This document summarizes the achievements, lessons learned, challenges, and gaps from Phase II of the Tropical Legumes II Project. Key achievements include the release of 129 new varieties of six legume crops, training of scientists, and production of over 250,000 tons of seed. Lessons highlight the importance of partnerships, seed systems approaches like community seed banks, and policies supporting the seed industry. Remaining challenges include strengthening national breeding programs and seed production capacity. Gaps include improving variety adoption, linking seed systems to markets, and ensuring continuous seed supply during droughts.

1. Overview of Achievements, lessons
and Challenges for Phase III
E Monyo on behalf of TL-II Team and Partners
TROPICAL LEGUMES-II PROJECT
Presented for the TL-III Stakeholder Project Planning
Workshop 17 – 21 Nairobi, Kenya

2. TROPICAL LEGUMES - II:
A 10 year vision funded in 3 phases.
• Improve the livelihoods of smallholder
farmers in drought-prone areas of Sub-
Saharan Africa and South Asia through
enhanced grain legume production and
productivity

3. Specifically the Project targets:
• Enhance productivity of six legumes crops in the
drought-prone areas of SSA and SA by at least 20%,
by increasing availability and adoption of improved
varieties and associated crop management practices
• specific vision :
– 20% increase in production and productivity;
– 30% of total area to be covered with improved varieties;
– Some 60 million poor farmers to benefit;
– Annual aggregate value of >US$ 300 million
– Organized into 9 objectives; 6 crop-specific (Obj 2-7), 2
(Obj 1 & 8) common across the crops, and one (Obj 9) on
management.

4. TL-II Partnerships
– A partnership involving three CGIAR centres, 15
national programs, the private sector and other
R&D organizations.
– Project activities are in Burkina Faso, Ghana,
Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Ethiopia, Kenya,
Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda and
Zimbabwe in SSA and India and Bangladesh in SA

5. Obj – 1 Market opportunities, policies and
partnerships Achievements
• Country strategies and seed road maps:
– For each variety a clear road map to impact
• Impact model reveal increased demand and supply of
legume crops until 2050
– This positions legumes as a clear pathway to poverty
reduction
• Project has lead to ↑ adoption of improved varieties in
target countries
– Requires use of new methods to attribute impact to
project interventions
• Increased awareness of supply and demand characteristics
sought by farmers and industry
– This knowledge is being used to shape research priorities

6. LESSONS from OBJ 1
• Varietal change is already impacting on smallholder legume
productivity and incomes (eg Ethiopia/Malawi)
• Based on the constraints analysis, soil problems, drought
and diseases are the primary limitations on yield at present.
Improved crop management must therefore play a role in
legume production to meet the needs of food security
• Bio-physical scientists increasingly aware of variety supply and
demand characteristics sought by farmers and industries
• Weak extension services and seed production and delivery
schemes are the cause for slow uptake of improved varieties

7. Lessons from Obj 1 cont
• Access to land, HH wealth, access to
information and labor saving devices are
important drivers of adoption of new
legumes varieties
• Market opportunities have dramatic
influence on input use and yields

8. Obj 1 ISSUES Holding back success
• Limited physical and economic access to seed of improved
varieties
– Weak seed production, delivery schemes and awareness
creation
– Intervention to bridge the formal/informal seed systems
• Seed re-cycling is still widespread and national yields are
below ideal levels
– Robust interventions in awareness creation and seed
production and distribution

9. Obj Issues cont
• Women farmer participation more prominent in some
countries than others.
• Private sector interest in legume seed industry remains low
– Need for critical analysis of public investments and
institutional arrangements for credit and input supply
– Cost effectiveness of comparative interventions;
comparative evidence of benefits and impacts of various
seed system approaches

10. Obj 1 GAPS
• Capacity of partners in social economics research
• Limited knowledge on global legumes demand and
supply
• Limited knowledge of existing legume seed markets
• Limited understanding of role and influence of
gender on technology choice and diffusion

11. Obj 2 – 7 Enhancing Production and Productivity
Achievements
• 129 New varieties of all six legumes released
• Newly released varieties are fast replacing the old ruling
varieties in both SSA and SA
• Active legumes breeding programs are now operational in all
target countries supporting crossing, nurseries, PVS trials
needed to exploit genetic gain and deliver new varieties.
• 37 MSc and PhD’s were trained (Phase I) and 22 more are in
training (Phase II).

12. Obj 2 – 7 LESSONS
• FPVS have been instrumental for identification and adoption
of new varieties by farmers.
• Centralized breeding effort by CGIAR and partners and
subsequent evaluations at national level is an efficient way for
quick progress. Materials popular in one country are also
generally popular in the other of similar agro-ecology.
• Complementary crop management practices, if promoted
alongside improved crop varieties can help increase
productivity
• Strengthened infrastructure and human skill instrumental
for generation of accurate data and research success.

13. Obj 2 – 7 Enhancing Production and
Productivity - Issues
• How to establish efficient and strong breeding pipelines at
NARS centers
• How to increase efficiency in handling large breeding data
sets (interpretation, documentation, use)
• How to best harness legumes capacity for N-fixation
• The aflatoxin challenge in groundnuts

14. Obj 2 – 7 Enhancing Production
and Productivity - GAPS
• Capacity of partners
– breeding,
– infrastructure
– and financial resources
• Data management:
– Getting well curated data from different partners

15. Obj 2 – 7 Crop Improvement Gaps cont.
• Integrated breeding by TL-II breeders.
– Adoption of this approach by TL-II breeders is not yet
straight forward.
• Adoption of modern data handling tools and solutions. Still
not all breeders are using the tools to create and populate
their DB nor using the electronic fieldbook

16. Objective 8 – Seeds Systems
Achievements

17. Seed (tons) produced across target
countries, by crop and phase
Crop Phase I
(2007-2010)
Phase II
(2011-2013)
Total
Chickpea 82,381 111,553 193,934
Beans 9,030 18,451 27,481
Cowpea 604 1,510 2,114
Groundnut 11,977 15,685 27,662
Pigeonpea 921 3,644 4,565
Soybean 1,171 1,905 3,076
Total 106,084 152,748 258,832
Seed enough to serve 51.7 million smallholder
farmers when distributed in 5kg small packs.

18. Economic gross benefits derived from the
adoption of TL2 modern varieties..
Crop Region
amount of
additional $
Percent
total
Value
excluding SA
$
%
excluding
SA
Bean
ESA 17,589,134.00 3.02%
17,589,134.0
0
6.10%
Cowpea WCA 9,494,800 1.63% 9,494,800 3.29%
ESA 1,163,750 0.20% 1,163,750 0.40%
Groundnut ESA 124,742,716 21.39% 124,742,716 43.25%
WCA 4,511,357 0.77% 4,511,357 1.56%
SA 8,666,041 1.49% 8,666,041 3.00%

19. Economic gross benefits derived from the
adoption of TL2 modern varieties..
Crop Region
amount of
additional $
Percent
total
Value
excluding SA $
%
excluding
SA
Pigeonpea ESA 35,756,578 6.13% 35,756,578 12.40%
SA 24,317,902 4.17% 24,317,902 8.43%
Chickpea ESA 49,438,014 8.48% 49,438,014 17.14%
SA 294,782,738 50.55% 0.00%
Soybean WCA 3,602,081 0.62% 3,602,081 1.25%
ESA 9,107,189 1.56% 9,107,189 3.16%
Gross
benefits $
583,172,300 100.00% 288,389,562 100.00%

20. Objective 8 Lessons
• A multi-crop approach is necessary to develop sustainable
seed systems for Both farmers and seed companies
• Partnerships created through innovation platforms are likely
to result into more effective and efficient seed systems
• Small seed packs is an efficient strategy for popularization of
new varieties
• A strong effective diverse partnership is necessary for
achieving wider dissemination of improved varieties
• Demand for specific varieties is linked to market use

21. Obj 8 (Seed Systems) LESSONS Cont
• New organizational arrangements are critical for up-scaling
of seed production, as both formal and informal seed
systems require partnerships with public agencies.
• More robust seed system-models are needed for up scaling
adoption of new legume varieties (low commercial interest)
• The community seed banks can be scaled up using QDS as
practiced in Tanzania
• The revolving fund approach as practiced in Malawi can be
used to build sustainable partnerships with private sector
based on local small seed companies.

22. ICRISAT Seed Revolving Fund 2005 – 2012
(TL-II started during 2007/08 season).
-
200,000
400,000
600,000
800,000
1,000,000
1,200,000
1,400,000
1,600,000
1,800,000
Basic Seed (kg)
Certified Seed (kg)

23. Objective 8 Lessons cont
• Public support and Truthful label are two important
drivers of success by India which African nations
can borrow and adapt
• Strong government policy support (India) has
encouraged many small private companies entry into
legumes seed production and marketing

24. Objective 8 Issues
• How to strengthen breeder/basic seed
production outside the research stations
• Strategies for popularization of new varieties
& shorten time lag between release and
adoption
• How to leverage with other large seed
investments outside TL-III for scaling up
• How to take advantage of the ICT revolution

25. Objective 8 GAPS
• Non availability of improved seed contributes to continued
cultivation of obsolete old varieties
• Limited commercial perspective of legume seed hinders large
scale participation of private sector seed companies
• Not enough investment in Variety popularization
• Linkage between seed systems and grain markets not well
developed
• Inadequate risk management to maintain uninterrupted
supply of seed incase of drought (lack of irrigation)

27. E
Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
THANKS