project - Research and innovation

Linking East and West African farming systems experience into a BELT of sustainable intensification-EWA-BELT
Linking East and West African farming systems experience into a BELT of sustainable intensification-EWA-BELT

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Objectives

African countries suffer from high levels of food and nutrition insecurity exacerbated by the impacts of climate change on agricultural production. The Sustainable Intensification (SI) approach offers practical ways to increase agricultural yield, while preserving natural resources and flow of ecosystem services. SI requires fitting interventions according to local needs and contexts. Based on these assumptions, EWA-BELT aims at promoting food production systems through SI in small holder farming systems of different agro-climatic areas of East (Ethiopia, Kenya,Tanzania) and West (Burkina Faso, Ghana, Sierra Leone) Africa and at realizing an interregional African “belt” able to promote SI.

Objectives

see objectives in English

Activities

With the direct involvement of farmers through Farmer Field Research Units the following practices and technologies are being tested: use of NUS, soil fertility and water conservation practices, integrated agri-livestock; Biopesticides and post-harvest management technologies (conservation bags, use of aflatoxins, etc); ICT technologies for the detection of pests and pathogens in crops, such as platforms for remote diagnostic of crop pests and diseases and qPCR sample with the Q3-Plus V2 portable platform. Development of Sustainable Intensification indicators to assess the impact of tested innovative technologies in 5 different domains (productivity, environment, social, human and economics).

Project details
Main funding source
Horizon 2020 (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
Horizon Project Type
Multi-actor project
Ort
Main geographical location
Sassari

€ 7499456

Total budget

Total contributions including EU funding.

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3 Practice Abstracts

Several partners of the EWA BELT project are contributing to the implementation of a PLANT HEAlth Diagnostic (PLANTHEAD) network in Africa, to promote real time diagnosis and environment-friendly crop protection approaches in resource-constrained environments lacking the services to cope with crop health diseases. The network is based on the World Food and Health Security e-Center (HFSeC), and is based on Internet of Things, wearable technologies and mobile devices. The proposed approach conjugates the adoption of low cost, high throughput technologies with a web-based service for farmers, extension, and local research personnel to enable and facilitate: 1) social networking, 2) participation, 3) apo mediation, 4) openness, and 5) collaboration, within and between user groups. Valorization of traditional knowledge, involvement of local actors, and technology appropriation will increase the likelihood of success of the PLANTHEAD network. The shared database represents an extremely valuable tool for epidemiological studies, as it generates interactive georeferenced maps, thereby allowing real-time monitoring, modelling, and forecasting the progression of a pathogen or any pest that may raise serious food security/safety concern in the area. In this phase, an artificial intelligence is being trained to recognize and identify the most common foliar diseases on groundnut, a crop that has been unanimously listed as the most grown by the partners in the involved sub-Saharan countries.

Diversi partner del progetto EWA BELT stanno contribuendo all'implementazione di una rete “PLANT HEalth Diagnostic” (PLANTHEAD) in Africa, per promuovere la diagnosi in tempo reale di patogeni che colpiscono le colture alimentari e diffondere misure di protezione rispettose dell'ambiente in contesti con risorse limitate e privi di servizi. La rete si basa sul World Food and Health Security e-Center (HFSeC) e sull’ Internet of Things, tecnologie accessibili e dispositivi mobili. L'approccio proposto coniuga l'adozione di tecnologie a basso costo e ad alto rendimento, con un servizio basato sul web rivolto ad agricoltori, extension agents e personale di ricerca locale al fine di facilitare: 1) social networking, 2) partecipazione, 3) apo mediazione, 4) apertura e 5) collaborazione, all'interno e tra gruppi di utenti. La valorizzazione delle conoscenze tradizionali, il coinvolgimento degli attori locali e l'appropriazione della tecnologia aumenteranno le probabilità di successo della rete PLANTHEAD. Il database condiviso rappresenta uno strumento estremamente prezioso per gli studi epidemiologici, in quanto genera mappe georeferenziate interattive, consentendo in tal modo il monitoraggio, la modellazione e la previsione in tempo reale della progressione di un agente patogeno o di qualsiasi organismo nocivo che può causare seri problemi di sicurezza alimentare nell'area. In questa fase, un'intelligenza artificiale si sta progressivamente definendo per riconoscere e identificare le malattie fogliari più comuni sull'arachide, coltura che è stata unanimemente indicata come la più coltivata dai partner nei paesi subsahariani coinvolti.

As part of the research on retrieving plant protection traditional knowledge the use of neem seed oil (NSO), as an environmentally safe pesticide to mitigate fall armyworm damage in maize, was tested by CSIR-SARI in Ghana. About 100-150 mg of NSO was obtained by measuring 1 kg of neem seeds, removing debris and the external covering. The kernel was pounded into a fine paste and kneaded with cold water until the oil emerged, which was then collected with a foam material. A knapsack was first filled to half its capacity with water, followed by sequentially adding 10 ml of liquid soap, 25 ml of NSO, and again water up to 15 L, vigorously shaking with each addition to obtain a homogenous mixture. The first application was done when maize plants were 2-3 weeks old and the second at the 6th-7th week. A reduction in infestation and damage was observed, with a grain yield increase by over 40% compared to the untreated plants. Within the project, the partner KDC is also testing the NSO, produced by local women in Ghana, to manage pest infestation in cowpea. A ~70% yield increase was found compared to the untreated plots and ~10% compared to the use of another tested bio-pesticide: Securidaca longipedunculata root extract. In Northern Tanzania TARI evaluated the efficacy of different doses (0.5FR, 1 FR, 2FR and 4FR) of a homemade bio-pesticide [full rate (FR) = 0.5 kg of pepper (Capsicum sp.) + 3 kg Tephrosia vogelii (fish bean) + 1 kg Neem (Azadirachta indica) in 20 L water] in controlling field pests on lablab (Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet) and common bean. This treatment allowed an increase in grain yield compared to the untreated plants, up to 2.6 times in common bean and 1.7 times in lablab.

Matumizi ya mafuta ya mbegu za mwarobaini kama dawa salama kwa mazingira ili kudhibiti uharibifu wa wadudu katika mazao mbalimbali shambani kama sehemu ya utafiti wa kurejesha maarifa ya jadi ya ulinzi wa mimea, washirika kadhaa wa mradi wa EWA-BELT wanachunguza ufanisi wa kutumia mimea kudhibiti uharibifu wa wadudu mashambani. Matumizi ya mafuta ya mbegu za mwarobaini kama dawa salama kwa mazingira kupunguza uharibifu wa viwavijeshi kwenye mahindi, yalijaribiwa na Taasisi ya utafiti wa Kilimo kwenye ukanda wa savanna (CSIR-SARI) ya nchini Ghana. Ambapo takribani miligramu 100-150 za mafuta ya mbegu za mwarobaini zilizopatikana kwa kukamua kilogramu 1 ya mbegu za mwarobaini. Mafuta haya yalipuliziwa kwenye mimea yakichanganywa na sabuni miligramu 10 ya maji, mililita 25 za mafuta ya mbegu za mwarobaini kwenye bomba la lita 15. Jariribio la kwanza lilifanywa wakati mimea ya mahindi ikiwa na umri wa wiki 2-3, kupungua kwa uvamizi na uharibifu kulionekana na ongezeko la mavuno ya nafaka kwa zaidi ya 40% ikilinganishwa na mimea ambayo haikupuliziwa dawa hii ilionekana.

Pia ndani ya mradi huu washiriki wengine kutoka Taasisi ya maendeleo ya Kundok inchini Ghana (KDC) walitumia mafuta ya mbegu za mwarobaini yanayozalishwa na kikundi cha wanawake nchini Ghana, ili kuthiibiti uvamizi wa wadudu kwenye zao la kunde. Ambapo ongezeko la mavuno la 70% lilipatikana ikilinganishwa na mashamba ya zao la kunde ambayo hayakupuliziwa dawa hii, na 10% ikilinganishwa na matumizi ya dawa nyingine ya dukani au viwandani ya kuulia wadudu iliyojaribiwa.

Nchini Tanzania, taasisi ya Utafiti wa Kilimo Tanzania (TARI) ilifanya jaribio kutathimini ufanisi na ufanyaji kazi wa dozi mbalimbali za dawa asili ya mimea kwa ajili ya kuua visumbufu vya mazao shambani itokanayo na mchanganyiko wa pilipili kali iliyosagwa, utupa uliosagwa na mwarobaini uliosagwa na kuchanganywa katika lita ishirini za maji na hatimaye kutumika kudhibiti wadudu waharibifu kwenye zao la Ngwara na Maharagwe. Mchanganyiko huu ulipelekea ongezeko la mavuno mara 2.6 katika zao la maharagwe na mara 1.7 katika zao ngwara, ikilinganishwa na mimea ambayo haikupuliziwa dawa ya asili ya mimea, na ufanisi wa dawa hii ya asili ya mimea haukuwa tofauti sana na matumizi ya dawa ya wadudu ya viwandani iliyotumika

Given its early maturing stage and nutritious nature, Fonio (Digitaria Exilis (Kippist Stapf) has been known as an important food security crop in the growing areas since it closes the hunger gap between the planting and harvesting period of the major staple crops such as maize. However, nowadays its production is being neglected in many areas of West Africa and no improved varieties are currently available. KDC as part of the EWA-BELT project has introduced and evaluated Fonio production in four Northern Ghanaian districts testing four local varieties: Namba, Nnamba, Wagadugu and Nfonikpa. Nnamba resulted the highest yielding landrace (~900-1000 kg ha-1) and it was proposed to 20 farmer groups in the 4 districts, for a total of 400 farmers, which have been linked to a processor company. Furthermore, 5 farmers per each district will be trained with a Training of Trainers (ToT) approach on the manual processing of Fonio. On these premises, not only the inclusion of Fonio in the farming systems will have the capability to enhance food security, but also, if produced in larger quantities than farmers own consumption, it could be sold to the mechanical processing company increasing the farmers' household income. Within the project, the partner ACRA also directed part of its research on Fonio, assessing two different crop management practices in the areas of Zorgho, Loumbila and Guié in Burkina Faso. Preliminary results showed a yield increase of about 124% (830 kg ha-1) under manure fertilization (60 kg ha-1) and deeply row-seeding compared to the traditional practices with no fertilizer and broadcasting sowing (370 kg ha-1).

Kiu (Fonio) Koob la yõndo koom guidgrē la Koosũm yõndo Ghana (Nord) la Burkina Faso

Kiu wa sē bĩit Tũlga là sē ya rĩib sē tũin koom Ed mĩ-yē Koob yôndo kakũadba yĩinga.kiu tũē songamē tid toi kom yemmdē. Bala a buiũg saasa Ti Kamana nē koodã taaba nã ka taayé( kiu tũē yiilim doogo). Nēeba wũusg yaoũlē la miin-yé bon la koodã wũusg yé. Kiu bises sē bée ka bĩis tũulûlg yé.

Kundok Développent consul tũum wēgĩn (projet EWA BELT) ũb nãanga kiu wa Koob nē Ghana temsã naas sē zoé koo niin kood bois toētoēya (Savelugu, west mamprusi,talensi, la nabdam) lab nāanga kiu kood bĩis sē ya sõmbo n-yiida tāaba (900-1000 kg ha-1) id riika kiu bĩis bamba n-nāanga Koob tēmssa naz puusē nē kakũadb bamba kobs nassé sē pũui saas piisĩ. Teng fāa tũumda nēeba nũ Saas piisĩ wā pũugē tid nã zambs ba (kõnb bangrē)kiũ Koob wēgē ti tuubda (projet) bassego kadũadb baam kũabga (kakũadb pĩisi-la-nũ teng fāa) nā kiinba kiu wā. Kitamē ti kood kang na sõngamē tĩib tong koom lab koosé m paam yõndo kiu wā koosg pũugē ā bîis wũuslem kiêlem.

"Projet"kang pũugē Accra Burkina tũum taaga lũissa toogo Ghana kiu bĩis koob naangr Burkina nĩn bũdbā la koomb māansiim tũētũēya (zorgho, loumbila nē Guié Burkina solmē). Rē vinēgamē ti māansiim bamba sõmblom yĩida Burkina kakũadba bũdbā nakingré. Bamb dínga ya 124% (830 ha-1, nē põnsg 60kg ha-1) ti Burkina kakũadba sē miinimē bũtē (370 kg ha-1, bamb pā niingd põnsg yē).

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