News

Upcoming study on the impact of solar-powered pumps in vegetable production in Mali

July 20, 2022 by abbey.kunkle

by Rosaine Yegbemey, World Vegetable Center

Vegetable production in Mali has increased rapidly over the past decades. A lot of vegetable producers continue to irrigate their fields using watering cans and buckets, which is hard work and limits the scale of the operation. Nowadays, motorized water pumps including solar-powered pumps are increasingly available to Malian farmers, although adoption is still low. These pumps offer great potential to produce more, reduce drudgery, and reduce risk. However, scientific evidence is lacking on the potential benefits and costs, particularly among vegetable farmers. Such information is important to guide the scaling of the technology.

Photo credit: Jean-baptiste Tignegre, WorldVeg

Against this backdrop and within the framework of the USAID Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Small Scale Irrigation (ILSSI), the World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg) started an evaluation study to assess the multiple impacts of solar-powered pumps in irrigated vegetable production in Mali. The study will focus on aspects of gender, cost of production, risk, household income and quality of diets.

The study will use a mixed-method approach, combining quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods. Qualitative methods such as focus group discussions and in-depth personal interviews will be used to collect information from local irrigation suppliers and farmers and understand what type of farmers are adopting solar-powered pumps, as well as their experiences with the technology. Quantitative methods will rely on a farm survey of adopters and non-adopters and apply a quasi-experimental evaluation design using Propensity Score Matching (PSM). The data collection is scheduled to start in late July or early August 2022 and first results should be available toward the end of the year.

ILSSI welcomes Ethiopian scientist to TAMU as senior fellow

July 20, 2022 by abbey.kunkle

Longtime Innovation Lab for Small Scale Irrigation research partner, Dr. Seifu Admassu Tilahun, recently joined the ILSSI team on campus at Texas A&M University, where he is on sabbatical from his position as Associate Professor of Hydrology, Faculty of Civil and Water Resources Engineering in the Bahir Dar Institute of Technology at Bahir Dar University (BDU) in Ethiopia. The Bahir Dar Insititute of Technology (BiT) is among the oldest and most well-known technology institutes in Ethiopia, where their goal is to work towards solving practical problems for the community by providing courses with ample experience in teaching, research and community service.

Through the United State Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Feed the Future program, Dr. Tilahun has collaborated with the ILSSI team for nearly 10 years, collecting data on small scale irrigation in the Blue Nile Basin to improve access to irrigation practices that directly affect the lives of farmers and their families while also contributing to the growth of the graduate program at BDU. He has co-authored several papers in collaboration with ILSSI and Texas A & M researchers, including on the Blue Nile, hydrological modelling methods and soil and water conservation in the Ethiopian highlands, adding to his accomplished publishing record. According to Dr. Tilahun, the BiT graduate programs are thriving with increased program diversity that includes 38 masters degree programs including Engineering Hydrology, Hydraulic Engineering, Water Resources Engineering and Management, and a Master of Science in Irrigation Engineering and Management, as well as 26 Ph.D. Programs including Water Resources Engineering and Management. Dr. Tilahun noted that work with ILSSI has provided a tangible contribution to the graduate programs, providing funding and opportunities for graduate student research, and he credits the development of master’s and Ph.D. programs in irrigation to this partnership. With emerging research topics in artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies, he expects continued opportunities for growth at BiT.

Further, Dr. Tilahun acknowledges his students’ hard work and shared that capacity building of individuals within the graduate program has been his most fulfilling work over this last ten years. He explained that ILSSI funded opportunities for research in the field and engagement with the private sector has provided a unique experience for more than 40 students to gain practical skills in small scale irrigation like working with farmers on their agricultural land, measuring biophysical parameters of soil and plants, measuring precipitation, surface runoff, ground water levels and quality. Regarding this work he said, “I am proud of it because all the investment goes to the students.”

Farmers observe SSI techniques on fodder plot.by PhD student Misba.

Recently, a select group of BiT students competed in a Hack-a-Thon organized by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) under the ILSSI project at the Seifu Maker Space, aptly named after Dr Tilahun who served as initiator and advocate for its creation with support from the Centre for Global Equality . The Hack-a-Thon included 6 teams with about 30 members whose goal was to identify and solve a challenge faced by local farmers and private companies. Innovative student groups proposed creative and practical solutions like a digital app that benefits both private sector companies and farmers by streamlining sales processes, simplifying product management, and improving access to customer support services. One Hack-a-Thon winner, Dayan Yenesew shared that the challenge opened many doors and changed the way she approached problems by putting the theoretical ideas she learned over the previous five years to use tackling real-world problems facing farmers and businesses.

Dr. Tilahun’s praised the students’ success saying, “I think we saw their potential. I mean, If the students get a chance, they can really give a solution. Even the private companies, they were surprised that from the university some kind of solution can be obtained. It was special.” He added, “Private companies never, never thought about working with students at the university.”

During his time on sabbatical, Dr. Tilahun plans to take the opportunity to continue his work related to small scale irrigation and recognizes that irrigation is still just emerging as a practice in Ethiopia. He noted that there is much potential but also many challenges the country will face as irrigation practices expand. Currently, details of small scale irrigation practices, like specifics of how and when to implement agrochemical use, are being done at random and without any regulation. With continued irrigation expansion, this could cause future ecological risks to water quality and water scarcity. As the government plans for more land to be irrigated, research on best management practices and appropriate water resources planning should start immediately so that effective practices can be implemented in the near future.

Small scale irrigated forage production: Abate Wale’s pathway out of poverty and malnutrition

July 19, 2022 by abbey.kunkle

by Melkamu Derseh, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)

Abate Wale is one of the early adopters of irrigated fodder production practices promoted by the USAID supported Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Small Scale Irrigation in the Robit Bata Kebele of Bahir Dar Zuria district. Like any other farmer in the mixed farming system, Abate’s livelihood depends on crop production and livestock rearing. His engagement in small scale irrigation and improved livestock production has helped him to diversify his income. “I am now in a better position to lead my family than few years back,” he says.

**Senait Abate, daughter of Abate Wale**
**(Photo credit: Apollo Habtamu/ILRI)**

Change in family nutrition

Abate has five children, all of whom are attending school in their locality. Senait was a little girl four years ago (Fig 1, left) when a documentary of early adopters of irrigated fodder was produced (https://www.ilri.org/news/irrigated-forages-improve-livestock-productivity-and-livelihoods-ethiopia). Now, well grown and with a smiling face (Fig 1, right), she said that the family has more cows now than before. “My mother gives me milk every day, before and after school. I am now in grade 2 and am happy with my school time,” she said. The way Abate’s children are growing and sent to school are testimonies to an improved life for his family.

Abate’s children in their fodder farm (right, Senait Abate) (Photo credit: Apollo Habtamu)

Increased feed biomass and quality of feed

Abate recalls his first experience several years back, “When researchers from the International Livestock Research Institute and Andassa Research Center approached us and explained the benefits of growing fodder for livestock using supplemental irrigation, many of us were skeptical of the benefits, but I decided to try it on a small plot.” He added, “After I tried it, I was surprised to harvest fodder every 4 weeks and get good quality feed from a small plot. As a result, my interest to expand my fodder plot has increased.”

Abate Wale, carrying milk he has just milked from his cows

Change of attitude

When the ILSSI project started experimenting with irrigated fodder in the Robit kebele, farmers in the kebele had no prior experience cultivating fodder and only just over a dozen (15-17) farmers were willing to collaborate with researchers and allocate a small plot (100m²) for the trial, Abate being one of them. Through a series of on-farm trials and demonstrations, however, the awareness and interest of farmers has increased considerably. Nowadays, close to 300 farmers are producing irrigated fodder on a range of farmland sizes in that village. The demand increases every year and researchers are working with development partners to reach more farmers.

Abate is also one of the farmers who replaced part of the Khat plant [stimulant] in his farmland with irrigated fodder to be able to produce enough feed for his lactating cows.

Currently, he allocates a total of 1250m² of land (9% of his total land holding) for irrigated fodder production. Compared to Khat production, Abate explains that irrigated fodder is less labor and [agri-chemical] input demanding, and he is happy with the new practice.

Diversified income options

He said, “My income from the sale of milk increased considerably after I started using irrigated fodder to feed my lactating cows, and milk available for my children also doubled.” Prior to the intervention, he had only local cows. Over time, he acquired a crossbred cow – which produce more milk than local breeds – through Andassa Research Center. Now he has two crossbred lactating cows and plans to increase that number in the future.

Formation of a dairy cooperative

“The presence of a functioning dairy cooperative on our doorstep encourages me to engage more in irrigated fodder and dairying,” he said, referring to the new milk collection and processing facility built by the Genet Lerobit farmer dairy cooperative through ILSSI project support.

The first attempt at a cooperative, which was formed before the ILSSI project’s intervention, collapsed as members could not supply sufficient milk for the market due to low volume of milk production because of the feed shortage. However, after the intervention of irrigated forages project, the cooperative was revived.

Market challenges

The successes are, however, not without challenges. Abate says a reliable market for milk remains a constraint for the farmers in the village. “Through our cooperative, we supply milk to collectors and processors. However, the milk collectors and processors sometimes do not respect the contract agreement they entered with us and hold back our money for a long time. We are still hopeful the cooperative would be in a better position to bring our dairy products to the market,” he said.

Explaining this issue, the chairman of the dairy cooperative said that the contract agreement they entered with milk processors was on a post-paid basis. That means they supply milk daily to the processor and payment is made at the end of the month based on the amount of milk supplied. However, recently one processor owed the cooperative more than six hundred thousand birr (approx. USD 12,000), but failed to pay them for more than five months.

Abate participating in field days organized to evaluate different forage options (Photo credit: Apollo Habtamu/ILRI)

Alternative ways to mitigate challenges

The chairman noted that despite such challenges, members including Abate continue to bring their milk to the cooperative and currently it supplies about 500 liters of milk daily to the local market. “The cooperative is now embarking on processing milk into shelf stable products (butter and cheese) in the newly built facility with the financial and technical support of the Innovation Lab, and we hope this will solve some of the market problems we face at the moment,” he said. They also count on the support and commitment of district and zonal level experts and decision makers to further increase their dairy production in the locality. Consumption of nutrient-dense dairy foods is widely understood to improve child nutrition and health.

Newly built milk collection and processing center

Lessons

Small scale irrigated forages production can change livelihoods if supported by research products like improved forage varieties, irrigation technologies, and follow up assistance from public sector and local stakeholders. Moreover, attention to fodder to dairy value chain elements and working with partners to address each element is crucial to sustain the benefits. To decide which technology to adopt, farmers need to see for themselves what works for them. In this respect, the participatory research approach that the ILSSI project followed in the project sites serves as a platform for scaling up lessons.

Student Interview: Paving the way for young women in STEM with excellence in academia and industry

July 19, 2022 by abbey.kunkle

Meet Dayan Yenesew, a 2022 graduating class student in software engineering at Bahir Dar University in Ethiopia.

Tell us about yourself, your current role and your university.

I enjoy mentoring my juniors and educating young people on how to program. I also volunteer in communities around my university, including Women Tech Maker Bahir Dar, Google Developer Group Bahir Dar, and the Developer Student Club. My ultimate goal in life is to become a strong role model for young females by excelling in both academia and industry – paving the way for more women to enter the technology field.

What has the research process been like for you in the Seifu Maker Space at Bahir Dar University under the challenge supported by the Innovation Lab for Small Scale Irrigation?

There were many applicants for the Hack-a-Thon organized by IWMI under the ILSSI project, but only 6 teams with about 30 members passed the initial screening stage. We attended a three-day human-centered design (HCD) training and took a field trip to a farm to identify the challenges facing farmers. After the HCD course, we conducted research and selected a challenge that we felt connected to from the field trip. Following extended idea-generation, we presented our proposal along with the other six teams. My squad was one of the two winners.

I’ve been eager and passionate to work on a project that speaks to me personally. I witnessed how difficult it was for my rural cousins to purchase solar pumps and home systems because there were no trustworthy vendors. I have a relative who lost his savings after being duped by a vendor to buy a sub-par solar panel for an irrigation water pump. Even though I sleep less than five hours every night because of class work and a final year project, it has been an exciting trip for me to work on a project that I know will address a real person’s problem.

What challenges did you identify in your project and how will others benefit from your solution?

As part of our project, we are creating a digital and sales app for Rensys Engineering PLC. We identified difficulties after studying the company’s current system, and then came up with solutions that can benefit both farmers and the company.

Farmers will get direct access to the price list, which will enable them to purchase solar items at a reasonable price and not get duped by local vendors who provide false information and low quality products. Farmers will also more easily find the location and contact information of the regional agents, and information about solar products in voice format and in a native language. If needed, farmers can access toll-free call centers for assistance, which will help them easily reach Rensys for after-sales support and maintenance, which they lacked before.

Rensys as a business will benefit from our app by streamlining orders and distribution of solar pumps into a simple and easy process with local and regional sales agents, while reducing the workload with a system generates sales analytics reports. They will have more control over prices between regional and local sales agents; previously, local sales agents would increase the price beyond the official Rensys price and charge farmers extra. Rensys will also be able to manage inventory for management of regional agents and warehouses, and manage future orders and marketing with statistics on products most frequently purchased in regions, and stop selling unpopular or defective goods.

From what your experience so far, what is the most surprising or outstanding thing you have learned? How did it change your approach to learning?

The concept of human-centered design I have learned in the Seifu BiT Maker Space forever changed how I approach problems. I found it challenging at first, because I wasn’t adapted to this way of thinking. It was both a fantastic experience and difficult to put into practice. This experience taught me how flexible and adept I can be. As a team, we had to understand people’s problems through their eyes rather than our own subjectively. We did research and went on a field visit to identify challenges using human-centered design thinking. It was hard at first because our minds frequently reverted to the old way of thinking. Through perseverance and practice over the last three months, I have mastered this approach and applied it to my final year project, too.

We were also matched with a fantastic mentor by the Seifu BiT Maker Space. Being given the chance to follow their lead has significantly altered my career. I never thought having a mentor like them would allow me to advance as quickly as I did. They imparted their knowledge and experience, tracking our efforts and helping us identify our mistakes. I’m grateful that they have been so generous with their time and effort.

The last three months have been incredibly significant in my life. Seifu BiT Maker Space has opened so many doors for me. The people I met and the experiences I have had are unparalleled. The tight-knit relationships with staff and my peers are what I am going to miss most about the maker space. I regret not finding it sooner and will be forever indebted to the center. This project stands out from ordinary classes since it is applicable. By putting all the theoretical ideas I’ve learned over the previous five years to use, we tackled a real-world problem facing farmers and businesses. This project has allowed me to practice my leadership, teamwork, analytical, and problem-solving skills as well as demonstrate my capacity for multitasking and high-pressure situations. I am confident that this ability I have gained will be useful to me in my future profession.

Finally, what advice would you give other women in science, based on your experiences?

In high school, physics was one of my favorite classes, and I wanted to major in it. However, my family opposed this decision, believing it to be absurd. I also couldn’t identify a role model so I started to doubt myself, and experienced imposter syndrome. As a person, it is hard to imagine what you do not see. So I went to the software engineering department.

In university, I still struggle to find mentors and role models. Inspired by this experience, I started to develop a platform (website and mobile application) as my final year project, which aims to raise the aspiration of girls and to give girls role models that can expand their horizons. It will feature successful women in business, politics, science, engineering, mathematics – connecting girls to an interested high achieving university student through mentorship.

I strongly believe that by providing girls with environments that inspire them to be their best selves, encourage non-gender norms and expectations, and expose them to a variety of different areas such as science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), we can make a difference.

I know being a woman in STEM is not always an easy route. I advise my fellow women in STEM to battle against the system, demand what they are entitled to, and alter the system for future generations of women.

Coping with climate change: Could irrigation bring relief to Ghana’s parched cocoa sector?

March 11, 2022 by Marianne Gadeberg

In Ghana, the cocoa sector represents 20 to 25 percent of the total export earnings and is an important source of employment and income for about four million households. But in recent decades, dry spells and droughts have challenged cocoa farmers and hampered production.

The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Small Scale Irrigation (ILSSI) is partnering with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana to investigate how small scale irrigation practices can help protect Ghana’s cocoa production as climate change impacts intensify in the future.

Increased year-round, long-term productivity

Agriculture in Ghana is mainly rainfed and therefore changes in weather conditions greatly affect the productivity of crops. Over the years, Ghana has recorded wavering trends in cocoa yields, which have been attributed to erratic rainfall, including longer dry spells during the rainy seasons. As a result, farmers’ incomes have dwindled. This is the current status in the cocoa sector, as explained by Janet Afia Boadu, a second-year MPhil Environmental Science student at KNUST, who is collecting data to support the investigation.

“Implementation of irrigation systems could help boost cocoa productivity by increasing yield all year round – and it could support young cocoa plants. Increase in productivity will also improve the livelihoods of farmers by raising their incomes. Finally, irrigation systems have added advantages in that they can help nurture other crops that could be used for shade or food,” said Boadu.

Currently, cocoa production is declining for mature trees, and an estimated 40 percent of new cocoa seedlings die before reaching maturity. While there are three cocoa seasons per year, the output across those seasons remains below potential. Government agencies, research institutions, and private sector actors involved in the cocoa sector are therefore advocating for the use of supplementary irrigation and improved soil and water management for cocoa seedlings, mature trees, and inter-cropping.

To understand how and where irrigation might support the cocoa sector, Boadu’s fieldwork is focused on two aspects:

“I’m using questionnaires to establish baseline conditions, with special emphasis on the livelihoods and agricultural production, in the Ashanti and Western Regions of Ghana. Second, I’m sampling water and soil to analyze the environmental quality that supports their agricultural production to find eco-friendly strategies—for example using recycled agricultural waste—to restore cocoa farms.”

Janet Boadu interviews a cocoa farmer in Ghana’s Western Region. Photo: Prof Tetteh/KNUST.

Challenges abound for cocoa farmers

The first, major challenge cocoa farmers face is the lack of irrigation facilities that could help them adapt to climate change effects, according to Dr Isaac K. Tetteh, Associate Professor of Climate (Atmospheric) and Environmental Science at KNUST, who leads the ILSSI-supported KNUST research on cocoa, irrigation, and climate adaptation.

Boadu elaborated by adding that even with irrigation technologies available in the market, farmers are likely to encounter some challenges in developing irrigation on their cocoa farms. For example, farmers still need access to enough, and clean enough, water for irrigation to be a suitable solution. Unregulated, open-pit gold mining is widespread in Ghana, which causes pollution with sediments and chemicals flowing into nearby water bodies in important cocoa-growing areas.

Another challenge is that the installation, repair, and maintenance of an irrigation system – from boreholes to motorized pumps – is expensive, and farmers have limited access to credit, while financial assistance from cocoa-buying companies, governmental and non-governmental agencies is inadequate.

“The maintenance of irrigation system sometimes requires technical know-how that might not be common with farmers and extension officers. This might stifle daily operation and minor maintenance and would affect the effectiveness and durability of the systems,” said Boadu. High-quality irrigation technologies are needed to minimize risks for farmers’ investments in irrigation.

Dr Tetteh also listed high costs of pesticides to control pests and diseases, limited mechanization, low prices, and decreasing availability of land as significant challenges. The lack of access to water may also worsen some of these factors.

“Until the biggest challenges listed are adequately addressed, the future might look bleak, especially for young cocoa farmers,” said Dr Tetteh.

Innovation and research

Strong research collaborations between the departments of the Colleges of Science and Agriculture and Natural Resources at KNUST, the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana, and international research programs such as ILSSI do exist. It is through these partnerships that innovative research could bring practical solutions to some of these challenges, said Dr Tetteh.

“However, this also calls for funding to ensure quality research, the findings of which can be disseminated to the grassroot level for enhancement of cocoa production,” he emphasized.

Dr Tetteh also highlighted the role of young academics, explaining that mentorship is key for graduate students to become research-oriented, critical thinkers, analytical, problem-solvers, and entrepreneurs:

“The outcome of this research path, especially in the area of science and technology, will surely play significant and complementary roles in addressing some of the major challenges unique to cocoa farmers and bring a new lease of hope to many rural folks whose primary occupation is agriculture.”

For Boadu, her fieldwork so far has already had an impact on her thinking about her future research career:

“I have witnessed rivers and lakes polluted with wastes from mining, and that has really emphasized to me the need for high-quality water resources for irrigation. I’ve gained confidence to explore the various remediation technologies for water and sediments, and I would like to explore and design filters to be installed in irrigation systems to remove pollutants,” she said.

In these ways, partnerships for innovation and research could support farmers in Ghana to overcome climate change challenges, restore their cocoa farms, and secure sustainable livelihoods in the future. These advances not only would secure farmers’ livelihoods now and in the long term, but also enable them to maintain and grow the cocoa sector and its contributions to Ghana’s economy.