Knowledge Management Portal

Tutorial video for smallholder farmers on health management for sheep fattening

Wheat is the main food crop grown in more than 2.8 million ha in Morocco and almost 16.8 million ha in 21 Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region countries. It is primarily grown in rainfed conditions in the country and in MENA region, with diverse soil and climatic conditions and a varying range of rainfall patterns, mainly characterized by drought due to poor rainfall distribution within the season. Large disparities in attainable yield and profit gaps have been reported, and closing these gaps is important for meeting domestic demand and reducing imports. The main aim of this study was to determine field- and landscape-level yield and yield gaps for wheat and its drivers in the Central region of Morocco using ground information, remote sensing and machine learning approaches. To this end, we prepared a time series map of six vegetation indices (EVI2, CGVI, MSR, NDVI, OSAVI, and RVI) derived from Sentinel-2 images (10 m) over three consecutive crop seasons (2018-2019, 2019-2020, and 2020-2021). Vegetation indices datasets were combined with the climate, soil, and crop management, and the random forest model was calibrated and validated for each cropping season. The models that gave good performance were applied to predict actual yield, potential yield, and the yield gaps at the plot level. The models were used for mapping yield at the regional scale, Rabat-Sale-Kenitra region of Morocco. Based on those datasets, the main drivers of this gap were determined. The findings reveal that RVI, EVI2, and GCVI vegetation indices well predicted wheat yield for the 2018-2019, 2019-2020, and 2020-2021 seasons with R2 of 0.869, 0.863, and 0.844, respectively. The predicted rainfed potential wheat yields were 5.99, 1.53, and 4.66 t per ha, respectively for three crop seasons. Combined over all three seasons, the most important yield determinants are soil moisture, cumulative rainfall during the crop growing period, followed by actual evapotranspiration, and silt content of the soil. When combining soil, climate and management practices in 2019-2020, the major determinants are still soil moisture and the variables of climate followed by the management practices and soil texture. The results and maps produced are of great importance for predicting wheat yield in advance using in-season vegetation indices which is important for the farmers and policymakers for planning at regional and national scales.

The report describes the approach used to co-identify potential Business Models through the integration of HLPE’s agroecological principles in a variety of Value chains co-selected in the Agroecological Living Landscape ‘Kef-Siliana Transect’, Northwest Tunisia.

A historical view of forage research in Ethiopia with a focus on native forage species.

Video is about the FFS on soil fertility and weed control under conservation agriculture. The FFS was jointly organized by INRA/ICARDA/ONCA and covered by Medina FM Radio. The FFS organize in Gharb Area on 29 Dec.2022. More than 80 participants were involved.

Trends of degradation and improvement in biomass productivity in the target countries of MFS Initiative using Trends.Earth tool. The calculation of the trends using global time-series of NDVI (MODIS) over the 2000-2015 period. Appropriate uses of the results for supporting other activities in MFS Initiative, as well as further validation with national experts are discussed and recommended.

ICARDA scientists recently met with The Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS) team of experts to discuss the potential of collaboration in research on pastoral systems and adaptation to address climate change impacts on rural farmers. The OSS initiates and facilitates partnerships on common challenges related to the management of shared water resources and the implementation of international agreements on desertification, biodiversity, and climate change in Africa. The meeting focused on adopting an innovative knowledge-sharing approach to take ICARDA's research to a higher policy level for advocacy, change and impact among dryland farmer communities. The two organizations can potentially speed up adaptation actions and measures to help modernize dryland pastoral systems while informing and improving the agricultural sector policies by growing and innovating knowledge management and exchange. In line with its research mandate, ICARDA partners with knowledge institutions such as OSS to support rural agro-pastoral farmers under climate pressures in Central, and West Asia, North Africa (CWANA), and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Through policy engagement, advocacy, dialogues, and scaling of proven technologies and methodologies, ICARDA aims to transform pastoralism systems towards climate change adaptation and resilience. This meeting is one of ICARDA's many activities implemented under the Livestock, Climate, and System Resilience (LCSR) Initiative, one of OneCGIAR 17 food systems transformation initiatives from its Global Research Portfolio. LCSR addresses the nexus of climate change impact and livestock production across Africa and Latin America. CGIAR researchers work with public and private actors across the globe to identify existing solutions and to co-create and deliver innovations that help producers, businesses, and governments adapt livestock agri-food systems to the impact of climate change while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

In the Global South, livestock has strong empowerment potential for millions of women by providing protein-rich food for home consumption and sale, strengthening their role as stakeholders. However, in many rural communities, gender norms shape how household members manage and share livestock and their benefits, often in ways that disadvantage women and girls. For example, women graze small livestock species, while men own larger, more profitable animals. Cultural norms can also forbid women from farm labor and may limit their access to land and fodder, restricting their ability to develop their livestock holdings and farm independently. Dr. Dina Najjar, ICARDA’s Gender Scientist, has published a paper that explores women’s experiences with livestock-based livelihoods and technological innovations by studying 73 village cases from 13 countries. The study follows a gender empowerment framework that analyzes the recognition of women as livestock keepers, their access to resources and opportunities, and their ability to make decisions. The paper finds that improved livestock breeds and associated innovations, such as fodder choppers or training, provide women with significant benefits but may double their burden. Another challenge is that even if the local community recognizes women as livestock keepers, this recognition may not pass upward among external institutions. The study demonstrates that realizing livestock empowerment potential for women can constitute important avenues for their empowerment and is necessary for sustainable livestock development. But for this to happen, rural communities, and higher institutions such as NGOs and extension workers, must optimize gender-equitable opportunities, and development partners must design interventions that facilitate gender-transformative change.