Date post: | 06-May-2015 |
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Technology |
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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