CIAT s Partnership with Germany: Reducing hunger and poverty while lessening agriculture s ecological and climate footprint

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1 International Center for Tropical Agriculture Since 1967 / Science to cultivate change Stewardship Report Achieving Food Security and Rural Prosperity across the Tropics CIAT s Partnership with Germany: Reducing hunger and poverty while lessening agriculture s ecological and climate footprint 1

2 CIAT s Global Vision Sustainable intensification of tropical agriculture About 870 million people around the world face chronic hunger, and more than 20% of the global population lives in extreme poverty. Strengthening the fight against hunger and poverty is thus an urgent imperative, especially in the tropics, where climate change, food price volatility, environmental degradation, weak policies and markets, and emerging pests and diseases pose dire threats to the livelihoods of the poor. At CIAT, we re convinced that, while the challenges for tropical agriculture have grown since the Center first opened its doors in 1967, so have the opportunities to address them more effectively. The difference is that the Center now brings to the fulfillment of its mission nearly five decades of experience in key areas and a comprehensive strategy to guide our research. Eco-efficiency which lies at the heart of CIAT s mission is an important guiding principle for achieving sustainable intensification of smallholder production. To put this principle into practice, we promote competitive and profitable food production for reduced hunger and poverty, while helping lower agriculture s environmental and climate footprint. Crop improvement is a key leverage point for bringing about those aims. CIAT conducts research globally on cassava, common bean, and tropical forages, as well as on rice in Latin America and the Caribbean. Critical for reducing hunger, these crops also offer wide scope for strengthening farmers market orientation and raising rural incomes. In addition, they present unique opportunities for enabling food production to cope with climate change. Through research on soil management and land restoration, the Center opens new pathways toward sustainable intensification of crop production, while improving the ecosystem services on which rural livelihoods and the welfare of whole societies depend. Our soils work also helps make agriculture climate smart, which is a central aim of our research on decision and policy analysis as well. CIAT s policy research harnesses the power of information to influence actions concerning climate change adaptation and mitigation, equitable sharing of benefits from ecosystem services, and linking farmers to markets for higher rural incomes. Our experts on these issues include a growing team of gender specialists, who are working to mainstream gender in CIAT and CGIAR research agendas. All of our research integrating crops, soils, and policy aims to make sustainable agriculture a reality for the three-quarters of the world s poor and hungry who live in rural areas and depend on crop and livestock production for a living. The Center has a solid reputation for honesty, integrity, and transparency together with a wellestablished record of innovative, results-oriented research that creates tangible improvements in rural livelihoods. Aware that development impact cannot result from the efforts of one organization working alone, we take pride in our strong and growing partnerships with other research organizations as well as government ministries, civil society, and the private sector. CIAT s genebank safeguards the world s largest collections of beans and cassava, as well as tropical forages 2

3 In Partnership with Germany A shared commitment to sustainable agriculture Germany is a founding member of CGIAR and a longstanding supporter of CIAT research, with an abiding commitment to advance research for sustainable development. We share the German government s conviction that eco-efficient agriculture is central for achieving the dual aims of, first, reducing hunger and poverty and, second, improving natural resource management while also coming to grips with climate change in food production. The German government s ongoing investment in CIAT research on tropical forages has proved to be especially productive. A large and growing body of scientific evidence indicates that these diverse plant species may hold the key to a rare triple win for development. Well-managed forage grasses and legumes show tremendous potential to (1) provide growing numbers of urban consumers with affordable livestock products, while (2) boosting rural incomes through increased livestock productivity and (3) contrary to much negative publicity on livestock, creating significant environmental benefits, including contributions to climate change mitigation. In recent years, Germany has also shown much-needed global leadership in raising public awareness about the importance of halting soil and land degradation, as demonstrated by the Global Soil Forum and Global Soil Week. These efforts are catalyzing valuable knowledge exchange as part of a global approach to achieving sustainable soil management. We re grateful to the Government of Germany for its generous and steadfast support of CIAT research through BMZ (Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development). We also value our productive global collaboration with GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit) and the vital contribution of CIM (Centre for International Migration and Development) in providing top-quality scientific expertise to carry key initiatives forward. Transformative technologies to cultivate change Over the last several decades, CIAT scientists and their partners have shown a consistent talent for innovative agricultural research, which blends formal science with local knowledge to create a diverse portfolio of genuinely transformative technologies. Many of our products lead to farreaching, beneficial changes in crop production, agricultural value chains, major production systems, rural landscapes, and policies that shape smallholder farmers options and decisions. The Center s advanced scientific capacity is a valuable resource for addressing challenges and opportunities in tropical agriculture. Headquartered in Colombia, CIAT has regional offices in Nairobi, Kenya, and Hanoi, Vietnam, with networks of scientists and partners conducting high-quality research across Latin America and the Caribbean, sub-saharan Africa, and Southeast Asia. Our global team effectively contributes to the reduction of hunger and poverty, while providing global leadership and expertise to curb the degradation of natural resources and make agriculture part of the solution to global climate change. 3

4 Impact of German Investments Grassroots action for environmental and livelihood benefits A powerful biochemical mechanism, which operates in the roots of a tropical grass (Brachiaria humidicola), appears to offer agriculture its best bet for mitigating climate change. Field research has shown that the mechanism suppresses soil nitrification the microbiological process by which nitrogen from fertilizer is converted into nitrous oxide, the most potent greenhouse gas. In a major scientific breakthrough, CIAT collaborators discovered several years ago, the chemical substance responsible for this phenomenon. Now, with German support, the Center and its partners, including Universität Hohenheim, have advanced to the proof-ofconcept stage and are laying the groundwork for large-scale development and dissemination of B. humidicola hybrids. In addition to generating nitrous oxide emissions, nitrification results in the leaching of nitrate, a major pollutant, into groundwater. As a result of the emissions and leaching, around half of the nitrogen fertilizer applied annually (with an estimated global value of US$90 billion) is essentially wasted. By suppressing nitrification, new grass hybrids can thus deliver enormous environmental benefits while also boosting crop and livestock productivity through more efficient fertilizer use. Recent trials showed, for example, that a maize crop grown after B. humidicola can give good yields with only half the amount of fertilizer normally applied. To begin reaping the environmental and economic benefits of this improved grass on a large scale, researchers are working on several fronts with German support. Forage grass breeders are developing superior B. humidicola hybrids and seeking to accelerate hybrid selection through the use of molecular markers. At the same time, scientists are using participatory methods to evaluate the B. humidicola hybrids already available with smallholder farmers in Colombia and Nicaragua. Together, they re learning how best to integrate the hybrids into crop-livestock systems. In addition, the researchers are using advanced simulation models and economic analysis to project where the new hybrids can be profitably introduced. The scope for integrating these materials into crop-livestock systems is quite large, especially in Latin America, where various Brachiaria grass species are already the main feed resource for livestock production. Since B. humidicola hybrids offer the advantage of performing well on infertile soils, they should appeal to large numbers of smallholders across Latin America as well as in sub-saharan Africa and upland areas of Southeast Asia. New grass hybrids deliver enormous environmental benefits while also boosting crop and livestock productivity through more efficient fertilizer use 4

5 The novel Quesungual agroforestry system has helped restore degraded agroecosystems in Honduras Scaling up success to restore degraded landscapes Another major focal point for South-South knowledge exchange with German support consists of novel agroforestry and silvopastoral systems. These combine crops with multipurpose trees and in the latter case with forages for livestock as well. Recent successes with such systems in Latin America show that they are highly effective for restoring degraded agroecosystems, with substantial benefits for rural people and the environment. The Quesungual slash-and-mulch agroforestry system, for example a product of farmer-led innovation in southwest Honduras has improved rural livelihoods through higher and more stable crop yields, while also making smallholder production more resilient in the face of extreme weather. The system has other benefits for ecosystem services as well, such as carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation. Quesungual has been taken up in El Salvador and Nicaragua, and the system is being further improved through the introduction of droughttolerant crop varieties and improved tropical forages. A major challenge now is to accelerate the spread of new systems like Quesungual to help curb widespread land degradation throughout the tropics, resulting from unsustainable practices like slash-and-burn agriculture and livestock overgrazing. CIAT soil scientists and their partners have taken up this challenge with German support through a project aimed at restoring agricultural landscapes in areas of Nicaragua and Paraguay that are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Operating across scales from individual farms to whole rural landscapes scientists are devising strategies to overcome barriers to the adoption of agroforestry systems and adapt them to diverse local conditions. The project is also creating tools to identify areas where successfully adapted systems can be taken up more widely. Since this requires not just technological change but institutional innovations, CIAT scientists are working closely with a wide range of national research partners and NGOs to achieve major development impact. 5

6 The value of intellectual capital The ability of CIAT s research to deliver on the promise of sustainable agriculture in the tropics depends on many factors, but none is more important than the quality of our scientific staff. For that reason, one of Germany s most important contributions to the Center s work consists of the intellectual capital represented by German-funded Masters and PhD students and staff working in key positions. The Centre for International Migration and Development (CIM) has placed a number of technical experts and managers with CIAT globally. These scientists play vital roles in our efforts to advance impact-oriented research. German collaboration has been critical, for example, in building CIAT s capacity to analyze and help smallholders prepare for the expected impacts of climate change in major agricultural value chains, particularly in Central America. Scientific talent funded by Germany is also driving the implementation of transformative technologies like the Brachiaria hybrids described earlier. In addition, GIZ and CIM have contributed significant expertise on livestock production and nutrition. As a result, we re reaching larger numbers of farmers more quickly. Peter Läderach (right) of the CIM program studies the impacts of climate change on coffee production in Colombia CIM Staff at CIAT Period Program Recruiting TBD Integrated Expert on Climate Change Policy Birthe Paul May 2012 October 2016 Integrated Expert on Forages Mónica Carvajal August 2012 August 2016 Returning Expert on Biotechnology Matthias Jäger July 2014 June 2016 Integrated Expert on Value Chains and Markets Jacobo Arango* August 2012 August 2015 Returning Expert on Forages Mario Cuchillo February 2013 November 2014 Returning Expert on Forages Peter Läderach* November 2008 October 2014 Integrated Expert on Decision and Policy Analysis Brigitte Maass April 2009 July 2014 Integrated Expert on Forages Rolf Wachholtz February 2012 February 2014 Integrated Expert on Land Use, Ecosystems, and Climate Change Siriwan Martens March 2007 March 2013 Integrated Expert on Forages Ringenerus Van der Hoek* November 2006 November 2012 Integrated Expert on Forages *Hired by CIAT at end of CIM contract 6

7 German-funded projects Project Name CIAT Leader(s) Period US$ (in 000) Hands and minds connected to boost eco-efficiency on smallholder livestock-crop systems Adrian Bolliger ,180 Potential farm to landscape impact and adoption of forage technologies in smallholder dairy production systems in Tanzania Birthe Paul German investment in CIAT s genebank for biodiversity conservation, research, and food security Daniel Debouck ,823 Sustainable development options and land use-based alternatives to enhance climate change mitigation and adaptation capacities in the Colombian and Peruvian Amazon while enhancing ecosystem services and local livelihoods Marcela Quintero ,075 Acting together now for pro-poor strategies against soil and land degradation (AGORA) Katherine Synder ,621 Carbon insetting in dairy value chains Peter Läderach Vulnerability analysis of hydroelectric plants to the effects of climate change in seven watersheds of Ecuador Jeimer Tapasco Scoping studies on soil research and management to enrich bilateral German development cooperation programs Rolf Sommers Biodiversity, climate change, and sustainable development Jeimer Tapasco Addressing the challenges of smallholder farming communities Aracely Castro ,564 Trade-offs and synergies in climate change adaptation and mitigation in coffee and cocoa systems Peter Läderach Assessing the costs of land degradation and the value of sustainable land management Katherine Snyder Climate protection and energy in Latin America and the Caribbean (Phase II) Andy Jarvis Climate-smart crop-livestock systems for smallholders in the tropics: Integration of new forage hybrids to intensify agriculture and to mitigate climate change through regulation of nitrification in soil Idupulapati Rao ,560 Unrestricted contribution from Germany to the maintenance of the genetic resources collection Daniel Debouck ,522 Climate protection and energy in Latin American and the Caribbean (Terra I Guyana) Louis Reymondin

8 Promise to partners Our innovative research is carried out with the highest integrity and transparency, according to an agenda that is socially and environmentally responsible. We monitor and evaluate the impacts of all our programs to bolster meaningful knowledge sharing and learning. CIAT s endeavors are demand driven, harnessing creativity and integrating environmental sustainability, gender equality, and policy and institutional considerations into our activities. CIAT ensures that donor investments lead to tangible, on-the-ground results. Looking forward CIAT works through partnerships to mobilize highquality scientific expertise for global efforts to reduce hunger and poverty, while also curbing environmental degradation and addressing climate change. In keeping with Germany s strategy to achieve this end by promoting sustainable agriculture, CIAT works with a wide range of partners, including Germany s government and institutions, to develop technologies, methods, and knowledge that offer more for people while taking less from the land. The global reach of CIAT research Asia regional hub Headquarters Africa regional hub CIAT Contacts Ruben G. Echeverría Director General ruben.echeverria@cgiar.org André Zandstra Head, Partnerships & Donor Relations a.zandstra@cgiar.org Headquarters Km 17, Recta Cali-Palmira Apartado Aéreo 6713 Cali, Colombia Phone: Africa Regional Office c/o International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) Duduville Campus, off Kasarani Road P.O. Box Nairobi, Kenya Phone: or Robin Buruchara: r.buruchara@cgiar.org Asia Regional Office c/o Agricultural Genetics Institute Pham Van Dong Street Tu Liem (opposite the Ministry of Security) Hanoi, Vietnam Phone: Dindo Campilan: d.campilan@cgiar.org 8 March 2015 Photos: Neil Palmer (CIAT)