Person: Langyintuo, A.S.
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Langyintuo
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A.S.
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Langyintuo, A.S.
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- Exploration of farmers' preferences and perceptions of maize varieties: implications on development and adoption of quality protein maize (QPM) varieties in Zimbabwe(Canadian Center of Science and Education, 2014) Machida, L.; Derera, J.; Tongoona, P.; Langyintuo, A.S.; MacRobert, J.Quality protein maize (QPM) technology is relatively new in Zimbabwe and farmer awareness of QPM was low. Participation of smallholder farmers in the development of QPM breeding objectives and dissemination strategies was solicited through participatory rural appraisal (PRA) techniques. Seventy two farmers participated; the farmers were involved in the Mother Baby Trial (MBT) projects in four selected villages from three districts of Zimbabwe. Data collection techniques included work-sharing, village or resource mapping, Venn diagramming, semi structured interviewing, matrix scoring and ranking and pairwise ranking. The results suggested that protein malnutrition was prevalent in the districts. Maize was the most important crop and farmers grew three types of maize, namely landrace (“Hickory King”), open pollinated varieties (OPV) and hybrid varieties all representing normal endosperm maize. Hybrids were dominant and produced mainly for sale, while “Hickory King”, although not supported by the formal seed system, continued to be produced for home consumption because of its superior taste, white kernel color, large kernel size, high kernel density, kernel hardness, and perceived weevil-resistance. Lateness and foliar disease susceptibility were the disadvantages of Hickory King. The ideal maize variety should be early-maturing, with a high yield potential, drought tolerant, foliar disease resistant and stem borer tolerant. For any QPM variety to be acceptable, farmers expected it to combine the agronomic attributes of hybrids and the grain quality characteristics of “Hickory King”, an “heirloom” variety. To effectively promote the adoption of QPM, the Agricultural Research and Extension (AREX) arm of government was the farmers' choice compared to other modes of information dissemination which were radio, television, newspaper, church NGO and councillor.
Publication - Characterization of maize production sub-systems in mossourize and sussungenga Districts, Manica, Mozambique(IIAM, 2011) Uiane, R.; Mazuze, F.; Mwangi, W.M.; Langyintuo, A.S.; Kassie, G.A household survey was carried out in July and August 2007 in Sussundenga and Mossurize districts of Manica Province in Mozambique under the auspices of the Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) Project of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT). The insights presented in this report are based on 350 households randomly selected among the communities in both districts and information cordially provided by the extension officials and representatives of the Administration Office, Services for Economic Activities, Health and Education Directorates at district level. This diagnostic study focused on collecting baseline data on farm households to construct indicators that could be used to measure the impact of the adoption of improved maize varieties in Mozambique. The study was conducted on respondents composed of 60% males and 40% females. Most (67.5%) of the respondents are household heads and 40% of the respondents are female. Nonetheless, 85.1% of the sample households are male headed. Average family size of the sample households was found to be slightly more than 7 persons with the average number of female family members a bit higher than that of males. The land size owned by sample households ranges from zero to 84 hectares, with mean of 7.9 and standard deviation of 7.35 hectares. Irrigation is not that common and on average only 0.93% of the farm land holding of the sample households is irrigated. Most of the farmland is allocated to annual crops – specifically maize. Of the different maize varieties, most of the land is allotted to local maize varieties. The study communities have limited access to extension services. For instance, in the 2006/7 season, of those surveyed only 12%, 10.9%, 8.9%, and 15.1% have attended field days, demonstration plot visits, maize related discussions, and made interactions with extension service providers, respectively. This level of access is much lower than comparable communities at least in DTMA project countries. The average number of public-extension-organized field days attended was 0.30 per household. The number of field demonstrations hosted by agricultural extension averaged 0.29 and ranged from no demonstrations to a maximum of 24 demonstrations. Different maize varieties are being produced by the sample households. The varieties with high frequencies are either local or old improved varieties. Matuba, NdauouChindau, SC 513, and Pannar varieties are grown by many households in the study area. One third of the maize planted in the two districts was an open pollinated variety, Matuba. The second most popular maize variety was SC513. The sample households generate about 70% of their income from paid employment, crop sales, livestock and livestock product sales, and petty trading. On average, 60% of the members of the sample households are engaged in off-farm activities. The main expenditure item for the sample populations in the study areas is food. Food items claim 48% of the annual expenditure of the sample households. The data generated also show that clothing is the second important expenditure item. The most important challenge in the study communities is low productivity of the agricultural sector. One crucial component of improving livelihoods is therefore improving the productivity of agriculture. Discussions with sample households have revealed that increasing area under cultivation is considered to be the most feasible way to increase agricultural production. This must have emanated from the fact that the average land holding is high and the extent of fallowing shows that there is still a lot of land that can be cultivated if the need arises. Increasing cultivated area was followed by application of manure and the use of improved seeds. The low productivity and production of agriculture has a direct bearing on the food economy of the households. The sample households have indicated different coping mechanisms to mitigate the food shortages they face now and then. The coping strategies include increased engagement in offfarm activities, selling small animals, reducing other expenditures, reduced frequency of food intake, selling other assets, selling cattle, withdrawing children from school, working for food, and receiving food aid. Particularly, drought, frost or hail, land slide, livestock death, and flood or excess rain were mentioned to be the five most important livelihood shocks the community is facing. Drought is particularly an important agricultural risk in Sussundenga and Mossourize districts. About 60% of the respondents indicated drought as the most serious shock in the past 10 years. The 2001/2 and 2005/6 cropping seasons were indicated to be the driest over the last 10 years. Maize was heavily affected by drought. More than 90% of respondents indicated that maize was negatively affected by drought. All kinds of maize varieties - local, improved open-pollinated, and hybrid - , were reported to be very risky in terms of yield variability compared to all other crops. The wide ranging coping strategies include all activities farmers consider relevant given their resources, expectations, and understanding of the risk they are facing. In the study districts, sample households emphasized the importance of, among others, agricultural diversification, agricultural intensification, asset accumulation, and program participation. The riskiness of maize was also emphasized in terms of the price variability in the market. Once again, all kinds of maize were reported to embody higher market risk than other crops produced by the farming community. Asset accumulation, program participation, contract farming, informal insurance, and other activities comprise the price risk management activities of the farming communities in the study areas. Location, age of household head, maize related extension services, and proportion of land allocated to maize were found to be important factors influencing adoption of improved maize varieties. The extent or intensity of adoption of improved maize varieties in these two rural districts of Mozambique was found to be influenced by location, average literacy level of the household, proportion of land allocated to maize, and fertilizer use.
Publication - Improving efficiency of maize seed production in Eastern and Southern Africa(CIMMYT, [2008?]) Langyintuo, A.S.Various obstacles have hampered seed production in eastern and southern Africa (ESA). A 2007 sub-Saharan African seed sector survey explores these barriers as well as possible strategies to overcome them and increase regional seed company productivity.
Publication - Improving maize seed marketing in Eastern and Southern Africa(CIMMYT, [2008?]) Langyintuo, A.S.Improved seed varieties can drastically help improve the food security and livelihoods of small-scale farm families. However, an unreliable seed deployment system in eastern and southern Africa (ESA) prevents many farmers from accessing these benefits.
Publication - Characterization of maize producing households in Balaka and Mangochi Districts in Malawi(CIMMYT, 2011) Mangisoni, J.H.; Katengeza, S.; Langyintuo, A.S.; La Rovere, R.; Mwangi, W.M.Current global climatic changes have resulted in frequent occurrences of droughts and floods, a scenario that has affected agricultural production, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. This study reports on the results from a household survey in the Balaka and Mangochi Districts of Malawi. The overall objective of the study was to characterize the maize producing households and to assess the adoption of improved maize varieties in Malawi, through an understanding of the households’ access to assets, household livelihood strategies, and the production and price risks that farmers face. The study has shown that households’ access to livelihood capitals such as human, natural, physical, financial and institutional is limited in the two districts with increasing land scarcity. Maize is the most popular crop. The most common maize varieties are local open pollinated varieties (OPVs) and hybrids. The major input sources for crop production are the Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (ADMARC), Agora, Kulima Gold, and traders/vendors. Major shocks are droughts and floods while prominent production risks are price and yield fluctuations, and fertilizer availability and affordability. To mitigate such risks, farmers change cropping area of a given crop, and engage in crop diversification and off-farm activities. The key issue emerging from this study is that climatic factors such as droughts and floods pose a challenge to agricultural production in Mangochi and Balaka, and Malawi as a whole. The continued changes in the global climate are a serious threat to Malawi’s food security and poverty reduction objectives. As such, there is need to support actions that facilitate the ability of the agricultural sector to cope with climate changes. The promotion of improved drought tolerant and early maturing maize varieties seems a good entry point.
Publication - Farmer perceptions on maize cultivars in the marginal eastern belt of Zimbabwe and their implications for breeding(African Crop Science Society, 2006) Derera, J.; Tongoona, P.; Langyintuo, A.S.; Laing, M.; Vivek, B.Productivity of maize ( Zea mays check for this species in other resources ) is low in the small-holder sector of Zimbabwe because the crop is grown under stress-prone environments and limited resources. The objective of this study was to investigate farmer perceptions on maize cultivars and their implications for breeding. Participatory rural appraisal and household surveys were conducted in the marginal eastern-belt of Zimbabwe, during 2004 to 2005. Although farmers predominantly grew hybrids, productivity (ranging between 240 and 500 kg ha-1) was below national average of 1 t/ha; hence grain deficit was rampant. Surprisingly, farmers preferred hybrids of the 1970s to new hybrids, due to their superior tolerance to abiotic stress. Farmers also preferred a local landrace "Chitonga", because of its superior taste and flint grain. Nonetheless, farmers recognized that both "Chitonga" and hybrids lacked the drought stress recovery mechanism; which is prevalent in sorghum, thus failed to fit into short seasons. Cultivar preferences were area-specific with farmers in more productive Mutasa showing high preference for grain weevil resistance, while those in Chipinge and Mutare West preferred cultivars with drought tolerance, among other traits. Besides conventional breeding, integrated use of participatory approaches and other appropriate technologies such as molecular technology to fix novel stress tolerant genes in ultra-cultivars for deployment in marginal areas is implied.
Publication - Drivers of improved maize variety adoption in drought prone areas of Malawi(Academic Journals, 2012) Katengeza, S.; Mangisoni, J.H.; Kassie, G.; Sutcliffe, C.; Langyintuo, A.S.; La Rovere, R.; Mwangi, W.M.This study identifies the determinants of adoption and adoption-intensity of improved maize varieties in Malawi. We estimated a double hurdle model based on household-level survey data collected in the districts of Balaka and Mangochi in 2008 and found that labour endowment, access to rural credit, livestock wealth, access to agricultural extension, farm size and access to off-farm employment all significantly increase the likelihood of adoption. Households where the head had membership of a social group were also found to be less likely to have adopted. The intensity of adoption was found to be negatively related to livestock wealth and fertilizer use. Conversely, the age of the household head, the labour endowment of the household and the proportion of household members engaged in off-farm activities were factors that were found to be positively related to intensity of adoption. The study suggests the need to enhance adoption and intensity of adoption of improved maize varieties in Malawi among other things improving access to rural finance through credit and improving access to agricultural extension. Agricultural extension enhances provision of timely and quality agricultural information which is vital to smallholder farmers? production and marketing decisions and hence, key to decisions to adopt new and improved technologies such as improved maize varieties.
Publication - Potential regional trade implications of adopting Bt cowpea in west and central Africa(AgBioForum , 2006) Langyintuo, A.S.; Lowenberg-DeBoer, J.This paper used a spatial and temporal price equilibrium model to assess the potential impacts of farmers in West and Central Africa adopting Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp). The results showed that regional cowpea prices would decrease, leading to increased regional demand and increased supply only in adopting countries. Total cowpea traded and regional welfare would increase, but producers in nonadopting countries would lose. The results thus emphasize regional adoption of any Bt cowpea and suggest that policy makers devise ways of ensuring equitable distribution of benefits.
Publication - Characterization of maize production in Southern Africa: synthesis of CIMMYT/DTMA household level farming system surveys in Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe(CIMMYT, 2012) Kassie, G.; Erenstein, O.; Mwangi, W.M.; La Rovere, R.; Setimela, P.; Langyintuo, A.S.This report presents the synthesis of household level surveys in five intervention countries (Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe) of the Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) project designed and implemented by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and national research and extension institutions in 13 countries of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In each of the study countries, two districts were randomly selected provided that the districts fall in predetermined categories (20-40%) of probability of failed season (PFS). A total sample of 1108 households was randomly drawn with sample sizes varying country to country. The report has different sections that focus, in order, on description of the sample households, extent and determinants of poverty and inequality among the sample population, characteristics of maize production, perception and management of drought risk, and determinants of likelihood and intensity of adoption of improved maize varieties.
Publication - An innovation learning platform for drought tolerant maize in Malawi: lessons learned and the way forward(CIMMYT, 2012) Kassie, G.; Erenstein, O.; Mwangi, W.M.; Setimela, P.; Langyintuo, A.S.; Kaonga, K.K.Innovation learning platforms have their roots in the agricultural innovation systems (AIS) approach. AIS emphasizes a systems view of agricultural innovations and conceptualizes an innovation system as all individuals and organizations that keep on interacting in producing and using knowledge and the institutional context of knowledge sharing and learning. Research creates knowledge and technology; but innovation process goes further to include putting that knowledge into use. The Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) project of CIMMYT aims to address the challenge of combating the impacts of drought on people’s livelihoods. For this to succeed, however, the initiative faces the challenge of how best to advocate and promote drought tolerant maize varieties (DTMVs). The initiative accordingly proposed to establish Innovation Learning Platforms (ILeP) in selected pilot countries (Malawi and Nigeria). This report focuses on presenting detailed account of the implementation of the approach, the lessons learned, analyzing whether there is enough experience to suggest (or not) extrapolation of the approach to other areas and communities, and the way forward. The report is based on data and information generated from participating farmers and key individuals from important institutional stakeholders.
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