Innovations in Technology, Institutional and Extension Approaches towards Sustainable Agriculture and enhanced Food and Nutritional Security in Africa

Project Information

InnovAfrica

Grant agreement ID: 727201

DOI

10.3030/727201

Project closed

EC signature date 12 May 2017

Start date 1 June 2017

End date 30 November 2021

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine, maritime and inland water research, and the bioeconomy

Total cost

€ 4 794 632,50

EU contribution

€ 4 794 632,50

Coordinated by

NIBIO - NORSK INSTITUTT FOR BIOOKONOMI
Norway

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - InnovAfrica (Innovations in Technology, Institutional and Extension Approaches towards Sustainable Agriculture and enhanced Food and Nutritional Security in Africa)

Reporting period: 2020-06-01 to 2021-11-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Food and nutrition security (one of our primary needs), remains a challenge for Africa, despite efforts made in agricultural research and extension services over the past several decades. To achieve sustainable food and nutrition security and sustainable agriculture (FNSSA) in Africa, integrated innovation processes in smallholder agriculture, are needed that are implementable, sustainable and contribute to increase productivity and income of small holder farmers. This is in line with the InnovAfrica project overall objective which is to improve food and nutrition security (FNS) of smallholder farmers in the six case study countries namely Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania and South Africa. To meet the above-mentioned objective, InnovAfrica has applied multiple approaches that includes climate smart sustainable agriculture intensification (SAI) systems, innovative institutional approaches (IIAs) with novel extension and advisory services (EASs) that have delivered multiple benefits at multiple scales using multiple actors. InnovAfrica has addressed the main challenges of the work programme H2020 SFS-42-2016 (i.e. the role of innovations in promoting FNS and sustainable agriculture in Africa) by establishing a strong multidisciplinary EU-Africa consortium. The consortium comprises of 16 partners, supported by 6 active Multi- Actor Platforms (MAPs) in the 6 case countries. InnovAfrica has tested/validated, integrated, and disseminated selected SAI systems (e.g. Maize/sorghum/millet- legume crop diversification systems, Brachiaria forage systems), IIAs approaches (e.g. MAPs, seed delivery systems) and EASs providers such as village knowledge centers (VKCs), farmers to farmers extension (F2FE), and integrated farm plan (PIP). All these innovations are supported with information and communication technology (ICT)-based tools and dynamic knowledge platform that was set up in the InnovAfrica website (www.innovafrica.eu). The innovations were selected based on farmers’ needs, agro-ecological zones and socioeconomic conditions of the case countries (i.e. 2 study sites per case country: CC).

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Work performed and main results achieved during the reporting period (01 June 2017 to 30 November 2021)
• 6 functional MAPs were established, one in each case country with 4-5 members. The total number of MAPs members constituted of farmers’ organization (12), small and medium sized enterprises (3), public sectors (12) and nongovernmental organizations (5).
• A total of 250 lead farmers were directly engaged in cereal-legume diversification demonstration trials and total number of farmers reached were about 40,000 through EASs approaches.
• A total of 285 lead farmers were directly engaged on-farm testing of Brachiaria grass and reached over 20,000 farmers through VKC and PIP extension services. For e.g. in Kenya, 6,000+ livestock farmers are now engaged in cultivation of Brachiaria grass in the project areas and additional 3000 farmers in other parts of Kenya.
• Feeding dairy animals with improved varieties of Brachiaria forage (B. basilisk) has led to an increase milk production by up to 40 percent compared to Rhodes grass.
• Value chain (VC) coordination was enhanced through i) development of local markets linkages provided (for e.g. by National Smallholder Farmers' Association of Malawi for legumes marketing and milk marketing in Kenya by partner KENAFF)
• Key policy pathways for wider implementation of innovative SAIs, IIAs & EASs in the case countries, were discussed through a series of policy dialogue meetings that delivered one policy brief per case country.
• Communication with the project partners and MAPs members in the 6 CC, were ensured through different means for e.g. skype, WhatsApp, telephone, emails, and field visits.
• The final InnovAfrica conference was conducted in Brussels where the European partners met in person with other invited EU officials and project representative from the ongoing H2020 EU-Africa projects. While, the African partners including the SAB, SEAB and MAP members and other invited guests, participated through online mode.
In total:
• 34 deliverables (Reports, Manuals, Venn diagrams, etc) were completed on time
• 10 milestones achieved
• 18 Technical briefs (2 pages technical summary of key reports)
• 12 Policy briefs (2 pages summary)
• 2 Village Knowledge Centres (Kenya and Tanzania)
• Knowledge platform: http://kp-innovafrica.africabiosciences.org/
• Project website: www.innovafrica.eu
• KIPUS data set (Natural/social science related digital data)

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Overall, the project has contributed to increased interdisciplinary analytical competence of the African partners. It was the first time for some of them to participate in such large Multi-actor EU projects. The experiences gained during the project period has increased the strengthen of partners to integrate science into policy through multi actor engagement who participated throughout the project period. Moreover, the project has introduced improved Brachiaria seeds production and innovative ICT-based extension services (for e.g. the two VKCs in Kenya and Tanzania), digital data collection competence through KIPUS and increased resource use efficiency (for e.g. crop diversification of legumes with maize, millets and sorghum) with the right combinations of technologies, institutions/policy and extension support services.

The main impacts of the project have been:
i) Ecological/environmental impacts (contributions mainly to SDGs 2, 13, 15)
• Crop & livestock yields increased: Yields increased due to crop diversification/ intercropping (cereals with legumes) than sole crops by up to 3.5 t/ha. Intercropping of maize/millet with legumes showed higher grain yield than sole cropping: for e.g. in Malawi by 17 to 49 percent. Milk production was increased by 7 to 40% for cows fed with improved Brachairia grass (Details provided in D3.1).
• Soil fertility improved: Improved soil organic matter as a result of crop diversification with intercropping/rotations in all case study sites. Average soil organic carbon content increased by 28% in pigeon pea cereal intercrops interventions in Malawi.
ii) Food and nutrition security(contributions mainly to SDGs 1, 2, 12)
• Household milk (proteins, calcium, etc) consumption has increased in Rwanda and Kenya project areas.
• Legumes (proteins) and orange maize (vitamin A), millets/sorghum (iron) consumption has increased in Malawi, South Africa and Ethiopia project areas.
iii) Socioeconomic impacts (contributions mainly to SDGs 1, 5, 8)
• Awareness and knowledge on climate resilience and FNS increased: Local MAP meetings promoted co-learning/sharing of knowledge through trainings (e.g. making compost in Malawi).
• Communications & linkages improved: The VKCs, F2FE and PIP were participatory, decentralized and community inclusive compared to the conventional extension approach. They have improved linkages between VC actors in the project sites.
• Adoptions increased: Increased SAI technologies adoption by farmers (including women, youth) in all 6 case countries. For e.g. in Kenya, over 6,000 farmers were engaged in cultivation of Brachiaria grass in the study sites and an additional 3,000 farmers in other parts of Kenya.
• Livelihoods improved: farmers access to market increased. Farm income has increased as result of the project interventions. Covid-19 impacts has decreased income in some project areas.

Farmers produce display to National Smallholders Farmers' Assocations of Malawi and others stakehold

Woman farmer-led trials of intercroping sorghum with legumes, Northern Malawi

On-farm demonstration trials of Brachiaria forage grass, Lungwe district, Tanzania

Harvesting Brachiaria grass from trial plots, Kenya