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1. Spreading the word on
fertilizer |
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Next to drought, poor soil fertility is the single biggest
cause of hunger in Africa. But smallholder farmers use very
little manure, and even less chemical fertilizer. National
extension recommendations on fertilizer use are ignored,
largely because few smallholders can afford to buy the
quantities recommended.
ICRISAT has been trying to promote more realistic
recommendations that smallholders are more likely to adopt. Of
course the higher rate gives higher yields. But the returns on
a small investment – which is all the farmer can afford – are
much better at the lower rate. On-farm trials in Zimbabwe have
shown large yield gains from the application of as little as
one 50-kg bag of ammonium nitrate per hectare, one-quarter
the recommended rate of nitrogen. The gains are even
larger when fertilizer is combined with animal manure and crop
residues, better weed control, and simple water management
methods.
The high payoffs to using small doses of chemical
fertilizer depend on good targeting. The common practice of
broadcasting fertilizer is wasteful. Instead, apply the
fertilizer directly to the base of the plant – one-third of a
Coke bottle capful is enough for three plants!
Farmer applying a small dose of fertilizer to the
plant.
Farmers in pilot areas of southern Zimbabwe are
successfully using low doses, and reaping the benefits. Now,
with help from the UK Department for International Development
(DFID), the message is being spread much wider. DFID is
funding a large-scale relief program in Zimbabwe this season,
distributing seed to 160,000 small-scale farmers. Following
ICRISAT's advice, each farmer is also given 25 kg of ammonium
nitrate. ICRISAT produced an illustrated pamphlet in two local
languages, Shona and Ndebele, which describes how and when to
apply the small doses. The fertilizer and pamphlets are being
distributed by a consortium of partners – CARE, Oxfam,
Catholic Relief Services, Fosenet, Save the Children, and FAO.
Follow-up surveys will help assess whether the pamphlets were
useful, and whether farmers followed the advice.
ICRISAT is also providing technical support for another
massive promotional effort. NGOs are setting up 1200 on-farm
trials across the country, to promote the small-dose approach.
In each trial, the farmer selects a crop, and compares results
with and without fertilizer.
ICRISAT's soil fertility research, with its emphasis on
increasing fertilizer-use efficiency, ties in perfectly with
the DFID program. It's a powerful combination – solid science,
donor commitment, and a network of implementing partners –
that will mean better fields and bigger harvests for 160,000
families, or over 1 million people in Zimbabwe.
For more information contact s.twomlow@cgiar.org
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2. Sterility to Fertility!
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The world's largest concentration of pigeonpea cultivation
is in the Indian subcontinent and parts of Africa, where it is
an important subsistence crop. Pigeonpea seed is a source of
dietary protein and also the source of revenue for millions of
rural poor in Africa and Asia.
Pigeonpea production in India is seriously threatened by
sterility mosaic disease (SMD), first recognized over seven
decades ago. The disease name comes from the mosaic patterns
on leaves and the lack of flower production (sterility) in
infected plants. The disease stimulates due to excessive
vegetative growth and the plants look normal, which makes it
difficult for the farmer to detect the disease until flowering
stage. Sometimes, still unaware of infection, the farmers
resort to chemical sprays hoping to induce flowering – a
futile exercise costing them additional losses. Losses due to
SMD are over US$300 million per annum.
The causal agent of SMD is transmitted by a tiny arthropod
mite, Aceria cajani, which remained unidentified
despite decades of research. ICRISAT-led research with a
consortium of partners from national and international
centers, funded through Crop Protection Programme of UK
Department for International Development (DFID), has achieved
vital breakthroughs in the identification, detection and
transmission of the SMD causal agent, now confirmed as the
virus named Pigeonpea sterility mosaic virus (PPSMV). This has
enabled development of procedures for precise identification
of the virus and its variants (isolates). The research also
resulted in selection of broad-based SMD-resistant pigeonpea
cultivars that resist 'sterility' in the endemic areas. Six of
these cultivars, ICP 7035, ICPL 87051, ICPL 96053, ICPL 96058,
ICPL 99050, and ICPL 96061, are being evaluated on-station and
on-farm at many locations in India.
Crop at maturity. SMD-affected crop (right) are
pale green, bushy, and without any flowers or pods. Healthy
crop  (left) with normal vigor. Efforts to tap SMD resistance in wild pigeonpea germplasm
resulted in identification of 7 accessions (ICP 15615, 15626,
15926, 15700, 15701, 15725, 15734) from two wild species
Cajanus albicans and C. scarabaeoides.
Efforts are continuing to identify more resistant lines for
testing and adoption by farmers in diverse agro-ecological
regions.
Additionally, efforts are also being made through
village-level training programs and field days to increase
awareness among farmers about the disease, methods to control
its spread, and to provide resistant cultivars through NGOs
and NARS in India. Consequently, farmers can now see a
possible end to the 'sterility' in pigeonpea plants, through
cultivation of varieties that retain 'fertility' in endemic
areas, and produce good harvests.
For more information contact p.lavakumar@cgiar.org
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3. Et maintenant, on se
permet de rentrer par la fenêtre! |
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Three new community radios have
been installed in Niger through a project coordinated by
ICRISAT to improve information diffusion and decision-making
skills of local farmers.
 L'animateur radio, ici en reportage auprès d'une
femme productrice des très réputées chèvres rousses, est non
seulement un diffuseur mais aussi un collecteur
d'informations.
Devinette: Imaginez une équipe composée d'un technicien
agricole et d'un chercheur écologue par exemple, puis alors
veuillez ajouter un interprète et aussi un représentant
villageois et encore le gérant de la boutique communautaire
d'intrants1. Imaginez maintenant qu'ils désirent proposer à
une famille paysanne une technologie permettant de lutter
efficacement et à moindre coût contre cette invasion en cours
du champ attenant par un insecte ravageur! Ils sont devant la
maison de cette famille. Mais voilà, la porte de la maison
reste close! Que vont donc faire nos 5 partenaires?
Réponse: Et bien SATrends vous annonce que, désormais, ces
cinq-là ou n'importe quels autres détenteurs d'informations et
de technologies susceptibles d'aider les habitants du district
de Dantiandou, au Niger, ne se démontent plus, ils passeront
par la fenêtre! Oui, vous avez bien lu, les acteurs du
développement maintenant, par mesure d'efficacité, peuvent
être reçus par la fenêtre. Et encore plus fort, ils sauront
proposer leur aide dans toutes les maisons en un même temps
afin de démultiplier leur impact!
Explication: Dantiandou est fier de vous annoncer la fin
des travaux de construction de sa radio rurale, à vocation
agricole et surtout communautaire, qui permettra d'atteindre
toutes les maisons 30 km à la ronde. C'est une distance qu'un
paysan peut couvrir, aller et retour dans une journée, sans
trop grande difficulté, pour, par exemple, venir visiter la
boutique d'intrants dont la radio s'est fait l'écho car elle
vient de recevoir les graines de la variété d'arachide que
l'organisation paysanne locale propose de cultiver cette
saison en réponse à la sécheresse prévue. Cet exemple montre
la potentialité de ce nouveau dispositif installé non
seulement à Dantiandou mais sur chacun des trois sites du
projet nommé Amélioration des conditions de vie des
producteurs sahéliens grâce à la mise en place d'outils
bio-économiques d'aide à la décision coordonné par Dr Bruno
Gérard de l'ICRISAT. L'ACMAD a été chargé de l'installation du
matériel technologique et de la formation des animateurs
radios et MOORIBEN, fédération de producteurs, du dossier
administratif, de la construction des bâtiments et du montage
de l'organigramme des responsabilités: une association chargée
de la gestion de la radio, un bureau exécutif et un comité de
contrôle de la qualité, de l'éthique et de la déontologie des
émissions.
Et avec ça, même fenêtre fermée saura recevoir les
informations !
1-Est appelé intrant tous les produits entrant dans la
production agricole (semences, engrais, outils…)
Pour plus d'information contacter b.gerard@cgiar.org
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4. Managing Intellectual
Assets |
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In accordance with its mission, ICRISAT generates
international public goods through the research carried out by
the scientists working in the Institute and in partnership
with others, particularly the National Agricultural Research
Systems (NARS) of the countries of the semi-arid tropics of
Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. ICRISAT makes every effort to
ensure that research knowledge and products developed by the
Institute are actively disseminated and used for the benefit
of people in the developing world, and for society in general.
ICRISAT believes that access to its outputs should be fair and
equitable.
Considering the emerging challenges and issues of the
semi-arid tropics, and the changing agricultural scenario,
ICRISAT has strengthened its position in the area of
Intellectual Property (IP) management. Towards this, ICRISAT
introduced the concept of intellectual asset management with
support provided by the CG Central Advisory Service (CAS).
An intellectual asset identification form and an on-line
software application based on this form were developed. The
form facilitates capture of information necessary for the
evaluation of an asset, and provides timely protection of the
asset. It also helps trigger the future strategy towards
commercialization and licensing agreements in line with
ICRISAT's mission.
Screen image of the initial form.
The form has all the necessary elements that provide the
basis for the other management steps such as details of
additional and collaborating inventors and description of the
invention, which is the heart of the disclosure. The form,
which eventually becomes a formal record of Institute
inventions, asks several simple questions, which are pertinent
for evaluation of the invention and impact assessment. It also
determines a critical point for the “retention” of assets in
an exit interview when a staff member leaves the organization.
ICRISAT leads the CG system in development of this software
application, which is targeted for the global ICRISAT
Intranet. It can also be launched on the Internet to serve
future needs. The software has built-in protection for
confidentiality.
As part of its policy to maximize the utilization of
software for research, training and further development,
ICRISAT is making the software available through a Material
Transfer Agreement developed under the “open access” initiative. Recipients are encouraged to use the software for
research and development purposes, with the stipulation that
ICRISAT is provided with a full set of software, source code
and related documentation, in the event of modifications
and/or developments of the software.
For more information contact b.hanumanth@cgiar.org
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