Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa

Pulses: The meat of the poor?

Protein from the air

Ken Giller

Plant Production Systems, Wageningen University

Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa

Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa

Inoculated with sterilized soil

Inoculated with untreated soil

Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa

Genotype Environment Management

(GL GR) E MWhere:

GL = legume genotype

GR = rhizobial strain

E = environment

- climate

- soils

M = management

- agronomy – inoculation, P&K fertilizer, seeding rates, plant

density, weeding,

Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa

N2Africa – target legumes

West Africa

• Cowpea, groundnut, soyabean

East & Central Africa

• Common bean, groundnut, soyabean, cowpea

plus chickpea and faba bean in Ethiopia

Southern Africa

• Common bean, groundnut, soyabean, cowpea

Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa

Response to inoculum and P

Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa

Climbing beans in Rwanda

No manure

WithManureand P

maize following maize maize following climbing beans

N2Africa - Large scale dissemination of legume

technologies to more than 650,000 farmers

71

157

254

385

555

100

257

375

554

660

-

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Target

Nu

mb

er

of

farm

ers

reac

hed

in t

ho

usan

ds

Major dissemination approaches used:Demonstration trials: 41% Adaptation trials: 25% Field days/Media: 34%

A PPP in South East Ethiopia

The nucleus farm, Balegreen Spice

and Grain Development, pioneered

• Mechanizing chickpea farming and

breaking prolonged cereal mono-

cropping

• Out-grower arrangement with

23,000 smallholder farmers to grow

Kabuli chickpea

• Stimulated legume technology

scale up through

• Strengthened seed system

development

• Serve as last mile delivery for

inoculants from MBI

• Grain bulking and delivery to

ACOS for the Monino Kabuli

variety

Endigu LegesseCEOGUTS Agro Industry PLC

Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa

Farmer groups:

Organisation and empowerment

• Partner with World Vision

• Strong gender focus

• Building capacity and cooperation

• Storage

• Collective marketing

• Diversification

Lira, northern Uganda - August 2016

At a glance …

Working in partnership to communicate down-to-earth messages on integrated soil fertility management

Where ASHC is going:

Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa

Conclusions

• N2-fixing grain legumes flexible and ‘best fits’ available for all farmers – rich and poor

• Key for food and nutrition security

• Strong gender focus – legumes are often womens’ crops

• Legume residues are important for animal feed

• Improvement of soil fertility is a co-benefit

• We’re putting legume nitrogen fixation to work in African agriculture

Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa

Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa

For updates

www.N2Africa.org

Lots of video resource materials

N2Africa Podcaster - Monthly Newsletter