Person: Dixon, J.
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Dixon, J.
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- Sustainable intensification practices reduce food deficit for the best- and worst-off households in Ethiopia and Mozambique(Frontiers, 2022) Wilkus, E.; DeVoil, P.; Marenya, P.P.; Snapp, S.S.; Dixon, J.; Rodriguez, D.
Publication - SIMLESA Program Annual Report July 2013–June 2014(CIMMYT, 2013) Mekuria, M.; Mashango, G.; Dixon, J.The Sustainable Intensification of Maize-Legume cropping systems for food security in Eastern and Southern Africa (SIMLESA) is a multi-stakeholder collaborative research programme managed by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) and implemented by national agricultural research systems (NARS) in Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Malawi and Mozambique with backstopping inputs from other partners. The programme focuses on leveraging science and technology to develop and deliver technological and institutional innovations in relation to maize-legume production systems. In turn it is envisaged that these will make significant measurable positive changes in the livelihoods of all categories of smallholder farmers. The aim of SIMLESA program is to improve farm-level food security, in the context of climate risk and change, through the development of more resilient, profitable and sustainable farming system that overcome food insecurity for significant numbers of farm families in eastern and southern Africa. SIMLESA Program, is being funded by the Australian Centre for International Agriculture Research (ACIAR) launched in March 2010 and expanded in April 2012 (with funding support from AusAID) to cater for three additional regions in Ethiopia,. SIMLESA Program falls under the African Food Security Initiative (AFSI) that was launched in 2009/2010 by the Australian Government to assist selected African countries reduce poverty and eliminate hunger as part of fulfilment of Millennium Development Goal Number 1 (MDG1). It is aligned within the African Union (AU) initiated and led made-in-Africa solution known as the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP1 ). CAADP was established as part of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), and endorsed by the African Union Assembly in July 2003. SIMLESA is led and managed by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), as the commissioned organization. CIMMYT is assisted by the following in implementing the program: the national agricultural research systems (NARS) in five eastern and southern African countries; Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA), International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT); Agriculture Research Council (ARC)-SA; Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), in association with Queensland Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, (QDEEDI); and Murdoch University. SIMLESA related activities have been initiated in four spillover countries (Botswana, Rwanda, South Sudan and Uganda) for wider impact. The leadership of the Queensland research component has been transferred from DEEDI to QAAFI. The main thrust of the SIMLESA program is increasing farm-level food security, productivity and incomes through promotion of maize-legume intercropping systems, in the context of reduced climate risk and change. SIMLESA Program is envisaged to reach 650,000 small farming households in the five countries over a period of 10 years. Monitoring and evaluation of the planned activities were coordinated by ASARECA. In performing this function, ASARECA provided the leading role in the development of the broad Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework for the project; it also participated in training of partners to facilitate evidence-based and adaptive management. Together with partners involved, it applied its broad M&E framework, which is in line with the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Program (CAADP) framework that is adopted by many of the Africa Union (AU) member states, to facilitate monitoring and evaluation of SIMLESA. The program implementers along with field-based teams played a major role in data collection and reporting.
Publication - SIMLESA Program Annual Report July 2011–June 2012(CIMMYT, 2012) Mekuria, M.; Ngindi, A.; Dixon, J.SIMLESA is a four-year (July 2010-December 2013) program funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). The aim of SIMLESA program is to improve farm-level food security, in the context of climate risk and change, through the development of more resilient, profitable and sustainable farming systems that overcome food insecurity for significant numbers of farm families in eastern and southern Africa. SIMLESA promotes the use of adapted maize-legume technologies as well as improved varieties and develops comprehensive agronomic packages that increase productivity of maize-legume intercropping systems at farm level. The key focus areas of the project are farmer and stakeholder participation and economic evaluation of the new technologies. The program has an identical set of activities in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania. SIMLESA program is being managed by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) - as the commissioned organization - in collaboration with the National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) and private seed companies from the five SIMLESA implementing countries, the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in East and Central Africa (ASARECA), the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI) in association with Queensland Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation,(QDEEDI/QAAFI-Australia), and Murdoch University in Western Australia. Technical support for national agencies is provided by partner institutions (CIMMYT, ACIAR, ASARECA, ARC-SA, ICRISAT, QAAFI and Murdoch University). Three baseline survey reports for Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania have been produced and writing of reports for Malawi and Mozambique is almost complete. Eight posters and eight scientific papers were developed and presented at the second SIMLESA Annual Review and Planning Meeting (ARPM) in March 2012 in Arusha, Tanzania. Draft farm typologies have been developed for Tanzania and Kenya. The program mounted 30 on-farms exploratory and 22 on-station trials, and 19 field days that were attended by 5948 participants, as planned under Objective 2. Yield increases from CA exploratory trials have varied from one region to another with increases ranging between zero and 30% over convectional farming practice. Yield increases within CA exploratory on-farm and on-station trials increased on average between 0 and 30% over the true farmer practice. Yields vary according to the seasonal rainfall distribution, soil type and farmer management practice. Local innovation platforms have been strengthened in the five countries to help farmer groups and partners exchange experiences and share knowledge among themselves and key stakeholders. Under Objective 3, the program established 50 sets of regional trials and mother baby trials (MBT) in collaboration with active 10 partner institutions. In addition, 19 maize and 18 legumes on station trials were conducted in the five SIMLESA countries. Materials under evaluation include drought tolerant varieties dispatched to SIMLESA target countries. ICRISAT supplied 104 medium, 245 long, and 37 short duration varieties of pigeonpea to Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania and Mozambique. Seed road maps were developed for each country with the active participation of local seed companies and public partners. Under Objective 4, the ASARECA-SIMLESA team conducted a gender mainstreaming training workshop in Arusha, Tanzania. The monitoring and evaluation (M&E) activities centred on further development of the M&E frameworks which included the results framework, the performance monitoring plan, the performance measurement framework and populating it with data from the field. Twenty-three NARS scientists participated in the M&E framework development workshop in Nairobi, facilitated by ASARECA. The technology inventory and knowledge transfers as well as spillover enabling conditions study was carried out. Under capacity building of Objective 5, a total of 77 NARS researchers participated in an ARC-SA coordinated and facilitated capacity building that targeted at three modules: Biometry; CA principles; Soil Science and Innovation Platforms for five days. Two NARS scientists from Mozambique and Tanzania attended an IRRI coordinated workshop held in Manila, Philippines in July-August 2011. An additional 4WD double cabin all-terrain vehicle was procured for the Mozambique SIMLESA country team. Various pieces of research equipment have already been purchased for the country teams and more are being procured. Six PhD candidates have been awarded the AusAID and ACIAR scholarships for 2012 while 30 candidates have enrolled for MSc and three for PhD in local universities under SIMLESA.
Publication - SIMLESA Program Semi-Annual Report: July 2014-December 2014(CIMMYT, 2015) Mekuria, M.; Mashango, G.; Siamachira, J.; Dixon, J.The Sustainable Intensification of Maize-Legume cropping systems for food security in Eastern and Southern Africa (SIMLESA) is a multi-stakeholder collaborative research programme managed by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) and implemented by national agricultural research systems (NARS) in Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Malawi and Mozambique with backstopping inputs from other partners. The programme focuses on leveraging science and technology to develop and deliver technological and institutional innovations in relation to maize-legume production systems. In turn it is envisaged that these will make significant measurable positive changes in the livelihoods of all categories of smallholder farmers. The aim of SIMLESA program is to improve farm-level food security, in the context of climate risk and change, through the development of more resilient, profitable and sustainable farming system that overcome food insecurity for significant numbers of farm families in eastern and southern Africa. SIMLESA Program, is being funded by the Australian Centre for International Agriculture Research (ACIAR) launched in March 2010 and expanded in April 2012 (with funding support from AusAID) to cater for three additional regions in Ethiopia,. SIMLESA Program falls under the African Food Security Initiative (AFSI) that was launched in 2009/2010 by the Australian Government to assist selected African countries reduce poverty and eliminate hunger as part of fulfilment of Millennium Development Goal Number 1 (MDG1). It is aligned within the African Union (AU) initiated and led made-in-Africa solution known as the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP1). CAADP was established as part of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), and endorsed by the African Union Assembly in July 2003. SIMLESA is led and managed by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), as the commissioned organisation. CIMMYT is assisted by the following in implementing the program: the national agricultural research systems (NARS) in five eastern and southern African countries; Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA), International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT); Agriculture Research Council (ARC)-SA; Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), in association with Queensland Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, (QDEEDI); and Murdoch University. SIMLESA related activities have been initiated in four spillover countries (Botswana, Rwanda, South Sudan and Uganda) for wider impact. The leadership of the Queensland research component has been transferred from DEEDI to QAAFI. The main thrust of the SIMLESA program is increasing farm-level food security, productivity and incomes through promotion of maize-legume intercropping systems, in the context of reduced climate risk and change. SIMLESA Program is envisaged to reach 650,000 small farming households in the five countries over a period of 10 years.
Publication - SIMLESA Program Semi-Annual Report: July 2013-December 2013(CIMMYT, 2014) Mekuria, M.; Mashango, G.; Dixon, J.The Sustainable Intensification of Maize-Legume cropping systems for food security in Eastern and Southern Africa (SIMLESA) is a multi-stakeholder collaborative research programme managed by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) and implemented by national agricultural research systems (NARS) in Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Malawi and Mozambique with backstopping inputs from other partners. The programme focuses on leveraging science and technology to develop and deliver technological and institutional innovations in relation to maize-legume production systems. In turn it is envisaged that these will make significant measurable positive changes in the livelihoods of all categories of smallholder farmers. The aim of SIMLESA program is to improve farm-level food security, in the context of climate risk and change, through the development of more resilient, profitable and sustainable farming system that overcome food insecurity for significant numbers of farm families in eastern and southern Africa. SIMLESA Program, is being funded by the Australian Centre for International Agriculture Research (ACIAR) launched in March 2010 and expanded in April 2012 (with funding support from AusAID) to cater for three additional regions in Ethiopia,. SIMLESA Program falls under the African Food Security Initiative (AFSI) that was launched in 2009/2010 by the Australian Government to assist selected African countries reduce poverty and eliminate hunger as part of fulfilment of Millennium Development Goal Number 1 (MDG1). It is aligned within the African Union (AU) initiated and led made-in-Africa solution known as the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP1). CAADP was established as part of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), and endorsed by the African Union Assembly in July 2003. SIMLESA is led and managed by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), as the commissioned organisation. CIMMYT is assisted by the following in implementing the program: the national agricultural research systems (NARS) in five eastern and southern African countries; Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA), International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT); Agriculture Research Council (ARC)-SA; Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), in association with Queensland Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, (QDEEDI); and Murdoch University. SIMLESA related activities have been initiated in four spillover countries (Botswana, Rwanda, South Sudan and Uganda) for wider impact. The leadership of the Queensland research component has been transferred from DEEDI to QAAFI. The main thrust of the SIMLESA program is increasing farm-level food security, productivity and incomes through promotion of maize-legume intercropping systems, in the context of reduced climate risk and change. SIMLESA Program is envisaged to reach 650,000 small farming households in the five countries over a period of 10 years.
Publication - Overview: transitioning wheat research to serve the future needs of the developing world(CIMMYT, 2008) Dixon, J.; Braun, H.J.; Crouch, J.H.For millennia wheat has provided daily sustenance for a large proportion of the world's population. It is produced in a wide range of climatic environments and geographic regions. During 2004-2006, the global annual harvested area of "bread wheat" and "durum wheat" averaged 217 million ha, producing 621 million tons of grain with a value of approximately US$ 150 billion. About 116 million ha of wheat was grown in developing countries, producing 308 million tons of grain (FAO 2007) with a value of approximately US$ 75 billion. Wheat fulfills a wide range of demands from different end-users, including staple food for a large proportion of the world's poor farmers and consumers. The similarity between average yields in developed and developing regions is deceptive: in developed countries around 90% of the wheat area is rainfed, while in developing countries more than half of the wheat area is irrigated, especially in the large producers India and China. In addition, there are large differences in productivity3 among countries within the two groups of countries, and even among countries applying similar agronomic practices. For instance, among major rainfed producers (over one million ha), the average national yield ranges from about 0.9 t ha-1 in Kazakhstan to 2.6 t ha-1 in Canada and up to 7.9 t ha-1 in the United Kingdom. Similarly, there are contrasts among irrigated producers, for example, India has an average yield of 2.6 t ha-1 compared with 6.5 t ha-1 in Egypt. Thus, there is clearly considerable scope for increasing productivity in many countries.
Publication - Operational guidelines for assessing the impact of agricultural research on livelihoods: good practices from CIMMYT.(CIMMYT, 2007) La Rovere, R.; Dixon, J.; Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maíz y Trigo (CIMMYT)Impact assessment (IA) in agricultural research is the effort to measure its social, economic, environmental, and other benefits. IA is important because stakeholders expect research organizations such as CIMMYT to account for their use of resources, as well as learning from and adjusting to new challenges. These guidelines present major considerations to be addressed in designing and implementing IA. They are intended for partners in national agricultural research systems, universities, non-government organizations, or others who may have limited background in IA or economics and who are charged with conducting IA for their projects and programs. It may also be of interest and direct use to colleagues in other CGIAR centers.
Publication - Maize-rice cropping systems in Bangladesh: Status and research needs(David Publishing, 2009) Ali, M.Y.; Waddington, S.R.; Timsina, J.; Hodson, D.P.; Dixon, J.Maize-rice cropping systems are expanding in Bangladesh. Hybrid maize has increasing demand and value, particularly for poultry feed, while rice remains the traditional dominant starch staple food. Bangladesh maize yields (with average farm yields around 5.7 t·ha-1) are among the highest found in Asia. Cool winter (Rabi) season maize followed by T. Aman (monsoon) rice is the major cropping system; however it is now becoming diversified with many other crops including potato. Financially, hybrid maize is far more profitable than boro (irrigated) rice, wheat, or most other competing winter season Rabi crops. Although maize is relatively problem-free in Bangladesh, some constraints are intensifying with increased concern over input supply and soil-related environmental sustainability. An array of new technologies for sustainable intensive maize production systems is emerging in Bangladesh and some are being promoted and adopted. Continued sustainability of hybrid maize production in Bangladesh depends on optimization of planting time, quality seed of appropriate hybrids, balanced use of nutrient inputs along with soil fertility conservation and other management, for which further research would be high priority.
Publication - Rice-maize systems in Asia: current situation and potential(CIMMYT, 2011) Timsina, J.; Buresh, R.J.; Dobermann, A.; Dixon, J.Rice-maize (R-M) cropping systems have emerged in recent years on 3.5 million hectares in Asia in response to the increasing demand from a rapidly expanding human population for rice and livestock products. They are rapidly spreading in southern and northeastern India and Bangladesh, driven by the rising demand for maize by the poultry and fi sh sectors and the tightening world export-import markets. The recent development of short-duration rice varieties and maize hybrids with improved drought tolerance is also providing opportunities for the expansion of R-M systems into areas of South Asia with insuffi cient irrigation or rain for continuous rice cultivation. Agroecologically, R-M systems have the potential to expand into broad climatic zones across Asia. Because strong economic multipliers exist between food production and feed and livestock production, more diversifi ed cropping systems are also likely to become a key engine for economic growth in rural areas of Asia. This will contribute to more diversifi ed diets, improved human nutrition, reduced poverty, and greater investment in other aspects of quality of life such as education and health care. R-M systems will also provide new business opportunities for the local agribusiness sector, including hybrid seed production and marketing, the fertilizer sector, the agricultural machinery sector, and the grain marketing and livestock feed-processing sector. Recognizing the importance of diversifying cropping systems in Asia and the need for system-level research to support new opportunities for agricultural development, IRRI and CIMMYT scientists, in collaboration with NARES partners, have recently begun work on R-M systems in many countries of Asia. This report contains information on a strategic assessment of R-M systems for 29 selected sites representing diverse soils, climate, and agroecosystems across nine countries in Asia (Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam). Conducted jointly by IRRI and CIMMYT, the process involves regional and site-level biophysical assessment, supported by socioeconomic evaluation using economic data at the regional level and some microeconomic data. Biophysical assessment includes agroecosystem characterization of R-M systems, analysis of historical daily climatic data, and regional-level prediction of yield potential for the 29 sites. The study then provides a detailed analysis of 10 selected sites to understand existing cropping systems, identify alternative potential systems, and explore measures to optimize these. The Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA), a project funded by the Gates Foundation and USAID in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, was aunched in early 2009. It now provides an overall strategy and a new umbrella for contributing new science and technologies to accelerate short- and long-term cereal production growth in South Asia’s most important grain baskets. It builds on technologies developed and lessons learned from the Rice-Wheat Consortium (RWC) and many other investments in agricultural R&D by both the public and private sector. Through creating and facilitating innovative and effective public-/private-sector partnerships in key “hubs” in South Asia, CSISA will boost the deployment of existing varieties, hybrids, crop- and aquaculture-related management technologies, and market information. The results from the strategic assessment of R-M systems are already being used in several CSISA hubs, and we hope that they will fi nd wider usage in other countries as well.
Publication - Wheat Facts and Futures 2009(CIMMYT, 2009) Dixon, J.; Braun, H.J.; Kosina, P.; Crouch, J.H.For nearly half a century, the international wheat breeding system has delivered improved high yielding varieties of wheat that created (along with rice) the Green Revolution and underpinned strong growth in wheat productivity in irrigated and rainfed, developed and underdeveloped, regions. Future priorities for breeding and complementary sciences will still include yield but will also diversify in response to changing market demands and growing environments, particulary in developing countries. It is argued that in the coming decades research on wheat quality characteristics will become increasingly important to plant breeders, whose work will be supported by the development of markers and advanced tools from molecular biology. Breeders will have to contend with increased heat stress and variability stemming from climate change, which is expected to create regional winners, as the northern high latitudes grow warmer and moister, and losers, as the sub-tropics and tropics increasingly suffer from heat stress and drought. Yield response of improved varieties in farmers’ fields depends to a very great degree on sustainable systems management, which also is essential to reverse the ongoing degradation of agricultural resources. Finally, the importance of expanding the systems lens from farmers to policy makers, and of linking farmers, commerce, science, and policy is illustrated for the rice-wheat farming systems of South Asia.
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