The Cereals and Legumes Group Ethiopia

Transcription

1 Agriculture Knowledge, Learning, Documentation and Policy (AKLDP) Project The Cereals and Legumes Group Ethiopia Proceedings of the Second Cereals and Legumes Group Meeting 26 th February 2015, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Introduction The main purpose the Cereals and Legumes Group is to bring together agriculture sector stakeholders to share lessons learned and emerging good practice The Cereals and Legumes Working Group is a joint initiative between SNV and USAID s Agriculture Knowledge, Learning, Documentation and Policy (AKLDP) project. The primary purpose of the Group is to bring together policy makers, researchers and plant breeders with project implementers, agriculture extension specialists and private sector agricultural enterprises to share new thinking, lessons learned and emerging good practice in the cereals and legumes sub-sector. In this way, it is planned to accelerate the dissemination of knowledge and learning, promote good practice and to inform and influence future agriculture growth policy and strategy directions. The second Group meeting was held on 26 th February, 2015 at the Harmony Hotel, Addis Ababa and was structured around two presentations by representatives of Menegesh Biotech Industry PLC (MBI) and small group work. The presentations have been circulated to the participants and only summary information together with the output of the meetings small group work is presented here. Benefits and Prospects of Bio-fertilizer in Ethiopian Agriculture Dr. Asfaw Hailemariam Dr Asfaw introduced his presentation by comparing four graphs that depicted increases in the world population, global cereal production, global nitrogen fertilizer use and world cereal production per unit of nitrogen 1

2 Menegesha Biotech Industry PLC is currently assisting around 100,000 smallholders each year. The company philosophy is to assist smallholder farmers increase productivity and reduce fertilizer costs Legumes is the main source of protein for many poor smallholder farmers increasing productivity therefore can improve diets and income Inoculants have increased soya bean yields in Ethiopia by 2 tonnes/ ha over a control of 1 tonne/ha at a cost of Eth Birr 160/ha fertilizer used, measured in tonnes of cereal per tonne of nitrogen. Dr Asfaw noted that increases in cereal production required ever increasing amounts of nitrogen fertilizer and that such increases were not sustainable in the long-term as the costs to poorer smallholders would become prohibitive. The speaker outlined the history of bio-fertilizers in Ethiopia starting with Prof. Brihanu Abegas pioneering microbiology in the 1970s and Dr Amare Abebe s work on bio-fertilizer in the early 1980s at the Melkassa Agriculture Research Centre. The research expanded in the 1980s and 1990s and was moved to the Ethiopian Agriculture Institute of Research in During this time, inoculants were released for six highland legumes: faba, haricot and soya bean; field and chick pea; and linseed. Work on cyanobacteria - Anabina azolea and phosphate stabilizing micro-organisms was also carried out. Dr. Asfaw outlined the importance of legumes in Ethiopian agriculture: the second most important crop after cereals - 12 per cent of the cultivated area and 18 per cent of total crop production (CSA, 2008); and providing 8 per cent of daily calorie intake compared to 63, 17 and 1.9 per cent provided by cereals, potatoes/tubers and livestock protein respectively. As can be seen, legumes are an important source of protein in particular for poor rural households. Legumes can be grown in marginal soils and rotated with cereals. Average legume yields are typically around 900kg/ha which is low and linked to low fertilizer usage. The speaker outlined the key steps in the development and production of inoculants: isolation, identification, characterization, authentication, preservation, multiplication, carrier selection, preparation and finally packaging and labeling. The speaker outlined the characteristics of a good carrier as an organic medium that can be milled to pass through a 100 µm mesh sieve and free from lump-forming materials, that can dress the seed and therefore coat the seed with the inoculant. Good carriers include lignite and peat that can be milled to be non-toxic, have good moisture absorption capacity and adjusted to a neutral ph of between 6.5 and 7.0. Ideally the carrier should be locally available in large quantities and inexpensive in order to reduce cost. Dr. Asfaw confirmed that MBI sought to produce high quality inoculants at reasonable price of Eth Birr 160 (US$8/ ha). For example, MBI produced inoculants that: contained more than 10 million Rhizobium cells/gram of carrier within 15 days of manufacture and more than 1 million Rhizobium cells/gram of carrier 15 days before the final expiry date (between 6 and 12 months) when stored at c; and show effective nodulation in less than 60 days of inoculation and planting on all listed species/cultivars. Dr. Asfaw stressed the importance of clearly labeled quality packaging in low density opaque polyethylene packets 1. 2

3 While recognizing the advantages of inoculants in increasing legume production Dr. Asfaw noted that inoculants only provide production increases in reasonable well-structured soil - not in water-logged areas - that had adequate molybdenum or boron trace elements, small amounts of nitrogen compounds and which were farmed appropriately in relation to rainfall and pest management. Mung Bean (Vigna radiata): Lessons from Inoculant Trials, North Shoa, Ethiopia Asnake Beshah Mung bean is grown in the belg and does not compete with staple crops as the growing period is only 75 to 90 days Ato Asnake introduced the work he is leading on behalf of MBI on Mung bean (Vigna radiate) that is known as green bean and locally as Masho (Amharic). Mung bean grows optimally in semi-arid areas of North Shewa, South Wollo and the drier areas of Behi-shangul Gumuz in temperatures of 27 to 30 C and in neutral soils of ph 6.5 to 7.5. The growing period is 75 to 90 days and Mung bean is therefore grown mainly in the belg season as it does not compete with stable crops. As with most other legumes it also rotates well with cereals. Production estimates in Ethiopia in the mid-200s were 8qt/ ha (SARC, 2005). Ethiopia produces between 150,000 and 200,000 quintals (20 metric tonnes) of Mung bean of which an estimated 174,000 quintal is exported to South East Asia, India, UAE and Belgium. The potential for exports is significant and as of January 2014 Mung bean has been traded at the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange. Mung bean is grown mainly for export but the crop fixes atmospheric nitrogen for the following cereal crop As with other leguminous crops, the root nodules of Mung bean collect atmospheric nitrogen and result in increased yields. It was however found that Mung bean produced few nodules as a result of low levels of Rhizobia bacteria in Ethiopian soils and that as a result yields were lower than might have been expected. As little or no work had been carried out on Mung bean inoculants, Asnake collected nodules from chickpea in North Shoa and isolated and inoculated different strains of Rhizobia into host plants. Trials confirmed that only the Addis Ababa University strains 1 (Kewet), 3 and 7 (Ensaro) were effective producing both good nodule numbers and well formed in size. These strains also exhibited high levels of tolerance to soils of different ph, a range of temperatures, presence of low levels of salt, resistance to antibiotics and good nitrogen utilization. The results of field trials carried out with smallholders and one Farmers Training Centre in Kewet Woreda, Amhara Region over more than 4 hectares confirmed yields of 14, 16 and 12 qt/ha for the three different strains. The results are presented in the Table 1 see Annex 1. 3

4 Group Work In the Group Work it was agreed the use of inoculants should be promoted in Ethiopia in particular amongst poorer smallholder farmers who are largely dependent on legumes for dietary protein. It was agreed that the promotion should include practical farmer-farmer exchanges, demonstration and national and local media. Menagesh Biotech Industry needs support to take its inoculant work to scale Taking the use of inoculants to scale would benefit to millions of Ethiopian smallholder farmers Strengthening the formal and informal seed sectors are of equal priority. Questions were asked about how quickly the technology could be scaled-up and what support would be required for MBI to achieve scale. In response, MBI recognised the need to recruit more staff including a full-time marketing manager. MBI also recognised the need to develop a more comprehensive business plan to attract additional investment and therefore grow its business. The Groups presented the following recommendations: MBI develop a strong evidence base including average expected yield increases and fertilizer savings MBI extend its distribution network beyond Cooperative Unions and Farmers Training Centres to include local agents/ agri-dealers and emerging seed companies The Cereals and Legumes Working Group to work with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Agriculture Transformation Agency to create a more enabling environment that would provide a strong regulatory framework for future bio-fertilizer development - including the importation of different inoculants strains and the release of strains that are currently held only in Ethiopian research centres - and invest more in legume plant health protection. Finally, several of the implementing organisations present confirmed their interest in exploring opportunities to work MBI to integrate inoculants into on-going food security and agriculture production and productivity work. The SNV and AKLDP agreed to support any such developments. 4

5 Annex1: Results of Farmer Trials with Mung Bean Farmer Strain Type Woreda Site Area Ha Production (Quintals) Production (per ha) Worku Bekele 1A Kewet Misreta Yeshinigus Tiruwork 1A,, Salebet Ababu Tiruwork 1A,, Borera Derbie Worku 2A,, Misreta Yeshinigus Muluneh 2A,, Mehal Amba Basazen Gubay 2A,, Aba gida FTC Center 2A,, A/Atir Dellelegne Zebene 3A,, Mehal Amba Getu Mengist 3A,, Borera H/silassie Arkise 3A,, Borera Hirut Tsegaye 3A,, Misreta Seid Ahmed 3A,, Misreta Degu Beshah 3A,, Borera