Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa is facing many challenges. Population growth and rapid
urbanization in combination with deterioration of arable land, water and natural resources call for
intensified research on sustainable intensification of food production. But increased productivity is
not enough – research must also take into consideration how production of food can reduce poverty
and malnutrition while at the same time secure productive environments for future needs. This
multi-dimensional task will not find simple and straightforwardly scalable solutions, as one of the big
challenges is the heterogeneity of needs and production environments in Sub-Saharan Africa.
In response to this, the US government has launched the initiative Feed the Future, and, by support
of USAID, Africa RISING (Africa Research In Sustainable Intensification for the Next Generation) is one
of the programs to implement this initiative (Africa RISING 2012). One of the cornerstones of Africa
RISING is to support integrated farming systems, i e farming systems that integrate annual and
perennial crops for cash and subsistence, livestock and its products as well as soil and water
conservation measures in order to sustain production and household income in a long-term
perspective. An integrated system is also integrating the post-harvest and marketing aspects of
agricultural production along value chains, as well as the institutional, socio-cultural and economic
considerations of production and sustainable livelihoods. In this respect, institutional innovation in
relation to sustainable intensification becomes an obvious focal point.
Within a wide definition of integrated farming systems as above, there must be room for innovative
approaches to individual components of the system, such as new crop or livestock varieties,
agricultural inputs or marketing aspects along a particular value chain. It is however crucial to assess
the effects of such modifications of single components on the system, and furthermore to develop
(and try) more comprehensive approaches to integrated farming that is sometimes not apparent at
the farm (household) or plot level. In order to address primary challenges of reducing poverty and
halt environmental degradation, we must not lose sight of these overarching goals in the name of
disciplinary research success. It is certainly true that research must follow its own logic and that
results cannot be forced to the front, but only by working together across academic and
administrative boundaries, the long-term needs can be fulfilled. The approach of this report is
therefore academic as well as practical, critical as well as pragmatic. As the results are based on vast
amounts of research and other reports, secondary data, but also years of earlier fieldwork
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experience with Tanzanian farmers, it is necessary to outline the scope for this particular task as it is
presented within the Africa RISING Framework.