This is a presentation that outlined the ACAI project’s progress, the process of DSTs development and the status of the project and an overview of activities for the last three years of ACAI
Summary of the project - The African Cassava Agronomy Initiative aims at delivering agronomic technologies that improve cassava root yield and quality, and cassava supply to the processing sector, engaging 120,000 farming households through effective partnerships with development partners in Nigeria and Tanzania, supported by the National Agricultural Research Systems, and in collaboration with strategic research institutes. The project consists of six use cases, identified by development partners, and has developed decision support tools, supplying tailored or site-specific recommendations on fertilizer use, fertilizer blend formulations, tillage practices, intercropping and scheduled planting and harvest and high starch content.
The knowledge needed to develop these decision support tools is generated by applying the principles of “Agronomy at Scale”, combining field trials to test and develop best agronomic interventions, modelling to build prediction models, GIS and spatial modelling to extrapolate recommendations across the target intervention area, development of DSTs to supply recommendations through a practical field tool, and extension activities to scale the use of the tools within partner networks.
The implementation progress per six work streams: (i) strategic agronomy research and crop modelling, (ii) geospatial analysis and data management, (iii) DST development, (iv) facilitation of use of the DSTs, (v) Capacity development of national research institutions, (vi) Project governance, management, coordination, and M&E.
Session 1 1 acai overview and progress with project implementation
1. An overview and progress with
project implementation
www.iita.org | www.cgiar.org | www.acai-project.org
2. The African Cassava Agronomy Initiative
Purpose and objectives of ACAI
ACAI works around priority use cases identified by development partners, and has developed
decision support tools, supplying tailored or site-specific recommendations on fertilizer use,
fertilizer blend formulations, tillage practices, intercropping, and scheduled planting and harvest.
The knowledge needed to develop these decision support tools is generated by applying the
principles of “Agronomy at Scale”.
The African Cassava Agronomy Initiative aims at delivering agronomic technologies that
improve cassava root yield and quality, and cassava supply to the processing sector,
engaging 120,000 farming households through effective partnerships with development
partners in Nigeria and Tanzania, supported by the National Agricultural Research Systems,
and in collaboration with strategic research institutes.
www.iita.org | www.cgiar.org | www.acai-project.org
3. General approach
www.iita.org | www.cgiar.org | www.acai-project.org
Develop and facilitate use of site-specific agronomy recommendations at scale…
Understanding of A × E interactions
(Agronomy × Environment)
Extrapolate recommendations
across target intervention area
Supply recommendations
Practical field tool
Model processes
Build prediction models
Scale the use of the tools
within partner networks
4. The African Cassava Agronomy Initiative
Project outcomes
www.iita.org | www.cgiar.org | www.acai-project.org
Target:
+2,500 tonnes
new cassava
fertilizer blends
+8 t/ha
additional cassava
root yield
+2 t/ha
additional cassava
root yield, and
+500 kg/ha
additional intercrop
yield
+4 t/ha
additional cassava
root yield (or
equivalent cost
saving)
+10 tonnes
additional supply
of cassava roots to
the processing
industry
+5 tonnes
additional supply
of cassava starch
to the processing
industry
Number of households impacted:
NA 28,200 42,900 35,100 6,563 7,700
Value generated [M USD]:
2.3 2.2 3.9 2.1 3.3 2.9
5. ACAI – 6 work streams (WS)
www.iita.org | www.cgiar.org | www.acai-project.org
WS1: Research on cassava growth dynamics, nutrient and water requirements,
and responsiveness to inputs
WS2: Development of a geo-spatial cassava agronomy information base
WS3: Production and validation of demand-driven decision support tools for
cassava agronomy
WS4: Facilitation of the use of decision support tools to primary and other
development initiatives
WS5: Capacity development of national institutions to engage in transformative
cassava agronomy R4D
WS6: Project governance, management, coordination, and M&E
6. WS4
Yr 1
Yr 2
Yr 3
Yr 4
Yr 5
V0
V1
V2
WS3WS2WS1
Lit
Rev
>200
FR
trials
QUEFTSmodelling
Cassavaclusterscoping/planning/campaigns
Demos
dissemination
Training/communication
>200
FR
trials
VF
Geospatiallayers
Samplingframes
Nutrientnorms
>160
NOm
trials
>160
NOm
trials
Spatialanalysis
Recommendationdomains
Yieldgapmaps
Work flow use case
Site-specific fertilizer recommendations
>100EAs
>200EAs
7. WS1 – Agronomy research
www.iita.org | www.cgiar.org | www.acai-project.org
OP1: Literature review
OP2: Fertilizer response curves
OP3: Nutrient norms
OP4: Growth models
OP5: QUEFTS
OP6: Agronomy and starch
8. WS1 – Agronomy research
www.iita.org | www.cgiar.org | www.acai-project.org
OP1: Literature review
OP2: Fertilizer response curves
OP3: Nutrient norms
OP4: Growth models
OP5: QUEFTS
OP6: Agronomy and starch
16. WS2 – Geospatial information base
www.iita.org | www.cgiar.org | www.acai-project.org
OP1: Sampling frames
OP2: GIS layers
OP3: Yield gap maps / baseline
OP4: Recommendation domains
OP5: Database infrastructure
Crop mask + current & attainable yield
and crop calendars based on crop models
17. WS2 – Geospatial information base
www.iita.org | www.cgiar.org | www.acai-project.org
OP1: Sampling frames
OP2: GIS layers
OP3: Yield gap maps / baseline
OP4: Recommendation domains
OP5: Database infrastructure
NG TZ
‘Treated’ HHs 1260 800
Control HHs 550 440
Baseline stage 1-2 completed,
stage 3 60% completed
18. WS2 – Geospatial information base
www.iita.org | www.cgiar.org | www.acai-project.org
OP1: Sampling frames
OP2: GIS layers
OP3: Yield gap maps / baseline
OP4: Recommendation domains
OP5: Database infrastructure
19. WS2 – Geospatial information base
www.iita.org | www.cgiar.org | www.acai-project.org
OP1: Sampling frames
OP2: GIS layers
OP3: Yield gap maps / baseline
OP4: Recommendation domains
OP5: Database infrastructure
ODK / ONA / ENKETO / R / R-Shiny
20. WS3 – DST development
www.iita.org | www.cgiar.org | www.acai-project.org
OP1: Use cases identified
OP2: Fertilizer blending application
OP3: Site-specific fertilizer app
OP4: Best planting practices app
OP5: Intercropping app
OP6: Scheduled planting app
OP7: High starch app
OP8: Apps for tier 2 countries
21. WS3 – DST development
www.iita.org | www.cgiar.org | www.acai-project.org
OP1: Use cases identified
OP2: Fertilizer blending application
OP3: Site-specific fertilizer app
OP4: Best planting practices app
OP5: Intercropping app
OP6: Scheduled planting app
OP7: High starch app
OP8: Apps for tier 2 countries
V2 developed for each use case
22. WS3 – DST development
www.iita.org | www.cgiar.org | www.acai-project.org
OP1: Use cases identified
OP2: Fertilizer blending application
OP3: Site-specific fertilizer app
OP4: Best planting practices app
OP5: Intercropping app
OP6: Scheduled planting app
OP7: High starch app
OP8: Apps for tier 2 countries
V2: validated tools
In different formats
23. WS4 – Facilitating use of DSTs
www.iita.org | www.cgiar.org | www.acai-project.org
OP1: Grassroot events
OP2: Training videos
OP3: Capacity development of EAs
OP4: Awareness campaigns
OP5: Cassava clusters
24. WS4 – Facilitating use of DSTs
www.iita.org | www.cgiar.org | www.acai-project.org
OP1: Grassroot events
OP2: Training videos
OP3: Capacity development of EAs
OP4: Awareness campaigns
OP5: Cassava clusters
25. WS4 – Facilitating use of DSTs
www.iita.org | www.cgiar.org | www.acai-project.org
OP1: Grassroot events
OP2: Training videos
OP3: Capacity development of EAs
OP4: Awareness campaigns
OP5: Cassava clusters
26. WS4 – Facilitating use of DSTs
www.iita.org | www.cgiar.org | www.acai-project.org
OP1: Grassroot events
OP2: Training videos
OP3: Capacity development of EAs
OP4: Awareness campaigns
OP5: Cassava clusters
27. WS4 – Facilitating use of DSTs
www.iita.org | www.cgiar.org | www.acai-project.org
OP1: Grassroot events
OP2: Training videos
OP3: Capacity development of EAs
OP4: Awareness campaigns
OP5: Cassava clusters
ACAI @ AGRA-Innovate
28. WS4 – Facilitating use of DSTs
www.iita.org | www.cgiar.org | www.acai-project.org
OP1: Grassroot events
OP2: Training videos
OP3: Capacity development of EAs
OP4: Awareness campaigns
OP5: Cassava clusters
29. WS5 – Capacity building
www.iita.org | www.cgiar.org | www.acai-project.org
OP1: Agronomy research capacity
OP2: Database management
OP3: GIS / geospatial analyses
OP4: Project management
OP5: Soil and plant analyses
30. WS5 – Capacity building
www.iita.org | www.cgiar.org | www.acai-project.org
OP1: Agronomy research capacity
OP2: Database management
OP3: GIS / geospatial analyses
OP4: Project management
OP5: Soil and plant analyses