Www.ciat.cgiar.org On-farm niches for (forage) legumes – some ideas Birthe K. Paul (CIAT Kenya) LegumeCHOICE project meeting, 12 th of January 2015.

www.ciat.cgiar.org

On-farm niches for (forage) legumes – some ideas

Birthe K. Paul (CIAT Kenya)

LegumeCHOICE project meeting, 12th of January 2015

Background

Forage legume technologies• Legumes are ‘picky’

regarding agroecology (altitude, rainfall, soil fertility) – site specific

• Research existing on: researcher managed on-station and on-farm trials, agronomic and participatory evaluations

• Very diverse in terms of annual/perennial, nutritive value, seed production, shade tolerance, biomass production, growth behavior etc. -> fit different niches

Clitoria

Vigna

Desmodium

Stylosanthes

Canavalia

Lablab

1. Grazing communal

3. Semi-zero grazing2. Grazing private

4. Zero grazing low input

Level of intensification

Grazing

Crop residues

Planted fodder

Supplements

Opportunistic feed

Rel

ativ

e us

e of

fee

d

Cut-carryTethered

Cut-carryGrazed

5. Zero grazing commercial

Different interests, constraints and needs! Land, cash, soil fertility, market opportunities, soil erosion etc.

– Herbaceous and dual-purpose legumes in fodder banks

– In rotation and improved fallow for reducing pest/disease pressure and land rehabilitation

– Live barriers/fences – e.g. Napier, Bracharia, Leucaena

– Under-story in plantations such as banana or eucalyptus – e.g. Stylosantes, Desmodium uncinatum

– Intercropping with food crops (maize) for improved soil fertility and protection and weed suppression (e.g push-pull system)

– Anti-erosive grass strips, e.g. on terraces

– Etc….. Many options to fit legume

into system, but little systematic guidance

System integration options

Niche study DRC

Livestock and feeding systems – Sud-Kivu, DRC

S. Bacigale, B.K. Paul, et al. (2014), Tropical Grasslands

• Local forage inventory and Feed Assessment Study (FEAST) in August 2012

• Shortage of quantity and quality of feed in the dry season

• Only 37% of farmers cultivate forages, contributing 6% to animals’ diets

Potential for intensification, but small land sizes are a challenge

Janu

ary

Febr

uary

Mar

ch

April

May

Jun

e

July

Augu

st

Sept

embe

r

Oct

ober

Nov

embe

r

Dec

embe

r

0

10

20

30

40

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60

70

80

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0

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(a)

Others

Legume residues

Green forage

Grazing

Crop residues

Concentrates

Rainfall Pattern

• Grazing and collection of roadside grasses constitute main feeding system

• Local forages have low feeding quality• Ruminants mostly grazed, small

monogastric livestock fed with collected and cultivated fodder

Agronomic evaluation

F. Muhimuzi, B.K. Paul et al. (2014), AACAA conference paper

Varieties Sites

Muhongoza Nyacibimba Kamanyola Tubimbi

DM yield Canavalia 3.2 2.1 6.9 1.5

(t ha-1) Silverleaf desmodium 2.6 5.4 6.1 0.3

Stylo 4.2 1.6 6.7 2.1

ANOVA

Variety P=0.63ns

Site P<0.001***

Variety*Site P=0.002**

Plant height (cm) Canavalia 48.4 36.9 45.7 40.4

Silverleaf desmodium 27.6 61.7 53.3 15.1

Stylo 42.3 30.9 53.1 41.4

ANOVA

Variety P=0.32ns

Site P<0.001***

Variety*Site P<0.001***

Soil cover (%) Canavalia 86.7 66.7 96.7 68.3 Silverleaf desmodium 66.7 100.0 68.3 16.7

Stylo 65.0 37.5 73.3 63.3

ANOVA

Variety P<0.001***

Site P<0.001***

Variety*Site P<0.001***

1

Niche experimentation- DRC• Legume packages and

grass cuttings were availed to farmers in each Innovation Platform site

• Farmers were invited to integrate freely these materials in the cropping system

• They agreed to pass on planting materials

F. Muhimuzi, B.K. Paul et al. (2014), AACAA conference paper

F. Muhimuzi, B.K. Paul et al. (2014), AACAA conference paper

Niches depend on land availability, tenure, livestock system, topography

M W M W M W M WMuhongoza Nyacibimba Kamanyola Tubimbi

0

20

40

60

80

100

Legumes Legumes and grassesGrasses

%

M W M W M W M WMuhongoza Nyacibimba Kamanyola Tubimbi

0

20

40

60

80

100

Intercropped On field edgesAnti-erosion hedges Pure standUnder trees In banana plantation

%

Site Territoire Altitude (m)

Land size

Soil fertility

Slope (%)

Soil erosion

Muhongoza Kalehe 1548 Medium Medium 10-May Medium Nyacibimba Kabare 1955 Medium Low >10 Strong Kamanyola Walungu 940 Small High <5 None Tubimbi Walungu 1100 Medium Low <5 None

1

Ideas for LegumeCHOICE

• Main legume characteristics: annual/perennial; (non)climbing; shrub/herbaceous; (non) soil-covering; (non) tolerant to shade, low soil fertility, waterlogging, low rainfall…

• Main farmer needs: protein, carbohydrates, fuel, biomass, cash, fodder, soil erosion prevention, soil fertility improvement…

• Main farmer limitations: land, cash, labour…

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Thanks