1. LEGUMECHOICE: CURRENT CONTRIBUTION OF LEGUMES TO RURAL LIVELIHOODS IN WESTERN KENYA
Okeyo I1*., Shiluli, M.2 , Oborn I 1., Ochinga T1., and Muriuki J 1.
1World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), PO Box 30677, 00100, Nairobi, Kenya
2Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), Kisii Centre, Kisii, Kenya 
Introduction
Results and Discussions
Food problems have haunted mankind since time immemorial. In the tropics, agricultural productivity lag behind population growth making the region increasingly food insecure. Rural poor in dry areas suffer most from effects of climate change hence require a range of coping strategies including legume based cropping systems. In Western Kenya, opportunities to increase productivity of staple crops are limited because households are large and cultivate only small land portions. Legumes are not new to African farming systems and have great potential to contribute to rural livelihoods and natural resource integrity: protein-rich grains, fodder, soil nitrogen (N), mulch, and fuel. Despite their widespread promotion in Kenya, adoption remains low. With this background, a study was set up to assess current contribution of legumes to rural livelihoods in Kisii and Migori counties of Western Kenya. Results show that legumes are an important component of farming systems among rural populations yet their maximum potential is underutilized.
Legume species
Bush bean is grown in all sites. Rongo had the highest seasonal grain legume species (5). Tree legumes were Calliandra and Sesbania in all sites except Suna West.
Table2: legumes species
Site
Grain legumes
Tree legumes
Kitutu Chache North
Common beans; Ground nuts;
Green grams
Calliandra calothyrsus; Sesbania sesban
Nyaribari Chache
Common beans
Rongo
Common beans; Ground nuts; Green grams; Cowpeas; Soya beans
Suna West
Common beans; Ground nuts; Green grams; Cowpeas -
Cropping System
Intercropping dominates for grain legumes. Tree legumes are grown as woodlots and hedgerows.
Materials and Methods
Kisii, Migori
Fig 2. Cropping systems
Fig 3. Legume area
Legume Yields
Average yield is far much lower than optimum yield estimate (0.6) for grain legumes in Africa FAOSTAT (2008); and PROTA (2006)
Fig 1. Maps showing project sites
Table 1: Research sites characteristics
Site and soil characteristics
Parameter
Kisii Sub-county
Migori Sub-county
Elevation (m)
1798
1500
Mean annual temperature(ͦc)
20.3 28
Mean annual rainfall (mm)
1977
1200
Soil type
Nitisols
Xerosols
Soil pH (H2O 1:2.5)
4.9
5.7
Total organic carbon (%)
1.9
Total organic Nitrogen (%)
0.3
0.2
Available P (ppm) 42
126
Potassium (me%)
1.7
2.0
Soil texture class
clay
Loamy sand
Livestock
Proportion (%) of households keeping various livestock types in Kisii and Migori Counties
Kisii
Migori
Kitutu chache North
Nyaribari Chache
Rongo
Suna West
Local cattle 22 33 67 81
Improved dairy cattle 52 58 41
Goats 27 21 39
Chicken 77 72 91 88
Sheep 4 24 31
Pigs
Equines (horses, donkeys)
Other : Doves 1
Sampling and data management
Conclusion
Households were selected through transects walks made across villages in 4 sub-counties: Nyaribari Chache and Kitutu Chache North in Kisii; and Rongo and Suna West in Migori. This followed predefined transects on GIS maps. A quick survey tool was administered to 307 households : Kitutu=77, Nyaribari= 79, Rongo= 76 and Suna=75. Data sets were extracted by pivot table in excel. Quantitative data was subjected to Analysis of variance using SAS software version 9.2. Qualitative data was analyzed using Stata9. Mean separation was done using Fishers’ least significance difference (LSD) at 5%.
Legumes form are a critical component of cropping systems in Western Kenya yet adoption rate remains low
Most popular grain legume in the study area is common bean while tree legumes are Calliandra and Sesbania sesban
There exist potential niches to scale up production of multipurpose legumes in Western Kenya.
Site and soil characteristics
Experimental sites
Latitude
0046’ S
Longitude
37039’ E
Elevation (m)
1106
Mean annual air temperature(oC)
22.1
Mean annual precipitation (mm)
800
Soil type
Plinthic Cambisols
Electrical Conductivity (1:5-mS cm-1)
0.04
Total organic carbon (%)
0.4
Cation exchange capacity (me%)
10.2
Water retention
pF 2.0 (cm³/cm³)
20.5
pF 2.5 (cm³/cm³)
18.3
pF 4.2 (cm³/cm³)
13.3
Particle size distribution (%)
Sand ( µm) 47
Silt (50-2µm) 12
Clay (<2µm) 41
Soil texture class (soil type)
Sandy clay
Soil pH (H2O 1:2.5)
6.2
Bulk density (g cm-3)
1.14
Site and soil characteristics
Experimental sites
Latitude
0046’ S
Longitude
37039’ E
Elevation (m)
1106
Mean annual air temperature(oC)
22.1
Mean annual precipitation (mm)
800
Soil type
Plinthic Cambisols
Electrical Conductivity (1:5-mS cm-1)
0.04
Total organic carbon (%)
0.4
Cation exchange capacity (me%)
10.2
Water retention
pF 2.0 (cm³/cm³)
20.5
pF 2.5 (cm³/cm³)
18.3
pF 4.2 (cm³/cm³)
13.3
Particle size distribution (%)
Sand ( µm) 47
Silt (50-2µm) 12
Clay (<2µm) 41
Soil texture class (soil type)
Sandy clay
Soil pH (H2O 1:2.5)
6.2
Bulk density (g cm-3)
1.14
Acknowledgements
Varieties
Stover yields
LR09
SR09
LR10
SR10
DH04
3966a
7562a
4750a
725a
Duma 43
3556a
6332b
4349a
721a
Grain yields
2361a
3090a
2068a
3094a
Site and soil characteristics
Parameter
Kisii Sub-county
Migori Sub-county
Elevation (m)
1798
1500
Mean annual air temperature(ͦc)
20.3 28
Mean annual precipitation (mm)
1977
1200
Soil type
Nitisols
Xerosols
Soil pH (H2O 1:2.5)
4.9
5.7
Total organic carbon (%)
1.9
Total organic Nitrogen (%)
0.3
0.2
Available P (ppm) 42
126
Potassium (me%)
1.7
2.0
Soil texture class
clay
Loamy sand
The study was part of activities of an on-going project: legumeCHOICE by ICRAF. We appreciate our collaborators: Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) and the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA ). The project is funded by Bundesministerium für Wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ) and fully mapped into the CGIAR’s Humid tropics CRP.
*Corresponding author