Integrating Vegetables Into Maize Based-Farming Systems in Babati District, Tanzania

Victor Afari-Sefa, Inviolate Dominick, Philipo Joseph (AVRDC), Danny Coyne (IITA), Ben Lukuyu,

Leonard Marwa (ILRI)

Africa RISING East and Southern Africa Review and Planning Meeting, Malawi, 14-16 July 2015

SynopsisIntroductionAchievements on technology development during the 2015-2016 production season

Key technologies

Economic Cost-benefit analysis of introduced technologies

Environmental impact caused by use of technology

Target activities to mature the technology

Tools produced

Conclusion

WHY “Integration of vegetables into maize/legume - based farming systems of

BabatiTo optimize productivity and diversifying household diets and income through promotion of increased consumption of nutrient dense vegetables

Evaluate diverse options for sustainable intensification of vegetables into crop and poultry enterprises and apply innovations that sustainably increase output from the same land area, while reducing negative environmental impacts.

Vegetable maize intercropping

HOW?

Vegetable maize Intercropping

Vegetable, maize, legume, rotation

Vegetable, maize, legume, rotation

WHAT are the Technology introduced?1. Quality Seeds of Elite Varieties Year Introduced

Tomato (Tengeru 2010) 2013- 2015

Amaranths (Madiira 1) 2013-2015

African Egg plant (Tengeru white) 2013- 2015

Amaranths (Madiira 11) 2013 -2015Tomato (Tanya) 2014-2015

Sweet pepper (Yolo wonder) 2014-2015

Ethiopian mustard (Rungwe) 2014-2015 Night shade (Nduruma 2014-2015

Technology cont….,

2. Healthy seedlings

3. Good Agricultural Practice (GAP)Items Practices1. Nursery establishment Use of good quality seeds, healthy seedlings, soil,

treatment , good management

2. Field and land Management (cultural practices)

Timely planting base on cropping calendar, irrigation

3. Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

(Physical, chemical and biological methods)

4. Crop production Follow recommended demo protocols

5. Crop protection Health seedlings, good quality seeds, fencing, minimal pesticide application

6. Postharvest handling practices Maturity index, Proper harvest, sorting and grading, packaging, storage and cooling, recipe preparation, preparations for marketing

7. Records Keeping track of what is happening on the farm

GAP- Practices

• Manure application

•IPM

•Mulching

• Proper spacing

• Stalking

• Irrigation

• Weeding

Use of empty water bottles for drip irrigation

Farmers use A. Marygold to control nematode

4. Vegetable –poultry integration

Use of vegetable and vegetable residues as poultry

feed to reduce pre and post harvest loss

Poultry droppings as manure in integrated

vegetable farming systems to enhance nutrient

recycling

Poultry–house preparation in progress

5. Mobile vegetable garden

BenefitsPerfect solution for those with limited landVegetables are easy to access for human consumption and poultry feedEasy to managePlants get good air circulation, decreased potential for fungal diseases attackKeeps produce off the ground, preventing rotten on the bottom or being chewed by mice or slugsEncourage more women to engage in vegetable production and consumption!

Mobile garden at Matufa village farmers home

Pigeon pea residues for fencing mobile gardens and scavengers (poultry)

Africa Research in Sustainable Intensification for the Next Generation

africa-rising.net

Profit margin variation btn treatments (expressed in % of the base-FSFPs )

Treatment impact Tomato African Eggplant Amaranths

Effect of HS+GAPs 130.58 119.45 109.72

Effect of HS only 47.98 29.59 106.66

Diff* 82.60 89.86 3.05

* Effect of Good Agronomic Practices (GAPs) only

Our findings

Economic:Production Increase Production technologies involved the use of health seedlings and good agricultural practices

(researched against farmers seedlings farmer practices) in growing tomato, African eggplant and

Amaranth. The study shows that, tomato production increased by 49.87%, eggplant production

by 64.37% and Amaranths by 34.91% as follows

Increased tomato production from 35.6 t/ha (FS-FPs) to 58.0 t/ha (HS-GAPs

African eggplant production from 35.9 t/ha (FS-FPs) to 69.5 t/ha (HS-GAPs)

Amaranth production from 51.5 t/ha (FS-FPs) to 72.2 t/ha (HS-GAPs)

The average price for each crop at

the time of data collection in October

2014 was as shown Crops Av. Price (TZS)/kg

Tomato 2,171.83

Amaranths 1,296.25

African eggplant 8,49.59

Amaranths African eggplant Tomato0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

TOTAL QUANTITY PRODUCED IN T/HA

HS-GAPs HS-FPs

FS-FPs

Tota

l qua

ntity

pro

duce

d in

t/ha

Quantity consumed, quantity

given as gifts and losses after harvest are included in the data, losses after

harvest(caused by pest and diseases, bird eaters) were

deducted

Economic: Undiscounted Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR)

The undiscounted BCR was computed from the data collected whereby Tomato had

BCR of 7.7 for HS-GAPs, 6.0 for FS-FPs; African eggplant had BCR of 3.73 and

Amaranths had BCR of 2.43 each obtained from an area of 0.0012ha

The BCR greater than 1 shows that adopting the use of health seedlings (HS)

developed from good quality elite seeds in combination with other GAPs make

vegetables a more profitable farming business though contribution of GAPs is more

evident by the profit margin variation between treatments as shown in the next slide

Economic: Undiscounted Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR)

UNDISCOUNTED BCR

Treatments N Tomato BCR AEP BCR Amaranths BCR

HS-GAPs 16 7.7 5.2 3.2

HS-FPs 16 7.4 3.9 2.0

FS-FPs 16 6.0 3.8 1.7

Total 48 7.0 4.3 2.3

Diff* (HSGAPs-FSFPs) 1.7 1.4 1.5

Economic: cont....,

In addition, the results show the possibility of the family to generate for:

Tomato: An average income of US$ 59.40 per 0.0012 ha per season

African eggplant: An average income of US$ 21.03 per 0.0012 ha per

season

Amaranths: An average income US$ 8.30 per 0.0012 ha per season

Environmental impact caused by use of technology

Good quality seeds , Health seedling & GAP (+VE))1. Incidence of pest and diseases reduction2. Reduce amount of artificial fertilizer application & pesticide

3. Recycling – poultry droppings as manure , water bottles for irrigation and local containers, mulch, crop residues for livestock feeds e.g. poultry )

4. Postharvest handling practices Proper harvest, grading, cleaning, sorting, packaging and storage

Pest incidence on tomato

TREATMENTS 1. Healthy seedlings, GAP 2. Healthy seedlings farmer practice 3. Farmer seedlings, farmer practice

Pest incidence on tomato

1 2 30

10

20

30

40

50

60

Leaf minorAmerican boll worm

Treatment

Incidence

TREATMENTS1. Healthy seedlings, GAP 2. Healthy seedlings farmer practice 3. Farmer seedlings, farmer practice

Target activities to mature the technology

Capacity building through: Training of extension agents and farmer trainers (Farming as a business, postharvest handling and processing, pest management and pesticide use)

Practical training in demonstration plots stage by stage crop-wise

Vegetable/maize/legume integration Sensitization meetings in AR project sites Facilitation and establishment of demonstration plots categorized best practices (HS/GAP) and normal practicesJoint field visit (feedback and improvement) Preparation of farmer friendly training materials (pamphlets, brochures, posters)

Target activities cont…...,

Target activities cont…...,

Assess the costs and returns of each promoted technology & data sharing Compare results of new technologies with farmer standard practices Graduation and provision of certificates Scaling out technologies to neighboring community and other areas/ villages

Target activities cont…,At least 300 additional farmers become aware of and are engaged in additional elite AVRDC vegetable variety evaluation for adaptation in target communities Appropriate ICPM of vegetable pest and diseases developed to realize the opportunity for vegetables integrated into existing farming systems At least 2 community seedling units established within two target project villages following initial mobilization, training and set-up.

Target activities cont…,

Market information and/linkages for farm households to access vegetables markets established At least 1 best-bet technology for optimizing water harvesting and/or water use efficiency for vegetables identified for subsequent dissemination to beneficiary farmers

Target activities cont…,

At least 1 best-bet technology for enhanced optimal nutrient recycling of vegetable-poultry integration in the farming system conservation method for poultry feed and poultry dropping as organic manure of the project area identified and evaluated (in collaboration with livestock and feed research theme).

Target activities to cont…,

At least two M.Sc. studies on the (i) economic cost benefit analysis of best-bet technological packages, (ii) vegetable poultry integration, (iii) ICPM analysis and policy recommendations completed.Effective technological dissemination approaches for increased demand creation and promotion of selected elite vegetable varieties and scaling-up for increased vegetable consumption within maize-based cropping systems evaluated.

Tools producedDemonstration protocols for Tomato, A. Eggplant, Amaranths, S. pepper, E. mustard and Nightshade

Extension training materials and Farmer learning materials (pamphlets, brochures, posters hand outs with regard to GAP, postharvest handling technologies, farming as a business, vegetable preparation and consumption

Tools produced cont....,Vegetable crops integration production guideQuality Seeds of Elite Varieties & Health seedlingsDemos as farmer schoolsRecipe preparation guideMonitoring and record keeping forms and farmer record book in local languge

Tools produced cont....,Vegetable - poultry integration One scientific report and poster on preliminary survey producedLocation and set up of poultry structure for manure collectionTrained Extension agent & Farmers to facilitate technology adoption

Farmers using the guide during recipe preparation practical training

Extension agent are role models in technology

adoption

Conclusion Document good practice/technologies

Data sharing

Communicate research to stakeholders to make technology work

Gender integrationCome up with strategies/technology to increase more female in project

END

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