Presentation delivered at the CIALCA international conference 'Challenges and Opportunities to the agricultural intensification of the humid highland systems of sub-Saharan Africa'. Kigali, Rwanda, October 24-27 2011.

1. Targeting technologies
- from fields to farms and farming systems
- from silver bullets to ‘best fits’
How do we ‘do’ local adaptation?
Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa
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2. Legume technologies in Western Kenya The niche for legumes The socio-ecological niche
Climate
Labour
Economic yield
Soil fertility
Resource Y
Substitution
Investment
rceZ
sou Cropping system
Re
But what can we use these crops Resource X
for? The niche as an n -dimensional hyperspace The legume niche has agroecological and
Hutchinson (1957) socioeconomic dimensions
Ojiem, de Ridder, Vanlauwe & Giller (2006) Int. J.
Agric. Sust. 4, 79-93.
Participatory evaluation of legume technologies N2Africa – target countries and legumes
• First choice – grain legumes
West Africa
• Second choice – multi-purpose grain legumes
• Cowpea, groundnut, soybean
• Third choice – fodder legumes, fodder trees
East & Central Africa
• Fourth choice – woody legumes
• Common bean, groundnut, soybean
Southern Africa
• !very last choice – green manures, cover crops and fertilizer
• Common bean, groundnut, soybean
trees
• ‘pseudo-adoption’ due to artificial market for seed of green
manures or trees Throughout all regions
Evaluations conducted in Ghana (Adjei-Nsiah), Kenya (Ojiem), Uganda (Ebanyat), Rwanda (Bucagu),
• Legume forages
Zimbabwe (Chikowo, Malawi (Kamanga)"
Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa

3. Genotype ! Environment ! Management
(GL ! GR) ! E ! M
Where:
GL = legume genotype
GR = rhizobial strain
E = environment
- climate (temperature x rainfall x daylength etc) - to encompass length of
growing season etc
- soils (nutrient limitations, acidity and toxicities)
M = management
- agronomy – inoculation, seeding rates, plant density, weeding
- (Diseases and pests are also a function of G x E x M....)
Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa
N2Africa – target countries and legumes control +Pfert +ino +Pfert+ino

4. Response to P and inoculation with soybean
in DRC
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Potassium deficiency? – in plots without KCl
N2Africa demonstration trial results in Mushomo, Sud Kivu, DRC 2010
Soyabean response to P and inoculation in Response to P and inoculation with soybean
DRC in DRC
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N2Africa demonstration trial results in Bugorhe, Sud Kivu, DRC 2010 N2Africa demonstration trial results in Sud Kivu, DRC 2010

5. Drought problems !
Differential establishment
Climbing beans in Rwanda
4.00
Grain yield (Mg ha-1)
r = 0.73
3.00
2.00
1.00
0.00
15000 20000 25000 30000 35000
Climbing bean yields depend on the length, number and quality of stakes
The poorer farmers have fewer, shorter (no. ha )
Stake density stakes of inferior quality
-1
Reckling MSc thesis 2011, Klapwijk MSc thesis 2011 maize following maize maize following climbing beans

6. Climbing beans in DRC N2Africa is a development to research project
• Dissemination and
development are the core Research
• M&E is provides the learning
With manure M&E
• Research analyses and
feeds back
D&D
No manure
Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa
Long rains season 2010 in Sud Kivu, DRC
Conclusions
1. Good (GL ! GR) key, but E ! M overriding
2. But mineral fertilizers and organic matter are
both necessary - neither is sufficient alone
3. Need better ex ante methods for advising
policy and development agencies, and to
‘do’ local adaptation
4. Success stories all depend on good
technology and market linkages
5. Legume nitrogen fixation has a great role to
play in African agriculture
Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa

7. Problems encountered/ being addressed
For updates see 1. Accessing high quality inoculants in Africa
2. Lack of useful quality control regulations in Africa
www.N2Africa.org a) Problems of cross-border trade in inoculants
3. Dearth of trained staff at all technical and academic levels
Lots of video resource materials 4. Non-responsive soils (unknown and/or multiple constraints)
N2Africa Podcaster - Monthly Newsletter 5. The market paradox (an institutional problem)
a) National deficit for legumes such as soybean in all countries
b) But farmers lack of markets for legume grain at local level
Giller et al. (2011) Communicating complexity: Integrated assessment of trade-offs c) And they lack input suppliers for P fertilizer, inoculant etc
concerning soil fertility management within African farming systems to support
innovation and development. Agricultural Systems, 104, 191-203.
Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa Putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers in Africa