Africa RISING West Africa: Status of activities in the rice-based systems,

January-September, 2012Olupomi Ajayi

Africa Rice Center

Africa RISING-West Africa Review and Planning Workshop23-25 October, 2012, Tamale, Ghana

Partners & Implementation Teams Meetings Implementation approach – Rice Sector Development

Hubs concept Achievements and prospects

1.1.1 Baseline survey 1.1.15 Seed production 2.1.7 Yield gap survey 3.1.1 Diagnostic survey 3.1.2 Multi-stakeholder platforms

Outline

Major partnersPartner Responsibility

Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice)

Overall project coordination, backstopping

Savannah Agricultural Research Institute (CSIR-SARI)

In-country project implementation and coordination

World Vegetable Research and Development Center (AVRDC)

Introduction, evaluation and promotion of high value fruits and vegetables

23 partners 2 Universities 5 Research institutes 2 Ministries – health and agriculture NGOs The private sector Professional associations – farmers, processors, seed growers,

traders, etc.

In-country partners

Baseline survey – Wiredu, Etwire, Martey, Nachim, Dogbe (SARI), Arouna, and Diagne (AfricaRice)

Community seed production – Siise, Abebrese, Yirzagla, and Dogbe (SARI)

Yield gap analysis – Baba, Yirzagla, Mawunya, Abdulai (SARI), and Saito (AfricaRice)

Diagnostic survey – Nachim, Abdulai, Etwire (SARI) and Raboanarielina (AfricaRice)

Rice sector development hubs and multi-stakeholder platforms (MSPs) – Prince, Owusu, Martey, Dogbe (SARI) and Raboanarielina (AfricaRice)

Implementation teams

Baseline survey – describes the prevailing socio- economic conditions of the actors in the target area

Diagnostic survey – finds out the knowledge and constraints faced by the actors in the area, as well as technology transfer and linkages

Yield gap survey – quantifies yield gaps and their causes through field observations and interviews

Some important definitions

MeetingsDate Meeting

10-12 January Inaugural meeting of stakeholders: draft overall concept note and logframe/workplan

10-11 February 1st consultative meeting at SARI: logframe and budget for the rice-based component discussed

29 March 2nd consultative meeting at SARI: logframe and budget for the rice-based component finalized

28-29 March Official launching of the project by IITA

12 April Inception workshop: sensitized potential partners; shared roles to partners

Hubs are zones where rice research products will be integrated across the rice value chain to achieve development outcomes and impact

Hubs represent key rice ecologies and different market opportunities in the target areas and will be linked to major regional or national rice development efforts to facilitate out-scaling

These hubs are testing grounds for new rice technologies and follow a ‘reverse-research approach’, i.e. starting from the market

Implementation Approach: The Rice Sector Development Hub concept

Implementation follows an iterative 3-stage approach: 1st generation villages / rice communities will participate in

baseline, diagnostic and yield gap surveys

2nd generation rice communities will not be directly involved in research, but will benefit from the outcome of the research done in the 1st generation rice communities

3rd generation rice communities will benefit from the research work done through scaling out development activities (funded by development partners)

Multi-stakeholder platforms

• Will operationalize the concept of rice sector development hub

• Act as a platform for introducing, validating and monitoring appropriate improved rice technologies and interventions

Stages of the MSP Process

Achievements and prospects

2 Hubs established: Northern Region: Savelugu Hub - 20 communities, 200

households Upper East Region: Navrongo Hub - 20 communities, 200

households Protocol/workplan developed Modular questionnaires formulated Sample frame generated for producer survey Sites selected based on Randomized Control Trials (Criteria:

Rice potential, Population, Accessibility, and Market access)

1.1.1. Baseline survey

10 Enumerators + 4 SARI scientists trained on data collection using Smartphones

First round of data collection commenced Sept Data collection completed in 13 communities and for 27

households (outstanding 27 communities and 373 households)

Baseline survey contd.

Backstopping an enumerator at Yizergu

Baseline survey contd.

1st round of data collection ends Oct 2012 2 more rounds in Nov and Dec 2012 for on-farm and off-

farm data on income and expenditure accounts for 2012 Producer/community surveys will continue till Mar 2013 Post-production surveys will start in Jan 2013

Outstanding activities

Trained 15 farmers + 4 extension staff in the Navrongo Hub – too late to start in the Savelugu Hub

Provided foundation seed to the 15 farmers (0.4 ha each = 6 ha total)

All fields successfully established Four monitoring and technical backstopping visits by

CSIR-SARI Seed are being certified by Ghana Seed Inspection

Division of MoFA

1.1.15: Seed production

Seed production field

Field inspections by GSIUHarvesting & processing – end Nov 2012Final certification – Jan 2013Linking seed producing farmers to market (other

farmers in the Hubs)

Outstanding activities

2.1.7: Yield gap surveyYield gap concept: Yield gap is the difference between maximum attainable

yield and actual yield obtained by farmers

General Steps in Yield Gap Analysis

Yield gap survey: achievements• 2 SARI scientists + 15 Agricultural Extension Agents trained

on data collection using Smartphones • 1 automated weather station established in Navrongo Hub

(Nyangua)• 8 communities randomly selected for the survey• All households within the selected communities profiled • 88 farmers were randomly selected for participation• 88 farmers’ fields (8 researcher-managed) selected for

yield gap survey

Yield gap survey achievements contd.• Selected plots geo-referenced and measured • Documented farmers’ agronomic and management

practices in the communities• Collected routine data based on the agreed protocol

Outstanding activities Continue data collection on harvesting and post- harvest processes

up to Feb 2013 Collate data at each location and construct database – up to Mar

2013 Analyze data to identify and delineate the main constraints

responsible for yield gaps – May 2013 Clearly classify the yield gaps into:

exploitable gaps (those that are due mainly to suboptimal crop management practices)

less exploitable gaps (those that can be closed, but with less economic gains)

Protocol developed 2 team members trained by AfricaRice Community listing and selection completed Key Informant and Focused Group interviews conducted in six

communities Data transcription almost completed Data entry 85% complete

3.1.1: Diagnostic survey

Communities selected for Key Informant and Focused Group interviews

Complete data entry – end Nov 2012 Training on data analysis - Dec 2012 /Jan 2013 Data analysis and report writing – end Mar 2013

Outstanding activities

Different types of stakeholders identified (through surveys and site visits)

MSPs composed, launched and made operational Relationships between stakeholders identified Stakeholders’ needs and interests identified and

analyzed Backstopping at monthly MSP meetings

3.1.2 Multi-stakeholder platforms

MSPs established

Navrongo MSP Savelugu MSP

The project facilitated: Statement of vision and mission by each MSP Election & inauguration of executives/steering committees Collection of membership levies Opening of bank accounts Adoption of local names for MSPs Initiation of official registration of MSPs as cooperative

societies Opening of office space

Achievements contd.

Hub Actor No. of stakeholders

Members Male Female

Savelugu FBO 10 500 448 52MoFA 1 3 3 0

Aggregator 2 2 0 2Processor 6 6 2 4

Tractor Services Provider 4 4 4 0Agro Input Dealer 2 2 2 0

Rural Bank 1 1 1 0District Assembly 1 1 1 0

Sub Total 27 519 461 58Navrongo FBO 7 379 348 31

ICOUR 1 3 3 0MoFA 1 1 1 0

Aggregator 2 2 1 1Processor 4 4 1 3

Tractor Services Provider 2 2 2 0Agro Input Dealer 2 2 2 0

Rural Bank 1 2 2 0Sub Total 20 395 360 35

Total 47 914 821 93

Framework Research output 1: activitiesActivity AfricaRice & partners

Construction of development domains within and across the project mega-sites

IFPRI will do this

Identification of action research sites within the development domains of each mega-site

SARI has selected Hubs

Establishment of R4D platforms Equal to MSPs Collect baseline information Baseline + diagnostic + yield gap surveys

Construction of farm household typologies Baseline + diagnostic + yield gap surveys

Inventorize innovations Agronomy, social science, and economics teams will develop inventory

Identification and prioritization of innovations addressing major constraints

Matching surveys’ results and inventory

Thank you.