Maize legume Intensification – case
studies from Malawi
Munyaradzi Mutenje
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)
Africa RISING ESA Project review and planning meeting
11 – 12 September 2019, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Theme 2: Maize legume Intensification – case studies
• Profile technologies of host farmers – ( adoption & adaptation, impact
at farm scale)
• Hypotheses:
• Mother trial farmers are more likely to adopt the technologies
• Farmers that have adopted a combination of SAI technologies are
more resilient to shocks
• Baby trial farmers follow up ( adoption and adaptation)
• Baseline follow up ( IFPRI & MSU)

Strategic approach & methodology
• Scaling out strategy – Mother baby trials
• 6 mothers per community & 12 babies per mother
• 2 contrasting agro-ecological regions
• Main technologies/ treatments to be compared
• Tillage systems
- Conventional with tied ridges
- Conservation agriculture
• Cropping systems
- Maize in doubled up legumes rotations
- Maize- legume intercropping
- Maize drought tolerant varieties
- Climbing vs non climbing bio-fortified beans
• Fertiliser regimes

Cluster villages and “mother and baby” trials
Village of 100-200 households
Good extension officer
Vibrant and interested farmers
Accessible site
Distance 2-3 km

Strategic approach & methodology
• Detailed case study looking of the SAIF
5 domains at farm scale
• Select one champion mother in each
of the agro-ecological zones
• Randomly select one baby and non-
adopter within the same vicinity

Data required
1. Mothers
• Social & Human domain
• technologies adopted and
adapted for the five domains
• integration of impacts at farm
scale
2. Babies
• technologies adopted & adapted
3. No Adopters
whole farm enterprise analysis
Livelihood analysis

Crop: Maize
SIAF indicators Data metrics Control/
baseline
Technology Change Adapted
technology
Change
Productivity
Grain yield t/ha/season 0.5t (0.2) 2.5 ( 0.5) 2 ( 0.6) 1.8 1.3
Total biomass t/ha/season 1.2 5.2 3 ( 0.9) 3.6 2.4
Yield stability
Economic
CBA $/crop/ha/seaso
n
Environment
Plant Biodiversity #species/varietie
s
Human
Nutrition (Grain
analysis)
Protein and
micronutrient
production (g/ha)
Food safety (aflatoxin)
Social
Gender preference

Annual Rainfall 2018/2019, Mwansambo, Malawi
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
01/10/2018
01/11/2018
01/12/2018
01/01/2019
01/02/2019
01/03/2019
01/04/2019
01/05/2019
Rainfall(mmd-1
)
Date
Total rainfall: 1407

Average maize grain yield, systems, Mwansambo
Malawi, 2018/2019
b
a a
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
MEMORY
LYTON
SIKENELA
MANDA
BELITA
MALEKO
T LABANI ANDREA
MAFUTA
GEOGINA
NKHANU
Mean
Grainyield(kg/ha)
Control CA+Mz CA+Mz/leg

Average groundnut grain yield, systems,
Mwansambo, Malawi, 2018/2019
b
a
a
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
MEMORY
LYTON
SIKENELA
MANDA
BELITA
MALEKO
T LABANI ANDREA
MAFUTA
GEOGINA
NKHANU
Mean
Grainyield(kg/ha)
Control CA 1 CA 2

Maize-soybean rotation
Groundnuts under CA
Maize-Gliricidia
intercropping
Cowpeas under CA
Maize under CA
Maize-pigeonpea
intercropping

Africa Research in Sustainable Intensification for the Next Generation
africa-rising.net
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