Improved Crop-livestock management systems for enhanced smallholder income and nutrition

1. Improved Crop-livestock management systems for enhanced smallholder income and nutrition N. Karbo (Chairman) R. Abaidoo E.O. Otchere G. Gamor H. Abu • S.S. Buah (secretary) • M.S. Abdulai • M. Abdulai • Ben. Alenyorege • Dzormeku

2. Market analysis • Collective marketing • Input delivery systems • Linking farmers to market • Gaps/entry points

3. Land use and management - (access to land is not considered a gap in the region) • Access to inputs (especially fertilizer and improved seeds) • Labour • Technologies (land preparation technologies) • Gaps/entry points

4. Extension delivery system • Involvement of the private sector in the extension delivery system. • Training of community livestock workers (men and women volunteers) • Extension volunteers • Credit delivery • Giving credit to groups of farmers instead of individual farmers • Gaps/entry points

5. Processing technologies (largely female-dominated activity) • Laboursaving processing technologies (to reduce the drudgery) • Gaps/entry points

6. Based on constraints, what do you see as key research areas to improve household productivity (crop-livestock-NRM-nutrition-markets)? • What available technologies and institutional arrangements do we have that can be integrated to improve productivity and NRM? • What specific activities will allow leveraging the power of integrated research? - Which ones are region-specific? - Which ones cut across regions • Task

7. Need to look at the interface among crops, livestock and soil and water relationships • Conceptual picture

8. Access to land and water resources • Project should collect secondary data (including case studies) to get a better understanding of the land and water issues in the region (i.e., land and water management/administration in the region) for integration. • Research ideas

9. Drought • Need to look at the weather forecasting systems in the region and improve upon it, if necessary. • Explore indigenous methods of weather forecasting • Research ideas

10. Are there adapted varieties for crop-livestock integration • Promotion of varieties that are drought tolerant or escape drought, e.g. quality protein maize varieties that produce good yield under drought and striga conditions. • Promotion of dual-purpose varieties – varieties that will produce fodder without comprising grain production • Introduction of vegetables • Research ideas

11. Causes of low productivity Mindsets – Farmers consider farming as a way of life instead of a business entity • Poor soil fertility • Striga infestation • Pests and disease problems • Weak extension system • Labour constraints/distribution • Poor farming practices • High cost and accessibility to input • Research ideas

12. The importance of value addition at farmer level Markets Poverty trap Technologies

13. Integrating crop and livestock production offers ways to increase production while protecting the environment. Quality and quantity etc? Nutritional qualities? Income. Value addition? Time allocation Quality of crop residue? Marketability Varieties, crop diversification, Weather forecasting? Feed, health, genetics? Quality and quantity etc?