Student interview

Student Interview: Improving livelihoods with increased livestock productivity in Ethiopia

October 17, 2022 by abbey.kunkle

Mekuanint Tadilo, graduated with his BSc degree in Animal Sciences from Metu University, College of Agriculture and Forestry in 2019 and is currently working as an animal nutrition laboratory assistant and MSc student studying animal production at Bahir Dar University College of Agriculture and Environmental Science.

Why did you choose the discipline you work in? What pulled you towards this?

Livestock play a major role in smallholders’ livelihood by providing cash income, food, farm power, and other inputs such as manure to improve crop production in Ethiopia. However, the productivity of livestock is low due to feed shortages both in quantity and quality. The increasing demand for livestock products, together with the shortage of feed and of the complex layers of constraints posed by climate change, justifies the need for alternative feed production and supply systems in Ethiopia. This being the case, I chose this discipline, to study the effect of fertilizer rates on quantity and nutritional qualities of different forage varieties and to recommend the best quality fodders for livestock productivity and thereby improve farmers’ livelihood in the community and the region.

The ‘business-as-usual’ approach to livestock feed sourcing is no longer a viable option, and there is an urgent need to optimally use available land, inputs, water, and capital resources to produce high-quality forage for a sustainable livestock feed supply and production system.

What is your current focus of study? What social or economic changes do you hope to contribute to with your research?

Feed shortages have worsened due to limited investment in feed and forage development as well as the increased urbanization of cropland that has begun to encroach into grazing land. As a result, the ‘business-as-usual’ approach to livestock feed sourcing is no longer a viable option, and there is an urgent need to optimally use available land, inputs, water, and capital resources to produce high-quality forage for a sustainable livestock feed supply and production system. To mitigate feed shortages, the introduction and evaluation of adaptable and high-yielding forage crops by applying the manure and urea fertilizer that enable producers to get a large amount of fodder biomass with limited land and resources are essential. Moreover, the use of improved forages would reduce pressure on natural pasture and create higher productivity per area. With this research, farmers can learn the importance of fertilizers (organic and inorganic) for forage productivity in terms of quality and quantity to secure the shortage of feeds and incur income from feed and livestock products.

What is your view on the role of irrigation in Ethiopia’s future, especially small scale? How does this view influence your current work?

Irrigation is one way to improve farmers’ resilience under changing climatic conditions, through increasing feed and food production. Using available surface water and groundwater resources, small scale irrigation can positively contribute to intensifying crop–livestock mixed farming systems and a means of income generation for the smallholders in Ethiopia. Irrigated fodder production practice is not common in Ethiopia. Therefore, integration of irrigated fodder production with crop production to improve the livelihoods of the farmers is crucial.

What is your research about? What do you hope to learn from this experience?

My research focuses on the effect of animal manure and fertilizer on the agronomic performance, biomass yield and nutritional quality of different forage varieties under rainfed conditions in ILSSI project site. Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) (16791, 16819 and 16803), Panicum maximum 144, Desho grass (Pennisetum glaucifolium ArekaDZF590), Brachiaria (decumbens 10871, mutica 18659), Desmodium uncinatum 6765, Stylosanthes (hamata 75, scabra 140) forage varieties were selected for this research. To select the right forage varieties for the community, I will research the rate of fertilizer and/or manure or urea fertilizer that will be most beneficial for those forage varieties, as well as which forage varieties are more important in quality and biomass yield in small units of land.

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.

Agripreneur interview: Making solar irrigation accessible for women and youth farmers

November 3, 2021 by Marianne Gadeberg

Ramla Keelson was earlier this year awarded an ‘innovation internship’ with partners of the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Small Scale Irrigation (ILSSI), namely the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and PEG Africa.

During her internship, Ramla Keelson is working with PEG Africa, which is a private sector organization financing and deploying solar power in West Africa, to develop workable and targeted business models that can help increase women and youth farmers’ investment in and use of solar-powered irrigation pumps. IWMI provides research and guidance for her study of PEG Africa’s solar irrigation pump business.

From your experience so far, how do you think solar irrigation could help women and youth farmers in vegetable production in Ghana?

Solar irrigation can help make water available for the production and consumption of more nutritious crops such as vegetables, and in that way maximize crop yields and farm incomes. Using solar irrigation, farmers can save on energy costs as no fuel costs are incurred.

This increases the savings of these farmers, enabling them to invest in expanding their farms and taking up other off-farm business activities. With extra money, women can support family expenses and improve household livelihoods.

Ramla Keelson works to increase women and youth’s access to solar-powered irrigation by making financing solutions more inclusive.

Farmers are also able to spend less time irrigating, compared to irrigating using cans and calabashes, and to save on labor costs. With issues of climate change, the use of solar energy is environmentally friendly as it is pollution free, compared to diesel- or petrol-powered pumps.

What kind of interventions are you testing or investigating during your internship with PEG Africa?

PEG Africa is currently serving both men and women farmers with one, standard business and finance model. But, to critically address the needs of women and youth farmers, who are underserved when it comes to innovative technologies, we need to consider the needs of women and youth when promoting small scale irrigation. For example, where would a woman farmer prefer a pump to be situated to serve her needs, such as washing or cooking or for irrigation? Also, based on her needs, would the woman farmer prefer a fixed or mobile pump?

I am hoping to receive valuable feedback from select women and youth farmers by using a questionnaire, developed based on a gender tool kit, to survey how to enhance their access to and possibilities to adopt solar irrigation technologies. This is to help PEG Africa best serve women and youth farmers with appropriate marketing strategies and finance models that best suit them.

Surveying select women and youth farmers can help reveal how to improve their access to solar-powered irrigation.

How do you hope that farmers and businesses might benefit from your findings?

My findings will help businesses like PEG Africa improve how they assess women and youth farmers’ creditworthiness. Solar irrigation businesses often use a scorecard system to assess whether a client can qualify for credit, based on certain risk criteria, and that’s how the company determines whether the client can purchase solar irrigation pumps. To make such scorecard systems more inclusive of women and youth farmers, businesses could, for example, incorporate women farmers’ membership of associations in their risk assessments, considering that some of these associations can guarantee or finance the purchase of pumps for these women. This would help better serve women and youth farmers.

In addition, findings from my study will help farmers practice climate-resilient agriculture and ensure year-round production. Through availability of water, crop yields are increased with farmers generating more farm income to improve livelihoods. Also, in accessing solar irrigation pumps, farmers can benefit from multiple uses of water, such as for irrigation, for livestock rearing, and for household domestic use.

How do you envision building on the experiences from this internship in your future career?

As an agripreneur, I intend to capitalize on this experience to better understand how to access and use solar irrigation in crop production. Through the internship, I will be able to build on my social network to take up future opportunities in agribusiness.

Student interview: Breaking boundaries in scientific modeling for better, more sustainable water management

June 4, 2021 by Marianne Gadeberg

Fati Aziz currently works as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Texas A&M University in College Station, USA. She completed a PhD in Climate Change and Water Resources in November 2017 at the University of Abomey-Calavi in Benin, based on modeling work completed under the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Small Scale Irrigation (ILSSI). The PhD was sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research through the West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land use (WASCAL).

What was the focus of your work with ILSSI and what were your most important findings?

In June 2015, during my PhD, I joined the Integrated Decision Support System (IDSS) team at the Texas A&M University as a visiting scientist for five months. I received training in the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) tool, which can be used to simulate the quality and quantity of surface and groundwater and to predict the environmental impact of land use, land management practices, and climate change.

Then, in February 2016, I participated in an IDSS training organized by ILSSI in Accra, Ghana, and that’s when I finished the calibration and validation of the SWAT model for river discharge and sediment loads in the Black Volta River Basin.

Fati Aziz, Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Texas A&M University.

The Black Volta River Basin is the biggest sub-basin of the Volta River Basin, and it is shared by Burkina Faso, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and Mali. Although its waters support significant economic activities, such as agriculture and energy production, the availability and use of water is threatened by population growth, changes in land use and land cover, and climate change.

Because I wanted to study the impact of climate change, land use and land cover change on the flow and sediment yield of the Black Volta, calibrating and validating the model was a critical step in my research. Proper model calibration and validation reduces errors in simulations and increases users’ confidence in the tool’s ability to make future projections.

When reviewing how well the SWAT model performed in terms of simulating the historical flow and sediment yield of the Black Volta, based on quantitative statistics during monthly calibration and validation, I found that the model simulated the two variables well during most of the calibration and validation periods.

Finally, when using the calibrated and validated model for projections, I found that all the model scenarios I used projected an increase in flow and sediment yield in the basin during the late (2051–2075) and end of the 21st century (2076–2100) periods, relative to the historical period (1981–2010). This was true for both seasonal and annual projections.

For example, the end-of-the-century projections under the RCP 8.5 scenario (the Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5 scenario, which represents one of several greenhouse gas concentration trajectories) showed an increase in flow ranging between +69% and +243% across models. The sediment load increase ranged between +358% and +412%. An increase in streamflow may result in floods in the basin region, while higher sediment load may increase the turbidity of the river and cause loss of reservoir storage. Since most of the population in the basin depend on agriculture for their livelihood, measures to cope with increasing floods and droughts, such as enlarging existing reservoirs to take up extra water for storage and for irrigation purposes, should be explored and developed well ahead of time.

Fati Aziz measures flows in the Black Volta River Basin with an OTT Qliner 2.

Why did you choose the discipline you work in? What pulled you toward this as a scientist?

Given the rapid increase in global population, urbanization, and climate change, among other challenges, optimum management of natural resources presents one of the most critical challenges of our time. Wanting to contribute to better and sustainable water resource management policies, which are based on sound scientific evidence, made me focus on this field.

What are your experiences as a woman scientist in modeling, which tends to be dominated by men, and would you encourage other women to work in this discipline?

My experience in this field is mostly positive. The male-dominated nature of the field is a great source of inspiration to me as it pushes me to work harder. Fortunately, my male colleagues are very receptive and respect my perspectives. Currently, as the only woman in my IDSS research group at Texas A&M University, I receive enormous support and encouragement from my male colleagues.

My dear woman, if scientific modeling is something you’re interested in, I strongly encourage you to go for it. Trust me, there’s real joy in “breaking boundaries” doing what you love.

What is your current focus of study and what changes do you hope will come from it?

I am currently assessing land suitability for cocoa cultivation in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire using a multi-criteria evaluation technique based on geographical information systems (GIS). My study is part of a bigger research effort that aims to assess the use of supplemental irrigation to improve the production of cocoa and other cash crops in West African countries. My findings may assist stakeholders in developing better crop management strategies that improve yield and environmental sustainability. We hope that using supplementary irrigation for vegetables and cocoa seedlings will lead to increased food production, household income, and nutrition in the West African region.