Optimizing livelihood and environmental benefits from crop residues in smallholder crop-livestock system in East Africa regional case study

Published on 29 June 2010

Research Areas

Crops, Livestock, Soils

Countries

Ethiopia, Kenya

Timeline

Start Date: 1 January 2010 | End Date: 31 December 2011

Overview

Smallholders in mixed crop-livestock systems constitute a very large fraction of farming enterprises in developing countries. In those systems, crop residues (CR) are a strategic production component: their use can be split into animal feeding, construction material, cooking fuel, mulch remaining (sometimes burnt) in the field.

Mixed crop-livestock systems are very dynamic and are evolving rapidly in response to external drivers such as demographic pressure, development of urban markets and increased demand for crop and livestock products, climate variability and change. In addition, the recent interest for bio-fuel production exacerbates further the pressure on biomass in production systems.

This study aims at better understanding the tradeoffs in crop residue uses in cereal based systems in Eastern Africa region on maize based systems.  The major tradeoff in most systems is the short term benefits of using crop residues to feed livestock versus leaving the crop residues in the field to improve soil productivity (nutrient balance, erosion control, and soil health).

The study focuses on the decision making processes at the farm/household level and will capture the diversity/contrasts and recent changes in CR uses at various scales in order to better target technical, institutional and policy options to improve livelihood without compromising long term system sustainability.

Research Partners

• IARC
• International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)
• NARI - National Agricultural Research Institute
• Amhara Regional Agricultural Research Institute (ARARI)
• Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI)
• Oromiya Agricultural Research Institute