Pigeon Pea – FRN
Lead Organization:
Research Community and Organizational Development Associates
Partner Organizations:
Selian Agricultural Research Institute
Community of Practice:
Countries:
Tanzania
Duration:
12/2015—12/2016
Overview:
This project addresses the problem of low production because of soil infertility and mono-cropping in Singida District in Tanzania. These factors contribute to food insecurity by reducing access to and quality of food consumed. Soil nutrients are depleted because of increased population and continuous cultivation of land with little or no crop rotation and inadequate addition of external organic and inorganic fertilizers. This project will explore opportunities for legume integration to intensify and diversify production and improve soil fertility, with a focus on the production of pigeonpea. RECODA has introduced pigeonpea in four villages in Singida District. Response has been positive, and farmers are adopting the new technology. The new project will build on this experience and introduce intercropping of pigeonpea or other legumes with sorghum and maize among the small-scale farmers in four other villages in Singida. Farmer groups will be established and facilitated to interact with each other and with researchers and agricultural extension officers in a farmer research network. Pathways of information-sharing will be analyzed, especially in relation to how these pathways affect adoption of the introduced technologies and contribute to sustainability. The project will also seek to understand the gender dynamics that affect adoption of pigeonpea at the household level.
Grant Aims:
This project aims to identify solutions to low productivity because of soil infertility and mono-cropping that contribute to food and nutrition insecurity in Singida District in Tanzania. It is expected that by the end of the project farmers will have enhanced knowledge of options for improving productivity through legume/cereal intercropping. Lessons will be learned on factors affecting the smooth functioning of farmer research networks. In addition, the most effective ways of generating and sharing information within and between communities will be documented.
- Involvement of women in the testing and adoption of technologies that enhance food security and income within the household
- Farmers produce sorghum and/or maize intercropped with pigeonpeas in an efficient and sustainable way
- Existence of farmer networks with research knowledge and with understanding of the benefits of intercropping
- Enhanced use of the effective pathways of collecting and sharing information within the different gender groups to ensure food security
Outputs and Outcomes:
- Information on the performance and adoption of the introduced improved pigeonpeas varieties and sorghum
- Availability of information on women’s role in enhancing adoption and therefore household food security
- Pathways of generating and sharing information identified and the most effective ones identified for further promotion within communities
- Existence of farmer networks with knowledge of intercropping dynamics
- Involvement of women in testing and adopting technologies that enhance household food security and income
- Farmers produce sorghum and/or maize intercropped with pigeonpeas in an efficient and sustainable way
- Existence of farmer networks with research knowledge and with understanding of the benefits of intercropping
- Enhanced use of the effective pathways of collecting and sharing information within the different gender groups to ensure food security