Getting the focus right: production constraints for six major food crops in Asian and African farming systems

To determine the most important production constraints and associated yield losses for six major food crops in 13 farming systems with high poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and East Asia, surveys were conducted with 672 experts representing a diversity of backgrounds and experience. Respond...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Waddington, S.R., Li, X, Dixon, John A., Hyman, Glenn G., Vicente, M. Carmen de
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Springer 2010
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/42918
_version_ 1855535070354341888
author Waddington, S.R.
Li, X
Dixon, John A.
Hyman, Glenn G.
Vicente, M. Carmen de
author_browse Dixon, John A.
Hyman, Glenn G.
Li, X
Vicente, M. Carmen de
Waddington, S.R.
author_facet Waddington, S.R.
Li, X
Dixon, John A.
Hyman, Glenn G.
Vicente, M. Carmen de
author_sort Waddington, S.R.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description To determine the most important production constraints and associated yield losses for six major food crops in 13 farming systems with high poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and East Asia, surveys were conducted with 672 experts representing a diversity of backgrounds and experience. Respondents reported large gaps between highest achieved crop yield on smallholder farms and average yield on farm. Yield gaps were smallest for rice (about 60% of current average smallholder farm grain yields), mid size for wheat and cassava, and larger (sometimes double current farm yields) for sorghum, cowpea and chickpea. Gaps were also smaller in the high input and yield farming systems of East Asia and largest in the marginal, drier systems, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. Four categories of production constraint (abiotic, biotic, management and socio-economic) were considered important contributors to yield gaps. A diversity of specific constraints was reported for the crops in the different systems. The most severe and widespread specific constraints for wheat involved the deficiency, high cost and poor management of N fertilizer, and problems associated with drought stress at grain filling, mid season drought and irrigation management. Those for rice included N fertilizer problems, soil fertility depletion, various leaf, stem and head pests and diseases, weed competition and inadequate water management. Striga and weed competition, soil resource degradation, poor soil fertility management, and drought were the most severe specific constraints for sorghum. Insect pests of pod, leaf, stem and flower and the high cost of their control dominated the constraint set for cowpea. Helicoverpa pod borer, Botrytis grey mould and control costs were the most severe for chickpea. Unsuitable varieties/poor seed, soil infertility and fertilizer constraints were also widespread with the legumes. Marketing problems and lack of finance were concerns for cassava along with weed competition, African cassava mosaic virus and poor varieties/planting materials. The findings can help to inform priority setting for international agricultural research and development activities on important food crops in major farming systems occupying areas of high poverty.
format Journal Article
id CGSpace42918
institution CGIAR Consortium
language Inglés
publishDate 2010
publishDateRange 2010
publishDateSort 2010
publisher Springer
publisherStr Springer
record_format dspace
spelling CGSpace429182024-08-27T10:36:47Z Getting the focus right: production constraints for six major food crops in Asian and African farming systems Waddington, S.R. Li, X Dixon, John A. Hyman, Glenn G. Vicente, M. Carmen de crops stress yields poverty farming systems small scale farming cultivos estrés rendimiento pobreza sistemas de explotación pequeñas explotaciones To determine the most important production constraints and associated yield losses for six major food crops in 13 farming systems with high poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and East Asia, surveys were conducted with 672 experts representing a diversity of backgrounds and experience. Respondents reported large gaps between highest achieved crop yield on smallholder farms and average yield on farm. Yield gaps were smallest for rice (about 60% of current average smallholder farm grain yields), mid size for wheat and cassava, and larger (sometimes double current farm yields) for sorghum, cowpea and chickpea. Gaps were also smaller in the high input and yield farming systems of East Asia and largest in the marginal, drier systems, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. Four categories of production constraint (abiotic, biotic, management and socio-economic) were considered important contributors to yield gaps. A diversity of specific constraints was reported for the crops in the different systems. The most severe and widespread specific constraints for wheat involved the deficiency, high cost and poor management of N fertilizer, and problems associated with drought stress at grain filling, mid season drought and irrigation management. Those for rice included N fertilizer problems, soil fertility depletion, various leaf, stem and head pests and diseases, weed competition and inadequate water management. Striga and weed competition, soil resource degradation, poor soil fertility management, and drought were the most severe specific constraints for sorghum. Insect pests of pod, leaf, stem and flower and the high cost of their control dominated the constraint set for cowpea. Helicoverpa pod borer, Botrytis grey mould and control costs were the most severe for chickpea. Unsuitable varieties/poor seed, soil infertility and fertilizer constraints were also widespread with the legumes. Marketing problems and lack of finance were concerns for cassava along with weed competition, African cassava mosaic virus and poor varieties/planting materials. The findings can help to inform priority setting for international agricultural research and development activities on important food crops in major farming systems occupying areas of high poverty. 2010-03 2014-09-24T07:58:46Z 2014-09-24T07:58:46Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/42918 en Limited Access Springer
spellingShingle crops
stress
yields
poverty
farming systems
small scale farming
cultivos
estrés
rendimiento
pobreza
sistemas de explotación
pequeñas explotaciones
Waddington, S.R.
Li, X
Dixon, John A.
Hyman, Glenn G.
Vicente, M. Carmen de
Getting the focus right: production constraints for six major food crops in Asian and African farming systems
title Getting the focus right: production constraints for six major food crops in Asian and African farming systems
title_full Getting the focus right: production constraints for six major food crops in Asian and African farming systems
title_fullStr Getting the focus right: production constraints for six major food crops in Asian and African farming systems
title_full_unstemmed Getting the focus right: production constraints for six major food crops in Asian and African farming systems
title_short Getting the focus right: production constraints for six major food crops in Asian and African farming systems
title_sort getting the focus right production constraints for six major food crops in asian and african farming systems
topic crops
stress
yields
poverty
farming systems
small scale farming
cultivos
estrés
rendimiento
pobreza
sistemas de explotación
pequeñas explotaciones
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/42918
work_keys_str_mv AT waddingtonsr gettingthefocusrightproductionconstraintsforsixmajorfoodcropsinasianandafricanfarmingsystems
AT lix gettingthefocusrightproductionconstraintsforsixmajorfoodcropsinasianandafricanfarmingsystems
AT dixonjohna gettingthefocusrightproductionconstraintsforsixmajorfoodcropsinasianandafricanfarmingsystems
AT hymanglenng gettingthefocusrightproductionconstraintsforsixmajorfoodcropsinasianandafricanfarmingsystems
AT vicentemcarmende gettingthefocusrightproductionconstraintsforsixmajorfoodcropsinasianandafricanfarmingsystems