Papers by Shirley Tarawali
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2009
We applied an innovation framework to sustainable livestock development research projects in Afri... more We applied an innovation framework to sustainable livestock development research projects in Africa and Asia. The focus of these projects ranged from pastoral systems to poverty and ecosystems services mapping to market access by the poor to fodder and natural resource management to livestock parasite drug resistance. We found that these projects closed gaps between knowledge and action by combining different kinds of knowledge, learning, and boundary spanning approaches; by providing all partners with the same opportunities; and by building the capacity of all partners to innovate and communicate.
IMPROVING WATER PRODUCTIVITY IN CROP-LIVESTOCK SYSTEMS OF DROUGHT-PRONE REGIONS: EDITORIAL COMMENT
Experimental Agriculture, 2011
IMPROVING WATER PRODUCTIVITY IN CROP-LIVESTOCK SYSTEMS OF DROUGHT-PRONE REGIONS: EDITORIAL COMMEN... more IMPROVING WATER PRODUCTIVITY IN CROP-LIVESTOCK SYSTEMS OF DROUGHT-PRONE REGIONS: EDITORIAL COMMENT TILAHUN AMEDE and SHIRLEY TARAWALI and DON PEDEN Experimental Agriculture, Volume 47, Issue S1, January 2011, pp 1-5 doi: 10.1017/S0014479710001031, Published online by Cambridge University Press 14 Jan 2011 ... ZAI IMPROVES NUTRIENT AND WATER PRODUCTIVITY IN THE ETHIOPIAN HIGHLANDS TILAHUN AMEDE and MESFIN MENZA and SELESHI BEKELE AWLACHEW ...
2013FoodSecurityAnIntegrated--vanGinkel-Online
Options for enhancing resilience in pastoral systems. Brussels Policy Briefing no.26, New challenges and opportunities for pastoralism in ACP countries, European Commission and African Union Commission, 22 February 2012
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2009
We applied an innovation framework to sustainable livestock development research projects in Afri... more We applied an innovation framework to sustainable livestock development research projects in Africa and Asia. The focus of these projects ranged from pastoral systems to poverty and ecosystems services mapping to market access by the poor to fodder and natural resource management to livestock parasite drug resistance. We found that these projects closed gaps between knowledge and action by combining different kinds of knowledge, learning, and boundary spanning approaches; by providing all partners with the same opportunities; and by building the capacity of all partners to innovate and communicate.
Livestock Science, 2011
Mixed crop livestock systems provide the majority of the cereal and livestock domestic products f... more Mixed crop livestock systems provide the majority of the cereal and livestock domestic products for households in developing countries. We explore the question of whether such systems can respond to increasing demands for livestock products without compromising future livelihoods of the poor or the environment. We consider how the potential of smallholder farmers to address future milk and meat demands as livestock system transition may be impacted by the trajectory of intensification, the type of livestock commodity and the changing economic circumstances. Examples of ruminant feeding and management options with the potential to increase productivity and mitigate negative environmental impacts, notably greenhouse gases and the use of land and water in the context of developing country crop livestock systems are presented. However, such technical dimensions need to be realistically and practically considered in the context of changing market demands. Furthermore, if crop livestock systems in developing countries are to benefit today's smallholder farmers, radically different approaches will be needed. Equal importance will need to be given to technology based production and efficiency enhancing dimensions together with innovative and practical approaches encompassing institutional, policy and market solutions often in a value chain context.
Integrating crops and livestock in subtropical agricultural systems
Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 2012
As the demand for livestock products increases, and is expected to continue to increase over the ... more As the demand for livestock products increases, and is expected to continue to increase over the next few decades, especially in developing countries, smallholder mixed systems are becoming more intensive. However, with limited land and water resources and concern about the environmental impact of agricultural practices and climate change, the challenge is to find ways of increasing productivity that do not compromise household food security, but rather increase incomes equitably and sustain or enhance the natural resource base. In developed countries there has been increased specialisation of crop and livestock production. In contrast, the majority of livestock in developing countries is kept in mixed crop/livestock systems. Crops (cereal grains and pulses) and crop residues provide the basis of the diet for animals, e.g. cereal straw fed to dairy cattle or sweet potato vines fed to pigs. Animal manure can provide significant nutrient inputs to crops. Water productivity is higher in mixed crop/livestock systems compared with growing crops alone. Mixed systems allow for a more flexible and profitable use of family labour where employment opportunities are limited. They also spread risks across several enterprises, a consideration in smallholder systems that may become even more important under certain climate change scenarios. Integrated crop/livestock systems can play a significant role in improving global food security but will require appropriate technological developments, institutional arrangements and supportive policy environments if they are to fulfil that potential in the coming decades.
More than 400 million people in the developing world depend on dryland agriculture for their live... more More than 400 million people in the developing world depend on dryland agriculture for their livelihoods. Dryland agriculture involves a complex combination of productive components: staple crops, vegetables, livestock, trees and fish interacting principally with rangeland, cultivated areas and watercourses. Managing risk and enhancing productivity through diversification and sustainable intensification is critical to securing and improving rural livelihoods. The main biophysical constraints are natural resource limitations and degradation, particularly water scarcity and encroaching desertification. Social and economic limitations, such as poor access to markets and inputs, weak governance and lack of information about alternative production technologies also limit the options available to farmers. Past efforts to address these constraints by focusing on individual components have either not been successful or are now facing a declining rate of impact, indicating the need for new integrated approaches to research for development of dryland systems. This article outlines the characteristics of such an approach, integrating agro-ecosystem and livelihoods approaches and presents a range of empirical examples of its application in dryland contexts. The authors draw attention to new insights about the design of research required to accelerate impact by integrating across disciplines and scales.
Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 2003
Sustainable resource management is the critical agricultural research and development challenge i... more Sustainable resource management is the critical agricultural research and development challenge in sub-Saharan Africa. The accumulated knowledge on soil management gathered over the last 10 years, combined with solid crop improvement and plant health research at farmers' level, has brought us to a stage where we can now address with confidence the intensification of cereal-grain-legume-based cropping systems in the dry savanna of West Africa in a sustainable and environmentally positive manner.
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Papers by Shirley Tarawali