Farmer perceptions of legumes and their functions in smallholder farming systems in east Africa

Abstract

Legumes play an important role in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) farming systems through the provision of food, feed, fuel, income and a range of biophysical benefits, such as soil fertility enhancement and erosion control. However, their full potential is not being realized. The purpose of this study was to assess farmers' perceptions and knowledge towards legumes and the rationale of farmers for current legume production practices using a survey of 268 farmers in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya. Most of the farmers had some knowledge of legumes and their characteristics. However, they had little knowledge of some key functions, including soil erosion control and soil fertility improvement. Most farmers relied on radio and other farmers for legume-related information. Farmers with relatively large livestock holdings ranked provision of livestock feed as an important legume function. We conclude that farmers put more value on short-term benefits of legumes including food and income than long-term benefits such as natural resource management and thus grain legumes are more readily identified by farmers than forage species. Also, we conclude that farmers require more than just information about legumes to increase uptake, they also require improved market access to procure inputs and sell products to realize other benefits that are associated with growing legumes.

Investigating the diverse potential of a multi-purpose legume, Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet, for smallholder production in East Africa

“…Legume studies often prioritize either the grain or forage potential of the study crops, with less focus on the tradeoffs or interactions of these traits [4,5]. Studies on farmer objectives in growing legumes however confirm that farmers have multiple production objectives in growing legumes and consider other benefits besides just grain yield in choosing to cultivate legumes, such as improving soil fertility [2,6,7]. A legume's ability to improve soil fertility through nitrogen (N) fixation depends on many different factors, including genetics, management and the environment [3].…”

The impact of climate smart agriculture on household welfare in smallholder integrated crop–livestock farming systems: evidence from Zimbabwe

“…Livestock productivity is constrained by the low quality and unreliable availability of forage during the dry season, while crop productivity is constrained by infertile sandy soils and the low use of technologies (i.e., improved varieties, fertilizers, etc.). In addition, farmers face under-developed markets that limit their financial returns, because they are characterised by high input costs and low output prices, coupled with droughts, as a result of climate change [6][7][8]. Climate change has led to a shorter growing season, higher temperatures, frequent and severe droughts, as well as pest outbreaks, e.g., the Army Worm and Tuta [9], which have resulted in reduced crop yields.…”

Reducing soil erosion in smallholder farming systems in east Africa through the introduction of different crop types

“…Although tree and herbaceous legumes are valuable feed sources for animals and have been shown to increase milk production (Paterson et al, 2013), farmers are less willing to incorporate them because they lack experience in growing these crops. There is a very low interest in herbaceous legumes since farmers prefer growing grain legumes to provide food security for their families (Muoni et al, 2019). One way to increase interest in the inclusion of herbaceous or tree legumes would be to stress its usefulness as fodder in addition to the soil fertility enhancing and soil conservation aspects, but adoption is more likely in cases where livestock play an important role in income generation.…”