1. Agro-biodiversity and Dietary Diversity Assessment in
Chinyanja Triangle-Ntcheu District-Malawi
BIOVERSITY INTERNATIONAL , CIAT, CIP, DARS & LUANAR 1

2. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR AGROBIODIVERSITY ASSESSMENTS
Dietary diversity
On-farm diversity
Market diversity
Self-consumption
Sale
Purchase
Income
Food security & dietary quality
Ecosystem & Evolutionary
Services
Influencing factors
Information flow
Nutrition & Health status
Household & community
individual
Household & individual

3. Aims of the assessment
To identify and quantify all the useful plants, animals, and aquatic species utilized by rural households and communities Information covering consumption (cultivated crops and perennial plants, livestock, plant species collected from the wild; species purchased from markets or exchanged; key socioeconomic characteristics of Households).
Data and information collected will be used in characterizing available resources, identify constraints, opportunities and drivers of change in status of agricultural biodiversity:
In production systems
In nutrition and dietary diversity
Income and markets 3

4. Study Area-Ntcheu District
Ntcheu district has a population of according to the 2008 Census. This means the population currently is at 557,433 (NSO Projections).
The district has 7 extension planning areas namely, Njolomole, Kandeu, Bilira, Nsipe Sharpvale, Tsangano and Manjawira; and
The Agriculture Extension Development Coordinator (AEDC) oversees the EPA, which is also divided into Sections.
The Agriculture Extension Development Officer (AEDO) oversees the section

5. Sampling Methodology
Reconnaisance survey –(sought to understand farming and livelihoods systems)
Visiting Ntcheu District Agricultural Office, District Survey Office plus other relevant offices- gather district and EPAs crop production statistics, spatial maps/variables and seek survey clearances.
Visit and characterize all the EPAs and decide on selections capturing ecological variability and farming systems applying stratified random block sampling approach.
Select the sections and villages within EPAs for actual survey. 5

6. Reconnaissance Survey Findings- COMPLEXITY!!
There are sub-ecosystems within the proposed system (Dry vs wetlands; Highlands vs Lowlands) 6

7. Two Sub-systems within the system
Very Dry
Wet

8. Reconnaissance Survey Findings- COMPLEXITY!!
Interactions between agriculture management , local and national governance….EPAs which are production and management blocks straddles across TA which are local governance and administrative units 8

9. agriculture
National governance
structure
Local Administration

10. Selected EPAs- Stratified Random Design
Assumption-In randomized experiments, treatment and control groups should be roughly the same--balanced--in their distributions of pretreatment variables……Informed Choice of EPAs.
EPA
Agro-ecology
Status
Tsangano
Upper - high altitude XX
Njolomole
High altitude
Nsipe
Mid –altitude –Irrigation scheme
Kandeu
Mid- altitude
Manjawira
Low altitude and drier
Sharpvale/Bilira
Low altitude/lakeshore

11. Survey Methods Household Surveys
Focused Group Discussions (Separated Men and Women)
Four cell Analysis tool
Community timelines-capture trends in crops and varieties
Crop calendars (Information on food availability & security)
Seed networks (Social and Markets)
Household Surveys
Interview questionnaires gathered information on ABD role at household level (Household head=male/female)
Food systems characterization, diets and contributions of ABD at household level (Woman)
Individual dietary diversity scores (women & Children)
Food calendars 11

12. FGD-Four Cell Analysis
Assessing Useful biological diversity in the production system
Used to assess domesticated and wild spp; diets, markets;
It is very important to draw the group’s attention to squares (3) and (4). Because species on those squares they are usually ignored, but they can be important and particularly have potential!

13. Men-FGD

14. Women - FGD

15. Selected EPAs- Stratified Random Design
13 FGDs
340 hh sampled
Sections=10
Farming hh=31,112
HH Interviewed=85
Fgd=3
Sections=12
Farming hh=30,102
HH Interviewed=90
Fgd=3
Assumption-In randomized experiments, treatment and control groups should be roughly the same--balanced--in their distributions of pretreatment variables……Informed Choice of EPAs.
Sections=10
Farming hh=22,702
HH Interviewed=83
Fgd=4
Sections=8
Farming hh=18,422
HH Interviewed=80
Fgd=4

16. Survey preliminary findings/observations
A great diversity of ABD available for consumption and income—in some cases not appropriately utilized
Constraints exist in diversifying crops to mitigate shortages during lean seasons---case of using residual moisture in dambos
Challenges in accessing inputs—seeds and fertilizer—from FGDs feedbacks
Need to links of on farm conservation- market and food and nutritional security to identify options and entry points- Alot of opportunities exist
Next Steps
Data entry, decoding and cleaning—On-going
Data Analysis to identify the entry points
Statistics
GIS/Remote Sensing—models
Gather more bioclimatic data for FIGS like analysis 16

17. A LOT OF OPPORTINITIES EXIST
A LOT OF OPPORTINITIES EXIST!!-implications for options by context in systems research

18. Markets and value chains
Potato—no transport to market
Markets and value chains
Goats for sale—no buyer

19. Conservation Agriculture
Maize Granary

20. Crop Diversification
On-farm
Variety
Monocrops
Monocrops

21. Natural resource management
Tree cutting
Woodlot
Charcoal—alternative fuel!?

22. Innovations
Irrigated farm
River course
Water diversion

23. Infrastructure
Water Provision

24. Breakfast
Lunch
Out-door office
Residence

25. SIKOMO!!!!