Improving productivity and rural livelihoods of smallholder farmers in the Bale highlands of...

Improving productivity and rural livelihoods of smallholder farmers in the Bale highlands of Ethiopia through integration of pulses in the

crop-livestock production systems

by

Geletu Bejiga

Africa Rising Meeting Sept.17-18

ILRI, Addis Ababa

Background of the project

• Farmers in Arsi-Bale highlands have adopted:

• improved wheat varieties

• fertilizers

• herbicides

• Planting & harvesting machineries

• moved to a wheat monoculture system

Monoculture system resulted

• yields decline

• increased weeds

• increased disease incidence

• declining soil fertility

• Increased fertilizers use

• increasing fertilizer costs

unsustainable practice

(no crop rotation)

Opportunity for diversification & intensification (Pulses - Cereals double cropping )

First season legume Second season -cereals

Double cropping using Gena (April-July) and Bona(July-December) in a year

Field ready for wheat planting

Crop/livestock integration

Crop byproducts-- feed

Animal byproduct as source of energy

7

Objectives of the project were : •Break mono culture system • intensify & diversify crops • improve human nutrition. •Reduce risk of crop lose due to diseases

Project plan & implementation

• This project is time sensitive

• Assumed to be approved in March/April

• Organize Inception workshop

• Organize 500 farmers in clusters, train and provide seeds

• It was approved very late in May,2012

• No time for Inception workshop, clustering and training farmers

Action taken

• Informed Sinana Agric. Research Center

• Formed teams to :

• identify interested farmers through DA

• Identify the crops each farmer interested in (Faba bean, field pea, chickpea and lentil)

• Provide seeds through DA with agronomic recommendation

• Able to provide seeds to 370 farmers

Inception workshop 30th May 2012

Opening by Zonal Deputy Head of Agricultural Office

Participants

• Zonal Agri. Office

• Heads of 5 districts administration

• Heads of 5 districts Agri. Offices

• Heads of inputs of 5 districts

• Two DAs per districts

• Senior Researchers from EIAR

• Farm Africa

• ICARDA Project Coordinator

• Representative of Zonal Administration

Recommendations

• Determine quantity of available seeds

• Agree on ideal plot size to be used and also acceptable to farmers.

• criteria for selection of farmers

• Identification of suitable districts and locations for different crops.

• Technical problems to be encountered and suggested solution

• Target to reach as many farmers as possible based on available seeds

• Ensured support from Administration.

Inception workshop participants

Discussion

Training DAs on June 1,2012

528 farmers and 17 DAs trained

FRG at Alloshe PA

FRG at Sinja PA

FRG at Selka PA

FRG at Gamora PA

FRG at Gamora PA

Crop and Varieties identified • Faba bean : Moti (EIAR) & Shallo (Sinana)

• Field pea: Tulu Shenen, Tulu Dimtu, Wayitu, Dadimos,

Hursa, Bamo

• Lentil : Alemaya, Asano

• Kabuli Chickpea : Arerti, Habru

• Total Farmers expected to participate: 2510 (July-December)

Farmers’ Field days organized

Field pea variety Dedimos at Gasara

Faba bean : Moti and Shasho

DA-USAID staff - Farmers

Evaluating varieties performance

This project is linked to the on-going project

Rapid Deployment of High Yielding and Rust Resistant Wheat Varieties For Achieving Food Security in Ethiopia

Farmers Field days in all districts will be organized in October.

Thank you