IFPRI Kampala newsletter – week of May 6th

Hello, and welcome to a new edition of the IFPR-Kampala’s USSP news and research digest!

As usual, this collection of recent news articles related to agriculture is compiled from online news sources. We also include links to recent publications on agricultural and policy-related research topics pertinent to Uganda and the wider region.

In the news this week, we report on the Uganda Coffee Roadmap on the move and UK injects Shs577.6b to boost agriculture. We also have news articles on getting nutritious food to more people in Ethiopia and on climate change and overfishing

Under research, we provide links to:

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Happy reading

News:

The Uganda Coffee Roadmap is on the move
Global Coffee Platform

150 coffee experts gathered to the 12th Annual Stakeholder Meeting of the Ugandan Coffee Platform to learn how the 15-year Uganda’s Coffee Roadmap will will increase Uganda’s coffee production from the current 4.7 million bags to 20 million bags in 2030, and triple the income of 1.2 million smallholder coffee farmers.

UK injects Shs577.6b to boost agriculture
Daily Monitor

“The objectives of this partnership is to improve values of agricultural produce through installation of value addition facilities for example establishing collection centres for priority commodities by buying and installing 112 batch drying, cleaning and grading systems of grains, cereals across the country,”  

WFP halts distribution of super cereal while tests continue
Reliefweb

As a precautionary measure, the World Food Programme (WFP) has temporarily halted distribution worldwide of a fortified blended food from one of its suppliers as tests continue to establish whether it is linked to outbreaks of illness in East Africa.  According to medical centres and hospital records, three people died and 293 were admitted to health centres in the Karamoja region of Northeast Uganda in March and April after eating Super Cereal, distributed by WFP.  The product is used by WFP and partners to prevent malnutrition, especially among women and children.

USAID Hub trains nearly 7,000 village agents and extension workers to support Ugandan farmers
East Africa Trade and Investment Hub

The USAID Trade Hub project in collaboration with its grantee, Akorion Company Limited, trained 6,922 village agents and extension workers to introduce the Village Agent Model, a new extension services approach, throughout Uganda. The trainees will support the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industries and Fisheries, MAAIF, to drive agricultural transformation for greater food security and prosperity.

Tanzania targets China’s $105 million avocado market
The Citizen

Avocados are poised to become green gold, thanks to horticulture industry champions in collaboration with the government for unlocking the multi-million-dollar Chinese market for Tanzanian growers.  

Report blames Kenya’s lopsided priorities for acute food insecurity
Business Daily

Poor allocation of funds for agriculture, wrong priorities and lack of co-ordination from the government have pushed Kenya into a food crisis.  Hopes that agriculture would thrive under devolution have been dashed as county governments continue to starve the industry of funds, leaving the country badly exposed to food shocks.

EALA calls for the formation of a food security and nutrition body
East African

East African Legislative Assembly, EALA, member Mathias Kasamba is working on a motion to compel EAC partner states to create a body to deal with regional food security and nutrition. Mr Kasamba said with East Africa being so rich in agricultural potential, leaders ought to use the resources to improve the quality of life.  The EALA MP accused leaders of concentrating on physical infrastructure development instead of investing in agriculture.

Cold conundrum? Getting nutritious food to more people in Ethiopia
Food Tank

With a skyrocketing population in a region that is getting drier and hotter due to climate change, Ethiopia has no time to waste in producing—and preserving—more nutritious food accessible for rich and poor alike.  

Reaching for the sky: addressing hidden hunger with Sky Brands in Zimbabwe
HarvestPlus

Making a viable business and contributing to the global fight against malnutrition can occur simultaneously and sustainably.  Cognizant of the damaging ripple effect that stunted cognitive and physical development can have on families and communities, the company aims to help the next generation avoid hidden hunger.   

Only 60 years of farming left if soil degradation continues
Scientific American

Generating three centimeters of top soil takes 1,000 years, and if current rates of degradation continue all of the world’s top soil could be gone within 60 years, a senior UN official said.   Soils play a key role in absorbing carbon and filtering water, the FAO reported. Soil destruction creates a vicious cycle, in which less carbon is stored, the world gets hotter, and the land is further degraded.  

Climate resilient crops may be the answer to withstand climate change
Food Tank

People in sub-Saharan Africa and India who depend on small scale farms for their food will be disproportionately affected by climate change. But plant breeders from the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) are increasing their efforts to breed crops that are resilient and can survive in extreme weather conditions.  

Accountability deficit? Assessing the effectiveness of private finance blending in ensuring that small-scale farmers are not left behind
Oxfam

To boost agricultural development in developing countries, donors are increasingly resorting to blended finance: the practice of combining public development funds with private resources. Blended finance may open opportunities to inject more resources into the food and agriculture sector, but the assumptions that blended finance is inherently beneficial for agricultural development and that it is an efficient way to finance smallholder agriculture, are not supported by the evidence currently available.  

Challenging desertification myths
Pastoralism, Uncertainty, Resilience

Myths of desertification have a long history. Ideas of desiccation and desert advance were framed by colonial science and informed by the narratives of the ‘dust bowl’ in the USA. Yet, whether from long-term environmental monitoring, aerial and satellite photography, ecological modelling or local knowledge and field observation, the standard narratives have been found severely wanting, and basic definitions and systematic mapping are absent.  

Coffee contributes £17.7 billion to UK economy
Coffee and Cocoa International

The industry’s total contribution to the UK economy currently stands at around £17.7 billion, including direct, indirect, and induced impacts.  The coffee sector is also supporting more job creation in Britain than ever before, with 210,325 jobs including direct, indirect and induced impacts. Between 2016 and 2017 the number of people employed in coffee-related activities increased by nearly 10 per cent.

How pastoralists can help us deal with the unexpected
Pastoralism, Uncertainty, Resilience

Dealing with the unexpected is part-and-parcel of what pastoralists do, and learning how this is done can be enormously useful for other sectors.  In pastoral areas, policy and development interventions must, at the minimum, avoid making systems less flexible, less able to deal with the uncertainty. The rush to intensify and modernise may actually undermine the capacity to produce food and support livelihoods in incredibly challenging settings. No other m can make use of such environments.

Coffee price falls steeply again
Coffee and Cocoa International

The coffee price slumped again last week.  The Arabica price fell below 90 US cents per pound and as low as 87 cents/pound.

A perfect storm: climate change and overfishing
The New Humanitarian

Fish stocks all over the world are on the verge of collapse due to the twin effects of climate change and overfishing, and scientists warn this could lead to widespread malnutrition throughout poorer countries in tropical climates.  

Climate labels on food to become a reality in Denmark
Food Tank

The Danish Government has announced that a climate labeling system on food products will accompany its plan to become carbon neutral by 2050. Officials from the Danish Ministry of Energy, Utilities, and Climate stated that the Government is proposing to work with supermarkets to place stickers on all food products that clearly indicate their carbon footprint.   

Best Practices: Early Warning Early Action Systems
Food Security Portal

To respond appropriately to such food crises, policymakers need reliable, timely information regarding food production and availability, food prices, and hunger levels. A number of early warning systems, such as those found in the Food Security Portal’s Early Warning Hub, have been established to collect, analyze, and disseminate such information at global and national levels.

How rampant deforestation made Mozambique more vulnerable to Cyclone Idai
The New Humanitarian

Cyclone Idai’s recent devastation was amplified by deforestation in the region. Mozambique took the hardest hit. The country has seen between 10 and 15 percent of its forests disappear amid illegal logging and charcoal production in the past 25 years.  

Biofortification of maize with provitamin A can reduce aflatoxin load
CYMMIT

This research is especially significant for countries where the health burdens of exposure to aflatoxin and prevalence of vitamin A deficiency converge with high rates of maize consumption.

Food organizations join forces to reintroduce neglected crops to global ecosystems
Food Tank

An estimated 100,000 global plant varieties are endangered today. Extreme weather events, over-exploitation of ecosystems, habitat loss, and a lack of public awareness continue to threaten plant biodiversity. Conservation techniques such as seed banks and seed exchanges play an important role in preserving heirloom varieties of important food crops.  

Rural areas are in crisis. Revitalisation is the solution
Reuters

As the deadlines to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and climate goals draw ever closer, it is time for a dramatic, system-wide transformation to make rural areas more productive, sustainable, climate-resilient, healthy, and attractive places to live in order to leave no one behind.    

5 everyday foods that are making droughts worse
CNN

Almost 5 billion people could struggle with water shortages by 2050 due to climate change, according to the United Nations.  Already, more than 25% of the world’s crops are grown in regions with severe water shortages, according to the World Resources Institute.  In many countries, farmers tap into groundwater to irrigate their crops, particularly during periods of limited rainfall, and experts warn that irrigation is contributing to water shortages in drought-prone regions.

Research:

Assessing poultry firm survival in Kampala: a case of Biyinzika Enterprises Limited
Henry Stanley Mbowa, Kaaya Siraje – Journal of Research Innovation and implications in Education, 2019

The study assessed poultry firms’ survival and possible strategies for improvement, specifically, current survival, challenges facing Biyinzika Enterprises Limited and possible strategies for improving its survivability.

Maize crop nutrient input requirements for food security in sub-Saharan Africa
HFM ten Berge, R Hijbeek, MP van Loon, J Rurinda… – Global Food Security, 2019

Nutrient limitation is a major constraint in crop production in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Here, we propose a generic and simple equilibrium model to estimate minimum input requirements of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium for target yields in cereal crops under highly efficient management. The model was combined with Global Yield Gap Atlas data to explore minimum input requirements for self-sufficiency in 2050 for maize in nine countries in SSA. We estimate that yields have to increase from the current ca. 20% of water-limited yield potential to approximately 50–75% of the potential depending on the scenario investigated. Minimum nutrient input requirements must rise disproportionately more, with N input increasing 9-fold or 15-fold, because current production largely relies on soil nutrient mining, which cannot be sustained into the future.

Urbanization, livestock systems and food security in developing countries: A systematic review of the literature
AA Hatab, MER Cavinato, CJ Lagerkvist – Food Security, 2019

This study systematically reviews the peer-reviewed literature on livestock production and food security in urbanizing environments of developing countries to synthesize the existing evidence and identify priorities for future research. Specifically, a systematic literature review was undertaken using PubMed, ISI Web of Science and Scopus databases over the period 1980–2017, resulting in a final number of 72 articles meeting our selection criteria. The results revealed a fragmentation in the literature, which draws from a very small number of studies, and is positioned in widely varied research areas, environments, livestock systems and consumption patterns. With such heterogeneity, drawing generalizations from the literature may be unreachable. Furthermore, the literature is largely qualitative in nature, with very few comprehensive models to capture and integrate empirical evidence. Food security was typically found to be narrowly defined, focusing primarily on interlinks with livestock supply. Considerably less attention has been given to other relevant dimensions of food security, such as accessibility, utilization and stability. Another important finding of relevance to food security is a need to address the “missing middle” in livestock value chains since the literature has customarily concentrated extensively on the two ends of the livestock value chain, i.e., on production and consumption, while widely ignoring other elements and actors along the value chain. A further focus on the interrelationships between livestock production, food security and urbanization in developing countries through a holistic and interdisciplinary approach is recommended. Particularly, future research aiming to understand livestock systems in the context of rapid urbanization should put more emphasis on addressing the full continuum of the livestock value chain and the four dimensions that drive food security in developing countries and how they possibly interrelate.

Analysing the potential of plant clinics to boost crop protection in Rwanda through adoption of IPM: the case of maize and maize stem borers
S Silvestri, M Macharia, B Uzayisenga – Food Security, 2019

Maize plays an important role in the livelihoods of rural communities in Rwanda. However, maize yields are threatened by the presence of pests and diseases and a general lack of knowledge and information for their management. In this study we sought to assess if plant clinics are making farmers more aware and knowledgeable of pests and diseases and are indirectly contributing to higher yields. We interviewed 644 farmers across Rwanda, both users and non-users of plant clinics. Propensity score matching was used to match the users and non-users of plant clinics and logistic regression was used to assess a number of factors, including interactions with plant clinics, that affect farmers’ adoption of pest management practices. Our analysis shows that users of plant clinics are more aware and knowledgeable in recognizing and handling maize stem borers. Furthermore, users of plant clinics have on average higher yields than non-users and this difference is highly significant (P < 0.001). The analysis therefore demonstrates that plant clinics are beneficial to farmers in Rwanda. However, efforts are required to diversify the spectrum of practices that are promoted by plant clinics and by extension and advisory services in Rwanda.

The Household and Individual-Level Productive Impacts of Cash Transfer Programs in Sub-Saharan Africa
S Daidone, B Davis, S Handa, P Winters – American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 2019

The objective of most cash transfer programs is to alleviate poverty and/or food insecurity directly and through improvements in educational, health, and nutritional status (Fiszbein et al. 2009; Slater 2011). As these programs are key components of social protection strategies, understanding their impact on social outcomes is critical and a large body of literature has emerged on the social impacts of cash transfers focusing primarily on the health, nutrition, and schooling of the children of the poor (Fiszbein et al. 2009; Adato and Hoddinott 2010; Handa et al. 2010). Cash transfers may also have productive impacts, a dimension that only recently has started to receive explicit attention in the literature (Banerjee et al. 2015; Haushofer and Shapiro 2016; Tirivayi, Knowles, and Davis 2016; Hidrobo et al. 2018).

Estimating the potential of beekeeping to alleviate household poverty in rural Uganda
DR Amulen, M D’Haese, E D’Haene, JO Acai, JG Agea… – PloS one, 2019

Robust evidence underpinning the role of beekeeping in poverty alleviation is currently lacking. This study estimated the production potential for beekeepers in Northern Uganda by quantifying current production assets (equipment and knowledge) and impact on rural income streams range of proposed interventions. Intervention scenarios evaluated the economic benefits to be derived from different hive types combined with year-round provision of a nectar source (Calliandra calothyrsus) planted at varying density. Findings show that the type and number of beehive combinations used influenced the amount of revenue streams generated by the beekeepers. Addition of 20 log hives increased incomes 10 times, 20 KTBs increased revenues 16 times and Langstroth 18 times. Adding Calliandra trees as a forage source to the baseline scenario yielded revenues up to 17.6 times higher than the baseline. Implying that good management plus the introduction of a reliable nectar source, to off-set dry season challenges (absconding), could improve beekeeping productivity in Northern Uganda. Further research is required to validate in situ the impact of modelled scenarios on both honey yield and other ecosystem service benefits.

Farmers’ perspectives on payments for ecosystem services in Uganda
K Geussens, G Van den Broeck, K Vanderhaegen… – Land Use Policy, 2019

Payments for ecosystem services (PES) is a market based policy tool that is increasingly being recommended for effective and sustainable management of watersheds, especially for Sub-Saharan Africa, where soil and watershed degradation are currently very severe. The design of PES projects is challenging and insights in the local context are indispensable. Using a choice experiment, this study investigates the perspective of farmers on the design of a PES program in the Mount Elgon region in Uganda. We use mixed logit and latent class models to reveal and explain preference heterogeneity for PES attributes. We calculate willingness to accept values and perform a cost analysis to identify the most cost-efficient PES programs. Our results point to a strong willingness of farmers to participate in a PES contract. The majority of farmers are willing to adopt different conservation measures, even in absence of a compensation; a minority of farmers are strongly averse to buffer strips along the river and do require a significant compensation. We find that farmers have strong preferences for individual over communal compensation, and that additional in-kind rewards in the form of labour assistance or tools increase the willingness to accept a contract. The findings imply that PES is a promising avenue for improved watershed conservation in the Mount Elgon region; and that individual compensation, differentiation and specific targeting of such programs may benefit their cost effectiveness.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this email and references to online sources is provided as a public service with the understanding that IFPRI-Kampala/USSP makes no warranties, either expressed or implied, concerning the accuracy, completeness, reliability, or suitability of the information. Nor does IFPRI-Kampala/USSP warrant that the use of this information is free of any claims of copyright infringement. The views and opinions expressed in this this email and references to online sources do not necessarily reflect official policy or position of IFPRI, IFPRI-Kampala or USSP or should not be taken as an endorsement.

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