The University of Manitoba’s Natural Systems Agricultural Research Group is currently collaborating with partner organizations of Foodgrains Bank’s members, to establish tangible data behind the Nature+ initiative and facilitate greater understanding of the impact nature-based interventions have on biodiversity, crop/plant productivity, soil health, water management, ecosystem services, and animal health. This article was written by research associates Dr. Michelle Carkner and Dr. Sasha Loewen, with support from Dr. Martin Entz.
The Nature+ program being implemented across Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe, has projects rooted in the principles of nature within a local context to help small-scale farmers deal with prolonged droughts, devastating floods, and erratic weather.
The nature-based projects include conservation agriculture, assisted natural regeneration (a blend of active planting and passive restoration), improved water management, and sustainable rangeland and livestock management.
In Ethiopia, Ameru Abda (bottom centre) is one of 8,250 people participating in a Nature+ program implemented by Lutheran World Federation Ethiopia, with support from Canadian Lutheran World Relief and the Foodgrains Bank. “What makes me happy is getting good product from the farm,” says Ameru. “We lost lots of things when we were in Addis Ababa… I have lots of wishes, but to have a nice and good life helping my kids with their needs would be my greatest wish. I want to produce from my farm… [and] to send all my children to school.” (Photo: Bete-Semay Creative Media)
As researchers, we aren’t taking a top-down approach to science by setting the research objectives and measurements taken, then analyzing the data, and telling the story from our perspective. We are taking a participatory research approach.
What does this look like? We co-design the research objectives by building relationships with staff from the various organizations and listening to what information farmers want to know from the interventions they are implementing on their land.
In addition, we’ve held workshops to train local partners on how to choose the sites they collect data from, to make sure the differences we see in the results are reflective of the intervention being implemented, not because of some other factor we aren’t measuring or accounting for. For example, is a maize harvest better due to mulching practices, or because manure is spread closer to the animal shelters, and that is where the data was collected?
Having these kinds of conversations about the scientific method also builds research capacity and observational skills of Foodgrains Bank staff, member agency staff, in-country partners, and participating farmers overseas.
This story was originally published in the 2025 Winter edition of Breaking Bread.
