Tropical forages to enhance sustainable …spfcic.tamu.edu/proceedings/2012/REIN-SPFCIC2012.pdfTropical forages to enhance sustainable intensification of mixed systems in ... Integration

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Eco-Efficient Agriculture for the Poor www.ciat.cgiar.org

Tropical forages to enhance sustainable intensification of mixed systems in Central America and the Caribbean

R. van der Hoek, M. Peters, M. Mena, R. Schultze-Kraft, A. Schmidt and I. Rao

Tropical Forages

[email protected]

SPFCIC, San Juan, Puerto Rico, June 2012

Eco-Efficient Agriculture for the Poor


Outline

• Setting

• Mixed systems

• Forages in mixed systems in Central-America

• CIAT work in mixed systems

Drought-adapted forages

Integration of legumes in mixed systems

Agroforestry practices with forage components

Forages for monogastrics

• Conclusions and perspectives

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Setting Challenges – population growth and climate change

• Unsustainable intensification of land use

• Severe land degradation as a consequence of inadequate management practices

• Increasing demand animal products


Tropical Forage Program R&D Strategy

Forage germplasm development

Productivity and

nutritive value

Seed production

Adaptation to biotic/abiotic stresses

High value forages to capture

differentiated markets

Forages included into crop-livestock systems

to realize livelihood and environmental

benefits

Eco-efficient agriculture

Releases of stress

adapted and productive

forages

Increased income and reduced

labor

Increased smallholder

competitiveness

Reversing land degradation

Mitigation of

climate change

Management

Processing

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Three Priority Regions

Latin America and the Caribbean

• Germplasm Development, High Value Opportunities, Livelihoods and Environment

• Focus countries: Nicaragua, Honduras, Colombia, Haiti

Southeast Asia

• Livelihoods, High Value Opportunities (Environment)

• Focus countries: Laos, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Thailand

Eastern, Central and Southern Africa

• High Value Opportunities, Livelihoods

• Focus countries: DR Congo, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda


Outline

• Setting

• Mixed systems








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Agricultural systems in the world

Source: Steinfeld et al., 2006

Areas dominated by landless production

Mixed, irrigated

Mixed, rainfed

Grazing

Other types


Role of mixed systems • Largest category of agricultural systems

• Combine crops and animals

• Animals provide added value and produce nutritious food

• Offer a good potential for ecologically and economically efficient agriculture, reducing risks and offering new opportunities

Mixed systems

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Mixed systems in Central American hillsides: some characteristics (Yoro, Honduras)

0

2

4

6

< 800 m 800 - 1200 m > 1200 m

Total Coffee

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

< 800 m 800 - 1200 m > 1200 m

Maize Bean

0

5

10

15

< 800 m 800 - 1200 m > 1200 m

Cattle Pigs

Land tenure, per household (ha)

Animal ownership, per household (units)

Maize and bean yield (t/ha)

• Precipitation: 1000- 1200 mm, 5-6 months dry season (Nov-Apr)

• Majority of farmers small-scale, largely subsistence

• Systems based on maize, beans, coffee, some monogastrics, some cattle (“double purpose”)

• Feed resources: “naturalized” pastures, crop residues

Source: Van der Hoek, 2009

Mixed systems


Outline

• Setting

• Mixed systems








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Forages for mixed systems

• Multipurpose forages: essential interface between crop and animal component in mixed systems

• Wide range of options to improve environmental and socioeconomic sustainability in fragile environments

– Soil fertility

– Animal production

– Weed control


Characteristics of forages for mixed systems - grasses

Niche Use Observation

Andropogon gayanus Wide range, well-drained soils, drought-adapted.

Grazing, cut-and-carry, cattle.

Good seed production.

Brachiaria brizantha (various cultivars incl. cvs. Marandú, Toledo)

Wide range, well-drained soils, drought-adapted.


Good seed production.

Brachiaria hybrids (cvs. Mulato , Caymán)

Wide range, well-drained/”waterlogged” soils, drought-adapted, medium-high soil fertility.

Grazing, cut-and-carry, cattle. Trials with monogastrics.

Low seed production, dependency on providers.

Brachiaria humidicola Wide range, including soils with poor drainage.


Option for humid areas.

Pennisetum sp. (Camerún, King Grass)

Wide range, well-drained soils.

Cut-and-carry, cattle.

Energy source during dry season.


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Niche Use Observations

Canavalia brasiliensis

Integration in maize-bean systems during “dry season”. Wide range of soils. Subhumid, low-medium altitude.

Green manure, improved crop residues, dry season feed (milk).

Yield 2- 4 t/ha

Clitoria ternatea Small plots producing protein-rich feed. Medium-high fertility soils. Semi-arid, subhumid, low-medium altitude.

Green manure, dry season feed (milk).Monogastrics (pigs).

Yield 2- 4 t/ha

Lablab purpureus

Integration in maize-bean systems during “dry season”. Small plots producing protein-rich feed. Wide range of soils. Subhumid, low-medium-high altitude.

Green manure, improved crop residues, dry season feed (milk). Monogastrics (pigs).

Yield 2- 4 t/ha

Stylosanthes guianensis

Small plots producing protein-rich feed. Medium-high fertility soils. Semi-arid, subhumid, low-medium altitude.

Dry season feed. Protein bank. Monogastrics (pigs).

Yield 5-10 t/ha

Vigna unguiculata

Integration in maize-bean systems during “dry season”. Small plots producing protein-rich feed. Wide range of soils. Semi-arid-subhumid, low-medium altitude.

Green manure, improved crop residues, dry season feed (milk). Monogastrics (pigs, poultry), Human food.

Yield 1.5-3 t/ha

Characteristics of forages for mixed systems – herbaceous legumes



Niche Use Observations

Cajanus cajan Wide range, well-drained soils. Cut-and-carry, grazing, cattle. Trials with monogastrics .Human food.

Semi-perennial. Rapid growth.

Cratylia argentea

Well drained acidic soils, drought tolerant. Altitude until 1200 m.

Cut-and-carry, grazing, cattle. Trials with monogastrics.

Slow initial growth, intolerant to clay soils. High forage quality.

Leucaena leucocephala

Well-drained, neutral-alkaline soils Cut-and-carry, grazing, cattle. Trials with monogastrics.

Susceptible to Psyllids and ants.


Characteristics of forages for mixed systems – shrub legumes

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Cratylia argentea

• Altitude: 0-1200 m

• Soils: pH 3.8 - 6.0, low fertility, well-drained

• Climate: tolerates drought (6 - 7 months dry season)

• Good nutritional value (CP 18-30%)

• Uses: cut-and-carry, grazing, dry season supplement, green manure, firewood


Outline

• Setting

• Mixed systems








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Forage research of CIAT and partners in Central-America and the Caribbean

Goal

Improve livelihoods of poor rural crop-livestock producers while contributing to eco-efficiency of production systems

General objective

explore the benefits of multipurpose forages for improving agricultural productivity while reducing the ecological footprint of crop-livestock systems

Focus

• Divers animal species (ruminants and monogastrics)

• High value opportunities

• Livelihoods and environment

• Systems

• Scaling


Drought vulnerable areas in Central- America

Source: FAO, 2002

Vulnerable areas

< 4 months dry season 4-6 months dry season > 6 months dry season

Drought adapted forages

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Agronomic evaluations

• Data CIAT genebank

• On-station germplasm evaluation

• On-farm germplasm evaluation



Participatory evaluations

• Grasses (Brachiaria Toledo, Mulato)

• Multipurpose legumes (Vigna, Lablab, Canavalia)

• Shrub legumes (Cratylia)

• Criteria, preferences

A.g.

B.h. 36061

B.b. 16322

B.b. 26110

B.b. 26646

B.d. 6133

P.m. 16031

Camerun

-0.40

-0.20

0.00

0.20

0.40

0.60

minprep maxprep

Preferences of participatory evaluations of grasses during periods of minimum and

maximum precipitation


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• Drought adapted grasses

• Grasses for cut-and-carry

• Protein banks

• Forage trees

Evaluations with introduced germplasm

Introduce drought adapted forages with high nutritive value allowing for dry season milk production

• Agronomic aspects - production

• Management

• Seed production

• Commercialization



The case of Emprasefor, Honduras

• Varying results caused by unforeseen climatic events in combination with low input use

• Strong recovery capacity

• Diversification into related activities like concentrate production

• Replicable with modest investment

Farmers’ group–with strategic support from CIAT and local partners – established and maintains a seed company based on Brachiaria brizantha cv. “Toledo” during 8 años


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Evaluations of conserved forages

• Silage of grasses/legumes

• Hay of grasses/legumes

Promote dry-season conservation of forages while optimizing nutritive value



Evaluacions based on mixed-cropping with cereals

• Improved crop residues

Drought-adapted legumes in association with maize to increase quality of crop residues.


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Canavalia brasiliensis : a climate hardy covercrop

Major attributes

• Its deep rooting ability contributes to efficient use of resources (nutrients and water) keeping the crop green throughout the dry season

• Fixes 20-50 kg N ha-1 until well into the dry season when integrated as green manure in the traditional maize-bean system

• Increases animal feed availability and quality leading to five kg day-

1 ha-1 more milk

Perspectives

• Tolerant also to waterlogging conditions and shade

• Farmers are engaged in validation and seed production

• Submitted for cultivar release in Nicaragua 2012 (Colombia planned for 2013)

Feed biomass availability increases by a tonne per ha



N balance with removal of canavalia

-60

-40

-20

0

20

40

60

80

FC GR LP PT

site

kg

N p

er

ha

M/B M/C0% M/C50% M/C75% M/C100%

C. brasiliensis represents a net N input at the plot level when used as

green manure.. but cannot replace the mineral fertilizers.

C. brasiliensis represents a net N output from the plot when removed

to be used as forage.


Trade-offs ….

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• Integration of livestock component into “Quesungual” slash and mulch agroforestry system with maize and beans as major crops (Nicaragua-Honduras)

Forage components

• Brachiarias hybrid cv. Mulato II and B. brizantha cv. Marandú to increase animal production in combination with forage legumes (for animal feed and crop rotation)

• Shrub legumes (i.e., Cratylia argentea, Leucaena leucocephala)


Achievements

• Forage legumes for pigs can replace up to 30% of grain cereals. Silage offers additional advantages such as conservation for dry season use, easy transport and storage for marketing

Tropical forage legumes for monogastric animals

Constraints • Current feed resources: cereal grains, household & crop

residues, poorly available and/or expensive (concentrates)

• Low productivity, competition with human food

Context • Over 70% of smallholder families keep monogastrics (swine

and poultry) in backyard systems, with an important role for women and youth

Outlook

• Emerging outcomes include small credit schemes with improved pigs, improved sanitation, opportunities for biogas (with partners)

• Results have attracted high interest from farmers and institutions, and the technology is being disseminated at a larger scale

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Outline

• Setting

• Mixed systems









Conclusions

• Wide range of eco-efficient forage options developed with and for small and medium farmers in mixed systems

• Applicability in real conditions

• Limited impacts in terms of reach and scale (especially legumes)

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Challenges and perspectives • Grasses and legumes for clay soils and humid areas

• Role of forages in restoration of degraded areas and mitigation of effects of climate change, in particular greenhouse gas emissions: carbon sequestering (including added value trough carbon schemes), reduction of methane emissions, biological nitrogen inhibition (BNI)

• Continued research into the effects of cover legumes – trade-off analyses, e.g., soil fertility versus animal production

• Forage options for small and monogastric livestock species emphasizing livelihoods of women farmers

• Farmer seed production

• Capacity development

• Dissemination of technologies, adoption enhancement


Thank you

Documents

Tropical forages to enhance sustainable …spfcic.tamu.edu/proceedings/2012/REIN-SPFCIC2012.pdfTropical forages to enhance sustainable intensification of mixed systems in ... Integration