MP1humid

= **MP 1: Agricultural Systems for the Poor and Vulnerable** = = **Component 2: Integrated Systems for the Humid Tropics** =



More than 2.6 billion people, many of whom are poor and vulnerable, live in the humid tropics of Africa, Asia, and the Americas. A large proportion depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. Alleviating poverty and improving opportunities for income generation while conserving the natural resources of this globe-spanning ecosystem, which covers an area of about 3.5 billion ha, will require a systems approach to farming, marketing, infrastructure, policy, and institutions. Mega Program 1, Component 2 (MP1.2) fosters integrated agricultural production systems in the Humid Forest (1.8 billion ha) and the Sub-Humid (1.7 billion ha) agroecologies. Development needs will drive research and innovation in these systems, based on participation by all stakeholders, including the poor and vulnerable. Sub-programs for different farming systems will open new areas of research and offer more opportunities for novel Research for Development (R4D) approaches and partnerships. The planning timeframe for MP1.2 is 20 years, with an initial six-year period to establish an operational framework with essential management, communication, baseline information, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. This will help guide investment and activities of other mega projects to support efficient and effective development. Although this initial proposal was developed based on the experience and knowledge of IITA, CIAT, icipe, ILRI, CIP, AVRDC – The World Vegetable Center, ICRAF-The World Agroforestry Center, IWMI, and Bioversity International, it is recognized that participation of other key stakeholders including farming-systems participants (beneficiaries) is required to finalize a full proposal by October 2010. This could involve the use of world-café strategic planning sessions in the target areas.

A concerted effort to integrate activities at all levels will bring about the greatest improvement in human welfare in the shortest time in the humid tropics. As a systems-focused program, MP1.2 must ensure integration with other mega programs that are developing components applicable to this ecosystem. Research will aim for rapid productivity improvements at the system level, with due attention to sustainable use of natural resources and resilience to climate change. The mega project will employ a value chain perspective that includes agroenterprises, with a strong emphasis on crops, livestock, tropical fruits, and vegetables production. All research will be conducted in close partnership with agro-systems participants, NARS, universities, subregional research organizations, private sector, NGOs, and other stakeholders.

Given the region’s numbers of vulnerable people, particularly of poor women and children and those groups suffering from chronic and infectious diseases, a research for development program tightly focused on the particular constraints and opportunities for agricultural systems in the humid tropics has the potential to rapidly reduce global poverty and raise food security. An agroecosystem perspective integrating natural and human elements on-farm and off-farm can contribute to wider ecosystem sustainability. With the diversity of women’s roles in mixed crop-livestock rainfed agricultural systems in the humid tropics, gender research with a strong outcome orientation will inform and enhance other CGIAR research. This mega project will include capacity strengthening for women farmers and other women actors in the food and income value chains.