Livestock Fish Flagship: Systems Analysis for Sustainable Innovation (SASI)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/51784

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Agricultural intensification scenarios, household food availability and greenhouse gas emissions in Rwanda: Ex-ante impacts and trade-offs
(Journal Article, 2018-06) Paul, Birthe K.; Frelat, Romain; Birnholz, Celine A.; Ebong, Cyprian; Gahigi, A.; Groot, Jeroen C.J.; Herrero, Mario; Kagabo, Desire M.; Notenbaert, An Maria Omer; Vanlauwe, Bernard; Wijk, Mark T. van
Rwanda's agricultural sector is facing severe challenges of increasing environmental degradation, resulting in declining productivity. The problem is likely to be further aggravated by the growing population pressure. A viable pathway is climate smart agriculture, aiming at the triple win of improving food security and climate change adaptation, while contributing to mitigation if possible. The Government of Rwanda has initiated ambitious policies and programs aiming at low emission agricultural development. Crop focused policies include the Crop Intensification Program (CIP) which facilitates access to inorganic fertilizer and improved seeds. In the livestock subsector, zero-grazing and improved livestock feeding are encouraged, and the Girinka program provides poor farm households with a crossbred dairy cow. In this study, we aimed at assessing the potential impact of these policy programs on food availability and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of 884 households across different agro-ecologies and farming systems in Rwanda. Household level calculations were used to assess the contribution of current crops, livestock and off-farm activities to food availability and GHG emissions. Across all sites, 46% of households were below the 2500 kcal MAE− 1 yr− 1 line, with lower food availability in the Southern and Eastern Rwanda. Consumed and sold food crops were the mainstay of food availability, contributing between 81.2% (low FA class) to 53.1% (high FA class). Livestock and off-farm income were the most important pathways to higher FA. Baseline GHG emissions were low, ranging between 395 and 1506 kg CO2e hh− 1 yr− 1 per site, and livestock related emissions from enteric fermentation (47.6–48.9%) and manure (26.7–31.8%) were the largest contributors to total GHG emissions across sites and FA classes. GHG emissions increased with FA, with 50% of the total GHG being emitted by 22% of the households with the highest FA scores. Scenario assessment of the three policy options showed strong differences in potential impacts: Girinka only reached one third of the household population, but acted highly pro-poor by decreasing the households below the 2500 kcal MAE− 1 yr− 1 line from 46% to 35%. However, Girinka also increased GHG by 1174 kg CO2e hh− 1 yr− 1, and can therefore not be considered climate-smart. Improved livestock feeding was the least equitable strategy, decreasing food insufficient households by only 3%. However, it increased median FA by 755 kcal MAE− 1 yr− 1 at a small GHG increase (50 kg CO2e hh− 1 yr− 1). Therefore, it is a promising option to reach the CSA triple win. Crop and soil improvement resulted in the smallest increase in median FA (FA by 755 kcal MAE− 1 yr− 1), and decreasing the proportion of households below 2500 kcal MAE− 1 yr− 1 by 6%. This came only at minimal increase in GHG emissions (23 kg CO2e hh− 1 yr− 1). All policy programs had different potential impacts and trade-offs on different sections of the farm household population. Quick calculations like the ones presented in this study can assist in policy dialogue and stakeholder engagement to better select and prioritize policies and development programs, despite the complexity of its impacts and trade-offs.
Review of life-cycle assessments of livestock production: Perspectives for application to environmental impact assessment in developing countries
(Report, 2015-12-30) Fraval, Simon; Lannerstad, Mats; Ran, Ylva; Notenbaert, An Maria Omer; Mugatha, Simon M.; Herrero, Mario
This review draws on Life-Cycle Assessments (LCA) of livestock value chains. The current state of livestock LCAs is summarized, with an emphasis on limitations and lessons for a developing country context. Of the 149 LCAs reviewed, 19 incorporated developing countries. Key messages are: LCAs can be conducted for livestock value chains in developing countries; and, lessons can be learnt to improve the rigor of alternative methodologies including modeling, indicator specification, allocation of impact and incorporating sensitivity analysis. Further, results from existing LCAs provide a point of reference for future LCAs and sustainability assessments in developing countries.
Assessing the environmental impacts of livestock and fish production
(Brief, 2016-12) Notenbaert, An Maria Omer; Dickson, Malcolm; Hoek, Rein van der; Henriksson, Patrik J.G.
A life cycle assessment of the environmental impacts in the Egyptian aquaculture value chain
(Brief, 2016-12) Dickson, Malcolm; Henriksson, Patrik J.G.
Using the CLEANED approach to assess the environmental impacts of livestock production
(Brief, 2016-12) Notenbaert, An Maria Omer; Lannerstad, Mats; Barron, Jennie; Paul, Birthe K.; Ran, Ylva; Morris, Joanne; Fraval, Simon; Mugatha, Simon M.; Herrero, Mario
Using the CLEANED approach to assess environmental impacts in the dairy value chain in Tanga, Tanzania
(Brief, 2016-12) Notenbaert, An Maria Omer; Morris, Joanne; Pfeifer, Catherine; Paul, Birthe K.; Birnholz, Celine A.; Fraval, Simon; Lannerstad, Mats; Herrero, Mario; Omore, Amos O.
The CLEANED R simulation tool to assess the environmental impacts of livestock production
(Brief, 2016-12) Pfeifer, Catherine; Morris, Joanne; Lannerstad, Mats
Using the CLEANED approach to assess environmental impacts in the dual-purpose cattle value chain in Nicaragua
(Brief, 2016-12) Hoek, Rein van der; Birnholz, Celine A.; Notenbaert, An Maria Omer
The CLEANED Excel tool to assess the environmental impacts of livestock production
(Brief, 2016-12) Birnholz, Celine A.; Paul, Birthe K.; Notenbaert, An Maria Omer
Using the life cycle assessment approach to assess the environmental impacts of fish production
(Brief, 2016-12) Henriksson, Patrik J.G.; Dickson, Malcolm
Benchmarking the environmental performance of best management practice and genetic improvements in Egyptian aquaculture using life cycle assessment
(Journal Article, 2017-02) Henriksson, Patrik J.G.; Dickson, Malcolm; Nasr-Allah, A.M.; Al-Kenawy, D.A.R.; Phillips, Mike
Egyptian aquaculture is gaining importance as an affordable and nutritious source of animal protein among Egyptians. Nile tilapia dominates production (77% of total production), followed by carps (17%) and mullets (11%). Egyptian tilapia farmers are, however, facing challenges with regards to financial viability and poor water quality. Fish farms are also contributing towards water pollution and other environmental impacts. In order to improve the situation, WorldFish launched the IEIDEAS project in 2011 with the ambition to train farmers in best management practices (BMP) and distribute the 9th generation of the Abbassa strain (G9). The present study aimed at evaluating any relative environmental gains that BMP and G9 offers compared to conventional farming using life cycle assessment (LCA). Inventory data representing 137 farmers and four groups (control, BMP, G9 and BMP + G9) were evaluated. Life cycle impact assessment results including quantitative uncertainties were then calculated and statistically tested, using Monte Carlo analysis and Wilcoxon paired significance test. Five impact categories were explored: global warming, eutrophication, acidification, freshwater consumption and land use. The G9 stain offered the greatest improvements across the evaluated impact categories, significantly reducing environmental impacts with between 12% and 36%. BMP, in the meantime, only offered significant improvements compared to the control with regards to eutrophication, acidification, freshwater consumption and land use. Meanwhile, BMP + G9 performed comparably to only G9 except for eutrophication where it had a significantly larger environmental footprint. More efficient feed utilization and higher productivity were the main reasons for the environmental improvements. Additional improvements that should be explored include improved feeds made of sustainably sourced raw materials, and better pond water management, including probiotics and paddle-wheels.
The Rural Household Multi-Indicator Survey (RHoMIS) for rapid characterisation of households to inform climate smart agriculture interventions: Description and applications in East Africa and Central America
(Journal Article, 2017-02) Hammond, James; Fraval, Simon; Etten, Jacob van; Suchini, Jose Gabriel; Mercado, Leida; Pagella, Tim; Frelat, Romain; Lannerstad, Mats; Douxchamps, Sabine; Teufel, Nils; Valbuena, Diego; Wijk, Mark T. van
Achieving climate smart agriculture depends on understanding the links between farming and livelihood practices, other possible adaptation options, and the effects on farm performance, which is conceptualised by farmers as wider than yields. Reliable indicators of farm performance are needed in order to model these links, and to therefore be able to design interventions which meet the differing needs of specific user groups. However, the lack of standardization of performance indicators has led to a wide array of tools and ad-hoc indicators which limit our ability to compare across studies and to draw general conclusions on relationships and trade-offs whereby performance indicators are shaped by farm management and the wider social-environmental context. RHoMIS is a household survey tool designed to rapidly characterise a series of standardised indicators across the spectrum of agricultural production and market integration, nutrition, food security, poverty and GHG emissions. The survey tool takes 40–60 min to administer per household using a digital implementation platform. This is linked to a set of automated analysis procedures that enable immediate cross-site bench-marking and intra-site characterisation. We trialled the survey in two contrasting agro-ecosystems, in Lushoto district of Tanzania (n = 150) and in the Trifinio border region of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras (n = 285). The tool rapidly characterised variability between farming systems at landscape scales in both locations identifying key differences across the population of farm households that would be critical for targeting CSA interventions. Our results suggest that at both sites the climate smartness of different farm strategies is clearly determined by an interaction between the characteristics of the farm household and the farm strategy. In general strategies that enabled production intensification contributed more towards the goals of climate smart agriculture on smaller farms, whereas increased market orientation was more successful on larger farms. On small farms off-farm income needs to be in place before interventions can be promoted successfully, whereas on the larger farms a choice is made between investing labour in off-farm incomes, or investing that labour into the farm, resulting in a negative association between off-farm labour and intensification, market orientation and crop diversity on the larger farms, which is in complete opposition to the associations found for the smaller farms. The balance of indicators selected gave an adequate snap shot picture of the two sites, and allowed us to appraise the ‘CSA-ness’ of different existing farm strategies, within the context of other major development objectives.
Adaptation of institutional arrangements to management of Northern Rangelands of Kenya
(Journal Article, 2017-02) Kanyuuru, C.K.; Mburu, J.; Njoka, J.
Northern Rangelands of Kenya have continued to grapple with management challenges largely due to a lack of understanding of the dynamics thereof. Eroding customary institutions and new institutional arrangements characterize the system suggesting that adaptation is taking place to cope with the change. It is imperative that these socio-ecosystems adjust to the disturbance without disintegrating into a different state that is controlled by a different set of processes to ensure sustainable rangeland management. To understand the nature of change, the study sought to evaluate institutional arrangements engaged in tackling growing socio-economic and ecological factors challenging development within the last decade. Three study sites namely Kinna, Makurian and Westgate, representing three types of institutional arrangements (elders only, group ranch committee and community conservancy board), were investigated. Key informants, focused group discussions and household survey methods were used to gather data. Data were managed and analysed using Ms Access, Ms Excel, social network analysis and SPSS. Findings indicate that more actors (internal and external) are engaging in management of social economic and ecological factors challenging development within the last decade. The co-management approach allows increased capacity to tackle these challenges and further presents more opportunities for a diversified livelihood, two key features of ecosystem resilience. Findings are useful as the Kenya government implements the National Land Policy that recognizes the need to restructure community land and its management.
Pathways for sustainable pig value chain development in Uganda: Report of a participatory ex-ante environmental assessment workshop, Hoima, Uganda, 30 September 2015
(Report, 2015-12-30) Pfeifer, Catherine; Morris, J.; Githoro, E.; Asiimwe, G.
Rapid ex-ante environmental impact assessment of livestock intensification strategies on mixed crop-livestock and agro-pastoralist farmers in Tanga region, Tanzania
(Poster, 2015-09) Paul, Birthe K.; Birnholz, Celine A.; Koge, J.; Fraval, Simon; McFadzean, J.; Omore, Amos O.; Notenbaert, An Maria Omer
Summary report of the small-scale dairy participatory GIS expert workshop, Embu, Kenya, 19 June 2014
(Report, 2014) Fraval, Simon; Morris, J.; Githoro, E.; Mugatha, Simon M.
Estimates of repeatability and heritability of methane production in sheep using portable accumulation chambers
(Journal Article, 2016) Goopy, John P.; Robinson, D.L.; Woodgate, R.T.; Donaldson, A.J.; Oddy, V.H.; Vercoe, P.E.; Hegarty, Roger S.
This study was designed to screen a large number of sheep to identify individuals with high and low methane (CH4) production, and to estimate repeatability and heritability of CH4 emissions in sheep, utilising portable accumulation chambers (PAC) designed for in-field use. Mature ewes (n = 710) selected from a research flock with known sires had their CH4 production over 1 h measured in PAC [CH4 (g1h)]. Individuals with High (n = 103) or Low (n = 104) CH4 (g1h), adjusted for liveweight (LW), were selected and re-measured on three occasions 1–4 months later, at another site with more abundant and better quality pasture. Mean of the selected (207) ewes CH4 (g1h) emissions were ~50% higher than at the first measurement site (0.66 g vs 0.42 g). LW was a significant correlate of CH4 production (r = 0.47). Correlations between CH4 (g1h) for the three PAC measurements at Site 2, before adjusting for LW ranged from 0.44 to 0.55. After adjusting for the effect of LW, repeatability was 0.33 at the first and 0.43 at the second site. The correlation between estimates of an animal’s emissions at the first and second sites, adjusted for LW, was 0.24. Initial CH4 production of the selected High group was 32% greater than the Low group (P < 0.0001). On re-measurement there was still a significant difference (9–15%, P < 0.006) between Low and High groups. The initial estimate of heritability of CH4 (g1h), based on variation between the ewes’ sires (0.13), was not maintained across the two sites. This may be due to genotype × environment interactions. We postulate that aspects of rumen physiology, which modulate CH4 production, could be expressed differently in different nutritional environments. Our results indicate that field use of PAC to screen sheep populations for CH4 production is both robust and repeatable. However, further investigations are required into the relationship between CH4 output of individual animals in PAC compared with the more controlled conditions in respiration chambers.
Animal and fish agriculture and social equity
(Video, 2015-05-05) Miruka, M.
By Maureen Miruka (CARE USA) to the CGIAR Research Program on Livestock and Fish review and planning meeting, 23-26 March 2015
Animal and fish agriculture and the environment
(Video, 2015-05-05) Lannerstad, Mats
By Mats Lannerstad to the CGIAR Research Program on Livestock and Fish review and planning meeting, 23-26 March 2015
Comprehensive Livestock Environmental Assessment for Improved Nutrition, a Secured Environment and Sustainable Development along Livestock and Aquaculture Value Chains Project: PGIS Workshops’ Summary Reports, Morogoro, Tanzania
(Working Paper, 2015-02-15) Morris, J.; Fraval, Simon; Githoro, E.; Ran, Ylva; Mugatha, Simon M.

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