Browsing by Author "Giller, K.E."
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Item Action research on alternative land tenure arrangements in Wenchi, Ghana: learning from ambiguous social dynamics and self-organized institutional innovation(Agriculture and Human Values (25):389-403., 2008) Adjei-Nsiah, S.; Leeuwis, C.; Giller, K.E.; Kuyper, T.W.This study reports on action research efforts that were aimed at developing institutional arrangements beneficial for soil fertility improvement. Three stages of action research are described and analyzed. We initially began by bringing stakeholders together in a platform to engage in a collaborative design of new arrangements. However, this effort was stymied mainly because conditions conducive for learning and negotiation were lacking. We then proceeded to support experimentation with alternative arrangements initiated by individual landowners and migrant farmers. The implementation of these arrangements too ran into difficulties due to intra-family dynamics and ambiguities regarding land tenure. Further investigations to find out how ambiguities could be tackled revealed that the local actors themselves had taken initiatives towards developing institutional innovations to reduce ambiguities. However, there is still considerable scope for further development of these self-organized innovations. The article ends with a reflection on inter-disciplinary action research, where it is argued that making “mistakes” is an inherent and necessary characteristic in action research that aims to address complex social issues.Item Assessing the nutritional quality of stored grain legume fodders: Correlations among farmers’ perceptions, sheep preferences, leaf-stem ratios and laboratory analyses(Small Ruminant Research, 2022) Akakpo, D.B.; de Boer, I.J.M.; Giller, K.E.; Adjei-Nsiah, S.; Duncan, A.J.; Oosting, S.J.Crop residues have the potential to alleviate annual feed shortages and nutrient deficiencies experienced in the dry season in the savanna zones of West Africa. Farmers in West Africa especially value the residues of grain legumes, also known as grain legume fodders (GLFs), as animal feed. In this study, therefore, we assessed the nutritional quality of GLFs as affected by storage conditions using four different methods: farmers’ perception score (FPS), sheep preference score (SPS), leaf-to-stem ratio (LSR), and laboratory analysis of organic matter digestibility (OMD), crude protein content, neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and acid detergent fibre (ADF). We also determined correlations among these variables. The fodder of cowpea, groundnut and soybean were stored separately in three locations (rooftop, room and treefork) and with two packaging types (polythene sacks or tied with ropes) for 60, 90 and 120 days. FPS was determined by scoring the perceived quality of GLFs on a scale of 1–10 (1 = bad and 10 = good) based on physical characteristics by a group of farmers. SPS was assessed by a cafeteria feeding trial based on dry matter intake of GLFs by a flock of 12 sheep per village during a 14 hr period. LSR was determined based on the mass of the botanical fractions, i.e. leaf (leaf blade only) and stem (stem and petioles) of 200 g samples separated carefully by the hand. Laboratory analysis was done by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Results showed that all quality assessment methods successfully discriminated GLF quality differences among crops. Only farmers and sheep could distinguish quality differences among all storage conditions and packing types, whereas laboratory analyses methods could not. These findings could be due to the fact that farmers use LSR to evaluate feed quality, though colour, texture and smell of the fodder could also contribute. We also found significant correlations (ranging from 0.35 to 0.88) between all the quality assessment methods across all treatments. There were few within crop correlations between the fodder quality assessment methods, i.e. only FPS and LSR for groundnut and cowpea, FPS and CP for groundnut and all laboratory analyses parameters among each other for all crops. Hence, the differences among crops were the important determinants of the correlations. From this study, we conclude that farmers have experience and knowledge about nutritional quality of feed and livestock preference for feed. Development programmes and projects could benefit from using such knowledge when formulating and implementing interventions.Item Communicating Complexity: Integrated assessment of trade-offs concerning soil fertility management within African farming systems to support innovation and development(Elsevier Ltd, 2011) Giller, K.E.; Tittonell, P.; Rufino, M.C.; van Wijk, M.T.; Zingore, S.; Mapfumo, P.; Adjei-Nsiah, S.; Herrero, M.; Chikowo, R.; Corbeels, M.; Rowe, E.C.; Baijukya, F.; Mwijage, A.; Smith, J.; Yeboah, E.; van der Burg, W.J.; Sanogo, O.M.; Misiko, M.; de Ridder, N.; Karanja, S.; Kaizzi, C.; K’ungu, J.; Mwale, M.; Nwaga, D.; Pacini, C.; Vanlauwe, B.African farming systems are highly heterogeneous: between agroecological and socioeconomic environments, in the wide variability in farmers’ resource endowments and in farm management. This means that single solutions (or ‘silver bullets’) for improving farm productivity do not exist. Yet to date few approaches to understand constraints and explore options for change have tackled the bewildering complexity of African farming systems. In this paper we describe the Nutrient Use in Animal and Cropping systems – Efficiencies and Scales (NUANCES) framework. NUANCES offers a structured approach to unravel and understand the complexity of African farming to identify what we term ‘best-fit’ technologies – technologies targeted to specific types of farmers and to specific niches within their farms. The NUANCES framework is not ‘just another computer model’! We combine the tools of systems analysis and experimentation, detailed field observations and surveys, incorporate expert knowledge (local knowledge and results of research), generate databases, and apply simulation models to analyse performance of farms, and the impacts of introducing new technologies. We have analysed and described complexity of farming systems, their external drivers and some of the mechanisms that result in (in)efficient use of scarce resources. Studying sites across sub-Saharan Africa has provided insights in the trajectories of change in farming systems in response to population growth, economic conditions and climate variability (cycles of drier and wetter years) and climate change. In regions where human population is dense and land scarce, farm typologies have proven useful to target technologies between farmers of different production objectives and resource endowment (notably in terms of land, labour and capacity for investment). In such regions we could categorise types of fields on the basis of their responsiveness to soil improving technologies along soil fertility gradients, relying on local indicators to differentiate those that may be managed through ‘maintenance fertilization’ from fields that are highly-responsive to fertilizers and fields that require rehabilitation before yields can improved. Where human population pressure on the land is less intense, farm and field types are harder to discern, without clear patterns. Nutrient cycling through livestock is in principle not efficient for increasing food production due to increased nutrient losses, but is attractive for farmers due to the multiple functions of livestock. We identified trade-offs between income generation, soil conservation and community agreements through optimising concurrent objectives at farm and village levels. These examples show that future analyses must focus at farm and farming system level and not at the level of individual fields to achieve appropriate targeting of technologies – both between locations and between farms at any given location. The approach for integrated assessment described here can be used ex ante to explore the potential of best-fit technologies and the ways they can be best combined at farm level. The dynamic and integrated nature of the framework allows the impact of changes in external drivers such as climate change or development policy to be analysed. Fundamental questions for integrated analysis relate to the site-specific knowledge and the simplification of processes required to integrate and move from one level to the nextItem Evaluating sustainable and profitable cropping sequences with cassava and four legume crops: Effects on soil fertility and maize yields in the forest/savannah transitional agro-ecological zone of Ghana(Field Crops Research (103): 87-97, 2007) Adjei-Nsiah, S.; Kuyper, T.W.; Leeuwis, C.; Abekoe, M.K.; Giller, K.E.Item Evaluating the effects of storage conditions on dry matter loss and nutritional quality of grain legume fodders in West Africa(Animal Feed Science and Technology, 2020-01-21) Adjei-Nsiah, S.; Akakpo, D.B.; De Boer, I.J.M.; Duncan, A.J.; Giller, K.E.; Oosting, S.J.Feed scarcity is a major challenge for livestock production in West Africa, especially during the dry season when grass quality and quantity on grazing lands are inadequate. In the dry season, crop residues are a key source of livestock feed. The residues of grain legumes, also known as grain legume fodders (GLFs), are stored and traded for feeding in the dry season. The objectives of our experiment were to evaluate the effects of storage conditions and duration on dry matter (DM) and nutritional quality of GLFs, and to assess the risk of aflatoxin in stored groundnut fodder. The experiment was designed as a factorial trial with 18 treatment combinations with four replicates (4 farms). The treatments included: 3 types of GLFs (cowpea, groundnut and soybean fodder), 3 types of storage locations (rooftop, room and tree-fork) and 2 types of packaging (packed in polythene sacks and unpacked but tied with rope). Over a 120 day storage period, DM quantity reduced by an average of 24 % across all storage conditions, showing a range from 14 % in the best condition (sacks and rooms) to 35 % in the worst condition (bundles tied with rope and stored on rooftops or tree-forks). Soybean fodder had no leaves, the lowest crude protein content (CP) and organic matter digestibility (OMD), and the highest content of cell wall components compared to cowpea and groundnut fodder. These nutritional quality parameters in soybean fodder hardly changed during storage. Cowpea and groundnut fodder showed a decrease in leaf-to-stem ratio (LSR), CP and OMD, and an increase in the content of cell wall components during storage, but their nutritional value remained better than that of soybean fodder. Storage in sacks resulted in less DM loss, in less reduction of LSR and in a smaller increase of the content of cell wall components than storage of bundles tied with rope. Our study shows that the DM loss, the decrease in LSR, and the increase in the content of cell wall components can be prevented partly by storing GLFs in sacks instead of tying bundles with rope, and to a minor extent by storing in rooms instead of in the open air. Aflatoxin was not detectable in the groundnut fodder samples. Our results highlight that attention to storage conditions can improve the feeding value of GLFs which are key for livestock nutrition during the dry season.Item Exploring diversity among farmers for orienting inter-disciplinary action research on cropping system management in Wenchi, Ghana: the significance of time horizons(International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability 2-3(5): 176-194., 2007) Adjei-Nsiah, S.; Leeuwis, C.; Sakyi-Dawson, O.; Giller, K.E.; Kuyper, T.W.This article examines different types of diversity among farm households in Wenchi, Ghana, and their relevance and implications for orienting action research aimed at combating soil fertility decline. Previously reported research suggested that cropping systems and indigenous practices affecting soil fertility differed significantly between and among the native population and migrants. These differences were associated with prevailing land tenure arrangements. This paper refines the native/migrant classification by exploring how it is intertwined with aspects such as ethnicity, gender and wealth. The study revealed that historical, ethnic and gender dimensions of diversity provide additional insights into livelihood patterns and soil fertility management which are relevant for fine-tuning technical and social action research agendas. It is argued that relevant differences between farm households result from the interplay between structural conditions and the strategies of active agents. The implication of the study is that action research efforts to design new technology and social arrangements for addressing soil fertility decline must be re-oriented and tailored further to meet the needs and aspirations of particular sub-groups of migrants and natives. Most significantly, it appears that the feasibility of negotiating alternative land tenure arrangements differs among different groups of migrants depending on whether they regard their stay as permanent or temporal.Item Farmers’ agronomic and social evaluation of productivity, yield and N2-fixation in different cowpea varieties and their subsequent residual N effects on a succeeding maize crop(Nutrient Cycling in Agro-ecosystem (80): 189-109, 2008) Adjei-Nsiah, S.; Kuyper, T.W.; Leeuwis, C.; Abekoe, M.K.; Cobbinah, J.; Sakyi-Dawson, O.; Giller, K.E.Item Land tenure and differential soil fertility management practices among native and migrant farmers in Wenchi, Ghana: Implications for interdisciplinary action research(NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences, 2004-09) Adjei-Nsiah, S.; Leeuwis, C.; Giller, K.E.; Sakyi-Dawson, O.; Cobbina, J.; Kuyper, T.W.; Abekoe, M.; Van Der Werf, W.In the past, farmers in the forest-savannah transitional agro-ecological zone of Ghana relied on the bush fallow system for maintaining the productivity of their farmland. However, in recent years population growth-induced pressure on land has increased and farmers have developed various other strategies for improving the productivity of their farmlands. Such strategies have been identified in the context of an interdisciplinary action research project and include rotations with cassava (Manihot esculents), pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata). Using a social science model for understanding technical farming practices, this article explains the differential adoption of these locally developed soil fertility management strategies. It transpires that native and migrant communities are captured in a social dilemma situation, which has negative consequences for soil fertility in that promising innovations are not utilized optimally. Based on this research experience, this article concludes with a discussion of the implications for co-operation between natural and social scientists in the context of interactive action research. It is argued, amongst other things, that the essence of such co-operation lies in the critical questioning and influencing of each other's key assumptions and disciplinary research agendas.Item Participatory action research (PAR) as an entry point for supporting climate change adaptation by smallholder farmers in Africa(Environmental Development, 2013-01) Mapfumo, P.; Adjei-Nsiah, S.; Mtambanengwe, F.; Chikowo, R.; Giller, K.E.Emerging trends of a changing and increasingly variable climate have introduced new livelihood challenges in rain-fed smallholder agricultural systems that predominate in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The capacity of local farming communities and their institutions to respond to the new and emerging impacts of climate change is often constrained by lack of access to information and improved technologies, as well as poor support mechanisms to promote assimilation of new knowledge. This threatens to heighten vulnerability of the majority of SSA's rural communities who are already facing severe problems of food insecurity and a declining soil resource base. In this paper we use two case studies from Wenchi district in Ghana and Makoni in Zimbabwe to communicate how participatory action research (PAR) methodology, characterised by iterative planning-action-reflection cycles, was coupled with a new concept of field-based farmer learning centres to build adaptive capacity of smallholder farmers to climate change. The study was part of a University of Zimbabwe-led project supported under the Climate Change Adaptation in Africa (CCAA) programme to explore the state of resilience in African smallholder farming. The PAR and learning centre processes enabled communities, local leaders, and extension agents and researchers to establish the, hither to, imperceptible link between poor soil fertility and rising institutional challenges within communities. Institutional conflicts related to land tenure and sharecropping arrangements between migrant farmers and native landowners were addressed in Ghana, while local institutions supporting traditional social safety net mechanisms were revitalized in Zimbabwe. In both cases, it was apparent that farmers faced multiple stresses, at the core of which were poor and declining soil fertility and weakening local institutions. The worsening rainfall distribution and increasing cases of drought are broadening the scope for vulnerability, often driving competing claims and conflicts. PAR was successfully used as an entry point, empowering communities to self-mobilize and self-organize to co-learn and experiment with integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) technologies and other improved farming practices. They realised opportunities for achieving high crop yields and generate surpluses in good years. Strengthening local institutional capacity to revitalise community safety nets proved an essential ingredient for enhancing adaptive capacity of smallholders to climatic shocks. The PAR process was a major driver of effective partnerships among community members, extension, policy makers and researchers, but ensuing success generated a new set of social challenges that could not be addressed within the short timescale of the project. We conclude that PAR was a suitable mechanism for supporting self-organization and co-learning processes among smallholder farmers and their service providers, enabling them to use ISFM technologies and strengthen their local institutions around natural resource management. This revealed the scope for building adaptive capacity of these communities against climate change and variability. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.