Global context/trends
Food security is a major concern since the 2007 food price crisis. This crisis was centred on rice prices, along with other staple cereal crops. Prices for these commodities remain relatively high compared to pre-crisis levels. A number of factors that drove that crisis remain intricately linked to food pricing and the certainty of production: climate change and its impacts; failures of major exporting nation
’s crops; use of cropping land for non-food crops such as biofuels; and policy responses centred on national needs. Productivity gains, particularly amongst vulnerable smallholder producers, are the best means of insuring against future shocks.
International 'fit'
Increasing farm-level food security and productivity is an ongoing challenge in developing country smallholder systems. Unproductive cropping systems have a range of factors: complex and dynamic problems requiring an understanding of inputs and their interactions; inefficient production practices; and poor incentives due to risks such as climate and market uncertainties. Cropping system research encompasses a broad range of applications of proven technology —focusing on improved management and profitability of soil fertility, conservation tillage, equipment and system interactions —as well as effective, participatory linkages between researchers, service providers and farmers of both genders.
Research themes
Research themes
Unproductive cropping systems:
Poor producer incentives:
Risk-constrained productivity or livelihoods:
Inefficient production:
Complex and dynamic production problem complexes which lack a clear definition of well focused research issues:
Priority research areas
Adjustment of farm-enterprise patterns and production practices and linkages to supporting institutions, for intensification and diversification.
For example: crop-management
–value-chain– germplasm integration, SIMLESA, Africa; wateragronomy –livestock–markets integration, southern
Laos.
Improved management of tradeoffs between crops, between inputs, between income and risk, between food supply and reliability, to lead to better profitability and livelihoods and reduced market and climate risk.
Improved resilience of cropping systems, changed crop varieties, patterns or production practices, or mitigation of market or climate risks through mechanisms such as insurance or market access.
For example: risk reduction in SIMLESA, Africa.
Overcome significant production constraints at farm – cropping-systems level (in contrast to soil or basin levels) and increase resource and input productivities/efficiencies.
For example: Happy Seeder projects, India.
Understand interactions between inputs or farm enterprises —either currently or at a future date—in order to scope and focus research questions.

Countries
Country % of budget: active projects
Delivery on corporate goals
ACIAR goal, to improve:
Food and nutrition security.
Productivity and resilience of crop, livestock, forestry and fisheries systems.
Smallholder and community livelihoods.
Individual and institutional R&D capacity.
Contributions of projects in the Cropping Systems and
Economics program
Intensified maize –legume cropping systems in east and southern Africa.
Rice varieties which fit into existing cropping systems.
Increased resilience to climate and market risks through better crop management, varieties and linkages to input and produce chains in east and southern Africa.
Conservation agriculture systems for cereal production.
Better crop-establishment methods to improve productivity and overcome labour constraints.
Diversified rice-based cropping systems which respond to new market opportunities.
Project capacity-building activities for scientists and farmers, formal and informal; John Allwright Fellowships.
Programs and projects focus research on adjustments in cropping systems and farm-level economic conditions, for increased productivity to contribute to improved food security, poverty reduction, farm-systems adjustments and household decision making, and where crops are a major source of livelihoods. As with other Australian Centre for International
Agricultural Research (ACIAR) projects in general, this program targets research which: contributes to Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); is aligned with government priorities; has commitment of local partners and champions; has Australian expertise and comparative advantage; and with high probability of impact.
This research is often associated with livestock, aquaculture and tree-crop research, as well as climate change and policy research, in order to devise systems that are biologically efficient.
Phone: + 61 2 6217 0531 Facsimile: + 61 2 6217 0501 Email: john.dixon@aciar.gov.au