Agricultural Research Organization Research Articles

Impact of Improved Maize and Bean Varieties on Household Income and Food Security in Uganda.

The National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) and development partners have invested substantial resources in breeding maize and bean varieties over the years. However, the impact of the varieties on productivity, household income and food security is not well documented. This paper evaluated the ex-post impact of adopting NARO released bean and maize varieties over the last five years on the productivity, household income and food security in Uganda. Data were collected from 30 districts in Uganda through a cross-sectional household survey of 1445 households, focus group discussions and key informant interviews. Using propensity score matching and endogenous switching regression models, the results showed that adoption of improved bean and maize varieties significantly increased crop productivity, household income and food security. This evidence suggests that there were tangible benefits from funding the development of bean and maize varieties in Uganda. The results indicate that although adoption of the improved bean and maize varieties increased productivity, it was still far below the research production output. This suggests that in addition to developing and disseminating the appropriate varieties, emphasis should be put on training farmers to use the complimentary inputs and practices to get the full benefit of the improved varieties.

Forage yield, seed, and forage qualitative traits evaluation by determining the optimal forage harvesting stage in dual-purpose cultivation in safflower varieties (Carthamus tinctorius L.)

Abstract Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.), adapted to arid and semiarid regions, is grown for seed and petal production, but the present study aimed to evaluate the possibility of simultaneous forage and seed production in the autumn and middle types of safflower varieties in dual-purpose cultivation in semiarid areas in the shortfall forage period. An experiment was done based on a randomized complete block design with nine treatments and three replications at the Seed and Plant Improvement Institute, Agriculture Research, Education and Extension Organization, Karaj, Iran. The treatments included the cultivation of Parnian, Goldasht, and Golmehr varieties with the purpose of seed harvesting as control treatments; the same varieties (Parnian, Goldasht, and Golmehr), once with the aim of forage harvesting at 50% stem elongation stage and seed harvesting; and again with the aim of forage harvesting at 50% branching stage and seed harvesting. The results showed that forage harvesting at the 50% branching stage significantly increased the dry and fresh forage yield compared to the 50% stem elongation stage. The highest fresh and dry forage yields (DFY) (42,229 and 11,266 kg/ha) were related to the Golmehr variety at the 50% branching stage. Forage harvesting at the stem elongation stage decreased the crude protein, protein content, and digestibility compared to the branching stage in three safflower varieties. Parnian variety had the maximum seed yield (2,226 kg/ha) without forage harvesting. The highest seed yield in the second year (2018–2019) of the experiment belonged to the Golmehr variety (1,310 kg/ha) to harvest forage at 50% stem elongation (rapid stem growth) and seed harvest treatment, which compared to the first year (2017–2018), showed an increase of 25%. Finally, the forage harvested amount of all three varieties studied was higher in the branching stage than in the stem elongation stage. These results implied that the Golmehr variety (11,266 kg/ha DFY and 520 kg/ha seed yield) is for dual-purpose cultivation, and the Parnian variety (2,226 kg/ha seed yield) is suitable for only seed production for the semiarid region of Karaj in Iran and similar areas in terms of climate.

Moderated Mediation Dynamics: Influence of Strategic Linkages and Policy Implementation on Corporate Leadership and Kenya Agricultural Research Organization's Performance

Global demand for safe, affordable, and accessible nutritious food currently exceeds governmental efforts, notwithstanding huge investments in enhancing capacity of organizations mandated to reverse such trends. With the projected 27% increase in global population by 2050, the need for corporate leadership and policy implementation efforts is urgent. The study explored the moderated mediation effect of strategic linkages and policy implementation on the relationship between corporate leadership and performance of Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO). Rooted in organizational excellence, upper echelons, legitimacy, institutional, and stakeholder theories, the study employed a pragmatic philosophy, and mixed methods design to mitigate bias. The target population included 75 management organs, with 60 directors and 188 top leadership units as units of observation. Quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS, and qualitative data using NVivo. Cronbach’s alpha (α ≥ .700) confirmed internal consistency. Both confirmatory factor and principal component analyses aided data reduction. Moderated mediation analysis, using Hayes' PROCESS Macro, showed significant interaction (p = .004) between policy implementation (mediator) and strategic linkages (moderator), indicating that the effect of policy implementation on KALRO’s performance varies with levels of strategic linkages (set at -.229). Index below -0.229 shows significant relationships, and vice versa. Recommendations encompass gender diversity, inclusive leadership development, regular performance appraisals, an enhanced monitoring and evaluation system, and improved linkages. The findings provide valuable guidance for KALRO's leadership amid competing priorities and budgetary constraints. Keywords: Moderated mediation, policy implementation, strategic linkages, corporate leadership, KALRO

PROXIMATE ANALYSIS AND MINERAL PROFILE OF TARO (Colocasia esculenta) IN EMBU, KENYA

<p><strong>Background.</strong> Taro (<em>Colocasia esculenta</em>) is one of the underutilized crops in Kenya, grown under a wide range of environmental and edaphic conditions. This crop has exceptional dietary value and numerous culinary applications due to its edible leaves and corms. However, the mineral nutrient composition of taro in Kenya is still not well known due to a lack of scientific information concerning production. <strong>Objective. </strong>To determine the proximate composition and mineral profile of taro under different watering regimes and planting densities in Embu, Kenya. <strong>Methodology.</strong> A study was conducted at the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) – Embu Research Centre, during the long rains (LR) 2021, and short rains (SR) 2021/2022. A factorial experiment with a split-plot layout arranged in a completely randomized block design was adopted. The watering regimes (100 %, 60 %, and 30 % based on the field capacity (FC)) were the main factor while the sub-factor was the planting density, with three replications. The planting densities used were 0.5 m × 0.5 m (40,000 plants ha<sup>-1</sup>), 1 m × 0.5 m (20,000 plants ha<sup>-1</sup>), and 1 m × 1 m (10,000 plants ha<sup>-1</sup>), representative of high, medium, and low planting densities respectively. Proximate analysis and mineral content were determined. <strong>Results.</strong> Significant differences (<em>P < 0.05</em>) in seasons were noted for protein, fibre, potassium, calcium, sodium, and zinc in the taro corms. The high carbohydrate content observed in this study (35 – 39 %) indicates that taro tubers are a good source of nutritional energy. Potassium (> 5000 mg kg <sup>-1</sup>) and magnesium (> 1000 mg kg <sup>-1</sup>) were the most prevalent mineral elements in taro corms and leaves, with copper (< 25 mg kg <sup>-1</sup>) being the least prevalent. <strong>Implications.</strong> Consumption of nutrient-rich foods such as taro helps the body to utilize the necessary nutrients to combat malnutrition and promote food security in rural communities. <strong>Conclusion.</strong> Taro leaves can be recommended as leafy vegetables as they are good sources of potassium, magnesium, calcium, manganese, iron, copper, and zinc; and the corms have low fat and protein content, high calorific energy, and high carbohydrate content. Taro represents one of the main sources of energy in many parts of the tropics and its production can be recommended in sub-humid areas in Kenya.<strong></strong></p>

The influence of gender specific decisions on household technology choice within the farming households in central Uganda

How households make decisions, who influences decision making and how members bargain over resources and opportunities greatly affects the livelihood and wellbeing of members within a given household. This study sought to understand gender specific decisions and their influence on household technology choice, packaging and adoption of agricultural technologies. Growing Bananas with Trees and Livestock (GBTL) technology system was implemented by National Agricultural Research Organisation and Bioversity International in three districts of Central Uganda: Kiboga, Nakaseke and Ssembabule. Using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Cluster Analysis (CA), typologies were created in which two distinct clusters of farming households were revealed. Using a bargaining model of technology adoption, three types of households were identified; male and female only, female only and male only headed households. For technology uptake, either a single component, two components or all components of a technology was adopted. Results indicated that Household size, age, land owned, labour and gender composition of the household positively influenced the adoption of the technology. Farm households were able to take up and adopt components of the technology that were equivalent to the available household resources. Technology choice and adoption was influenced by available land, labor and household objectives (food, income and nutrition security). Households' ability to avert the loss of production and/or assets was very varied and depended on household size. For non-business home expenses, decisions followed a gendered perspective where households with both male and female, had more participants involved in household decision making, households make decision jointly when it comes to purchases and sales. Banana plantations establishment and management was for the spouse. Livestock production was initiated and managed by the household heads. Individual decisions were influenced by age of the household head, livestock owner. Joint household’s decision making was significant on purchases, sales of inputs and outputs, land ownership, and were influenced by household size and farm size. This study brings out important policy implications that in order to ensure widespread adoption of improved technologies, there should be equitable access to complementary inputs, especially land and labour for females. And technology packaging should take into consideration the gender specific decisions for sustainable agricultural development. Key words: Decision making, Technology choice, adoption, Coffee banana farming system, Gender

Preface

The 6th International Conference on Chemical Engineering, Food and Biotechnology (ICCFB2023) The 6th ICCFB - International Conference on Chemical Engineering, Food and Biotechnology was successfully held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam during September 29th-30th, 2023. The scientific conference was organized by the Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMUT), VNU-HCM, and co-organized by PetroVietnam University.During the 6th ICCFB, the emerging technologies and scientific advancements in the fields of Chemical Engineering, Food and Biotechnology were disseminated. It served as a platform for strengthening partnership between academia and industry. The scientific papers submitted to the conference were categorized into three sections (Sustainability, Green Technology and Process Safety Engineering; Material Sciences, Environmental Engineering; Agriculture, Biotechnology and Food Technology) and carefully reviewed with a double-blind process. All the accepted papers were presented in the conference.The plenary speeches were given to make the conference more productive and precious.• Prof. Nobuyuki Kijima, Institute of Food Research, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Japan - What is the major impact of antibiotic-application to agricultural field? • Prof. Won-Chun Oh, Hanseo University, Korea - Recent advances in CO2 reduction applications: progress, challenges and perspectives.• Prof. Suresh Sagadevan, University of Malaya, Malaysia - Nanocomposite photocatalysts for wastewater treatment.• Prof. Sanggono Adisasmito, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia - Energy Transition and Carbon Capture Process for Coal-Fired Power Plants in Indonesia.We thank all distinguished guests, authors, participants for their contributions to make a successful conference and look forward to the 7th ICCFB in 2025.List of Steering Committee and Editors are available in this pdf.

Hyperspectral image dynamic range reconstruction using deep neural network-based denoising methods

Hyperspectral (HS) measurement is among the most useful tools in agriculture for early disease detection. However, the cost of HS cameras that can perform the desired detection tasks is prohibitive-typically fifty thousand to hundreds of thousands of dollars. In a previous study at the Agricultural Research Organization’s Volcani Institute (Israel), a low-cost, high-performing HS system was developed which included a point spectrometer and optical components. Its main disadvantage was long shooting time for each image. Shooting time strongly depends on the predetermined integration time of the point spectrometer. While essential for performing monitoring tasks in a reasonable time, shortening integration time from a typical value in the range of 200 ms to the 10 ms range results in deterioration of the dynamic range of the captured scene. In this work, we suggest correcting this by learning the transformation from data measured with short integration time to that measured with long integration time. Reduction of the dynamic range and consequent low SNR were successfully overcome using three developed deep neural networks models based on a denoising auto-encoder, DnCNN and LambdaNetworks architectures as a backbone. The best model was based on DnCNN using a combined loss function of ℓ2\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\ell _{2}$$\\end{document} and Kullback–Leibler divergence on images with 20 consecutive channels. The full spectrum of the model achieved a mean PSNR of 30.61 and mean SSIM of 0.9, showing total improvement relatively to the 10 ms measurements’ mean PSNR and mean SSIM values by 60.43% and 94.51%, respectively.

Performance of Direct-Seeded Upland Rice-Based Intercropping Systems Under Paired Rows in East-West Orientation

Production potential of rice based intercropping systems with legumes in Uganda is little known. Studies were conducted at Ikulwe Station of the National Agricultural Research Organisation to evaluate upland rice-based intercropping systems under paired-rows in the EW direction. A randomized complete block design with 3 replications was adopted during 2022 and 2023 with 8 pure stand and intercropped treatments. Adjustment from conventional planting to paired rows recorded high rice height and significant 1000 seed weights. In 2022 the 2 pure rice treatments produced significantly more tillers and panicles but legume intercrops reduced numbers of rice tillers and panicles. Intercropping significantly reduced the beans height (48%) and soybean pods (41%) during both years and also reduced the pods filling for beans (66%), groundnuts (36%) and soybeans (18.3%) during 2022. Although paired rice did not influence rice yield during both years, lower mean yield for rice (19.8%), beans (35%), groundnuts (33%) and soybeans (30.5%) were recorded. Lower legume intercrop yields were similarly recorded for beans (70%), groundnuts (73%) and soybeans (62%) during 2023. Partial (p) land equivalent ratios (LER) for intercrops were not significant and less than unity, but the one for rice intercropped with beans increased to more than unity (1.06) during 2023. All combined LER for rice-legumes were more than unity and the pLER of sole crops was 1.0. Rice + beans recorded high area time equivalent ratio during the 2 years while high relative equivalent yield and monetary advantage indices were recorded under rice + soybeans. Rice was more aggressive than other crops and intercropped treatments recorded higher Total Rice Grain yield equivalent (TRGYE) than sole rice. Rice + soybeans (2022) and rice + beans (2023) scored higher TRGY. The findings suggest that farmers can intercrop soybean in rice under paired rows in EW orientation for more benefits.

MENEROKA ISU DAN CABARAN MENGINTEGRASIKAN MATLAMAT PEMBANGUNAN MAMPAN (SDGs) DALAM KURIKULUM PERTANIAN DI SEKOLAH MENENGAH KEBANGSAAN (SMK) MALAYSIA

This article discusses the issues and challenges of integrating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the agricultural curriculum at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Malaysia. Integrating the SDGs into the agricultural curriculum in Malaysia provides opportunities for students to develop an understanding of pressing global issues, foster a sense of responsibility towards the environment and promote the development of students as responsible individuals in contributing to the achievement of the SDGs. This study uses a qualitative design involving semi-structured interview methods to explore issues and challenges in integrating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into the agricultural curriculum in Malaysia. The type of sampling used in this study is purposive snowball sampling of 5 agriculture teachers at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Malaysia. Then, the research data was analyzed using thematic analysis. The results of this study show that the issues and challenges to integrating the SDGs in the agricultural curriculum in Malaysia are the concentration of existing curriculum content that focuses on the traditional curriculum, the limited awareness and understanding of agricultural teachers towards the SDGs and the absence of basic guidelines to apply Education for Sustainable Development (PPM). in the agricultural curriculum in Malaysia. The results of this study are expected to help agriculture teachers, agricultural curriculum developers, the Malaysian Ministry of Education (KPM) and agricultural education research organizations to find out about the issues that hinder the integration of Sustainable Development elements in the agricultural curriculum in Malaysian National Secondary Schools (SMK).

Corporate Leadership in Agricultural Advancements: Exploratory Evaluation of Performance of Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO)

The study examined the influence of corporate leadership on the performance of Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), utilizing theories of organizational excellence, upper echelons, and stakeholder. The study utilized a mixed-methods design with a pragmatic philosophy to reduce biases. It specifically targeted 75 management organs, with a focus on 60 directors and 188 top leadership members. The study employed cross-sectional survey to examine quantitative relationships, while qualitative perceptions were obtained through interpretive phenomenological analysis. The thorough examination, utilizing a composite regression model, revealed the significant effect of corporate leadership on KALRO's performance. The ANOVA results strongly supported the significant effect of corporate leadership on KALRO's performance by ruling out the null hypothesis that corporate leadership has no significant effect. Engaging in telephone discussions with the respondents who expressed apprehension resolved the primary constraint of the confidentiality of data. Suggested actions involve giving priority to achieving gender diversity, enhancing leadership development, conducting frequent performance evaluations, integrating monitoring and evaluation systems into regular operations, and enhancing communication. The study seeks to provide KALRO's leadership with guidance in making well-informed decisions in the face of conflicting priorities in the country. The research focused on assessing the impact of corporate leadership on the performance of the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), employing organizational excellence, upper echelons, and stakeholder theories. Using a mixed-methods design aligned with a pragmatic philosophy to minimize biases, the study targeted 75 management organs, specifically 60 directors and 188 top leadership members. Employing a cross-sectional survey for quantitative analysis and interpretive phenomenological analysis for qualitative insights, the research, through a composite regression model, revealed a significant influence of corporate leadership on KALRO's performance. ANOVA results strongly supported this influence, rejecting the null hypothesis. Addressing confidentiality concerns, telephone discussions with hesitant respondents were conducted. Proposed actions include prioritizing gender diversity, enhancing leadership development, conducting frequent performance evaluations, integrating monitoring and evaluation systems into regular operations, and improving communication. The objective is to equip KALRO's leadership with guidance for informed decision-making amid conflicting priorities in the country. Keywords: Corporate Leadership, Organizational Performance, KALRO, Cabinet Secretary.

Ensemble data mining methods for assessing soil fertility

The application of ensemble data mining methods in assessing soil fertility and the use of methods such as random forest, gradient boosting and bagging to determine the level of soil fertility are examined in the article. Ensemble methods combine multiple machine learning models to improve the accuracy and stability of estimates. These methods consider various factors, including soil chemistry, climatic conditions, and historical crop yield data. The study also examines the application of the decision tree algorithm and such methods as random forest and bagging to estimate soil fertility. Performance results of these methods are provided using precision, recall, and F1-measure metrics. The results obtained show the high performance of ensemble methods in the task of classifying soil fertility levels. They have important implications for agricultural farms and research organizations that are working to improve soil management and increase crop yields.

Past, present and future of agricultural science in the Omsk Near-Irtysh region

The article examines the historical path of Siberian agricultural science in the Omsk region. The bicentennial anniversary of the Omsk region historically coincides with the development of agricultural science in the region. The article describes briefly the stages of agricultural science in the region, starting with the establishment of an experimental farm in the 19th century and then continuing in 1933 with the Siberian Research Institute of Grain Farming, followed in 1956 by the Siberian Research Institute of Agriculture and in 2018 by the integration project establishing the Omsk Agrarian Research Center, uniting agricultural research organizations of the region.

Research on carbon balance in Japan

The article presents an overview of scientific publications on the subject of the study «carbon balance in terrestrial ecosystems», made for the territory of Japan and indexed in the Scopus database for the period 2017-2021. Within this theme, the areas with the highest number of articles are highlighted: carbon fluxes in soils, carbon stocks in above ground phytomass (mainly studies of the ecosystems of Hokkaido), features of carbon dioxide sequestration by various plant species typical for Japan, as well as the carbon balance dynamics associated with deforestation, reforestation and natural phenomena such as typhoons. The most active in publishing activity scientific and academic institutions were identified (Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute; National Agriculture and Food Research Organization; Hokkaido University).

Effects of Intercropping on Maize and Soybean Yield Performance, Land Equivalent Ratio, and Maize Leaf Area in Conservation Agriculture

Maize-soybean intercropping systems as a conservation farming practice are receiving increased focus from the scientific community. This is because of the advantages of intercropping, especially nutrient benefits through cereal-legume interactions, alternative sustainable methods to manage biotic stress (pests, diseases, weeds), and crop failure risk management due to erratic weather. In addition, smallholders in developing countries commonly use intercropping to produce crops. In Uganda, 40% of smallholder farmers are practicing intercropping yet no adequate location-specific information is available to inform their practice. Farmers who adopted conservation farming practices did not mulch their maize due to drudgery associated with collecting mulch. This study evaluated the effect of two tillage methods (T1 = Conventional tillage using ox drawn mould board plough, T2 = Minimum tillage using ox drawn ripper) and five soil cover practices (SC1 = Mulched Maize, SC2 = Control no mulch, SC3 = Two rows of soybean in between one row of maize, SC4 = One row of soybean in between one row of maize, SC5 = Sole soybean) on maize and soybean yield performance. The trials were established for 4 rainy seasons on a sandy loam ferrosol at National Agricultural Research Organization Institute in Lira, Uganda. Soil cover practice had a significant effect on maize and soybean crop Yield. Mulching significantly increased maize yield and LAI. The LER for both intercropping partterns were above 1.2. Tillage methods were not significantly different in determining crop performance. The practice of minimum tillage should also be adopted because it enhances the positive effects of soil cover (intercropping). We recommend farmers to adopt the intercropping pattern of one row of soybean in between maize row spaced at 75 × 30 cm for better LER, and crop performance. This intercropping pattern maximizes on available resources to deliver better output in conservation farming. Maize crop generally performed better during first season as compared to second season. We recommend farmers to utilize the first rains as the main maize production season.

Geo-information Technology-Based Suitability Site Selection for Temperate Fruits of Apple, Peach, and Plum in Tigray Region, Northern Ethiopia

Introduction: Growing temperate fruits in its appropriate region is important for growers and is used as a means of improving agricultural production, helps to improve livelihood of the community and source of income. The land needs to careful and appropriate use that is vital to achieve optimum production and productivity, and to guarantee environmental sustainability for the future generation. This requires an effective and up to date land information for effective utilization, management, and for decision making purpose. All agricultural crops, needs their ecological requirements for modelling the spatiotemporal distribution of land suitability potential and for performing agricultural activities effectively and accurately. There is a problem related to proper site selection for growing temperate fruits in the Tigray region and to solve this problem GIS-based suitability site selection for growing temperate fruit trees is important for getting better production and to help in improving the livelihood of the community.
 Methods: To identify the ecological requirements, for growing temperate fruits considers the physical, meteorological, and landscape environmental factors. To come up with the best suitability regions, physical, meteorological, and landscape spatial layers of the study area were collected from different primary and secondary data sources and stored in a personal geodatabase with the same resolution, cell size, and projection system. After collecting the important parameters, reclassification of these factors and using their influences, overlay analysis was performed to get the potential suitability sites for apple, plum, and peach fruits, and the model result was validated using ground control points.
 The Results: According to the overlay-based suitability modeling approach, suitability sites of these low chilling temperate fruits were identified and mapped. Apple has a potential of 21% as suitable land and 79% as an unsuitable area of the total area of 54,573km2, peach has a potential of 17% as suitable land and 83% as unsuitable land and plum has a potential of 27% as suitable land and 73% as unsuitable land in Tigray region. Around 50 ground control points (GCP) was collected from the ground, and 80% of the ground data were fitted with the suitability sites found from the overlay analysis modeling.
 Conclusion: This information was used as a baseline information for different agricultural experts, stakeholders, research organizations, NGO’s and policy makers for growing of low-chilling temperate fruits and getting a good production in the region.

Prospects of classical biological control of papaya mealybug in Kenya: Performance of its exotic parasitoid, Acerophagus papayae, under laboratory and field conditions

Papaya mealybug (PMB), Paracoccus marginatus, native to Mexico and Central America, invaded Kenya in 2016 causing severe yield losses of between 57% and 91% and £2224/ha household economic losses annually. A classical biological program for PMB involved the importation of Acerophagus papayae, a koinobiont endoparasitoid, from Ghana into the quarantine facility at Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, Muguga. Laboratory bioassays were conducted to evaluate the suitability of A. papayae to parasitize PMB. Parasitism rates, sex ratio and development time of the parasitoid were evaluated under choice and no-choice experimental conditions. High parasitism rates of 72.5 ± 5.9 and 75.0 ± 3.8% were recorded in third instar and adult female PMB, respectively, and lower parasitism rates of 43.8 ± 4.6 % were recorded in second instars, under no-choice test conditions. Significant differences in host choice were noted when A. papayae was offered several host stages, with third instars being preferred over second instars. Adult females were preferred over third instars. Adult parasitoids were released and monitored for their establishment at six papaya farms in the Coastal region of Kenya from December 2021 to November 2022. Parasitoid establishment was recovered within the first month of release. Parasitism levels varied across the sites with the highest parasitism of 72.89 % recorded in Kwale. Findings from this study highlight the potential of A. papayae as a good candidate for biological control of PMB in Kenya and Africa beyond.

Re-orientating agricultural research to address complex challenges: Legitimacy dynamics of a hybrid research organisation

Agricultural research organisations play a critical role in the agri-food system; not only through the provision of research and technologies, but also by brokering relationships with stakeholders throughout the research process to create impact. Yet over the past decade, as the focus has shifted towards such multi-actor innovation processes, the role and legitimacy of the agricultural research organisations world-wide has been challenged. Occupying an intermediary position in agricultural innovation systems means that agricultural research institute legitimacy is constantly under pressure from the rural community, academics, policy makers, industry, and general society as the institute attempts to be all things to all people. Here we present the outcomes of an organisational change programme within an applied agricultural research organisation, in response to a government-led agenda to increase impact for research users. By using institutional theory of hybrid organisation legitimacy, we shed light on the multiple institutional logics that co-exist within an agricultural research institute, and how these align with the external institutional environment. We show that with the introduction of a new multi-actor innovation logic, attempts were made to legitimise, externally and internally, knowledge co-production. Yet agricultural research organisations, and those who work within them, need dedicated time for learning and reflecting on the values, beliefs, and practices of the different actors in the innovation system, otherwise they only selectively adopt practices that maintain existing institutional logics. The main theoretical implications show how that change towards an impact culture is influenced by the existing logics, and how organisational legitimacy provides a framing for understanding the success (or otherwise) of introducing new modes of innovation in hybrid research organisations. Practically, space and resourcing are needed to experiment with new logics and deliberate strategies are required to increase the repertoire of research roles while maintaining internal and external legitimacy. The practical implications demonstrate the barriers and opportunities of re-orientating hybrid agricultural research institutes, agricultural innovation systems, and the roles of the researchers that work in them, to deliver to the complex societal challenges facing the agri-food sector.

Seed credit model in Uganda”: Participation and empowerment dynamics among smallholder women and men farmers

Seed is life and can be a source of empowerment and disempowerment for women and men farmers. In this study, to close the gender gaps in seed, the Community Enterprises Development Organization, the Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT and the National Agricultural Research Organization developed a seed credit model available to men and women belonging to farmer groups. A mixed method was used to collect information from two districts in central Uganda on how the seed credit model reconstructed access, use, control and resulting benefits. Results showed that the provision of the seed credit model was considered a blessing even though it had many nuances. As a result of the seed credit model, we saw increased productivity in women's fields, increased income and decision making over income incurred from the sale of their crops. Their social status has been enhanced, and they now occupy a place of respect in their communities and households, where they can make decisions and get assets like houses and land. While it increased productivity, income and enhanced food and nutrition security needs of the family, it also changed power dynamics within the household as women become more empowered. To maintain power relations, men limited women's access to fertile land and family labor, which defined the quantity of seed gotten from the seed credit model. Women's participation and involvement in the seed credit model decreased over time as they were expected to pay their spouses' seed loans. Men's participation decreased because they were no longer entrusted with seed loans as their payment rate was very low. As we reap positive benefits, we have to ensure we don't ‘do harm’ when empowering our beneficiaries.

Breeding of Buckwheat in Kyushu Okinawa Agricultural Research Center, NARO

The Kyushu Okinawa Agricultural Research Center is one of the regional agricultural research and development centers of the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) in Japan. The center aims to bring NARO’s agricultural technologies to the forefront of agriculture.

Reconfiguring Farming Systems of Smallholders with Market-Led Approach: A Case Study in Northeast Thailand

Agricultural research and development organizations are under pressure to shift from increasing productivity of crops to increasing the profitability and competitiveness of smallholders and linking small-scale farmers to profitable markets. This paper discusses the efforts to assist small-scale farmers to become more sustainable and market oriented. Data were taken from a 5-year participatory action project in a village in Northeast Thailand during 2014–2018. We found that a market-led extension approach can enable farmers to optimize their returns from farming by selecting farm enterprises based on market opportunities for both existing and new products. Farmers need to apply post-harvesting management, including processing, grading, standardization of produce, value adding, packaging, branding, and certification in the process. Collaboration and long-term commitments on the part of scientists, local stakeholders, policymakers, and funding organizations need to be furthered strengthened.