Wheat and weeds: food and feed

The idea of a collaborative project between Bolivia and Ethiopia stems from a CIMMYT site similarity analysis of the main research areas of the Bolivian national wheat programme (PROTRIGO). This study showed a great deal of similarity between the central high plateau of Ethiopia and the valley region of Bolivia, as well as with the central high plateau of Mexico, the site of CIMMYT's headquarters. The similarity between the Ethiopian and Bolivian regions, and the farming systems of their inhabitants, is clearly evident in the papers presented in the present volume. Given this similarity, Douglas Tanner and Thomas Payne of CIMMYT's regional wheat programme based in Ethiopia, together with Jeroen Dijkman of the International Livestock Research Institute (lLRI) decided to present a proposal to the CGIAR System-wide Livestock Programme (SLP) for work on wheat/livestock interactions on the small farms in these two geographical areas. "The System-wide Livestock Programme is a CGIAR research initiative to improve livestock feed resources and natural resource management in crop-livestock agriculture. The SLP works through ecoregional consortia consisting of national agricultural research systems of developing countries, advanced research institutes of developed countries and international agricultural research centres. The objective of this project is to support development of technology and policy options for improved production and utilisation of feed resources in rainfed crop-livestock systems and natural resource management." (http://www.cgiar.org/ilri/research/proj8.cfm). The SLP funded the first stage of this project: two stakeholder workshops, one each in Bolivia and Ethiopia, and the preparation of the final project proposal based on the deliberations and decisions taken. During the workshops, participants analysed the factors limiting the productivity of small farms in the highland areas of Bolivia and Ethiopia, the causes of these problems, and possible research interventions to overcome them, concentrating on aspects with strong crop/livestock interactions. These proceedings present the background papers presented in these workshops, together with summaries of the results of the discussion sessions. Participants invested a considerable amount of time in the preparation of the papers, and these wi1l provide important baseline information for the proposed project between the two countries, and valuable reference material for scientists working in the tropical highland areas.

Bibliographic Details

Main Author:	Wall, P.C.
Format:	Conference Proceedings biblioteca
Language:	English Spanish
Published:	CIMMYT 2001
Subjects:	AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES AND BIOTECHNOLOGY, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, FOOD PRODUCTION, HIGHLANDS, CROP PRODUCTION, WEED CONTROL, WEEDS,
Online Access:	http://hdl.handle.net/10883/3946
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!