In eastern Africa, termites are perceived by farmers, livestock keepers, and many development agencies as serious agricultural pests that destroy pasture, crops and wooden infrastructure. Commonly use control measures have proven to be ineffective. When the CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF) undertook research aimed at increasing agricultural water productivity in eastern Africa, termites destroyed early experiments designed to rehabilitate degraded land and increase water productivity.

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Termites are a major pest in the semi-arid and sub-humid tropics. They pose a serious threat to agricultural crops, forestry seedlings, rangelands and wooden structures. In Ethiopia the problem is particularly serious in the western part of the country, specifically in Wollega Zones of Oromia Region. In the past, several attempts were made to reduce damage caused by termites, including extensive termite mound poisoning campaigns. These interventions not only had a negative effect on the environment, but were also largely ineffective.

This strategy takes into account the new market opportunities being created for small-scale livestock producers by increasing local and global demand for high-quality livestock products (termed the Livestock Revolution) and the many pathways by which livestock has traditionally reduced poverty.

This book documents a decade of research, methodological innovation, and lessons learned in an eco-regional research-for-development program operating in the eastern African highlands, the African Highlands Initiative (AHI). It does this through reflections of the protagonists themselves—AHI site teams and partners applying action research to development innovation as a means to enhance the impact of their research.

This 2010-12 MTP presents relatively few adjustments to research plans from the previous MTP. One main cross-cutting change in the ILRI research program in 2010 will be to accelerate efforts to align research activities to the livestock development challenges presented. In preparation for that, ILRI is conducting a center-commissioned external review in 2009 looking at research into sustainable intensification of smallholder crop-livestock systems to provide a review of past activities and advice on this future focal area.