Co-designing the transitions towards integrated market oriented mixed farming systems in semi-arid Zimbabwe

cg.contacts.homann@cgiar.orgen_US
cg.contributor.centerInternational Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics - ICRISATen_US
cg.contributor.centerWorld Agroforestry Center - ICRAFen_US
cg.contributor.centerUniversity of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation - UQ - Qaafien_US
cg.contributor.centerUniversity of Queensland - UQen_US
cg.contributor.crpCGIAR Research Program on Dryland Systems - DSen_US
cg.contributor.funderCGIAR System Organization - CGIARen_US
cg.contributor.project-lead-instituteInternational Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics - ICRISATen_US
cg.coverage.countryZWen_US
cg.coverage.regionEastern Africaen_US
cg.subject.agrovocfarming systemsen_US
cg.subject.agrovocmarketsen_US
dc.contributorMasikati, Patriciaen_US
dc.contributorDube, Thabanien_US
dc.contributorDe Voil, Peteren_US
dc.contributorRodriguez, Danielen_US
dc.contributorvan Rooyen, Andreen_US
dc.creatorHomann-Kee Tui, Sabineen_US
dc.date.accessioned2016-02-15T09:01:36Z
dc.date.available2016-02-15T09:01:36Z
dc.description.abstractpoverty trap. These barriers include low soil fertility, variable climates, weak knowledge support, and lack of markets. Conventional technical options are insufficient to improve smallholder livelihoods. Given the diversity in resource endowments and livelihood sources identifying intensification options that fit circumstances remains problematic. In this paper we demonstrate co‐designing approaches (i.e. with multiple stakeholders) for two sites i.e. Gwanda and Nkayi districts, of contrasting agro‐ecological potential. We engaged low, medium and high resource endowed farmers to (i) co‐design plausible improved scenarios that included incremental changes ‐ testing currently promoted technologies for crop‐livestock intensification and drastic change ‐ assuming that removing barriers will encourage investments towards resilient and profitable farming; and (ii) We quantified benefits and trade offs from alternative integrated actions using an integrated whole farm modelling approach (APSFArm‐LivSim‐TOAMD). At both sites incremental change options improved food security through better‐integrated cereal‐legume‐livestock systems; income effects were however limited. Drastic change options achieved more substantial improvements in productivity, food and income generation: farmers set more land in use, with more diversified forage, food and cash crops and adapted cultivars, organic and mineral fertilizer application, small‐scale mechanization for ploughing and product processing and improved livestock management. Packages tailored to farm situations had larger benefits on food security and income than blanket applications. Recommendations that take into account the socioeconomic context and policies are key and need to be communicated in more effective ways for enabling more sustainable futures for smallholders in Zimbabwe.en_US
dc.formatPDFen_US
dc.identifierhttp://tropagconference.com.au/d/TropAg2015-Abstract-Book.pdf; http://tropagconference.com.au/d/presentations/Homann-Kee-Tui-Sabine.pdfen_US
dc.identifierhttps://mel.cgiar.org/reporting/downloadmelspace/hash/MZqN1zIN/v/ca4bb2a0d2ce4eaac769e376a360a513en_US
dc.identifier.citationSabine Homann-Kee Tui, Patricia Masikati, Thabani Dube, Peter De Voil, Daniel Rodriguez, Andre van Rooyen. (18/11/2015). Co-designing the transitions towards integrated market oriented mixed farming systems in semi-arid Zimbabwe. Brisbane, Australia.en_US
dc.identifier.statusOpen accessen_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11766/4399
dc.languageenen_US
dc.publisherTropical Agriculture conference 2015en_US
dc.rightsCC-BY-NC-4.0en_US
dc.sourceTropical Agriculture Conference;en_US
dc.subjectintegrateden_US
dc.subjectmixeden_US
dc.subjectco‐designingen_US
dc.subjecttransitionen_US
dc.subjectmarket orienteden_US
dc.subjectsemi-ariden_US
dc.titleCo-designing the transitions towards integrated market oriented mixed farming systems in semi-arid Zimbabween_US
dc.typeConference Paperen_US
dcterms.available2015-11-18en_US
dcterms.issued2015-11-18en_US

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