ESA Research Program
Presentation at the
95th Governing Board
meeting
Program Committee
30 Sept 2020
Presented by
Rebbie Harawa
ESA Regional & Research Program Director
Presentation at the 95th ICRISAT Governing Board Meeting
Program Committee Sept 30, 2020
1. Building resilient food systems to overcome poverty, hunger and
malnutrition
1.1 Varietal development and deployment:
• Ethiopia: Release of 15 chickpea led to 10% rise in planted area and 12.6% surge in total
income; 30 sorghum varieties impacted the pool of about 5 million people purely dependent
on growing sorghum for food and income.
• Malawi: Release of 3 finger millet, 3 chickpea and 2 groundnut varieties in July 2020 a key
contribution to government’s crop, income, food and nutrition diversification efforts.
• Development of new sorghum breeding lines with farmer and market preferred traits, product
profiles were defined together with NARS partners in ESA, and breeding pipelines developed
and implemented. A total of 100 crosses have been made, 150 F2, 123 F3 progenies advanced
(through single seed descent) and 6000 F4:5s planted.
2
ESA Updates
Presentation at the 95th ICRISAT Governing Board Meeting
Program Committee Sept 30, 2020
1.2 Nutrition and health:
• Achieved 40% increase in household
consumption of at least a food crop
from ICRISAT mandate crops in
Malawi.
• Consequentially, realized reduction in
underweight (50%) in Malawi.
• Reached 11,228 beneficiaries (70%
women) in Kenya via SourceTrace
digital platform with nutrional
messages on essential minerals,
immunity boosters, against Covid-19
endowed in ICRISAT mandate crops.
3
ICRISAT bred pearl millet & finger millet have above meet threshold (red line)
Zn. Fe and protein are similar
Presentation at the 95th ICRISAT Governing Board Meeting
Program Committee Sept 30, 2020
2. Reducing environmental degradation:
•Developed integrated watershed management
models for adaptation and mitigation to
environmental shocks in Ethiopia. Bio-
reclamation of 8,000 ha of farmland increasing
crop diversity to > 3 crops.
3. Developing climate change resilience and
mitigation:
•Revitalized two community irrigation schemes in
Zimbabwe led to improved farm productivity and
profitability.
•25,000 farming households realized improved
food and nutritional security due to continual
availing of climate smart agriculture technologies.
•Jointly with GIZ; converted extreme floods from
highlands to productive use in 85 ha in Ethiopia.
4
Presentation at the 95th ICRISAT Governing Board Meeting
Program Committee Sept 30, 2020
4. Building enabling environment for technology dissemination:
• The sorghum hybrid parent’s development initiative through Public-Private
Partnership in Seed Systems to serve the Hybrid Parents research consortium
resulted in 108 BC1, 167 BC2, 9 BC3 and 95 BC4 generations; currently in the
field to generate new A and B lines.
• Capacity built national and local agencies of agriculture to facilitate change in
livelihoods and investment in sustainable small-scale irrigation systems in
Ethiopia.
• Enhanced local and regional development systems around irrigation agronomy
and intensification.
• Provided technical support to national and county governments in Kenya to
develop drought tolerant crop variety seed strategies, road maps and sustainable
systems preferred by farmers, consumers, and processors/traders.
5
Presentation at the 95th ICRISAT Governing Board Meeting
Program Committee Sept 30, 2020
Thank You
Questions?
6

Presentation at the 95th Governing Board meeting (Program Committee) By Research Program:Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA)

  • 1.
    ESA Research Program Presentationat the 95th Governing Board meeting Program Committee 30 Sept 2020 Presented by Rebbie Harawa ESA Regional & Research Program Director
  • 2.
    Presentation at the95th ICRISAT Governing Board Meeting Program Committee Sept 30, 2020 1. Building resilient food systems to overcome poverty, hunger and malnutrition 1.1 Varietal development and deployment: • Ethiopia: Release of 15 chickpea led to 10% rise in planted area and 12.6% surge in total income; 30 sorghum varieties impacted the pool of about 5 million people purely dependent on growing sorghum for food and income. • Malawi: Release of 3 finger millet, 3 chickpea and 2 groundnut varieties in July 2020 a key contribution to government’s crop, income, food and nutrition diversification efforts. • Development of new sorghum breeding lines with farmer and market preferred traits, product profiles were defined together with NARS partners in ESA, and breeding pipelines developed and implemented. A total of 100 crosses have been made, 150 F2, 123 F3 progenies advanced (through single seed descent) and 6000 F4:5s planted. 2 ESA Updates
  • 3.
    Presentation at the95th ICRISAT Governing Board Meeting Program Committee Sept 30, 2020 1.2 Nutrition and health: • Achieved 40% increase in household consumption of at least a food crop from ICRISAT mandate crops in Malawi. • Consequentially, realized reduction in underweight (50%) in Malawi. • Reached 11,228 beneficiaries (70% women) in Kenya via SourceTrace digital platform with nutrional messages on essential minerals, immunity boosters, against Covid-19 endowed in ICRISAT mandate crops. 3 ICRISAT bred pearl millet & finger millet have above meet threshold (red line) Zn. Fe and protein are similar
  • 4.
    Presentation at the95th ICRISAT Governing Board Meeting Program Committee Sept 30, 2020 2. Reducing environmental degradation: •Developed integrated watershed management models for adaptation and mitigation to environmental shocks in Ethiopia. Bio- reclamation of 8,000 ha of farmland increasing crop diversity to > 3 crops. 3. Developing climate change resilience and mitigation: •Revitalized two community irrigation schemes in Zimbabwe led to improved farm productivity and profitability. •25,000 farming households realized improved food and nutritional security due to continual availing of climate smart agriculture technologies. •Jointly with GIZ; converted extreme floods from highlands to productive use in 85 ha in Ethiopia. 4
  • 5.
    Presentation at the95th ICRISAT Governing Board Meeting Program Committee Sept 30, 2020 4. Building enabling environment for technology dissemination: • The sorghum hybrid parent’s development initiative through Public-Private Partnership in Seed Systems to serve the Hybrid Parents research consortium resulted in 108 BC1, 167 BC2, 9 BC3 and 95 BC4 generations; currently in the field to generate new A and B lines. • Capacity built national and local agencies of agriculture to facilitate change in livelihoods and investment in sustainable small-scale irrigation systems in Ethiopia. • Enhanced local and regional development systems around irrigation agronomy and intensification. • Provided technical support to national and county governments in Kenya to develop drought tolerant crop variety seed strategies, road maps and sustainable systems preferred by farmers, consumers, and processors/traders. 5
  • 6.
    Presentation at the95th ICRISAT Governing Board Meeting Program Committee Sept 30, 2020 Thank You Questions? 6