a model for Africa's green revolution - Push-Pull

Uptake and impact: knowledge is the key 15
New Rice for Africa (NERICA) is an upland, non-irrigated rice, which is a cross between Asian and African species. High
yielding and drought tolerant, it can be grown without irrigation and is well suited to African smallholder farming systems.
It is also highly susceptible to Striga hermonthica (left). However, when planted with an intercrop of desmodium (right), it
is not attacked by the parasitic weed.
reduced and crop yields increased by at least 50%.
“This adaptation of the technology will be particularly
applicable for arid and semi-arid regions
throughout Africa,” says Khan.
The importance of this research was recognised
in 2010 when icipe secured a 3 million Euro
research grant from the European Union. This will
fund further work to enhance the resilience of the
push–pull technology, including the biology of
plant signals related to water stress. The aim is to
extending its appeal to farmers and improve its
long-term sustainability in different agro-ecologies
throughout Africa.
A good return
Although the long-term benefits are clear, the
early stages of establishing a push–pull plot place
heavy demands for labour on participating farmers.
(This and other constraints are discussed in
Chapter 3.) So, does the technology offer farmers
a good return on their investment
icipe has commissioned several studies to
help answer this question, including an independent
analysis (see box). Another formal cost–benefit
analysis measured farmers' income, expenditure,
use of inputs and labour. The results indicated a
benefit-to-cost ratio in excess of 2.5 when evalu-
Impact on farmers: an independent assessment
A recent independent impact assessment study by the Swiss organisation, Intercooperation, in Kenya and Uganda confirmed
the push–pull technology is widely accepted and adopted by smallholder farmers because it addresses their major production
constraints. The assessment report concluded that the technology contributes significantly to reducing the vulnerability of farm
families by ensuring higher yields of maize (increased from 1.2 t/ha to 4.2 t/ha) and milk (increased from 1.5 l/day to 3.8 l/day).
Perhaps even more importantly, push–pull confers better yield stability. The study further concluded that the technology forms
a ‘springboard’ for diversifying the farming system, especially by
incorporating dairy operations. Increased food security, higher
income, better education of children and health of the family,
greater knowledge and a higher status in the village are factors
that all contribute to an overall improved livelihood situation
amongst smallholder farmers adopting push–pull.
The study estimated the annual additional gross benefit generated
by push–pull compared with a traditional maize crop in 2009
to be in the range of about US$ 100 per family or US$ 2–3 million
nationally. Study author Martin Fischler concludes that push–pull
is “probably the single most effective and efficient low-cost
technology for removing major constraints faced by the majority
of smallholder farmers in the region, resulting in an overall and
significant improvement in their food security and livelihoods”.
Source: Fischler, M. 2010. Impact assessment of push–pull technology
developed and promoted by icipe and partners in eastern
Africa. Nairobi, Kenya: International Centre of Insect Physiology
and Ecology. ISBN 92 9064 215 7.
Income generated by push–pull allows many children to attend
school up to secondary level. icipe is also bringing push–pull
into schools through an information booklet designed to educate
the farmers and agricultural scientists of the future.