Progress, Lessons & Challenges Ahead

1. Photo : Amare Haileslassie ICRISAT/ILRI
Science and implementation of the SA
Dryland System: Progress, Lessons &
Challenges Ahead
Haileslassie, Whitbread, Krishna, Wani
Science & implementation workshop/Amman (30/06-4/07/14)

2. Topics of Presentation
—Location and characteristics of the action sites
—What do we want to achieve ?
—Key research questions, methods, scales and
partners
—Synopsis of activities implemented and
emerging issues
—Lessons and Challenges

3. Location and characteristics of the
action sites
—Agro pastoral
systems
—Irrigation
systems
—Tree based
systems
—Intensive
rainfed
systems

4. Location and characteristics of the
action sites
—Rainfall gradients ~600-150mm
—Diversity in soil and thus the soil-
water dynamics influencing
agricultural practices (sand- clay
texture)
—Extensive & intensive and farming
systems
—Systems undergoing rapid
changes (e.g. migration, non-farm
employment)
Photo : Amare Haileslassie
ICRISAT/ILRI
Photo : Amare Haileslassie
ICRISAT/ILRI

5. Location and characteristics of the
action sites
—Yield instability
(Anantapur) and high
CV (Rajastahn)
—Changes in the
structures of farming
systems (e.g.
livestock species, land
holding size)
—Production systems
and livelihoods in
transition: how can we
support?
Haileslassie et al…2013
IncomeinIndianrupees

6. What we want to achieve & research
questions
—Generating knowledge on the present
performances of production systems.
— What are structural components of the system and their
interactions;
— What are the functional components of the system ( e.g.
input levels and types and output level achieved over
time); and status of the system (e.g. stability, risk ).
—Improving system performances & associated
livelihoods.
— What are farmers livelihood objectives and how it
matches with the current level of livelihood outcomes.
— What are the options and scenarios to achieve higher
level of performances.
— Trade-off analysis.

7. High Level Activities to address the RQ
—Baseline characterization of systems function and structure
and ex-ante impact assessment of selected technologies ( DP,
PC)
—Identification, demonstration and validation of promising
technologies and diversification options for enhanced
productivity & livelihood security (PC, Piloting)
—Gender inclusive capacity strengthening of individuals,
community and institutions on knowledge gaps and promising
technologies (PC)
—Enabling institutional and policy options for enhanced
adoption, resilience and market access for improved
livelihoods ( PC)
— Monitoring and evaluation of project interventions and trade
offs (DP)

8. How we want to do this: partners
—Regional coordinator: ICRISAT
—CGIAR partners: Bioversity, CIP, ICARDA, ICRAF,
ILRI, IWMI…. Level of collaboration and
integration
—NARS partners: Indian Council Agricultural
Research (ICAR), Indian Agricultural Ministries,
Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC),
Ministry of Agriculture (Afghanistan)
—Agricultural Universities: University of Agricultural
Sciences, Karnataka; Acharya NG Ranga
Agricultural University, Andhra Pradesh
—National & State-based NGOs: BAIF, GRAVIS,

9. Scales: 6 Districts, 15 villages, Nested approach
How we want to do this: scales and
tools/methods
Tools and methods: Geospatial; Participatory;
Empirical, Simulation, Optimization

10. Activities and Outputs
Emerging issues: a) Livestock holding
MeanSLUperhousehold

11. Activities and Outputs
Emerging issues: b) Feed seasonality-
Rajasthan

12. Activities and Outputs
Emerging issues: c) Gross income as calculated by
expert

13. Activities and Outputs
Emerging issues : d) Sources of livelihoods and
trends over the last five years-Rajasthan

14. Activities and Outputs
Emerging issues : e) Relation between different
income sources and implications
Key message : how can the different livelihood sources
complement each other?

15. Activities and Outputs
Emerging issues : f) Household vulnerability-Andhra
Pradesh (income at Rs. 15,472 and Rs.36,500 per
year) plotted against ln (income)

16. Activities and Outputs
Emerging issues : g) Adaptation strategies

17. Activities and Outputs
Emerging issues : g) Adaptation strategies… one
does not fit all !

18. Activities and Outputs
Emerging issues : h) Scenarios and their ex-ante
impacts
Scenario 2:
PL= Rs.42.4/day for Andhra Pradesh, Rs.179.3/day for Karnataka
and Rs. 54.9/day for Rajasthan.
HI: increased income of the household(21% for Andhra Pradesh,
24% for Karnataka and 19% for Rajasthan due to adaption of
improved strategies)
Scenario 4:
PL=Rs.100/day
HI: increased income of the household (21% for Andhra Pradesh,
24% for Karnataka and 19% for Rajasthan due to adaption of
improved strategies)
Scenario 6:
PL=Rs.200/day.
HI: increased income of the household (21% for Andhra Pradesh,
24% for Karnataka and 19% for Rajasthan due to adaption of
improved strategies)

19. Activities and Outputs
Emerging issues : j) Land use land cover maps
Land use / Land cover
01. Irrigated-mixedcrops
02. Rainfed-mixedcrops
03. Rangelands/fallow
04. Rangelands/shrublands
05. Shrublands/wastelands/trees
06. Water bodies
07. Builtup lands
Watersheds

20. Activities and Outputs
Emerging issues : k) Composite sustainability
index

21. Activities and Outputs
Emerging issues : l) Composite sustainability
index-farm typologies
Sustainabili
ty pillars
Farm typologies
1( N=247) 2(N=131) 3(N=84) 4(N=20) 5(N=11)
Economy
0.11±0.06a 0.13±0.07b 0.15±0.09c 0.13±0.09ab 0.19±0.16c
Environmen
t 0.20±0.06a 0.31±0.05b 0.27±0.08c
0.30±0.05c
b
0.27±0.07c
b
Social
0.40±0.10a 0.39±0.11a 0.47±0.13b 0.42±0.12a 0.45±0.12a

22. Activities and Outputs
Emerging issues : l) Composite sustainability index

23. Activities and Outputs
Emerging issues : m) Relation between sustainability index
a) Farm typology 1 Composite indices of sustainability pillars
Economy Social Environment
Economy 1.00
Social 0.35** 1.00
Environment 0.24** 0.44** 1.00
b) Farm typology 2
Economy 1.00
Social 0.136 1.00
Environment -0.25** 0.06 1.00
c) Farm typology 3
Economy 1.00
Social 0.43** 1.00
Environment 0.07 0.40** 1.00
d) Farm typology 4
Economy 1.00
Social 0.49* 1.00
Environment 0.38* 0.05 1.00
e) Farm typology 5
Economy 1.00
Social 0.20 1.00
Environment -0.03 0.01 1.00
Overall
Economy 1.00
Social 0.34** 1.00
Environment 0.15** 0.284** 1.00

24. Activities and Outputs
Emerging issues : n) Three dimensional
approaches to agricultural biodiversity survey

25. Activities and Outputs
Emerging issues : o) Impacts of improved seed
(millet) on grain and biomass yields (>250 farmers
system impact?)

26. Activities and Outputs
Emerging issues : o) Impacts of improved seed
(Chickpea) on biomass yields (system impact?)
Variety
Gross
return
(Rs./ha)
Cost of
cultivation
(Rs./ha)
Net
return
(Rs./ha)
Benefit:
cost
ratio
CSJK 6 77120 29430 47690 1.62
CSJK 21 72210 29430 42780 1.45
Local 66976 28680 38296 1.33

27. Activities and Outputs
Emerging issues : p) widespread deficiencies of
plant nutrient ( Ananatapur)
District Village
% of sampled fields deficient in
available nutrients
P K Ca Mg S B Zn Cu Fe Mn
Anantapur Kurlapalli 20 3 43 0 83 77 73 27 3 0
Mallapuram 3 7 60 0 87 87 83 73 3 0
Kurnool V. Bonthiralla 40 7 27 0 100 90 93 27 0 0
Yerraguntla 73 0 3 0 100 40 87 3 0 0

28. Activities and Outputs
Emerging issues : q) Up scaling

29. — Partnership building, baseline
establishment, piloting…
— Coherent framework for research
and development continuum….
— Integration across regions and
partners is needed- ( activities in
Pak, India…
— Conceptual framework for
regional and global synthesis –
regional partners must work but
within the global framework
— Common/ understanding on what
Successes and what did not work well
Photo : Amare Haileslassie
ICRISAT/ILRI
Photo : Amare Haileslassie
ICRISAT/ILRI

30. There is no short cut to
bring impacts on system
related research. It is the
result of component
integration and
interaction: i.e. it is a
process and needs
enough time to mature..
Differences between
impact on components
and system needs to be
differentiated
— We need to focus
— Finance and man
Biggest implementation challenges
Photo : Amare Haileslassie ICRISAT/ILRI
Photo : Amare Haileslassie ICRISAT/ILRI

31. Thanks for
your attention