The study of agricultural systems has long been central to CGIAR research. During the third of four sessions in the CGIAR Research Program Engagement with Donors and External Stakeholders, the “systems approach” to improving productivity, profitability, sustainability and resilience of entire farming systems were presented.
The persistence of rural poverty, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, is an area in which CGIAR has potential to have a much larger impact than it has had in the past, says Patrick Dugan, Director of the CGIAR Research Program on Aquatic Agricultural System (AAS). The systems CRPs are aiming high, and their proposed development outcomes were presented to donors at the meetings in Montpellier in June. In order to harness the potential for CGIAR research to reduce rural poverty, improve nutrition and health, food security and effective natural resource management the systems CRPs aim to achieve impact through integrated agricultural systems research programs in three areas; Aquatic dominated Agricultural Systems (AAS), Humid Tropical Systems (Humidtropics) and Dryland Systems. The programs in these three areas have broadened the research scope to look beyond single crop agricultural solutions to addressing the four system level outcomes.
The CRPs clear focus on determining the drivers of poverty to tailor interventions using an “integrated systems approach” was well received by donors and partners. Some of these drivers have been identified by Dryland Systems as access to financial tools, land tenure and employment, and the availability of labor. Other drivers include existing social and gendered norms that may constrain or enhance the ability of the poor and marginalized to access and benefit from resources, credit and markets.
AAS is harnessing participatory action research to set its research agenda, putting the “places” and the people that live there at the forefront of research activities. They estimate that 48 million people will benefit from the research program by 2023 in the 4 areas in which they focus: Inland Africa, Coastal Africa, Asia Mega Deltas, and the Coral Triangle.
Humidtropics focused on the intersection of sustainable intensification and natural resource management as a means to improve livelihoods. In 9 years, Humidtropics aims to lift 3 million households above the poverty line, increase total farm productivity by 60% in 3 million households, restore 3.5 million hectares to sustainable management, and improve the control of assets for 1 million women and youth.
These impact targets are preliminary and all CRPs are committed to improve the process for target setting over the next years as part of their research activities.
Donors and partners praised the CRPs for their ambitious development outcomes but emphasized the need to include rigorous monitoring and evaluation protocols to show progress in attaining these outcomes in addition to methods for measuring some of the more difficult areas to quantify, such as innovation within systems and improving access to resources by marginalized groups. Innovation within systems as well as innovation in methods of monitoring and evaluation is an area that the systems CRPs are working together to address.
Partnerships with local, regional, and national partners were once again highlighted as vital to maximize the ability of CRPs to deliver on their development outcomes and targets.
Integrated programs will be necessary to ensure alignment with national priorities and making sure that CRPs do not “reinvent the wheel” by duplicating efforts. Dryland Systems, Humidtropics and AAS are all partnering with National Research and Extension Programs (NARES). Additionally, these systems CRPs are taking advantage of the opportunity to build upon the research of CGIAR Centers and the CGIAR Challenge Programs, particularly the Sub-Saharan Africa Challenge Program.
Involving partners at the beginning of the research process will help accelerate the impact from the intermediate development outcomes and enable CRPs to address the immediate and pressing needs of the communities. This is explicit in the activities of these Systems CRPs. Sustaining these partnerships will be the key to ensuring the long-term sustainability of the interventions and solutions.
Frank Rijsberman acknowledges that moving to development outcomes will require stronger linkages with development partners and the alignment of CRPs with local partners. But how much of CRP budgets should be devoted to non-CGIAR partners? This is a question under debate.
The opportunity for strategic and programmatic partnerships includes those between CRPs as well. In programs such as AAS where there is a heavy focus on social systems and behavior change (a strongpoint of the program that was praised during the meeting) there is also potential to partner with the Commoditiy CRPs—Maize, Wheat, Rice, Dryland Cereals, RTB—to integrate technical solutions into the IDOs and impact pathways of AAS.
Forward thinking
Donors such as NEPAD praised the systems CRPs as ‘forward thinking’ for their inclusion of youth in the intermediate development outcomes. Lack of on-farm opportunities for young people and the potential for earning a steadier income in cities has meant many are looking to engage in off-farm activities. Specifically including young people as beneficiaries of research is somewhat of a new focus of CGIAR, but a welcome one.
Dryland Systems emphasized the inclusion of youth as a cross-cutting theme of the program, recognizing that demographic challenges are particularly acute in dry areas. Understanding the role of youth and addressing their needs in agriculture will be a priority.
Donors acknowledge that demographic changes may also influence systems CRPs to broaden the focus from looking only at rural communities to urban areas as well. Addressing urban nutrition and dietary needs is an area that Dryland Systems plans to target.
The donors praised AAS for having a “bold and innovative approach,” with its focus on setting its research agenda through participatory action research and by understanding what is driving poverty to determine where AAS interventions can address these drivers.
Anticipating the future state of agricultural systems and the social structures embedded within them is a key component of the impact pathways in the systems CRPs. The importance of forging lasting local partnerships as well as directing research to address future developments was clearly highlighted. The systems CRPs will continue to refine their targets, levels, and development outcomes with these key themes at the forefront of the research agenda.
More information:
See CGIAR Research Program Engagement with Donors and External Stakeholders for more resources relating to the setting of targets and gauging impacts across the CGIAR Research Program portfolio. #LELP2013 #Ag4Dev (Listening Engaging Learning Progressing – LELP2013)
All systems go in the dryland areas (CGIAR Consortium)
Global alliance to boost local capacity to innovate in agriculture (CGIAR Consortium)
CGIAR Research Program on Aquatic Agricultural Systems (AAS)
CGIAR Research Program on Integrated Systems for the Humid Tropics (Humidtropics)
CGIAR Research Program on Dryland Systems (Dryland Systems)