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

INTRODUCTION AND CONFERENCE OBJECTIVES
STEPHEN R WADDINGTON and MULUGETTA MEKURIA
One of the main thrusts of Soil Fert Net and its
members since the mid 1990s has been to develop
and test under farmer conditions a wide range of
annual legume options that smallholder farmers
will find useful for soil fertility, and for food or sale.
Research has also been undertaken on the mechanisms
and processes by which these legumes provide
their benefits and the magnitude of benefits
tha t can be realized under ideal conditions and on
farm. More recently, initiatives have been undertaken
to promote these technologies with farmers,
get farmer feedback about which they prefer and
encourage farmers to experiment with the legumes.
Most recently, a range of studies on the economics
and policy implications of these systems have been
undertaken.
In recent years then, tremendous progress has been
made in identifying suitable best bets, in quantifymg
their performance on farm, in assessing their
economic potential and their suitability with farmers,
and in helping farmers to access the technolo­
. gies. Yet, outputs from these many efforts have been
widely scattered in annual research reports, in papers
and articles that are often difficult to access,
and in some cases are still on computer hard disks
or have yet to be written up.
This conference on the soil fertility benefits from
green manures and grain legumes brought together
56 participants from Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe
and Mozambique, along with some further key presenters
from Ethiopia, Kenya and the Netherlands.
The conference objectives were to:
9) Provide an opportunity for Soil Fert Members
and other interested persons to present their research
on grain legumes and green manures for
soil fertility management, and to learn from others
9) Document and synthesize the state of the art on
this important topic in the region
9) Showcase the benefits that these technologies are
having with clients, especially smallholder farmers
9) Identify socio economic, institutional, and policy
conStraints affecting the promotion and lli/e of
legumes and green manures
9) Develop strategies to fill research gaps and maximize
the benefits from these technologies.
The conference was divided into several thematic
sessions where a mixture of invited and offered oral
and poster papers were presented and discussed.
Several key papers were given on strategic topics by
persons from the region, from East Africa and be-·
yond. The conference emphasized work conducted
in Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique.
Session themes included:
9) Introductory Session of Key Themes
9) Rhizobium, N fixation and Microbiology
9) Screening of Annual Legumes for Adaptation and
Use
9) Identification of Best Bet Legumes for On-farm
Performance as Grain Legumes, Interc.rops, Rotations,
Green Manures
9) Legume Benefits on Maize Productivity and Soil
Properties
9) Improving the Productivity of Grain Legumes
and Green Manures
9) Targeting, Integration and Promotion of Legumes
9) Adoption, Economics and Impacts of Annual
Legumes with Farmers.
Towards the end of the conference, synthesizers reported
key findings. Working Grqups met to summarize
progress and gap~, and examine the way
forward. A summary of findings from the Working
Groups is given at the end of these proceedings.
The meeting was a great success, with' enthusiastic
participation throughout. The important papers
presented that document the state of the art with
green manure and grain legume research and development
for soil fertility improvement in southern
Africa are given in these proceedings.
Grain Legumes and Green Manures for Soil Fertility in Southern Africa