Objective 1 – Developing and Validating Technologies, Approaches, and Practices
With the primary emphasis on translational research, one of the main objectives of the first objective of the Feed the Future Soil Fertility Technology (SFT) Adoption, Policy Reform and Knowledge Management Project (RFS-SFT) is to bridge the gap between scientific research and effective technology dissemination to smallholder farmers in FTF countries. The technology dissemination process depends on conducting research on well-characterized sites with a collection of site-specific data on soils, daily weather, socioeconomics, and management.
Outcomes of Objective 1
The proposed activities within Objective 1 are expected to result in (a) increased agricultural productivity; (b) improved soil fertility, soil health, and plant nutrition; (c) increased climatic resilience through increased abiotic and biotic stress tolerance; (d) reduced nutrient losses; (e) greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation; and (f) overall improved resource use efficiency (nutrients, water, land, and labor). The overall goal is to close the yield gap and produce more with less.
Objective 1 activities are categorized as follows:
• Technologies developed, refined, and adapted to improve nitrogen use efficiency
• Activated phosphate rock (PR) evaluation and validation to improve PR reactivity and phosphorus (P) efficiency
• Balanced crop nutrition
• Sustainable intensification practices
• Improving the cropping system model for soil sustainability processes.
Objective 2 – Supporting Policy Reform Processes, Advocacy, and Market Development
Under Objective 2, IFDC conducts evidence-based research to support input policy reform initiatives. More specifically, IFDC focuses on fertilizer policies for market development, with emphasis on accelerating agricultural growth using improved crop management technologies, especially fertilizers and complementary inputs. The three broad categories under this workstream include documenting fertilizer/input market policy reform processes and engagement with partners to influence policy reforms, conducting impact assessments, and carrying out economic studies.
Together with Workstream 1 and other field-based IFDC operations, these studies will add to IFDC’s knowledge management system, contributing to databases that provide useful information to draw lessons learned and identify gaps for further action or research.