Efficiency in Farming systems Survey – enhancing cooperation with IITA

General interest

Areas of interest

Biotechnology and genetic improvement 1Conserving and accessing genetic resources 2 Breeding cowpea, soybean, banana/plantain, yam, cassava and maize for yield and suitability for crop production systems 3 Breeding cowpea, soybean, banana/plantain, yam, cassava and maize with tolerance or resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses in response to climate change 4 Breeding cowpea, soybean, banana/plantain, yam, cassava and maize with traits that satisfy the changing demands of processors and consumers 5 Maximize genetic improvement research by utilizing the latest in technologies and information ensuing from advances in genomics and transgenic. 6 Promoting systems for pest and disease-free planting material for farmers

Plant Production and Health Management 1 Diagnosing, identifying and cross-boundary monitoring of emerging biotic threats and new invaders 2 Developing strategies for mitigating effects of pest and diseases stresses coupled with climate changes 3 Designing and management options for controlling soil-borne noxious organisms such as nematodes, aflatoxin-producing Aspergillus fungi, and Striga 4 Phenotyping physiological and metabolic traits including photosynthetic activity and assimilate partitioning, transpiration and water use efficiency 5Developing integrated pest management practices 6 Facilitate the development of community-based seed systems 7 Improving availability of foundation and certified seeds Number of answers

Natural Resource Management 1Adaptation to progressive climate change 2Adaptation through managing climate risk 3Pro-poor climate change mitigation 4 Enhancing the knowledge on soil (micro)organisms, including rhizobia and mycorrhiza that improve access to/use efficiency of nutrients 5 Developing Integrated Soil Fertility Management practices for target cropping systems 6 Developing decision support tools to analyze trade- offs among land management and livelihood strategies 7 Developing analytical methods and tools for the management of multiple use landscapes 8Assessing and managing soil carbon stocks 9 Managing soil health for enhanced ecosystem services 10 Promoting agricultural intensification in order to reduce deforestation and infringing of agricultural activities in forest margins in particular Number of answers

Social Science and Agribusiness 1 Identification of conducive policies and institutional arrangements for smallholder producers 2Linking small producers to markets 3Strategic gender research 4 Forecast scenarios of key drivers of agricultural intensification 5 Measuring impacts of interventions across a large spectrum of innovations 6Bio-fortification of staple food 7 Prevention and control of agriculture-associated diseases 8 Integrated agriculture, nutrition, and health programs and policies 9Post-harvest handling for value addition 10 Agro-enterprise development to stimulate value addition and agribusiness 11 Agro-enterprise development to stimulate value addition and agribusiness 12 Reducing the drudgery of work through development of efficient field practices and ergonomic tools Number of answers