Regarding: “What are the main challenges that farmers in your country face with regard to the production of pulses? How should these be addressed?”
I would like to add some caution to the promotion of any particular intervention without viewing that action in context. While we fully recognize the nutritional, soil and climate related benefits, this solution, if forced onto farmers without a broader contextualization of their situation may result in negative outcomes. For example, there has been a project working in Ethiopia for many years on pulses, particularly around breeding, farmer seed selection and improved yields. However, uptake remains low despite various training, educational and field demonstration sites. In this case researchers are focusing upon the benefits, but not the costs, or broader challenges being faced. In this part of the country, chronic food insecurity is prevalent and land sizes are very small (0.5 ha or less, on average). Farmers current decide to grow root crops (specifically: enset, taro and sweet potato), which have yields per hectare that are 3 to 8 times greater than that of pulses. For them, despite the carbohydrate dense nature of these crops, the choice is an obvious one: if they grow root crops they may have food shortages 1-3 months of the year, however if they switch to the pulses, the food gap widens due to the decreased yields per hectare. Thus, it is logical for farmers to fully recognize the benefits, yet not adopt. It is worth emphasizing here that the land size is small, and growing seasons limited due to rain-fed agricultural practices, which further limit the options and opportunities. Some have farmers have integrated pulses, potentially a an attempted second crop after the main growing season or as smaller patches of their land. In sum: We should seek to understand the context before advocating that pulses are the answer. There may be alternatives, more suitable and more appropriate, even ones which farmers themselves have already taken action on (such as improved varieties of root crops).
Logan Cochrane
Regarding: “What are the main challenges that farmers in your country face with regard to the production of pulses? How should these be addressed?”
I would like to add some caution to the promotion of any particular intervention without viewing that action in context. While we fully recognize the nutritional, soil and climate related benefits, this solution, if forced onto farmers without a broader contextualization of their situation may result in negative outcomes. For example, there has been a project working in Ethiopia for many years on pulses, particularly around breeding, farmer seed selection and improved yields. However, uptake remains low despite various training, educational and field demonstration sites. In this case researchers are focusing upon the benefits, but not the costs, or broader challenges being faced. In this part of the country, chronic food insecurity is prevalent and land sizes are very small (0.5 ha or less, on average). Farmers current decide to grow root crops (specifically: enset, taro and sweet potato), which have yields per hectare that are 3 to 8 times greater than that of pulses. For them, despite the carbohydrate dense nature of these crops, the choice is an obvious one: if they grow root crops they may have food shortages 1-3 months of the year, however if they switch to the pulses, the food gap widens due to the decreased yields per hectare. Thus, it is logical for farmers to fully recognize the benefits, yet not adopt. It is worth emphasizing here that the land size is small, and growing seasons limited due to rain-fed agricultural practices, which further limit the options and opportunities. Some have farmers have integrated pulses, potentially a an attempted second crop after the main growing season or as smaller patches of their land. In sum: We should seek to understand the context before advocating that pulses are the answer. There may be alternatives, more suitable and more appropriate, even ones which farmers themselves have already taken action on (such as improved varieties of root crops).