FOOD SUSTAINABILITY: Box 2: Case study of Quncho cereal in Ethiopia |
| Tef (Eragrostis tef) is the main cereal grown in Ethiopia and vital for food security there. It is resilient to drought, waterlogging, diseases and pests. Research on improving tef varieties began in the 1950s, but had limited success due to the lack of funding and research. However, a new hybrid tef variety called Quncho was released by the Debre Zeit Agricultural Research Centre in 2006 and is proving popular with farmers. Farmers participated in Quncho's development, helping select and breed the variety. Their involvement meant breeders developed a variety which closely matched farmers' and consumers' preferences. Quncho was also disseminated using an innovative approach. Instead of relying on conventional 'technology transfer', farmers were introduced to the new variety and its cultivation techniques through farmer-led testing, coordinated between research centres, administrative bodies, farmers and farmers groups, seed-growers associations, private seed growers and agro-processors. Farmers who adopted the variety were supported with seed loans, training, regular follow-up and assistance from researchers and staff from local development agencies. The number of farmers receiving training on tef production increased from 360 to 6,250 from 2006 to 2009. Farmers have saved and distributed seeds amongst themselves in a well-developed informal seed system — and the initiative has spread rapidly. |
Development and dissemination of the orphan crop variety Quncho shows how S&T can deliver new varieties using participatory, inclusive and context-appropriate innovations (Box 2).
Crop management systems
Agroecology is developing new systems of crop management that increase yields while conserving resources. It is particularly effective at increasing food production while improving environmental and social outcomes. Agroecological methods rely on management rules and packages of technologies carefully calibrated to suit local conditions and farmers' preferences. Methods include systems such as agroforestry, conservation agriculture, the system of rice intensification, integrated pest management, the inclusion of aquaculture and small livestock into farming systems, water harvesting, soil conservation and integrated nutrient management. (Box 3).
A 2006 analysis of agroecological methods based on 286 projects in 57 countries in the developing world, showed that projects increased crop yields by 64 per cent on average while improving water efficiency and carbon sequestration and reducing pesticide use. [17] In 2009, agroecological methods were endorsed by the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development, a process consulting some 900 participants over three years. [18]
These new management systems, and new crop varieties, promise to enable the world to produce more food while conserving resources and protecting the environment. But more needs to be done to further develop these approaches and examine their potential. There is controversy, for example, about the yield-increases reported by proponents of the System of Rice Intensification (see Box 3) and the methods used to evaluate the outcomes of agroecological practice. [27]
A 2006 analysis of agroecological methods based on 286 projects in 57 countries in the developing world, showed that projects increased crop yields by 64 per cent on average while improving water efficiency and carbon sequestration and reducing pesticide use. [17] In 2009, agroecological methods were endorsed by the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development, a process consulting some 900 participants over three years. [18]
These new management systems, and new crop varieties, promise to enable the world to produce more food while conserving resources and protecting the environment. But more needs to be done to further develop these approaches and examine their potential. There is controversy, for example, about the yield-increases reported by proponents of the System of Rice Intensification (see Box 3) and the methods used to evaluate the outcomes of agroecological practice. [27]
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