Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa Central Cluster Partnership: Achievements, Lessons & Way Forwards Sofiya Kassa (Researcher at DZARC ) ILRI-N2Africa Partners Review and Planning Workshop Lalibela Auditorium, ILRI Campus, Addis Ababa January 2016

Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa Presentation Outline Partnership Objectives Scope of the partnership Achievements and Progresses Lessons Learnt Main Challenges Way Forwards

Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa Partnership Objectives  Fostering long-term sustainability of Knowledge transfer Technology dissemination Efficient input supply chains Market linkages

Scope: Key partners and role mapping Designing & Facilitation of partnerships Technical support M&E Grants & leverage resources Evidence generation M&E, communicatio n Technical support Develop extension materials Liaise with other VC partners Trainings on legume business, accounting & financing Support technology dissemination, Facilitate the use of MIS, Supply inoculants Trainings on inoculant applications, handling, storage & distribution Multiply effective strains Grain buyer, Seed access (ACOS variety) Support trainings on grain quality & grading

Focus crop (legume)

Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa Area coverage and beneficiaries  Area coverage:  Central Ethiopia (Adea, Becho & Gimbichu districts)  Target: 30 demonstration and 100 adaptation trials were planned to be established Target to address 3100 farmers

Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa Achievements and Progresses Key achievements: Capacity Development Training on:  Improved chickpea production technology  Quality chickpea seed production  Bio-fertiliser and  Chemical seed dressing Was given for Farmers Development agents Experts from woreda BoA and Farmers cooperative union staffs Total participant (363 male and 44 female)

Doc ID 8 Dissemination 1m T1 Improved Seed without inputs T3 Improved seed with DAP (50 kg/ha) T2 Improved seed with inoculation only T4 Improved seed with inoculation & DAP (50 kg/ha) 10m Demonstration trials Location: Adea (9) Gimbichu (9) & Becho woreda (8) on a total of 26 farmers fields

Adaptation trial Treatment: Improved seed with DAP (50kg/ha) and inoculant Plot size: 20m X 20m Location: Adea & Gimbichu (Implemented on a total of 92 farmers fields)

Field day event 11 At Gimbichu (Chefe Donsa) Participants: (57 male and 25 female) Farmers DAs Government officials Staffs from ACOs Ethiopia, SNV, MBI and ILRI N2 Africa

Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa Input Supply  600 kg of improved chickpea seed (Arerti & Acos dube), 250 kg of fertilizer and 460 pkts (each for 100m 2 plot) inoculants were distributed for the demos and adaptation trials  Input distribution was done in collaboration with respected woreda BoA  Chickpea inoculants were supplied by MBI

Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa Market linkages Business arrangement b/n Becho & Acos Ethiopia PLC for production & supply of Acos dube Buyer /Acos Ethiopia Plc render impeded services like agronomy & business advice Becho union provide input & aggregate output, and supplied 230 quintal Acos dube seed Acos Ethiopia have plan to invite the European buyers to visit producers stock at Becho FCU

Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa Analysis & Inference of Agronomic trials  Data collection & harvesting is underway, & will be completed after harvest

Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa Lessons Learned Need to focus in further screening of best performing strains for further dissemination campaigns & increased chickpea productivity

Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa Opportunities Identified The existence of farmers cooperatives unions & government extension channels Farmers motivation, & better understanding of the technology for further scaling up

Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa Main Challenges Budget Rainfall (Amount and distribution) Limited bio-fertilizer supply (issue from farmers) Vehicle

Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa Way Forwards Need to focus in identifying ways to increase the performance of strains especially on the non- responsive soils Partnership collaboration has to be strengthen with clear role

Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa Thank you All!!!!