Published in chapter 11 of CIAT’s new flagship publication ‘Eco-Efficiency: From Vision to Reality‘ – the authors conclude that “well-managed tropical forage-based systems can contribute not only to improved livelihoods of the rural poor in the tropics, but also to the overall quality of the environment. With a global community increasingly cognizant of the environmental implications of agriculture, forage-based systems should figure prominently in future innovative agricultural systems.

See a related story: Livestock: Cure or curse?

See related work as part of the CGIAR Research Program on Livestock and Fish

He started by arguing that current future livestock productivity challenges would benefit significantly from “a little more feed per animal.” He outlined four main ways to get this feed to the animals:

• Reduce the number of animals, improve herd structure or grow additional feed
• Introduce forage legumes to improve diet quality; or grasses to increase available feed quantity
• Grow specific fodder crops
• Strategic feeding of available feed resources – smarter use

He also explained that these technical solutions are much less simple to accomplish than we might think. Why?

• Technologies are seldom simple
• Smallholder farming systems are diverse
• People and livelihoods differ
• The incentives to increase production are nor always in place

He concluded that ‘one-size-fits all technologies’ don’t work. Instead we need need a systems-oriented innovation process that

• includes all relevant stakeholders
• takes account of the range of farming system and livelihoods in the area
• places innovation in the context of the value chain to ensure that farmers reap the benefits of innovations

More information on the project

More information on the inception workshop

… fodder innovation can be successfully triggered and integrated in livestock production by actors interacting and learning in networks, and on farms. However, fodder is one among many inputs in livestock production. The success of fodder innovation, and for that matter innovation in other livestock technologies, depends on other inputs, institutions and markets. The key lesson is that fodder can be an entry point but real improvement occurs when broader value chain issues are addressed in a holistic manner.

There are many valid reasons for this. See for example here. Feed interventions promoted by development people often fail to take account of the hidden constraints faced by smallholder livestock keepers. These constraints often relate to livelihood endowments – things like financial, human and social capitals. For example, the classic example of an oft promoted but consistently unsuccessful feed intervention is the treatment of straw with urea. There are very few cases in Africa where urea treatment of straw is spontaneously adopted by farmers. Why? Because urea and associated inputs (plastic sheeting or concrete) is expensive and beyond the pocket of many farmers (financial capital) and because the practice requires some skill to succeed (human capital).

If feed interventions are to succeed and take root we need a rapid way of assessing farm level livelihoods and targeting interventions based on the findings. Here at ILRI we have gone some way towards this in the development of the Techfit tool. This tool attempts to score intervention sites according to a series of “context attributes” – things like labour availability, land availability, credit availability and so on. The tool then matches those context scores with a list of candidate feed technologies to come up with a short list of promising options.

We plan to take these ideas further through a new project funded under the Africa RISING programme. Africa RISING recently funded an ‘early win’ project in Ethiopia led by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA). The project which we are calling Quick Feeds builds on the ongoing Ethiopian Livestock Feed (ELF) Project. This time we will take some of the feed assessment tools we have been developing: FEAST, Techfit and value chain analysis and put them into an overall livelihoods framework. We plan to develop some farm typologies based on livelihood capitals and then apply the feed assessment tools to different farm typologies. We hope this will help to uncover some of the reasons why different feed interventions are suited to different farm types.

The inception meeting for this project will be on 7-8 May on the ILRI campus in Addis Ababa. Watch for further updates after that meeting.

Farmers discuss ILRI feed assessment tool FEAST

Following the Ethiopian Livestock Feed (ELF) project inception meeting on 21-22 February 2012, the ELF team arranged a training workshop and field trip to test two tools in livestock value chains, FEAST and Techfit, before beginning research in their selected sites across Ethiopia. 25 participants gathered on 12-16 March 2012 at ILRI in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to discuss the tools, refine the questionnaire for field testing, and work through any issues and queries about the project.

Alan Duncan led the training session on Techfit, and Ben Lukuyu on FEAST. Trainees included four researchers from each selected site (two experts on feed, the others on socio-economics) and the three key resource people included Abate Tedla of ILRI, Adugna Tolera of Hawassa University and Jane Wamatu of ICARDA.

Farmer explains the cost of labour in rural Ethiopia

On Wednesday, the ELF team traveled to Godino, near Debre Zeit in Ethiopia, to test run the tools with local farmers.

The party split into three smaller groups who will later investigate feed resources in sheep, beef and dairy value chains in the chosen project sites in Debre Birhan, Debre Zeit and Holetta.

The day began with a participatory rural appraisal (PRA) exercise on FEAST, where the experts and farmers answered and discussed a number of questions on land, labor, credit, inputs, and education.

Questions ranged from “How easy is it to hire casual labor as and when required?” to “ What proportion of the PRA group have completed secondary schooling?” All feedback was recorded to calculate context scores. Individual in-depth interviews were then carried out with three different farmers, while the remaining small groups continued with a PRA exercise using the Techfit tool.

The group reconvened on Thursday to reflect on the field trip and discuss next steps for the project. Presentations from the FEAST assessment were prepared during the morning session and presented by each group in the afternoon. Adugna presented the results of the Techfit PRA exercise. An afternoon reflection session looked at what worked during the field testing, what was difficult, and what needs to be changed.

The team agreed that time-keeping went well, with farmers available and present on time, and that data collection had been a success. They felt that the selection of farmers needs to be given more consideration next time, e.g. improve gender balance, age variation, and more diverse educational backgrounds. They also suggested using larger groups of 12 farmers. The group further agreed that the PRA exercise could be improved by creating a more natural and relaxed atmosphere; less like an interview and where no one participant can dominate the conversation so that everyone has an equal say.

At the end of the reflection session, Abate Tedla presented the next steps for the ELF project. The team will now split into individual site groups and aim to complete field data collection for FEAST and Techfit by the end of March, carry out value chain analysis field work by mid-April, and focus on data entry, analysis and report writing for the remainder of April.

Further information on the project and its activities is on the project wiki.

View project photos

Information on FEAST / Information in TechFit

This project is funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR); it is part of the CGIAR Research Program on Livestock and Fish.

ELF team conducts PRA exercise on feed assessment tools

By Kara Brown, ILRI

A group of 30 International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) scientists, partners and other stakeholders met on 21-22 February 2012 on the ILRI campus in Addis Ababa for a two-day inception workshop on the new Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research-funded project, ‘Fodder and feed in livestock value chains in Ethiopia – trends and prospects’ (the Ethiopian Livestock Feed (ELF) project).

With significant changes in feeding practices in the Ethiopian livestock sector and an increase in human population leading to greater scarcity of livestock feed, this project is one of a number of current initiatives focusing on feed issues within livestock value chains. Over the coming few months, ILRI in collaboration with the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research and the Amhara Regional Agricultural Research Institute are implementing this small scoping study across six sites.

Last week’s inception workshop was held to review Ethiopia’s livestock value chains and their feed resources, to review the methodologies and tools needed for feed and value chain assessment, to initiate the site selection process and to agree upon individual roles and logistics for project activities.

Edmealem Shitye of the Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development opened the workshop. He placed emphasis on the need for “simple but effective tools” to gain deeper understanding of how feed components of livestock production systems are changing and how this is reflected in the feed-related elements of focal value chains. The ELF project aims to develop and refine such tools; tools that are easy-to-use and which can prioritize feed technologies for specific locations and their value chains.

Throughout the two days, workshop participants actively engaged in conversation on ILRI’s Feed Assessment (FEAST) and Techfit tools. The project is also developing ideas for ‘light’ value chain assessments. The team gelled well, reached consensus on key actors to involve in the process, and agreed on necessary site selection criteria.

The group looked at the merits and disadvantages of using FEAST and Techfit. They questioned where and how the tools can be used, and by whom. While neither of these decision-making tools are ‘magic’ solutions, they are useful and can contribute as part of an overall process of feed assessment and intervention design. The ELF project will test different research methodologies and approaches within beef, sheep and dairy value chains. Provisional sites include six different areas in the country’s Oromiya, Amhara and SNNPR regions and training will start during the week beginning 12 March 2012.
Key actors in the process include:

• Extension workers
• Small holder farmers
• Researchers
• Development partners
• Private sector operators (feed processors, feed traders, etc.)

The inception workshop was rounded off with an outline of next steps to be taken. Those steps include drafting a detailed activity plan, involving other colleagues and partners, arranging training sessions and further developing methodologies.

Read about the meeting on the project wiki.

View outputs of the project

This project is funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR); it is part of the CGIAR Research Program on Livestock and Fish.

By Kara Brown, ILRI 

The Feed Assessment Tool (FEAST) is aimed at rapid participatory feed assessment. It provides a quick overview of the smallholder farming system in a particular location and how feed fits into the overall enterprise. The second tool (“Techfit“) helps with the question of “what next”? It helps to guide thinking of researchers and development workers on feed technology prioritization.

Together with value chain assessment, both tools will be deployed and tested in this project.

See an introductory presentation on FEAST:

See an introductory presentation on TechFit:

More information on the use of these tools in the ELF project is on the project wiki: FEAST and TechFit.

This project is funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR); it is part of the CGIAR Research Program on Livestock and Fish.

The International Dairy Federation (IDF) with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Farm Comparison Network (IFCN) established a Task Force on Animal Feeding to develop a technical monograph on animal feeding in the dairy sector.

The report will be published in early 2012.

It will provide a “world map of animal feeding systems in the dairy sector as precisely as possible, and according to geographical zones and/or farm size.”

More information …

• The Gates Foundation-funded East Africa Dairy Development Project extending its activities into Ethiopia

• The CIDA-funded LIVES programme

• The multi-donor Agricultural Growth Programme for Ethiopia

• CGIAR Research Programme on Livestock and Fish has identified small ruminants in Ethiopia as one of a series of global livestock value chains for intensive research for development.

These are all large initiatives and livestock feeding, a chronic problem for smallholder livestock production in Ethiopia, will be important in all cases. Partly to support the development of these initiatives, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research recently commissioned a small scoping study on feed issues in livestock value chains in Ethiopia. ILRI with national research and development partners (Ethiopian Institute for Agricultural Research; Amhara Regional Agricultural Research Institute) will be implementing this work in the coming few months.

The purpose of the project is to develop a preliminary understanding of how feed components of intensifying livestock production systems in Ethiopia are changing as systems intensify and how this is reflected in the feed-related elements of focal value chains.

Project objectives are:

• Develop value chain maps for feed-related elements of prominent dairy, beef and sheep value chains in Ethiopia and to gather indicative data on flows, volumes, prices of feeds and fodder associated with those value chains.

• Assess demand for and the price – quality relationships for feeds and fodder at different stages along the intensification continuum within study sites. Also to determine if / how feed quality messages are passing along the focal chains and if they are, what are the perceived and actual characteristics of better quality feeds that command premium prices?

• If there are feed quality price premiums, what are the impacts of the higher quality feeds on smallholder farmers in terms of livestock productivity and profits?

• Use the above information to allow future trends to be predicted and to support interventions to enhance smallholder-based feed supply and trade leading to more value, more employment and reduced margins and costs.

• Test and refine emerging tools for feed resource and demand assessment, value chain analysis, rapid market appraisal and feed technology prioritization for subsequent application in wider CGIAR Research Programme (and other) contexts.

A first step is to meet with partners and other stakeholders to plan activities and we plan to do this on Feb 21-22 on ILRI campus in Addis Ababa. Please get in touch if interested.

Contact Alan Duncan – a.duncan AT cgiar.org

More information on the project

We will again be experimenting with innovation and value chain approaches to feed development. The project will be embedded within the new CGIAR Research Programme 3.7: More milk, meat and fish, for and by the poor.

The overall goal of the project will be to contribute to improved dairy-derived livelihoods in India and Tanzania via intensification of smallholder production focusing on enhancement of feeds and feeding using innovation and value chain approaches.

The objectives of the project are three-fold:

1.     Institutional strengthening: To strengthen use of value chain and innovation approaches among dairy stakeholders to improve feeding strategies for dairy cows.

2.       Productivity enhancement: To develop options for improved feeding strategies leading to yield enhancement with potential income benefits.

3.       Knowledge sharing: To strengthen knowledge sharing mechanisms on feed development strategies at local, regional and international levels

Activities on this project will start in earnest in early 2012 but already a number of preparatory steps have been taken to ensure rapid project start up. These have mainly related to scoping missions to the two study countries with a view to identifying project sites and partners. The main activities are summarized below:

Scoping visits:

Tanzania: A project team including Alan Duncan (Project Co-ordinator) and Brigitte Maass (Tanzania Country Co-ordinator) along with Ben Lukuyu and Amos Omore of ILRI visited Tanzania in August and conducted a 5 day tour of potential sites and partners. The visit began in Arusha and went by way of Tanga and Morogoro to Dar-es-Salaam. Meetings were arranged with a wide range of potential partners and stakeholders. The process was useful in raising awareness among potential partners about the incoming project. The visit also provided some pointers to potential project sites and these will be firmed up in a pre-inception meeting in Jan 2012.

Uttarakhand, India: a similar scoping visit was made to Uttarakhand by Alan Duncan and Nils Teufel (India Country Co-ordinator) in December 2012. The visit centred around two main locations, Dehra Dun and Almora. Stakeholder mini-workshops were held in each location introducing the project and gathering information on ongoing dairy activities and key current issues around dairy value chain development.

Meetings with IFAD country staff

During the scoping visit to Tanzania, a meeting was held with Dr Mwatima Juma,  Country Officer for IFAD Tanzania on 26 Aug, 2011. We discussed IFAD country priorities and introduced the MilkIT project to the country office. A similar meeting was held in the IFAD India country office on 23 Sept 2011.  Again the MilkIT project was introduced and its integration with the forthcoming Integrated Livelihood Support Programme in Uttarakhand was discussed.

Planning for implementation

Dates and agenda have been set for a pre-inception planning meeting in Nairobi on Jan 24/25, 2012. The meeting will develop site selection criteria, work on details of initial project activities, agree on partners and explore links with a sister project on dairy in Tanzania funded by Irish Aid.

We will continue to post updates about this project on this blog.