Presented by Geletu Bejiga at the Africa RISING Planning Meeting, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 17-18 September 2012

1. Improving productivity and rural livelihoods of
smallholder farmers in the Bale highlands of
Ethiopia through integration of pulses in the
crop-livestock production systems
by
Geletu Bejiga
Africa Rising Meeting
Sept.17-18
ILRI, Addis Ababa

2. Background of the project
• Farmers in Arsi-Bale highlands have
adopted:
• improved wheat varieties
• fertilizers
• herbicides
• Planting & harvesting machineries
• moved to a wheat monoculture system

3. Monoculture system resulted
• yields decline
• increased weeds
• increased disease incidence
• declining soil fertility
• Increased fertilizers use
• increasing fertilizer costs
unsustainable practice
(no crop rotation)

4. Opportunity for diversification & intensification
(Pulses - Cereals double cropping )
First season legume Second season -cereals

5. Double cropping using Gena (April-July)
and Bona(July-December) in a year
Field ready for wheat planting

6. Crop/livestock integration
Animal byproduct as source of energy
Crop byproducts-- feed

7. Objectives of the project were :
•Break mono culture system
• intensify & diversify crops
• improve human nutrition.
•Reduce risk of crop lose due to diseases
7

8. Project plan & implementation
• This project is time sensitive
• Assumed to be approved in March/April
• Organize Inception workshop
• Organize 500 farmers in clusters, train and provide
seeds
• It was approved very late in May,2012
• No time for Inception workshop, clustering and
training farmers

9. Action taken
• Informed Sinana Agric. Research Center
• Formed teams to :
• identify interested farmers through DA
• Identify the crops each farmer interested in (Faba
bean, field pea, chickpea and lentil)
• Provide seeds through DA with agronomic
recommendation
• Able to provide seeds to 370 farmers

10. Inception workshop
30th May 2012

11. Opening by Zonal Deputy Head of
Agricultural Office

12. Participants
• Zonal Agri. Office
• Heads of 5 districts administration
• Heads of 5 districts Agri. Offices
• Heads of inputs of 5 districts
• Two DAs per districts
• Senior Researchers from EIAR
• Farm Africa
• ICARDA Project Coordinator
• Representative of Zonal Administration

13. Recommendations
• Determine quantity of available seeds
• Agree on ideal plot size to be used and also acceptable
to farmers.
• criteria for selection of farmers
• Identification of suitable districts and locations for
different crops.
• Technical problems to be encountered and suggested
solution
• Target to reach as many farmers as possible based on
available seeds
• Ensured support from Administration.

14. Inception workshop participants

15. Discussion

16. Training DAs on June 1,2012

17. 528 farmers and 17 DAs trained
FRG at Sinja PA
FRG at Alloshe PA
FRG at Selka
PA
FRG at Gamora PA
FRG at Gamora PA

19. Crop and Varieties identified
• Faba bean : Moti (EIAR) & Shallo (Sinana)
• Field pea: Tulu Shenen, Tulu Dimtu, Wayitu, Dadimos,
Hursa, Bamo
• Lentil : Alemaya, Asano
• Kabuli Chickpea : Arerti, Habru
• Total Farmers expected to participate: 2510 (July-
December)

20. Farmers’ Field days organized

21. Field pea variety Dedimos at Gasara

22. Faba bean : Moti and Shasho

23. DA-USAID staff - Farmers

26. Evaluating varieties performance

27. This project is linked to the on-going
project
Rapid Deployment of High Yielding and
Rust Resistant Wheat Varieties For
Achieving Food Security in Ethiopia

28. Farmers Field days in all districts will
be organized in October.

29. Thank you