Grain Legumes and Green Manures for Soil Fertility in ... - cimmyt

Socio-Economics, Policy and Technology Promotion
Results
Benefits
Research gaps
Research strategies
Application
of GIS for
targeting
and scaling
up
Efficiency and
speed. It saves
resources.
Multiple
biophysical and
economic data
can be collected.
Capacity lacking -
and capital.
both human
Training of research and extension staff on the use or
interpretation of GIS data.
Decision
guides
(Decision
support
systems,
DSS)
Technology
promotion
approaches
Several
promising
grain
legumes and
green
manures
have been
developed
and
identified,.
but adoption
is low
Gives flexible
options for
choice of
technologies and
their
management.
Farmer
empowennent.
Enhanced
linkages between
research,
extension,
farmers and
other role players
in technology
promotion.
Improve soil
fertili ty and
increase food
production and
income.
Available guides are incomplete
and consider mainly biophysical
traits.
Inadequate farmer characterization.
There is ample data in the region,
waiting for synthesis.
Priority should be given to gap
filling and synthesis of regional
knowledge.
There is limited multi-disciplinary
integration and initiative for true
linkages among the various actors
and stakeholders.
Limited capacity of extension/
research to extend "best bet"
options.
Lack of solutions to emergency
problem of land degradation.
The synthesis and development of guides should
consider and incorporate sodo-economic factors, policy
issues and current production trends.
DSS and qualitative indicators should be tested,
validated, refined and identified to target socio­
economic and biophysical niches and over larger areas
for the integration of legumes.
DSS should be geared not only towards increasing
productivity, but also suggest ways that could
minimize or distribute risk, decrease opportunity costs,
identify niches and respect social values.
Identify appropriate technologies that could be scaled
up immediately to be effective in the short and long
term.
Improve researcher-extension-fanner linkages.
Increase the capacity of fanners to organize themselves
to have bargaining power in markets.
Seed unavailability is a major Seed bulking.
constraint.
Enhance extension efforts.
Limited knowledge among Conduct comprehensive adoption and impact: studies.
extension staff.
Focus on adoption barriers, and give feedback to
Poor / limited farmer participation researchers to modify and improve the technology.
in research and scaling up process. Technology adoption could be enhanced if farmers
Lack of communication media with participate in the research and scaling-up processes.
fanners (bulletins, pamphlets, that To minimize poor adoption, encourage linkage
are developed in local languages, between farmers, scientists, extension. Develop
and in forms that are easy to ownership and follow up the problem.
understand).
Unfavorable
policy
environment
Need for
more
economic
analysis of
grain
legumes and
green
manure
technologies
None
Incentive to
produce.
Concrete and convincing data
seems to be absent.
Policy makers are unaware or do
not believe or understand what is
coming out of the research centres.
Lack of advocacy, and poor
linkages between policy makers
and researchers.
Limited market information.
Limited productivity and quality.
No organized markets.
Financial returns not attractive to
farmers.
Produce and present convincing infonnation to
influence the .decision making of policy makers.
Demonstrate benefits of technology to policy makers
under different scenarios.
Simplify our findings, create a forum and facilitate
opportunities so as to create awareness among policy
makers. Invite them to targeted meetings.
Create a forum where fanners will have access to
policy makers (e.g. invite farmers to meetings and
encourage discussion with policy makers).
Proper financial analysis.
Undertake empirical studies to demonstrate the
profitability and sustainability of technologies across
regions, locations and times.
Promotion of local utilization.
Develop market studies and provide market
information on both inputs and outputs.
Crea te farmer groups for marketing purposes.
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Grain Legumes and Green Manures for Soil Fertility in Southern Africa