ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN WANA MARGINAL ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH SUSTAINABLE CROP AND LIVESTOCK DIVERSIFICATION.

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Description

Intro

The International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), in partnership with the national agricultural research systems (NARS) of seven countries in West Asia and North Africa (WANA) region carried out a major regional project under the title: ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN WANA MARGINAL ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH SUSTAINABLE CROP AND LIVESTOCK DIVERSIFICATION. The project was implemented from 2010-2015, aiming to improve livelihood and productivity, resiliency to climate changes and income of poor farmers relying on marginal water and land resources in WANA region, and scale up and disseminate high yielding forage/crops production packages better adapted to the marginal environmental conditions.

Objective of the practice

The objectives of the project were to: 1. Develop farmer participatory efficient seed production and delivery systems for farmers’ wide scale adoption. <br />
2. Develop and disseminate packages of forage production and utilization technologies under marginal conditions to farmers <br />
3. Introduce, evaluate and scale-up environmentally and economically feasible forage-livestock production systems using municipal treated water<br />
4. Assess the impact of technology development and adoption on crop-livestock productivity and poverty alleviation for poor women and men farmers. <br />
5. Build the capacity of the NARS and farmers in crop diversification and seed production in marginal conditions

Partners

The project was carried out with the support of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD), the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) and the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), and in partnership with the following National Agricultural Research Systems in Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Oman, Tunisia, Palestine, and Yemen, as well as farmers’ associations and NGOs.

Implementation of the Project/Activity

 Each partner country carried out station and farmers based field evaluation to select the best adapted genotypes and identified a list of winter and summer annual and perennial salt-tolerant forages and field crops constituting an integrated forage package that can secure forage resources year-round for multiplication and distribution to farmers. High value crop species like Safflower and Quinoa were also introduced to the farming systems.
 The most suitable seeds were identified. Facilities, storage, equipment and instrumentations for seed production, handling, cleaning and packing were established with varying sophistication among partner countries. Guidelines were developed for each selected crop in all countries and extension performed for wider skill acquiring by farmers.
 A total of 17 seed production facilities, 26 on-station evaluation and 29 on-farm trials and production fields achieved. Integrated field management for seed production enhancement were developed and disseminated in each country.
 The project allocated sizable resources and efforts to develop integrated management packages for crop production at the farm level and to develop similar packages for farm products enhancement and livestock products. There were 45 crop management system experiments (to adjust technical operations from crop planting to harvest) that were set up in order to optimize crops yield and quality.

 Integrated Management Packages include the three main parts: a) Soil management b) Irrigation and drainage management. c) Forage crops field management for enhanced livestock production in marginal environments to provide more storable and nutritional value. In total there were 13 experiments on nutritional and feeding values of selected forage accessions and varieties continued for a second year replication experiments where effects on small ruminants (sheep, goat) growth, physiology, rumination activity, intake, palatability, fertility and health were quantified. In addition, four feeding experiments were conducted to test the palatability of the salt tolerant pearl millet and sorghum genotypes and the effect on animal physiology. The project emphasized the on-farm techniques for forage processing (silage and hay) and utilization for better storability for enhanced feeding values. The technologies were demonstrated to a total of more than 1500 farmers. The following are the key methods applied in the partner countries: silage manufacturing (processing), feed blocks processing, covered stack feed manufacturing, and Biological treatments.
 ICBA and NARS implemented comprehensive capacity building program to develop technical knowledge of local staff inbreeding/selection techniques of the all crops, and large scale seed production and management practices.

 The project established a Dairy Processing Unit included Dairy Laboratory in North Sinai in Sahl El Tina area to process cow and goat milk. This project focused on converting milk into dairy products. In aiming to achieve the SDG gender equality goal, six training courses for 45 women were held to train the group of rural women on the techniques and hygienic methods for production of yoghurt, cheese and other products for income generation.

Results/Outputs/Impacts

The project was highly successful in developing more resilient agricultural production
systems in an integrated comprehensive approach that helped the participant farmers in
marginal environments achieving better management of their farm resources along the
value chain and attain high production and income.
• Extensive capacity building program and hands-on training provided farmers with key
skills for better management of their lands.
• The integrated approach of inclusion of livestock, farm products and dairy processing
enhanced the productivity and income of the farm, in addition it created new income
opportunities for rural women.
• The outcomes of the project has been endorsed and adopted by agricultural authorities at
local and the ministry levels.
• Farmers’ participation reached more than the targeted levels in all of the countries.
Moreover, the project activities expanded to new regions based on the demands of
farmers and decision makers. Further expansion is planned by all partner countries.
• The project was successful in establishing farmers groups for seed production and other
activities that will ensure the continuity of the project activities.
• NGOs and farmers associations became part of the scaling process and there is high
interest in developing new projects based on the outcomes, particularly in relation to the
models of rural women capacity enhancement.
• Private sector seed companies have been motivated by the outcomes of the project and plan for seed commodity development of the key new varieties are under way.
• Several countries adopted the strategic approaches to the use of marginal water and
supported several in-country projects (Oman national strategy, UAE, Tunisia, Jordan,
Syria and Yemen)
• The outputs are adopted as a part of the local research agenda in almost all partner NARS
– Yemen recently allocated a state farm of 280 ha for forage production, out of it 60
ha for seed production
– Egypt also in the process of allocating part of 500 feddan for seed production
– Syria allocated 120 ha
– Oman, two NARS farms for seed production and TWW use.
– In Jordan the project became more independent and farmers are already exchange
and sell seeds in the market.
Each country is now developing its own plan for wider adoption and scaling up. Each country has successfully produced reports, extension materials, documents,
brochures and scientific publication that will help in creating wide awareness of the
project and as a tool for further adoption and support.

Enabling factors and constraints

The project identified that the barriers to diversification of the farming system and
scaling out were mainly due to the:

o Lack of supportive policies;
o Unavailability of, or inaccessibility to, the proper seed source of better adapted
genotypes to salt stress;
o Irrigation with marginal quality water without proper management
o Limited extension and capacity building opportunities.

The project approaches and activities were effective in lowering these barriers, however,
more needs to be done: to improve on-farm training in skills relating to the production
and utilization of forages under salinity/marginal conditions; to expand the activities into
more farms in the targeted region; to extend capacity building; to increase seed
production of the targeted varieties/genotypes; and to strengthen extension services and
farmers’ awareness.

The participatory approach with full partnership and budget sharing with NARS proved
to be important in motivating NARS scientists and staff to share full implementation
responsibility with ICBA. Furthermore, ICBA in partnership with the concerned NARS
identified focal points and team members for each component of the project activities;
key information for the sustainability of future project approaches and outputs. These
success factors were highlighted in the Self-Assessment carried out by IFAD and ICBA
and submitted to IFAD.

Sustainability and replicability

The project demonstrated the ability to be replicated as the outcomes of the project had been endorsed and adopted by agricultural authorities at local and the ministry levels. The project was also replicated by project activities in new regions based on the demands of farmers and decision makers. Further expansion is planned by all partner countries thus proving that the project’s framework can be easily replicated.
Each country is working on developing clear vision and action plan for governmental
adoption of the strategies and outcome of the project to be incorporated in their national
plans. This is the key factor in the sustainability and wide-adoption of the project
outcome.

Building on the partnerships created and the involvement of the various relevant
government agencies and NGOS, ICBA aims to continue its efforts in the region, particularly with further
support from international partners, in the following areas:
o Seed production and dissemination,
o Scaling up of integrated management packages,
o Enhancing the adoption of the models developed for rural women enhancement
and creating opportunities for income generation.
o The safe and sustainable use of treated wastewater (TWW) in agricultural
production.

Conclusions

The project was able to achieve economic sustainability, contributing to the SDG 1 (No Poverty), while increased agricultural productivity and improved food security in targeted areas contributed to SDG 2 (Zero Hunger). The active participation of women farmers in the project and the capacity building initiatives they were involved in helped bridge the gap between male and female farmers within the agricultural sector and contributed towards SDG 5 (Gender Equality). The close collaboration between international and national partners at all levels was remarkable and contributed towards SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

Other sources of information

https://www.biosaline.org/sites/default/files/project_brief_adaptation_…

Link above of the project discussed throughout.

SDGS & Targets