Publications

Briefing Notes

S.No / Title / Document
1 / Achieving Sustained Gains in the Food Security of Vulnerable Households /
2 / Building Sustainable Fertilizer Delivery Systems for Drought-Prone Regions /
3 / Do Seed Fairs Improve Food Security and Strengthen Rural Markets? /
4 / Is Conservation Agriculture an Option for Vulnerable Households? /
5 / Quantifying Vulnerability – Accurately ReachingThose Who Are Most in Need /
6 / Agricultural Technology Transfer under Relief and Recovery Programs in Zimbabwe: Are NGOs Meeting the Challenge? /
7 / Can Drip Irrigation Improve Food Security for Vulnerable Households in Zimbabwe? /
8 / Goats in semi-arid Zimbabwe: The importance and the development challenge /
9 / Animal health and dry season feed: Improving goat production in semi-arid Zimbabwe /
10 / Matabeleland’s Informal Goat Markets: Their Role and Function in
Smallholder Livestock Development /

ESA Annual Reports

ESA Annual Report 2007

ESA Annual Report 2006

ESA Annual Report 2005

Networks in ESA

ICRISAT pays increasing attention to networks as they are a means to link researchers, avoid duplication, and enhance interaction and exchange of knowledge and materials among members. ICRISAT-ESA serves as a resource to and catalyst for various networks in the region. At present ICRISAT-ESA hosts two networks at its Nairobi office: the Eastern and Central Africa Regional Sorghum and Millet network (ECARSAM) and the Soil and Water Management Research Network (SWMnet). The Institute is also jointly implementing the Regional Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System based in South Africa.

Eastern and Central Africa Regional Sorghum and Millet Network (ECARSAM)

ECARSAM is one of the ASARECA Networks, Programs and Projects (NPPs). The network strives to remove some of the bottlenecks to increased production of sorghum and millet and its utilization in value-addition processing at farm and village levels. It will encourage the adoption of available sorghum and millet production technologies (improved cultivars, fertilizer use, crop protection) through on-farm trials and other extension interventions to enhance productivity and overall production. At the same time, it will stimulate use of sorghum and millet grain for small-scale processing and utilization at the farm and village level and larger scale industrial processing through demonstration of appropriate value-addition and labor-reduction technologies. Women's groups will be particularly targeted at farm and village levels. In addition, contacts and flow of information between producers and potential users of sorghum and millet grain will be enhanced through stakeholders' forums at national and regional level. In this way, it is hoped to enhance production and utilization hand-in-hand and foster an environment that will encourage farmers to invest in sorghum and millets production, resulting in increased incomes for both producers and small-scale processors, and enhanced food security. For more information on ECARSAM visit:

Networks in ESA

ReSAKSS-SA aims to identify and assess strategic options for agricultural growth, particularly poverty alleviation, in southern Africa. Based in Pretoria, South Africa, ReSAKSS-SA is jointly implemented by ICRISAT and IWMI, in collaboration with IFPRI and national and regional partners.

Objectives

It has been established to:

  • support processes that aim to ensure successful implementation of agricultural and rural development strategies
  • inform policy dialogue on the design and implementation of development strategies at regional and country levels
  • promote evidence- and outcome-based policy and decision making for the agricultural sector in southern Africa

Components
ReSAKSS-SA consists of three components:
  • A strategic analysis initiative targeting assessment of policy and investment options for accelerating agricultural growth
  • A knowledge management and sharing initiativefor promoting evidence- and outcomes-based policy and strategy planning
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  • Capacity strengtheningto build human resources in the region to conduct analysis in ways that effectively contribute to informing policy and decision making processes in southern Africa.

Implementation

ReSAKSS-SA programs are implemented through collaborative relationships with the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), government technical agencies, research institutions, universities, national and regional policy organizations, NGOs, donors, and other stakeholders at local, national and international levels.

Funding

ReSAKSS-SA is a multi-donor initiative funded by USAID, DFID, and SIDA.

Website:

Soil and Water Management Research Network (SWMNet)

Research and development experiences in Asia, especially through ICRISAT's work, have the potential to provide answers for most of the challenges currently being faced in East and Central Africa (ECA). ICRISAT, in partnership with Soil and Water Management Research Network (SWMnet) of ASARECA, is working towards exploiting this potential. The relationship between ASARECA and ICRISAT goes back to 1998 when ICRISAT at the request of ASARECA participated in the first planning meeting to initiate a network on soil and water management research and drafted a proposal for the establishment of SWMNet. At the same time ICRISAT committed to act as the implementing agency (scientific partner) for SWMNet. As per the guidelines developed at that time, the implementing agency has the responsibility to provide both administrative and technical backstopping for the network. The proposal was accepted by EU. The network finally started its activities in September 2003 with the joining of the regional coordinator. In less than two years of its operation the network proved its value by developing a regional agenda for natural resource management research, linking scientists and institutions in the region, leveraging funds to support the priority agenda, and, more importantly, facilitate knowledge sharing and effective use of knowledge and technologies relevant to ECA.

The regional research agenda developed by this partnership is based on the recognition that to achieve ASARECA’s strategic goal of “increasing economic growth and improving social welfare in the ECA sub-region while enhancing the quality of the environment” there are three major challenges with respect to soil and water resources for agriculture that need to be addressed:

  • Climatic variability that leads to unreliability in the soil moisture available for plant growth, even in high rainfall areas. It is because of this variability that the sub-region has failed to convert its relatively larger gross water resources into meaningful economic assets.
  • Inherently low soil fertility of most of the soils in the region, coupled with very low use of soil fertility enhancing inputs. Many agricultural lands are experiencing a high rate of nutrient depletion leading to rapidly decreasing productivity of land and water resources
  • Subsistence nature of smallholder farming that limits investments in the development and sustainable management of land and water resources. SWMNet and ICRISAT have not only developed effective programs to address these constraints but also successfully raised substantial funding support to implement the same. For more information on SWMNet visit: