1. LegumeCHOICE: LegumeCHOICE: Realizing the underexploited potential of multi-purpose legumes towards improved livelihoods and a better environment in crop-livestock systems in East & Central Africa Workshop at ICRAF HQ Nairobi Date: 13 th January, 2015 1

2. Implementation sites Kisii County: Marani, Ibeno Migori County: Rongo, kisii 2

3. FGD highlights Legume type MigoriKisii Suna WestRongoIbenoMarani Annual grain legume Beans Cowpeas Green grams ground nuts Soya bean Beans Cow peas Green grams Ground nuts Soya bean Bean Cowpeas Green grams Soya beans beans Chickpea Cow peas Green grams ground nuts soya bean Perennial grain legume Pigeon pea pigeon peas Fodder tree legume Sesbania sesban Calliandra Leucaena Sesbania sesban Calliandra Leucaena Sesbania Sesban Calliandra Sesbania sesban Green manure cropCrotolaria Crotalaria Herbaceous legume Dolichos lablab Herbaceous fodder legume Desmodium Desmodium Perennial shrubAcacia polycanthra Perennial tree legume Albizia gummifera

4. Baseline survey: legumes MigoriKisii ClassRongoSuna WestIbenoMarani Annual grain legumes beans cowpeas green grams Groundnuts Soya beans beans cowpeas Ground nuts beans Ground nuts Green grams Annual fodder legumes Calliandra Sesbania sesban 4

5. Legume Functions Grain legumes: Consumption, income, soil fertility (crop residue), erosion control, medicinal, grain preservative, vegetable oil Tree legumes: Fodder (cattle, goats and chicken) fuel wood, fencing, soil fertility, fuel wood, support bananas, washing soap (Sesbania) Herbaceous fodder legume: pest control, fodder/ soil fertility (desmodium) 5

6. LEGUMEUSE ground nuts Consumption, Selling, Planting seeds,livestock feed(leaves), nuts are powdered and mixed with vegetables, nuts are grounded for flour, it softens the skin for those who eat it Calliandra fodder for cattle, goats and chicken fuel wood, medicine for mouth fungal infection, Fencing beans Consumption, selling, planting seed, livestock feed, ash byproduct used preservation of vegetables, crop residue used to improve soil fertility soybeanBeverage, Selling (30 kshs. Glass), soya meat, seeds are roasted and eaten green gramsConsumption, selling, soil fertility improvement pigeon peasConsumption, Selling, fodder for livestock sesbania fodder leaves, domestic source of firewood, selling firewood, banana support poles, soil fertility improvement, dairy cow mineral, supplements cowpeasVegetables, selling seeds and vegetables, Seeds chick peaConsumption, selling

7. Cropping systems Mono cropping, intercropping, hedgerows 7

8. Constraints Pest and diseases Inadequate knowledge on legumes unpredictable weather patterns lack of certified seeds poor market access Poor soil fertility poor yields 8

9. Constraints cont… High cost of input (Fertilizer) poor farming methods poor access of other seed variety Inadequate capital, labour Food habits 9

10. Opportunities for interventions  Farmer Training on crop management  Improving access to inputs: seeds, fertilizers, pesticides  Promotion of fodder legumes  Promotion of growing French beans. Farmers already possess the knowhow having grown it in the past (Kisii) Processing of soya bean to exploit its multiple benefits 10

11. Choice of intervention… 11 Ibeno Female: Beans, cowpeas, Soybean, Calliandra, Green grams, Sesbania Male: Green grams, Climbing beans, Calliandra calothyrsus, Sesbania sesban, Leucaena leucocephala, Pigeon peas, Desmodium Marani Female: training on legumes, inputs and value addition to soya bean Male: Common beans, Ground nuts, Soya beans, Sesbania, Cow peas, Calliandra, Green grams, Pigeon peas, Desmodium

12. Choice of intervention Suna West Female: Beans, Desmodium, Fodder trees and crops Male: Common beans, Ground nuts,Cow peas, Sesbania sesban Rongo Female: grain legume, soil fertility improvement, egumes for fodder, Legumes for fuel wood,Legumes for mulching Legumes for protein Male: Common beans, Ground nuts, Soya beans, Cow peas Calliandra calothyrsus, Leucaena,Desmodium 12

13. Niches and opportunity for legumes Immediate entry points: food and fodder, soil fertility and erosion control Urgent concern: food and nutritional purposes, economic perspective-discussions was the need to expand area under legumes for sale to generate income. Soil fertility improvement and soil erosion control was suggested as a long term outcome. Adoption of legume based technologies is more likely among all farmers with very small plots of land and those with large plots because legumes already exist in their current niches. The identification of unexploited or underutilized niches such as conservation bunds, farm hedges, and unproductive fields may provide an entry point for the introduction of the legume technologies in Kisii and Migori counties. Suitable legume niches in the existing farming systems in Kisii and Migori counties included both temporal and spatial. Temporal niches are defined by sequential (rotations) or simultaneous (intercropping) occurrence of food crops and legume species; while the spatial niches are defined by the best place on the farm to plant the different legume species. Options include intercropping, alley cropping/hedge rows, relay cropping, biomass transfer and improved fallows, crop rotations 13

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15. THANK YOU 15