Methodologies

Introduction Integrated crop management (ICM) is a system of crop production which conserves and enhances natural re-sources while producing food on an economically viable and sustainable foundation. The common bean is sen-sitive to many biotic and abiotic con-straints. Amongst them, low soil fertility and drought are most widely distrib-uted abiotic stresses. Deficiencies in soil nitrogen, phosphorous (P) and zinc and toxicities of aluminum and manganese are particularly limiting. Pests and diseases are the major biotic constraints. They include: bean stem maggot, foliage beetles, aphids, beetles, flower thrips, common white-fly, leaf hoppers, cutworms, pod bor-ers, pod-sucking bugs, common bacte-rial blight, angular leaf spot, rust, bean common mosaic virus (BCMV), halo blight, anthracnose, ascochyta blight and root rot.

Increasing bean productivity is a major pre-occupation for farmers and a driv-ing force for farm level innovation. To enhance farm productivity, farmers need to have access to and use inte-grated bean production practices that combine quality seed of improved varieties, integrated pest and disease Management (IPDM), and integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) tech-nologies. The Pan Africa Bean Re-search Alliance (PABRA) develops, evaluates and disseminates IPDM and ISFM technologies to improve bean productivity across sub-Saharan Af-rica. This poster presents PABRA’s

Testing of promising technologies: Several IPDM/ISFM technologies were tested on-station and on farm in different PABRA countries. They include: use of quality improved varieties, staking techniques for climbing beans, botanical pesticides management of storage pests, intercropping, varietal mixtures, pesti-cide application, organic and inorganic fertilizers, etc (Table 1). Several technologies have been validated with farmers, e.g. tithonia and manure amendments; N, P and K application, staking options for climbing beans; ISFM treatment combination on snap bean; and integrated management options for major dis-eases, bean stem maggot and bean bruchids (Zabrotes subfasciatus).

Technology Delivery: The delivery of improved va-rieties and complementary technologies integrated bean production technologies to farmers is a knowl-edge intensive, expensive, and a slow and tedious process. Two approaches were utilized to increase access to ISFM/IPDM technologies:

Staking options being tested in Rwanda

1) A deliberate promot ion and delivery of improved varieties and ICM technologies as a single package: Partnership among different players has been key in the dissemination of these technologies. In the bean grow-ing regions of Ethiopia, about 30 different partner organi-zation representing research, extension, CBOs, NGOs, farmers’ union, seed companies/private farms and indi-vidual seed growing farmers are collaborating in the de-livery of improved bean varieties (based on foundation seed provided by the national bean research program to primary partners) and integrated bean production tech-

Testing the use of Rhizobium inoculum (Biofix ) to increase N fixation in Kenya (courtesy KARI-Thika)

Table 1. Technologies tested or validated 2009-2010 in some PABRA countries

Technologies being tested/validated

Country

Staking techniques Rwanda, Burundi,

Botanicals pesticides (Tephrosia, Neem, etc)

DRC, Tanzania, Uganda

Inorganic pesticides Tanzania

Diseases management in the intercrop-ping systems

DRC, Ethiopia

Combination varieties and supplemen-tary pesticides

Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda

Organic (Tithonia, FYM) and inorganic fertilizers

Burundi, DRC, Tanza-nia, Sudan, Zambia

Optimum spatial arrangements and population densities for different seed sizes and growth habits of common bean:

Ethiopia

N inoculation and P- fertilizer Kenya,

Crop rotation Zambia

Country Year No. Male

% Male

No. Female

% Fe-male

Total access

Ethiopia 2009 107,914 70 46,249 30

154,163

2010 128,140 75 42,713 25

170,853

S. Tz 2009 95,709 55 78309 45

174,018

2010 82,921 45 101,348 55

184,269

Uganda 2009 35,577 30 83,013 70

118,590

2010 64,188 70 27,509 30

91,697

Rwanda 2009 73,590 44 94,900 56

168,490

2010 202,692 69 90,150 31

292,842

Malawi 2009 149,529 54 126,773 46

276,302

2010

115,384 58 83,659 42 199,043

Total 1,055,644 58

774,623 42

1,830,267

Achievements: • Joint promotion of improved seed and ICM technolo-

gies has contributed to increased farmer access to seed of improved varieties, ISFM and IPDM technolo-gies. (see table 2)

• Farmer access was greatly facilitated by enabling poli-cies recently implemented in countries such as Rwanda, Ethiopia and Malawi.

• In countries where similar technology delivery strate-gies were not used progress has been slow and there has been limited access of ICM practices by farmers.

• So far, 1.83 million HHs or 36.6% of the 5 million households expected to be reached by 2013 have ac-cessed IPDM/ISFM technologies, 42% of them being women (Table 2).

For more information: m.abang@cgiar.org

Use of mineral P-fertil izer at planting in Kenya

2) Engaging policy and government decision-makers to harness policies (including input support system) to deliver ICM technologies to bean farmers: Agricul-tural policies which are conducive to increased bean productivity were implemented in a number of PABRA countries (e.g. Ethiopia, Rwanda, Malawi, Tanzania (S) by the government extension, NARs and other PABRA partners to promote ICM and disseminate improved seed along with complementary technologies.

A bean field infested by multiple pests and diseases.

Development and Dissemination of Integrated Crop Management (ICM) Technologies for Management of Biotic

and Abiotic Stresses affecting Common Bean in PABRAAbang M.M.; Chirwa R.C.; Rubyogo J.C.; and Mukankusi, C.M.