ICRISAT-HOPE Dryland Cereals Project and
Tropical Legumes Projects. The low adoption rates
of ICRISAT’s mandate crops in sub-Saharan Africa
stimulated a discussion on the need for a clear
strategy to develop and promote the crops.
In WCA and ESA, the major challenges identified
were access to information and improved seeds, lack
of clarity on profitability, matching varietal traits
with market demand, and market models to
effectively link farmers with input suppliers and
processors. It was agreed that improved targeting of
recommendations should be based on a robust
analysis of agriculture- and market-related potentials,
comparative advantages of farming systems, and
development pathways.
Discussing the results and experiences in research
priority setting and strategic assessments, projects on
Global Futures, Research Spillovers and Diffusion of
Improved Varieties in Africa (DIVA) and Tracking
Varietal Change for Future Assessment of the Impact
of Crop Genetic Improvement Research in South Asia
(TRIVSA) brought forward models for ex-ante impact
assessment. The models illustrate the distribution of
benefits across countries taking into account the
technology potential in each domain and the
country’s potential adaptive capacity and adoption
rates. Results from this initiative will be used to guide ICRISAT’s strategic targeting and resource allocation
across regions to achieve maximum impact.
ICRISAT’s work on mixed crop-livestock systems in
southern Africa and key issues on intensification were
discussed. Through the Mozambique Strategy Analysis
and Knowledge Support System (MozSAKSS), ICRISAT
is building the capacity of Mozambique’s Ministry of
Agriculture (MINAG) in evidence-based policy
analysis, data management and modeling.
In WCA, a proposal to enhance research agenda on
institutional innovations for the ICRISAT-HOPE
project was introduced. In ESA, the economics of
promoting sweet sorghum for biofuel were presented.
While the prospects are good, the parameters on stalk
yield and recovery rates for juice and ethanol need to be
improved. Policy support from the government in
ethanol pricing was recommended.
The meeting concluded with a brainstorming exercise
on elevating the playing field for ICRISAT’s social
science research. Three priority areas were identified:
(1) methods of impact assessment – improving
knowledge exchange among scientists within and
outside ICRISAT, creating an internal panel to assess
theory-based methods, and enhancing use of panel
data for adoption and impact tracking; (2) empirical
applications – establishing data warehouse,
developing strategic models, application of gender
and social analysis, and greater use of GIS to map
comparative advantages of mandate crops; and (3)
evidence-based policy information – converting
evidence from analysis to clear policy statements,
developing strategy for policy dialogues, reviewing
scientists’ relations to other value chain actors, and
documenting pathways and policy development.
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Launch of DST-ICRISAT Center of Excellence at Patancheru
The DST-ICRISAT Center of Excellence (CoE) on
Climate Change Research for Plant Protection
(CCRPP) will be launched at ICRISAT-Patancheru on
9 February. The project aims to develop a framework
and create facilities to evaluate complexities in the
effects of climate change-mediated plant diseases and
insect pests and their management strategies in grain
legumes (chickpea and pigeonpea). The event will
involve members of the Expert Committee of Climate
Change Program, the Department of Science and
Technology (DST) and scientists and managers of
ICRISAT.
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Sorghum scientists’ field day held at ICRISAT-Patancheru
Participants of the sorghum scientists’ field day at Patancheru.
A sorghum scientists’ field day was organized
at ICRISAT-Patancheru on 19 January to
showcase improved postrainy season sorghum
materials to NARS and private sector partners
in India. Developing improved materials for
postrainy season adaptation, seed production
and marketing as the major theme, the field
day involved private sector seed companies,
both members and non-members of the
Sorghum Hybrid Parents Research Consortium
(HPRC). Eighteen (18) participants including 11
scientists from the NARS and the private sector
participated in the event.
Welcoming the participants, Oscar Riera Lizarazu,
Research Program Director, Dryland Cereals,
highlighted the importance of partnerships in
sorghum research-for-development (R4D) and the
private sector’s contribution in taking ICRISATdeveloped
improved sorghum products to farmers.
He explained that the proposed CGIAR Research
Program on Dryland Cereals would also capture the
importance of the HPRC partnership and the need to
strengthen the consortium for greater impacts.
In his address, CLL Gowda, Research Program
Director, Grain Legumes, chronicled the HPRC’s rise
and progress since 2000, and highlighted the need
to further strengthen the partnership to serve as a
global model.
ICRISAT scientists Belum VS Reddy, HD Upadhyaya,
HC Sharma, P Srinivasa Rao, A Ashok Kumar, CT
Hash, Santosh Deshpande and P Ratna Kumar
presented the Institute’s postrainy season sorghum
research activities and products. After the field visits,
participants were organized into groups to undertake
varietal selections. This was followed by a wrap-up
meeting to elicit feedback from the partners and to
plan for new activities.
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Workshop on data analysis held in Samanko and Niamey
(Left) Abhishek Rathore explains the nuances of data verification at ICRISAT- Samanko.
(Right) Participants of the workshop in Niamey.
Two training workshops on data analysis were
conducted at ICRISAT Samanko and Niamey under
the PROMISO II project to strengthen the capacity of
ICRISAT and NARS scientists and research assistants.
The workshops were facilitated by Abhishek Rathore
and Roma Das from ICRISAT-Patancheru.
The workshop in Samanko was held on 16-20 January
involving 20 participants from Mali, Ghana and
Senegal. The participants were trained on how to
strengthen data verification by identifying influential
values, and basic concepts and methods necessary for
multiple environment analysis and contrasts.
The trials analyzed included on-farm variety testing,
agronomic performance of new hybrids under
intensified production conditions, varietal adaptation
to low-P soil conditions, and micronutrient content
and bio-availability in grain of farmer-preferred
varieties. The workshop concluded with participants
presenting their own analyses.
The workshop in Niamey was held at the Training
and Visitors Center of ICRISAT-Niamey on 23-27
January. It had 19 participants from ICRISATNiamey,
Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique du Niger
(INRAN), Institut de
l’Environnement et de
Recherches Agricoles
(INERA) of Burkina Faso,
Institut Sénégalais de la
Recherche Agricole (ISRA)
of Senegal, and the
University of Abomey,
Calavi, Benin.
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