Gian Nicolay | Forschungsinstitut für biologischen Landbau - FiBL (original) (raw)

Papers by Gian Nicolay

Environmental Challenges, 2021

Low soil fertility has been recognized as one of the challenges contributing to low crop producti... more Low soil fertility has been recognized as one of the challenges contributing to low crop productivity in Zambia. In order to address this challenge, the government, the private sector and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have promoted the use of Soil Fertility Management (SFM) technologies such as agroforestry, animal manure, compost, intercropping of legumes, and minimum tillage. In recent years, Innovation Platforms (IPs) have been used as a means to promote farmer participation in appropriate technology identification and development. This is done to enhance technology adoption and rural development in general. In Zambia, there has been little or no documented experiences or lessons learnt in the use of IPs to address any agricultural problem. Therefore, this paper, attempts to fill this information gap by providing information on the experiences in the use of IPs to address low soil fertility challenges in Zambia's Kasama and Chipata districts. An IP was established in ...

La chaîne de valeur (CV) coton au Cameroun revêt une importance économique majeure dans le partie... more La chaîne de valeur (CV) coton au Cameroun revêt une importance économique majeure dans le partie Nord, région la plus pauvre du pays. Au cours de la campagne 2017-18 étudiée, avec une production de 254 181 tonnes de coton-graine (305'000 t tonnées en 2018-19), elle a généré des revenus pour plus de 30% des ménages ruraux tout en assurant la sécurité alimentaire par les cultures céréalières en rotation avec le coton. Les zones de production cotonnière sont touchées par une insécurité persistante liée à Boko Haram dans la sous-région du Lac Tchad mais aussi aux rapts pour rançon opérés au niveau national et par des conflits croissants entre agriculteurs et éleveurs transhumants. La réduction de l'insécurité doit associer les acteurs locaux, elle interpelle les connaissances sur le fonctionnement local et l'imagination pour des actions efficaces. La réduction des débouchés au Nigéria des produits agricoles, devant persister au moins jusqu'aux prochaines élections de 2023, pousse les paysans à vouloir produire davantage de coton pour satisfaire leurs besoins monétaires dans un fonctionnement de plus en plus monétisé des sociétés rurales. Le coton est rentable pour les producteurs, même pour la grande masse de ceux produisant sur moins d'un hectare. Il induit des rentrées monétaires aux groupements de producteurs (GP) leur permettant de conduire des actions à impact socio-économique positif mais dont la portée est limitée par les moyens financiers disponibles. La production est déjà dans une phase croissante depuis plusieurs années à la faveur d'un partenariat remarquable entre la Sodecoton (SDCC), la Confédération Nationale des Producteurs de coton du Cameroun (CNPC-C) et les GP, sans signes défavorables sur la sécurité alimentaire dans les exploitations concernées. Les dispositifs informatiques de suivi-évaluation et de supervision des GP au sein de la SDCC constituent de formidables outils pour savoir qui sont les producteurs/GP et comment ils produisent/opèrent, même si les compétences méritent d'être renforcées pour tirer davantage d'information des dispositifs. Tout en exécutant des missions de service public pour le compte de l'Etat (notamment maintenance des pistes et appui à l'élevage), la SDCC a renoué avec les bénéfices dans son métier "coton". Le retour à une situation financière positive reste fragile du fait de l'état des moyens et des infrastructures dans le transport et la transformation mais aussi de l'écoulement insuffisant des produits solides de la trituration, alors que des voies possibles semblent exister. La perspective d'augmentation continue de la production est cependant source de risque de déficit financier colossal de la SDCC, et donc de grande perturbation du fonctionnement de la CV, dans le contexte de persistance de sous-capacités touchant au transport et à la transformation industrielle et d'insécurité de fourniture d'énergie. Le niveau de déficit financier sera d'un niveau bien plus important que celui de 36 milliards de FCFA qui a été connu dans un passé encore récent. La déclaration d'intervention des partenaires financiers au développement tarde à se concrétiser. Le risque déficit financier colossal au niveau de la SDCC à court terme impose une limite aux tergiversations et de prendre les responsabilités. Au niveau des paysans, l'augmentation prévisible de la production reposera sur la poursuite de l'extension des superficies dans un contexte de baisse de fertilité des sols et elle pose des problèmes fonciers ou d'exploitation de l'espace menaçant la stabilité et la paix sociales. Sous une forte poussée démographique (fécondité de six enfants par femme), ces problèmes se posent en termes de disponibilité foncière dans l'Extrême Nord, d'exploitation accrue des terres des zones protégées dans le Nord, et d'accès au foncier plus difficile pour la grande masse des "petits" paysans (70% de l'ensemble des paysans) dans l'ensemble des zones cotonnières. La persistance à laisser ces problèmes sans réponses adéquates a pour effet d'exacerber les conflits entre agriculteurs et éleveurs transhumants. La résolution des problèmes évoqués dans les domaines du foncier ou d'occupation de l'espace n'est pas facile dans la structure actuelle de gouvernance et la mauvaise communication entre les chefs traditionnels des Lamidats et les institutions officielles relevant du gouvernement (telles les Communes établies depuis 20 ans mais peu dotées en moyens et en capacités) ou de la société civile, alors que la SDCC n'a ni le mandat ni les capacités pour intervenir. Le soutien à l'augmentation de la production requiert la mise en œuvre d'actions d'accompagnement dans l'exploitation du foncier et l'occupation de l'espace dans une démarche de responsabilité partagée entre les acteurs impliqués sur le terrain. Les expériences dans les voisins peuvent servir d'inspiration. La restriction de l'extension des superficies doit être recherchée par un gain de productivité à la faveur d'actions idoines en…

International Journal of Education and Development using ICT, 2016

1. INTRODUCTIONResearchers and other developers of new technologies in agriculture face the issue... more 1. INTRODUCTIONResearchers and other developers of new technologies in agriculture face the issue of how to promote uptake of their innovations. Although Kiptot et al. (2007) found that the process of adoption of new technologies is highly dynamic and variable, Aguilar- Gallegos et al. (2015) point out that adoption of new or improved technologies tends to be quite low. Kiptot et al. (2007) reported several factors that influence uptake of innovations, including financial incentives and practical issues, but also including information transfer. They point out that researchers who wish to see their research findings widely adopted must attune themselves to the needs and demands of farmers and convince them of tangible benefits (Kiptot et al., 2007). Innovation is often the result of informal learning processes, in which social networks play an important role, with farm managers learning by creating networks of colleagues and advisers (Gielen et al., 2003). Early adopters tend to be t...

La chaine de valeur (CV) coton au Cameroun revet une importance economique majeure dans le partie... more La chaine de valeur (CV) coton au Cameroun revet une importance economique majeure dans le partie Nord, region la plus pauvre du pays. Au cours de la campagne 2017-18 etudiee, avec une production de 254 181 tonnes de coton-graine (305'000 t tonnees en 2018-19), elle a genere des revenus pour plus de 30% des menages ruraux tout en assurant la securite alimentaire par les cultures cerealieres en rotation avec le coton. Les zones de production cotonniere sont touchees par une insecurite persistante liee a Boko Haram dans la sous-region du Lac Tchad mais aussi aux rapts pour rancon operes au niveau national et par des conflits croissants entre agriculteurs et eleveurs transhumants. La reduction de l'insecurite doit associer les acteurs locaux, elle interpelle les connaissances sur le fonctionnement local et l'imagination pour des actions efficaces. La reduction des debouches au Nigeria des produits agricoles, devant persister au moins jusqu'aux prochaines elections de 20...

Farming in tropical Africa is getting more and more complex. Land shortages often lead to soil fe... more Farming in tropical Africa is getting more and more complex. Land shortages often lead to soil fertility decline, as the usual fallow can’t be practiced anymore. Organic farmers have to compete additionally with subsidized synthetic fertilizer programs, cost-rising GMO competition and policy preferences for conventional and non-organic practices. The EuropeAid funded Syprobio project in West Africa (Mali, Burkina Faso and Benin) involves organic farmers, researchers and technicians from farm organizations organized in networks to develop innovative technologies to improve competitiveness of organic value chains as well in enhancing food security for the producers. The main challenges of both economics and sociological issues are described and recommendations made. The role of information technology is presented and first research results are discussed on the use of video for farmer-to-farmer extension. Socio-economic preconditions are proposed in order to institutionalize these new ...

Date palm is an important crop in Morocco, Tunisia and other drylands with a high agricultural, e... more Date palm is an important crop in Morocco, Tunisia and other drylands with a high agricultural, economic and cultural value. Harsh environmental conditions of those areas, further accelerated by climate change and the spread of root diseases, threaten date palm cultivation. To overcome limitations in productivity, high inputs of mineral fertilizers and pesticides are applied. However, these external inputs strongly affect the environment and livelihoods. The project aims at establishing an integrated microbe-assisted fertilization approach, combining the inoculation of native soil microbes, namely arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) during the different date palm growth stages, with adapted agricultural management practices using organic amendments and mixed-cropping in Morocco and Tunisia. As initial step, we established a culture collection of native microbes, isolated from date palm roots and rhizosphere composed of 24 AMF isolates i...

L’objectif de l’article est de faire une analyse financiere comparative de la production du coton... more L’objectif de l’article est de faire une analyse financiere comparative de la production du coton biologique et du coton conventionnel ainsi que les determinants de leur rentabilite. L’etude a ete conduite dans les communes de Glazoue, Banikoara et Tanguieta appartenant a trois zones agro ecologiques differentes. Dans chacune de ces communes, les donnees ete collectees, dans des villages produisant les deux types de coton, sur un echantillon aleatoire stratifie de 215 producteurs (111 producteurs conventionnels et 104 biologiques). Il ressort des resultats obtenus que le coton biologique et le coton conventionnel sont rentables dans les trois zones d’etude. Le coton biologique a presente les meilleures performances financieres. D’une maniere generale les principaux facteurs determinant la rentabilite du coton sont de trois ordres : institutionnel (intensite de l’encadrement, montant du credit), socio demographique et economique (nombre d’actifs agricoles et niveau d’instruction) et ...

This study analyses the profitability of organic and conventional cotton in Benin and assesses th... more This study analyses the profitability of organic and conventional cotton in Benin and assesses their determinant factors. The research was carried out in three districts including Glazoue, Banikoara, and Tanguieta. Those localities belong to different agro ecological areas. For the purpose of this research, we used a quantitative approach based on structured interviews. We adopted a stratified sampling in three stages (national, regional and local levels). In all, we interviewed 215 household-heads (males and females), of which 111 conventional farmers and 104 organic farmers. It stands out that cotton production (both conventional and organic) is profitable in all the three areas. Organic cotton is more profitable than conventional cotton in spite of its lower yields. In fact, organic cotton farmers make use of locally available inputs, which are cheaper than the chemical inputs employed by conventional farmers. Moreover, organic cotton farmers benefit from premium, which combined ...

Soil fertility is at stake at a global scale, putting pressure on food security, poverty alleviat... more Soil fertility is at stake at a global scale, putting pressure on food security, poverty alleviation and environmental protection, under scenarios of climate change that in most cases aggravate the threat. In sub-Saharan Africa, a combination of depleted soils and population growth adds particular pressure to smallholder farmers and society. Their capacity to innovate in a social, economic, political and cultural context is seen as decisive to reverse the trend of declining soil fertility. However, many technologies with a potential to protect, maintain and build up soil fertility are hardly used by small-scale farmers, triggering the urgent question on their reasoning not to do so. Exploring and understanding the constraints and complexity of the social systems interacting with the implied institutional dynamics are essential steps in designing appropriate agricultural innovations that are scalable and adoptable. The focus of the inter- and transdisciplinary approach applied in the...

Climate change increases the number of risks for agricultural production in arid and semiarid reg... more Climate change increases the number of risks for agricultural production in arid and semiarid regions, especially in Western Africa. Smallholder farmers are particularly vulnerable to climate change risks. These risks affect their socioeconomic situation, as well as the local food sector value chain in general. Therefore, their food security is threatened if smallholder farming structures do not adapt to them. Thus, effective climate change adaptation measures for smallholders are essential and should be implemented without delay. However, success hinges on the acceptance of the promoted measures among various stakeholders. Thus, their acceptance needs to be assessed before promoting. The project “The potential of sustainable land-use systems to promote adaptation to climate change” analyzes climate change adaptation measures to increase the resilience of smallholders in drought-prone regions of West Africa. This chapter shows the project results of the science-farmer-policy dialogu...

Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 2021

Soil fertility decline continues to be a major challenge limiting agricultural productivity globa... more Soil fertility decline continues to be a major challenge limiting agricultural productivity globally. Despite the novelty of organic-based technologies in enhancing agricultural production in Kenya's central highlands, adoption is low. Therefore, we carried out a cross-sectional household survey of 300 randomly selected smallholder farmers to determine the specific organic-based practices by farmers; and the socioeconomic factors that influence the adoption intensity of selected organic-based technologies. We used descriptive statistics to summarize the data and the Tobit regression model to evaluate the socioeconomic determinants of adoption intensity of selected organic-based technologies. We identified nine organic-based technologies that had different adoption rates among the farmers. The majority of the farmers had adopted manure (97%) and manure combined with fertilizer (92%) in Murang'a and Tharaka-Nithi, respectively. Manure was applied to the largest land in Murang&...

Organic Agriculture, 2020

This paper describes a new approach to make predictions on the behaviour of farms in Africa relat... more This paper describes a new approach to make predictions on the behaviour of farms in Africa related to soil fertility management. Not only sectorial factors, but also the larger socio-economic context including policies influence the behaviour of small-scale farms. Science does not yet understand this context due to its vast heterogeneity, contingencies and complexity. We collected and processed qualitative data and sociological parameters to transform them into numbers. The model we constructed is based on probabilistic estimates of behaviour of farm classes under two scenarios in Mali (Mafèya) and Zambia (Chipata). We propose seven distinct farm classes to simulate the likeliness for a change from one class to another under defined policy regimes and other social conditions. In real life, network of actors, institutions and other social formations couple and decouple farmer’s identities and farms in highly dynamic social and ecological processes. We constructed a simplified model based on selected social theories, interpretative sociological inquiry and Markov chains in order to allow simulations under the two policy scenarios “as-is” and “to-be”. Our simulations result in significantly different outcomes per locality and scenario. This approach allows practical simulations of farm, food and agriculture systems and comparative research. We expect a better understanding of the dynamics of farms, faster adoption of innovations and a better base for a research-led dialogue of practitioners and policy makers. The paper demonstrates the primordial role of policies, influencing directly farmers’ behaviour, rural and labour markets as well as food systems and rural development.

Sustainability, 2020

Yam (Dioscorea sp.) is an understudied tuber crop despite its importance for food security, incom... more Yam (Dioscorea sp.) is an understudied tuber crop despite its importance for food security, income generation, culture, and health in West Africa. Traditional yam cropping practices in West Africa deliver low yields and lead to environmental degradation. In the context of a ‘research for development’ project, we developed and implemented a participatory and transdisciplinary research approach as a means to derive more sustainable yam production practices. We identified and studied different soil and plant management technologies adapted to varying biophysical and socio-economic contexts. For this purpose, we established innovation platforms (IPs) in four yam growing regions of West Africa, to validate the new technologies and to promote their adoption. These co-developed technologies were set up and tested first in researcher-managed plots before doing the same in farmer-managed plots. The new technologies resulted in a significant increase in yam productivity compared to convention...

International Journal of Sustainable Development Research, 2019

Open Agriculture, 2019

Science should be capable of covering issues as diverse as farming systems, technology, innovatio... more Science should be capable of covering issues as diverse as farming systems, technology, innovation, climate change adaptation, poverty alleviation, extension, policy and practice, as they all relate to sustainable agriculture and development. Some years ago, the call for a new farming systems approach was raised to accommodate the principles of interdisciplinary, systems thinking and participatory research. Society calls for systems performance that provides stability and sustainability (SDGs!), multi-scale and territorial approaches and looks for solutions for critical issues such as employment, migration and inclusion/exclusion at the global level (World Society). We propose here a way in dealing with this complexity by addressing the mentioned problem from the communication and symbolic perspective, i.e. to consider the "object" within agricultural science but mainly observe the dedicated systems of communication. By using the concept of social systems, we can accommoda...

Frontiers in plant science, 2017

Yam (Dioscorea spp.) is a tuber crop grown for food security, income generation, and traditional ... more Yam (Dioscorea spp.) is a tuber crop grown for food security, income generation, and traditional medicine. This crop has a high cultural value for some of the groups growing it. Most of the production comes from West Africa where the increased demand has been covered by enlarging cultivated surfaces while the mean yield remained around 10 t tuber ha-1. In West Africa, yam is traditionally cultivated without input as the first crop after a long-term fallow as it is considered to require a high soil fertility. African soils, however, are being more and more degraded. The aims of this review were to show the importance of soil fertility for yam, discuss barriers that might limit the adoption of integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) in yam-based systems in West Africa, present the concept of innovation platforms (IPs) as a tool to foster collaboration between actors for designing innovations in yam-based systems and provide recommendations for future research. This review shows th...

Keynote 2 The Challenge of Multiple Inequalities and Transformative Social Change 1. Tackling glo... more Keynote 2 The Challenge of Multiple Inequalities and Transformative Social Change 1. Tackling global change: enhancing positive and minimising negative effects Never in history has human development altered the Earth's bio-physical setting and social contexts more than at present. On the one hand, the resilience of natural resources is diminishing, and changes in climate, land use and land cover, water use, and biodiversity have been mostly negative. Given global trends for the coming 40 years, the resilience of the entire Earth's life support systems are at stake. On the other hand, Introduction Pre-conference proceedings The present volume contains abstracts of all keynote speeches and papers to be presented at the conference. They follow the order of the conference's four main themes and corresponding sessions, and can be found in section two. Section three contains session-related posters and the posters presented by current NCCR North-South PhD candidates. At the end of the volume, the conference programme and an author index are meant to help readers locate abstracts and posters that are of particular interest to them. The conference organisers thank all authors for their abstracts and posters. We hope that this volume will contribute to strengthening the network of researchers engaged in research for development, and look forward to a fruitful exchange on global transformation issues both during the conference and beyond. 2 Abstracts of keynotes and parallel sessions The papers in this section are ordered thematically, according to the four overall themes dealt with during the conference. For each theme, abstracts of the two keynote speeches are followed by the abstracts of the corresponding thematic parallel sessions in alphabetic order by authors. Theme 1 Tackling global change: enhancing positive and minimising negative effects