The Agricultural
Research Station in Cinzana
- background
- objectives
- key factors of the research
station's success
- the cinzana research
harvest
- key technologies in the
pipeline
- the evolving role of the Foundation
- additional information
1 Background
The Cinzana Agricultural Research Station was conceived
in 1979 as a joint project of the Government of Mali,
the United States Agency for International Development
(USAID), the International Crops Research Institute
for the Semiarid Tropics (ICRISAT), and the Syngenta
Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture (then Ciba-Geigy
Foundation for Cooperation with Developing Countries).
Cinzana is a small village lying about 35km east of
Ségou between the Niger and Bani rivers in Mali's
most important millet-growing area. The Station's 280
hectares of land comprise five different types of soil.
As only about 80ha have been used to date, there are
ample reserves for expanding research and breeding activity.
Three generators supply the Station with electricity
independently of the public grid. Water is pumped in
through a subterranean pipeline from a source 7km away.
The Station's main compound consists of laboratories,
an office building, warehouses, workshops and living
quarters.
The official opening of the Station on 15 July 1983,
four years after the signing of the declaration of intent,
marked the first milestone of success in what was to
prove an, in every sense, unusually fruitful collaboration
among the four partners. The Government of Mali provided
the land and, in cooperation with ICRISAT, designed
the Station and the research facilities, while USAID
and our Foundation shared the investment costs.
Once inaugurated, the Station became a part of Mali's
national research program under government authority
with a Malian director in charge. The non-Malian partners
helped to finance running costs and contributed technical,
scientific and management support. From the start, the
Government paid the salaries of Station personnel employed
in an official capacity and still does. Until 1989,
USAID and our Foundation jointly covered all other operating
costs - for equipment, instruments, vehicles, fertilizer,
seed, fuel, etc. As had been formally agreed, that year
ICRISAT and USAID withdrew from the project. Since that
time we have funded the operating costs alone, and this
commitment to an exceptionally successful project will
be continued by the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable
Agriculture too.
2 Objectives
The Malian government had declared domestic food production
to be insufficient. From the outset therefore Cinzana
aimed at improving agricultural productivity with sustained
increases in pearl millet yields as the principal target.
Small farmers are the main pearl millet growers in Mali
and throughout The Sahel. The research effort thus had
to focus on making improved seed varieties and cultivation
methods accessible to them without entailing additional,
expensive inputs. All evaluations of the program confirm
that this aim has been achieved.
The first task was to find varieties with genetic traits
optimally suited to the conditions of the local environment.
To this end the researchers first set about "filtering"
the traditional local varieties in order to select the
most productive. An essential requirement for breeding
is plant material exhibiting a broad range of genetic
variation from which a few genotypes having the desired
characteristics can be selected and reproduced. To avert
the danger of losing valuable genes from traditional
varieties these as well as primitive forms and related
wild species have to be systematically collected, evaluated
and stored. Thus the start-up phase included the set-up
of a seed bank of all local millet varieties and some
wild species - about 1200 in all.
Trials with millets from India and North America rounded
off the first investigations. They showed clearly that
the varieties imported for experimental purposes were
not suitable for cultivating or breeding In the Sahel.
Among the local varieties, however, certain lines were
identified as very suitable for breeding. Early-maturing
varieties from southern Mali with a growing period of
only 90 days were selected and planted in the north
of the country.
These varieties made it possible to bring in tolerably
good harvests even in the low-rainfall north. In the
southern part of the millet-growing region the small
farmers now plant parts of their fields with the same
early-maturing variety as a kind of insurance against
having to pay high prices for millet hoarded by dealers
should their stores from the last harvest of the year
get depleted. Instead they can harvest their own early
millet with which to feed their families.
Good results were obtained with Toroniou de Níngali,
a millet variety from the Dogon Plateau that was re-selected
and then crossed with varieties selected in Cinzana.
This new variety brings yields exceeding those normally
recorded in the south by some 60kg per hectare - around
514 kg/ha, compared with 454kg/ha. Moreover, its growing
period is one week shorter and it exhibits superior
resistance to both drought and pests. Toroniou de Níngali
shows these results under conditions typical of subsistence
agriculture in Mali and other Sahelian countries. To
put what may at first glance seem a modest gain in graphic
terms: 60 kilograms of millet is enough to feed a child
for one year. Cinzana is now producing basic seed from
the Toroniou variety as a prelude to more extensive
seed production. So as to display the qualities of this
re-selected millet variety to small farmers throughout
the region the Station has planted demonstration fields
and organized excursions for them.
Efforts to increase productivity with locally appropriate
intercropping have also brought interesting results.
Millet/cowpea intercropping increased the harvest by
around 10%, from 646kg/ha to 722kg/ha. In contrast to
the traditional practice of scattering the seed more
or less randomly, alternate rows of millet and cowpea
were laid carefully. Although quite a simple improvement,
the method has several advantages. Thanks to its nodule
bacteria, cowpea can fix nitrogen from the atmosphere
and use it to enrich the soil. Because the available
moisture is better utilized the risk of losing the harvest
when the rains are uneven is reduced. This method also
simplifies cultivation. Cowpea's tolerance of and in
part resistance to Striga, a semi-parasitic wild plant,
inhibits expansion of the weed. Since cowpea and millet
have different growing periods, the fragile soils are
covered longer and thus better protected against erosion
by rain and wind.
Another research objective of the Cinzana Station is
the selection and breeding of millet varieties resistant
to downy mildew and the breeding of hairy grain husks
to thwart birds as competitors for the harvest. It is
also working to improve fertilization techniques by
using farmyard manure and composted millet stalks. After
studies extending over several years the researchers
found that, for example, adding straw increased manure
substance by 42% without impairing its nitrogen content.
Field trials have established that with this simple
fertilization technique it is possible to raise yields
by 30-35%.
An evaluation of the Cinzana Research Station carried
out by independent experts in January 1992 concluded,
as had previous expertises, that the Station was doing
an outstanding job. Whether its work need not shy comparison
with that of kindred institutions in the United States,
as USAID has attested, is less important than the fact
that the Station has taken on model value for Mali and
other countries of The Sahel.
The success of the research and breeding work done
at Cinzana shows that it is not necessary to wait for
some "major breakthrough" as the solution to highly
complex problems - in this case the adequate supply
of food In the Sahel. Many small steps undertaken in
the direction of modest successes can also lead in time
to a substantially improved situation.
3 Key
factors of the research station's success
3.1 clear objectives
Right from the start, all of the partners had a clear
- cut objective in common: the establishment of
a national agricultural research station with the mission
of improving Mali's millet - based agriculture.
3.2 continuity
During the construction of the station our Foundation
regularly seconded engineers, technicians and other
experts from company headquarters in Basel. They lent
their support to coordinating and supervising construction
and the purchase of materials.
Once construction was completed we set up four part-time
support positions that were likewise filled by volunteers
from the parent company: a project manager, a research
support scientist, station management support, and an
electrical engineer. Their presence at the Station is
required for ten days or so a year. Their long-term,
dependable commitment has helped create a solid working
relationship of trust with the Malian partners. And
since external support is confined to brief periods,
the Malian staff have the chance to develop their own
leadership qualities and initiative. Because the Foundation
can draw on the know-how available in-house there is
no need to employ expatriate specialists. As a result
our financial support consists almost exclusively in
covering the running costs of the Station.
Long-term technical backing is essential to a project
such as Cinzana. It is feasible if the experts are delegated
for short periods but maintain a long-standing and clearly
defined association with the project. This arrangement
ensures a continuous transfer of know-how at minimum
cost and at the same time gives the host country colleagues
a motivation to take on full responsibility. They set
their own goals and make their own decisions but can
also count on external assistance if and when needed.
3.3 working partnership
Right at the start of the project a Board of Directors
was formed consisting of the head of agricultural research
in Mali, the Cinzana Station director, the Station accountant,
a representative of the farming community, a representative
of our Foundation and of another donor. Until 1990 ICRISAT
was also represented.
The role of this body is mainly to oversee finances
as well as determine the research orientation of the
Station. The members meet formally once a year - informally,
working contacts are much more frequent. Over the years,
the board has served as a catalyst of clear communication,
a mediator when there were differences of opinion, and
a moral and political prop for the Station head.
A functioning steering committee such as this Board
of Directors, whose membership includes both the local
leadership and representatives of the most important
donor organizations, helps first of all to bring about
greater clarity in finances and management matters.
The creation and operation of a Board of Directors
composed of both Malian leadership and representatives
of key donors and support groups enhances transparency
in finances and management and provides a legitimate
forum for input from all key partners regarding the
re-partitioning of the budget. This also ensures that
donors have a forum in which to insist on result-driven
research.
3.4 baseline studies
Research at the Station began with a number of baseline
studies carried out to collect data on the region's
water balance, nature of the soils, socio-economic conditions,
crops grown, cultivation methods, and so on.
The results of those initial studies are periodically
compared with subsequent surveys. In 1980, working together
with Swiss hydrologists, the Cinzana researchers conducted
a survey of wells in the villages surrounding the Station
with a view to ascertaining high- and low-water levels
in the course of a year. In 1982-83 all four soil types
in the region were investigated in detail and mapped.
Since then the map has been used to keep track of fertility
and yields. A soil "library" was also compiled, consisting
of samples from 300 different sites. Topographic surveys
provided an information base for terracing the Station's
grounds. Planted with grass, the earthen terraces -
and with them the fields they protect - have held up
well against erosion.
A socio-economic survey carried out in 1984 encompassed
the villages within a 50km radius of the Station. It
gathered data on their ethnicity, social organization,
field sizes and cropping patterns, sources and levels
of income, etc. The survey was repeated in 1989 in order
to measure the adoption rates of the agricultural technologies
developed at the Station and their socio-economic impacts.
A third follow-up study took place in 1994. The information
gained from these reviews makes it possible to align
planning and programming to the actual situation of
the target groups.
3.5 on-farm research program
The necessity of an on-farm testing program became
evident as early as 1985, when it turned out that some
of the cropping methods developed at the Station failed
in the farmers' fields.
Whereas millet yields on-Station regularly amounted
to between 2-3 tons per hectare, among the farmers they
seldom surpassed a ton. Moreover, several of the millet
and sorghum varieties developed at Cinzana brought notably
smaller yields under actual farming conditions than
did the varieties traditionally used. One main reason
had to do with significant differences in soil types.
As a consequence a group of agronomists from the capital,
Bamako, set about designing, planning and carrying out
on-farm research. The board of directors managed to
convince the Government to approve the appointment of
an agronomist at Cinzana who would be responsible for
running the trials under the supervision of the Bamako
group. He was gradually entrusted with more and more
autonomy, and since about 1991 the job has been entirely
in the hands of Cinzana Station staff.
Since some of the staff live in the villages during
the growing and harvesting season, the Station has a
number of "local antennae". Today the on-farm research
program, supervised by the Station agronomist and the
extension services, includes more than 50 farms. Several
demonstration fields laid out along major roads are
also part of the program. The Station agronomist is
an important liaison with the regional extension services
and participates regularly in planning meetings, training
activities, and demonstrations. He is further responsible
for technology transfer.
To retain its relevance, a research station must continually
update its core program to adapt to the changing needs
of its target farming community. An interactive link
between station and on-farm research helps to maintain
links with farmers, and is determinant in a station's
ability to produce appropriate technologies.
The extension agencies, which receive substantial funding
from both the World Bank and the International Fund
for Agricultural Development (IFAD), are important multipliers
for the Cinzana Station. In their determination to bring
about visible and measurable practical results in smallhold
farming, these support services are also promoting the
transfer of the technology developed at the Station
and proved in the field.
4 The
Cinzana research harvest
The Cinzana Station has continued to develop, no longer
concentrating on improved millet varieties alone but
broadening its activities to address a whole range of
problems faced by the farming communities of the Ségou
region. Among the technological advances that large
parts of the farming population have responded to positively
are these:
4.1 early cowpea varieties
In 1984 the Station produced new cowpea varieties that
were then grown on state-run farms. Some of the seed
got into the hands of seasonal workers - and two years
later demand for the new varieties exploded. The two
most popular ones, originating with the International
Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), were screened
at Cinzana. By 1986, under the aegis of an IFAD-funded
project, several tons of seed had been distributed to
the small farmers of the region. The socio-economic
survey of 1989 found that 45% of them within a radius
of 50 kilometers had gone over to the new varieties.
4.2 cowpea-millet flour blend
The Nutritional Technology Institute in Bamako found
out that a 25% admixture of cowpea flour with millet
flour, while not altering the taste of infant and adult
food, doubled its protein and lysine content.
With the unexpected success of the new varieties the
households of the region had an abundance of cowpeas.
An information campaign using radio spots, demonstrations,
posters and other channels was launched to promote the
use of the flour blend. It had an impact all over the
country. Many women in the rural areas now blend the
flour using their own home-grown ingredients, and in
the urban areas the finished product is sold by a retail
distributor under the trade name Mileg.
With the backing of KIT, the Dutch Royal Tropical Institute,
and the Syngenta Foundation young, dynamic Malian nutrition
technician has been enabled to produce a flour blend
of impeccable quality in a small-scale operation and
to market it. (The first quality controls were carried
out in the Nestlé laboratories in Switzerland.)
The overriding aim of the whole venture is to improve
children’s diet and to open up to the farmers better
marketing opportunities for their millet and cowpeas.
4.3 intercropping
Following initial failures with more complicated methods,
the Cinzana researchers found a simple intercropping
technique in which millet and cowpea are planted in
alternating rows.
Field trials demonstrated that this method gives yields
10% higher than a millet or cowpea mono-culture. Besides
the greater yields the technique very effectively protects
the soil against erosion. Introduced through the extension
services in 1991, by 1993 it was being used everywhere.
4.4 toroniou, a dogon millet variety
Toroniou is one of the 850 local millets that were
screened for various characteristics in 1981-83.
This variety came from a remote village in the Dogon
country and was until then unknown in the Ségou
region. Toroniou shows remarkable tolerance to stem
borer and adapts readily all over the country. At Cinzana
it was re-selected and upgraded, then tested in numerous
field trials. With grain yields from Toroniou 10% higher
than those achieved with the customary local varieties,
it has since come into widespread use.
4.5 technology package
Since 1993, Toroniou has been distributed together
with an all-round technology "package": the millet cowpea
intercrop containing a Striga-resistant cowpea variety
and the seed protectant Apron-Plus®.
Under smallhold farming conditions this package can
bring yields outstripping those achieved with local
varieties and the usual tilling methods by some 50%
- and without having to use more fertilizer Seed treatment,
in particular with Apron-Plus®, has been such a
hit with the farmers that available supplies lag behind
demand. Most importantly though, this technology makes
life easier for the farmers because birds do not eat
the treated seed, so after-sowing is no longer necessary.
And the farmers' incomes are increasing, provided they
work the qualitatively improved fertilizers and compost
into their seedbeds as instructed by the researchers
rather than, as has been the usual practice, broadcasting
them.
4.6 social marketing of natural vitamin
sources
Fruit from the baobab
tree contains a very high concentration of vitamin C
(2200 ppm on average), and are found in abundance In
the Sahel.
While people do use the fruit for drinks and gruels,
they are unaware of its vitamin content and health benefits.
Similarly, the baobab
leaves contain a high level of vitamin A. Vitamin A
deficiency is a chronic health problem in rural Mali,
yet the vitamin A benefits from baobab
leaves are not widely known. In collaboration with agronomists,
foresters, and food technologists from other institutes,
Cinzana researchers will undertake a social marketing
campaign 1998-99 to inform the population about these
benefits.
5 Key technologies
in the pipeline
5.1 new millet and sorghum varieties
After more than 10 years of breeding work, new experimental
millet and sorghum varieties appear promising enough
for on-farm testing.
The CIVAREX series of millets are medium height (about
1.5m while local varieties are 2-3m) and offer yield
potential slightly greater than local varieties. Selections
were grown on-farm in 1994. The sorghum varieties are
local tall varieties and high-yield, short-statured
varieties, but with significantly higher yield potential
than the locals. In both cases, the research objective
is to establish intensive and sustainable intercropping
systems.
5.2 rational use of manure and compost
Experiments are now under way to maximize the fertilizer
effectiveness of farmyard manure by composting it with
straw, and by changing the method of application.
Already, on-farm trials indicate that application of
only 3-4 tons manure per hectare improves millet yields
on the order of 20%. In exploratory tests, application
placement, amount, and timing are being varied on the
millet-cowpea intercrop in order to optimize the fertilizer
effect while minimizing the amount of manure applied.
The objective is to produce a manure recommendation
that can be used to further enhance the millet-cowpea
intercrop and crop rotations.
5.3 use of "living fences"
The agroforestry group at Cinzana discovered a native
bush (Zizyphus sp) that establishes well without depressing
yields of adjacent millet crops.
The berries produced by the bush are used as a household
condiment. The use of living fences to protect areas
against roaming animals is an idea welcomed by farmers.
Traditionally, winter hedges are constructed from cut
branches, competing with firewood uses. The first Zizyphus
seedlings were distributed to farmers in 1994. Methods
are now being developed to enable farmers to grow their
own Zizyphus tree nurseries.
5.4 millet-manioc and millet-yam intercropping
Both the millet-manioc and the millet-yam intercrops
have proven very promising in on-station experiments.
Success with these methods may lead to the widespread
introduction of manioc and yam propagation stocks, now
lacking in the Ségou area. Manioc cuttings were
distributed to some farmers in 1994.
6 The evolving
role of the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture
Initially, our Foundation established a number of criteria
about the type of agricultural project it might support.
The project should be in a poor country, it should benefit
poor farmers, it should increase food production, and
it should be part of a government effort rather than
an expatriate enclave. Additionally, the project was
to be noncommercial in the sense that it was not intended
or expected to develop market opportunities for products
made by the parent company in Switzerland. The decision
to support the Cinzana research station met these criteria.
The Foundation's role evolved as circumstances changed.
Initially, it was to join USAID in co-financing the
management and operation of the research station. The
Foundation also provided some technical assistance,
especially with regard to the layout and management
of the station's workshops and the maintenance and operation
of farm equipment. The technical aspects of the Cinzana
research program were assisted by staff from ICRISAT.
Our Foundation also had a representative on the research
station's board of directors, which has met regularly
to review station operations. With the withdrawal of
USAID and ICRISAT, the Foundation took on a bigger role
in the agro technical aspects of the station's work.
Over the long run it is likely that Syngenta will continue
to be called upon to provide more scientific support
to the researchers at Cinzana. Many of these scientists
are recent graduates who could benefit from the advice
and views of the scientific staff of the Syngenta corporation
itself. Such support could be pivotal in reducing the
sense of isolation of researchers and enhancing the
quality of research.
In the years to come it will be increasingly important
that the varieties and technologies developed by the
Station find much wider application. In view of the
immense food security problems In the Sahel region,
the dissemination and adoption rates of Cinzana’s innovations
is still unsatisfactory. The Station’s impact on the
poor farming households depends highly on strong extension
agencies that concentrate on smallholdings.
7 Additional
information
7.1 recent updates
- Cowpea-Millet intercropping to control striga. A
cowpea variety was discovered to have both resistance
to cowpea striga (Striga gesneroides) and also to
have an aggressive depression effect on millet striga
(Striga hermontheca). The cowpea variety is a selection
from IITA (IT89KD245) and has been given a local Malian
variety name "Sangaraka". 1997 on-farm trials indicated
that this method could reduce millet striga up to
50%.
- Millet variety "IndiaNa". This is a re-selected
variety from the Dogon Plain. It was shown on station
research to have extraordinary yield potential - with
yield potential regularly attaining over 3T/ha under
modest fertility. The high yield potential is thanks
to the uniform tillering and consistent long, well-filled
spikes. In full season variety trials in 1997 we obtained
yields 26 than local checks under low input trials
and 20% higher than local checks under modest input
trials. A downy mildew tolerant version of IndiaNa
has been synthesized and will be tested for the first
time in 1998.
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