Papers by Margaret McEwan
Root, Tuber and Banana Food System Innovations, 2022
Gender-responsive breeding is a new approach to making sure modern breeding takes advantage of op... more Gender-responsive breeding is a new approach to making sure modern breeding takes advantage of opportunities to improve gender equality in agriculture. Conventional research on the acceptability of modern varieties has scarcely addressed gender differences during adoption studies. Gender-responsive breeding starts from a different premise that adoption and social impact will be enhanced if gender is addressed at early stages of variety design and priority setting in breeding. However, until recently, there was no concrete way to integrate gender considerations into the practice of breeding. This chapter draws lessons for the future from three RTB breeding programs innovating with gender-responsive breeding with a focus on piloting novel tools. The new G+ tools are designed to help gender researchers and breeders make joint, evidence-based decisions about the significance of gender differences for customer targeting and trait prioritization in variety development. Their piloting in t...
Springer eBooks, 2022
Triple S (Storage in Sand and Sprouting) is a root-based system for conserving and multiplying sw... more Triple S (Storage in Sand and Sprouting) is a root-based system for conserving and multiplying sweetpotato planting material at the household level. In sub-Saharan Africa, farmers predominantly source planting material by cutting vines from volunteer plants that sprout from roots left in the field from a previous crop. However, it takes 6 to 8 weeks after the rains start to produce enough vines for
CGIAR Research Program on Roots Tubers and Bananas, Jul 1, 2021
the Value Chains for Food and Nutrition Security (eds J. Low et al.) 289 Abstract In sub-Saharan ... more the Value Chains for Food and Nutrition Security (eds J. Low et al.) 289 Abstract In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), a range of farmerbased practices for the conservation and multiplication of sweetpotato planting material has evolved. In bimodal rainfall areas, sequential planting ensures that a ware crop is in the ground for most of the year, and vines are harvested from one crop to plant the next one. In unimodal areas with a long dry season, practices include the use of ‘volunteer’ planting material from sprouting roots which have been left in the ground from the previous crop. The predominant sources of planting material are from the farmer’s own field or from friends or neighbours. However, these practices result in limited amounts of planting material being available at the start of the rains and contribute to the build-up of pests and diseases contributing to suboptimal root crop production. Sweetpotato breeding efforts are leading to the development of new varieties that are pref...
In Tanzania and Uganda affordable net tunnel technology to protect quality sweetpotato planting m... more In Tanzania and Uganda affordable net tunnel technology to protect quality sweetpotato planting material from virus vectors is being scaled out. Since May 2013, 140 net tunnels have now been established with farmer-multipliers with over 3.7 million cuttings produced. 42 multipliers and seed inspectors in Lake Zone and Zanzibar have been trained in the use of seed standards and inspection protocols which are in the final stages of ministerial approval.
Food Security
Interest is growing for the development of inclusive seed production models. However, there is li... more Interest is growing for the development of inclusive seed production models. However, there is limited understanding of gender-based roles and constraints and how these might influence gender relations in seed production. Through a case study on sweetpotato seed production in Lake Zone Tanzania, this article examines men’s and women’s roles in seed production with the introduction of specialized seed practices and a commercial orientation. The study uses data from 17 field-based plot observations and eight sex disaggregated focus group discussions (FGDs) with 33 (51% women and 48% men) decentralized vine multipliers (DVMs). Participatory, gender-based analytical tools were used to obtain an in-depth understanding of gender dimensions and implications of new seed production practices, the resources required and access to those resources. Our findings show that men and women have complementary roles in specialized seed production, and that men increased their involvement in production...
CGIAR Research Program on Roots Tubers and Bananas, Jul 1, 2021
One of the objectives of the SASHA project is to strengthen technical, financial and institutiona... more One of the objectives of the SASHA project is to strengthen technical, financial and institutional capacities for the sustainable production of pre-basic sweetpotato seed in 11 sub-Saharan African countries. This flyer outlines the schematic of sweetpotato seed system and the progress made from June 2014 to July 2015 towards achieving this objective. It specifically summarizes work in developing and testing different seed system technologies to increase the multiplication rate for sweetpotato and improve the supply of quality, early generation seed; and exploring innovative partnership business models between public research programmes and private entities that may contribute to developing commercially viable seed systems
Open Agriculture, 2022
A climate-resilient, root-based sweetpotato planting material (SPM) conservation method called “T... more A climate-resilient, root-based sweetpotato planting material (SPM) conservation method called “Triple S” or “Storage in Sand and Sprouting” has created timely access to sweetpotato planting material in areas with a prolonged dry season in Uganda and Tanzania. The aim of this study was to validate and optimize the Triple S method for conservation of sweetpotato planting material in dry areas of southern Ethiopia. The Triple S method was validated in four districts of southern Ethiopia on varieties Kulfo and Awassa 83 and compared with two common local planting material conservation methods: leaving “volunteer roots” in the soil which then sprout at the onset of rains; and planting vines under shade or mulch. Across study locations and for both varieties, Triple S resulted in a higher survival rate (81–95%) in storage during the dry season compared to the local conservation methods (7–57%). Plants of both varieties grown from roots conserved with the Triple S method showed significan...
Getting the equation right: engendering sweetpotato value chains in East Africa
Potato and sweetpotato in Africa: transforming the value chains for food and nutrition security
ABSTRACT
Root, Tuber and Banana Food System Innovations, 2022
Root, tuber, and banana (RT&B) crops are critical for global food security. They are vegetatively... more Root, tuber, and banana (RT&B) crops are critical for global food security. They are vegetatively propagated crops (VPCs) sharing common features: low reproductive rates, bulky planting materials, and vulnerability to accumulating and spreading pathogens and pests through seed. These crops are difficult to breed, so new varieties may be released slowly relative to new emerging threats. VPC seed systems are complex and face several challenges: poor-quality seed of existing varieties, low adoption rates of improved varieties, and slow varietal turnover, limiting yield increases and farmers’ ability to adapt to new threats and opportunities. Addressing these challenges requires first identifying key knowledge gaps on seed systems to guide research for development in a holistic and coherent way. Working together across 10 crops and 26 countries in Africa, Asia, and Central and South America, the CGIAR seed systems research community has developed a “Toolbox for Working with Root, Tuber,...
in 1975, provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger an... more in 1975, provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition. IFPRI's strategic research aims to foster a climate-resilient and sustainable food supply; promote healthy diets and nutrition for all; build inclusive and efficient markets, trade systems, and food industries; transform agricultural and rural economies; and strengthen institutions and governance. Gender is integrated in all the Institute's work. Partnerships, communications, capacity strengthening, and data and knowledge management are essential components to translate IFPRI's research from action to impact. The Institute's regional and country programs play a critical role in responding to demand for food policy research and in delivering holistic support for country-led development. IFPRI collaborates with partners around the world.
Ensuring that smallholder farmers access quality planting material can contribute to improved foo... more Ensuring that smallholder farmers access quality planting material can contribute to improved food security and poverty reduction. Standards and norms for Quality Declared Planting Material (QDPM) for vegetatively propagated crops were published by FAO in 2010. These were based on the recommendations of an expert consultation in 2007. To date there has been limited experience in translating these standards and norms into practical guidelines for visual inspection procedures for sweetpotato planting material produced by decentralised (tertiary level) multipliers. The paper describes how, through a participatory process, the FAO recommended standards have been translated into operational guidelines for the QDPM inspection of sweetpotato planting material in the Lake Zone Region of Tanzania. In the context of a research-for-development project, a case study approach has been used to pilot three different models with decentralised vine multipliers. The models are based on the concepts o...
Open Agriculture, 2020
Sufficient sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam) pre-basic seed at the start of the “seed” value... more Sufficient sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam) pre-basic seed at the start of the “seed” value chain is critical and often a bottleneck in the production of sweetpotato in Sub-Saharan Africa. Predominantly, pre-basic seed is multiplied in screenhouse using the conventional soil substrate method which is costly, is untenable, and achieves sub-optimal yields. The sandponics system is a better alternative for sweetpotato pre-basic seed multiplication in the screenhouse attributed to increased yields and cost-effectiveness. This experiment compared sweetpotato yield- and growth-related traits of planting materials sourced from the sandponics system with conventional soil substrate planting materials for four genotypes when grown in the field. A randomized complete block design was used with three replicates. Results showed a significant difference (p ≤ 0.05) between sources of planting materials and among genotypes for the measured traits. The interaction of source of planting materi...
In many developing countries, smallholder farmers cultivating vegetatively propagated crops (VPCs... more In many developing countries, smallholder farmers cultivating vegetatively propagated crops (VPCs) have limited access to quality planting material. This constraint can limit both the yield of and returns on VPC cultivation. Yet policy and regulatory initiatives designed to strengthen access to quality VPC planting materials have been relatively unsuccessful to date. Part of the problem is the unique biological and economic characteristics of vegetative propagation and its distinctness from cereal crops, which dominate narratives on seed system reforms. Drawing on qualitative analysis of policy and practice, this study examines reform options related to quality assurance regulations in four crop-country combinations: cassava in Nigeria and Vietnam, and potato in Kenya and Vietnam. The study highlights theory and evidence on existing models of regulation; alternative models that may better incentivize cost-effective multiplication and distribution; and recommendations for policy, reg...
Unpacking the agroclimatic challenges and determinants of sweetpotato seed conservation and multiplication strategies by smallholder farmers in Southern Ethiopia
Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems
Outlook on Agriculture
Seed systems research is central to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. I... more Seed systems research is central to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Improved varieties with promise for ending hunger, improving nutrition, and increasing livelihood security may be released, but how do they reach and benefit different types of farmers? Without widespread adoption the genetic gains achieved with improved crop varieties can never be actualized. Progress has been made toward demand responsive breeding, however the draft CGIAR 2030 Research and Innovation Strategy fails to recognize the complexity of seed systems and thus presents a narrow vision for the future of seed systems research. This points to the lack of evidence-based dialogue between seed systems researchers and breeders. This perspective paper presents findings from an interdisciplinary group of more than 50 CGIAR scientists who used a suite of seed systems tools to identify four knowledge gaps and associated insights from work on the seed systems for vegetatively propagated crop...
Open Agriculture
Farmer-based seed multiplication is widely promoted by development practitioners, but there is li... more Farmer-based seed multiplication is widely promoted by development practitioners, but there is limited understanding of the individual or collective motivations of farmers to engage or disengage in specialised seed production. The objective of this study is to understand the factors influencing the continuity of sweetpotato vine multiplication enterprises in the Lake Zone of Tanzania, five years after support from a project ended. A total of 81 out of 88 trained group or individual decentralised vine multipliers (DVMs) were traced to assess their vine multiplication activities. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected through telephone and field interviews. Our data showed that 40% of the 81 DVMs had sold vines in the year prior to the study and 20% had maintained the improved varieties for their own use. Some group members had continued vine sales as individuals. The DVMs’ reasons for abandoning vine multiplication included climatic and water access issues, market factors a...
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Papers by Margaret McEwan