ICRISAT Archival Report 2006 - The seedlings of success in the ...

Box 9B2 Project initiatives that are continuing to contribute to output target 9B.
• CORAF/AfDB Funded project entitled “ Combining Water Harvesting Techniques and Nutrient
Management to Sustain Food production in the Dry lands of West Africa Implemented in Burkina
Faso, Mali, Niger and Senegal; Partners are : ICRISAT, TSBF-CIAT, CERAAS/ISRA (Centre d’ Etude
Regional pour l’ Amelioration de l’ Adaptation a la Secheresse), Senegal; Institut de l’ Environnement
et de Recherches Agricoles (INERA), Burkina Faso; Institut National de Recherches Agronomiques du
Niger (INRAN), Niger; Institut d’ Economie Rurale (IER), Mali; Groupement Nabonswende de
Tougouri, Burkina Faso; Entente des groupements Associes de Toubacouta (EGAT), Senegal; Caritas-
Kaolack, Senegal; Projet Intrants FAO, Niger and EUCORD (Former Winrock International), Mali.
• CORAF/AfDB funded project entitled “ Promoting use of indigenous Phosphate Rock for soil fertility
“recapitalization” in the Sahel” ICRISAT, TSBF-CIAT, CERAAS/ISRA (Centre d’ Etude Regional
pour l’ Amelioration de l’ Adaptation a la Secheresse), Senegal; Institut de l’ Environnement et de
Recherches Agricoles (INERA), Burkina Faso; Institut National de Recherches Agronomiques du
Niger (INRAN), Niger Groupement Nabonswende de Tougouri, Burkina Faso; Entente des
groupements Associes de Nganda (EGAN)), Senegal; Union des Comites Ruraux Villageois de la Zone
de Latmingue (UNICOM), Senegal; and Projet Intrants FAO, Niger
• McKnight Foundation project entitled : ALIVE and nutritious cropping systems : A legume
intensification and variety enhancement participatory apprach”. Implemented in Mali; partners are :
ICRISAT, Institut d’ Economie Rurale (IER), Hellen Keller International (HKI), Michigan State
University (MSU); Union Locales des producteurs des cereals (ULPC) and Association des
Organisations Professionnelles Paysannes (AOPP).
• CPWF (Challenge Program on Water and Food) funded project on « Enhancing rainwater and nutrient
use efficiency for improved crop productivity, farm income and rural livelihoods in the Volta Basin”
Implemeted in Burkina Faso and Ghana; Partners are : ICRISAT; TSBF-CIAT; Kenya; Centro
International de Agricultura Tropica (CIAT), Colombia); Savanna Agricultural Research Institute
(SARI), Ghana; Institut de l’ Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles (INERA), Burkina Faso; The
Semi-Arid Food Grain Research and Development (SAFGRAD), Burkina Faso; The United Nations-
Institute for Natural Resources in Africa (UNU-INRA), Ghana; The Center for Development Research
(ZEF), Germany.
• DFID Protracted Relief Program Project ‘Achieving sustained improvements in the crop production of
poorer, smallholder households of dryland cropping systems in southern Zimbabwe’. Partners are
FAO, CARE, World Vision, CAFOD, CRS, OXFAM GB, Save the Children UK, Zimbabwe Fertilizer
Company, AREX
• ACIAR Project ‘Improved fertiliser recommendations and policy for dry regions of southern Africa’.
Partners include SASOL, Limpopo Provincial Dept of Agric, Progress Mills, LIMPAST, ARC
• IDRC Project ‘Increasing the Impacts of Soil Fertility Research in Southern Africa’ SOFECSA,
NASFAM, LIMPAST, SASOL, Zimbabwe Fertilizer Company, Zimbabwe Opportunities Investment
Center
Following 3 seasons of on-farm trials, results show that low doses of top-dress Nitrogen fertilizer can increase grain
yield by more than 50% compared to current farmer practice and close to yields of current recommended rates in
drier seasons (Figure 9B2).
Analysis of the value cost ratio for low and recommended doses (Figure 9B2) show that the low dose rates provide
much higher returns on investment in wet (2006) and dry seasons (2004, 2005), confirming that this technology is a
more risk acceptable fertilizer option for drier regions.
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