Four Seasons of Learning and Engaging Smallholder Farmers - icrisat
Four Seasons of Learning and Engaging Smallholder Farmers - icrisat
Four Seasons of Learning and Engaging Smallholder Farmers - icrisat
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
The mother trials were implemented collectively by farmers selected by the village chief or farmers’<br />
associations. Baby trials were conducted by 20 individual farmers in the same villages. <strong>Farmers</strong> grew<br />
2-3 new varieties along with their local variety under traditional management practices. Other than<br />
seed no other inputs were provided. Replication was across farmers, either in the same village or<br />
across villages. The PVS trials were repeated in the 2009/10 season in the same villages with larger<br />
plots. The varieties were sown in plots <strong>of</strong> 20 x 50 m or 0.1 ha in each <strong>of</strong> the six villages in Mali. For the<br />
baby trials out <strong>of</strong> 120 farmers expected 108 were implemented. The number <strong>of</strong> farmers involved in the<br />
trials is presented in Table 4-9. The interest <strong>of</strong> Plan Mali (an International NGO) to include groundnut<br />
production by the women groups in their areas <strong>of</strong> intervention has facilitated the extension <strong>of</strong> mother<br />
trials in five new villages in the Koulikoro region in 2010/11 cropping seasons. The trials were managed<br />
by 25 women in each village. The plot sizes were 0.1 ha per variety.<br />
Niger<br />
The pilot sites are located in the Dosso region. Soils are mainly s<strong>and</strong>y accounting for two thirds <strong>of</strong> the<br />
region, with clayey soils in less than 10% <strong>of</strong> the region. The main rainfed crops are millet, sorghum,<br />
cowpea <strong>and</strong> groundnut. The experimental sites were Doula, Guida Gaba, KomaBeri, T<strong>and</strong>a, Tounga<br />
<strong>and</strong> Wassangou. The most popular variety grown throughout Niger is 55-437 .The Mother trials were<br />
managed by a group <strong>of</strong> 36 farmers in each village. Satellite baby trials were also set up in the same<br />
villages. Overall, 167 men <strong>and</strong> 25 women were involved.<br />
Nigeria<br />
The pilot sites are located in the states <strong>of</strong> Jigawa, Kano <strong>and</strong> Kastina that account for more than 50%<br />
<strong>of</strong> the total groundnut production in Nigeria. These states span the Sudan-sahelian ecologies prone<br />
to drought; where millet, sorghum, cotton, groundnut, cowpea <strong>and</strong> vegetables are major crops. The<br />
rainfall in these states varies between 600 <strong>and</strong> 900 mm. Groundnut rosette is a major biotic constraint.<br />
The most widely grown varieties are 55-437, RRB, <strong>and</strong> RMP 12. However, new varieties released in the<br />
last decade are finding their way into the farmers’ fields. The pilot sites, names <strong>of</strong> farmers conducting<br />
mother <strong>and</strong> baby trial are presented in Table 4-10.<br />
Table 4-9: Number <strong>of</strong> farmers involved in the baby <strong>and</strong> mother trials in Mali<br />
Location<br />
Year<br />
2008 2009 2010 Total<br />
Marako 21 21 21 63<br />
Diorila 21 21 21 63<br />
Faladié 21 21 41 103<br />
Diancounté Camara 21 21 17 59<br />
Sadiola 21 101 85 207<br />
Dialafra 21 21 21 63<br />
Total 126 206 240 558<br />
Progress <strong>of</strong> Phase 1<br />
67