Tropical Legumes II

ENHANCING GRAIN LEGUMES PRODUCTIVITY AND PRODUCTION AND THE INCOMES OF

POOR FARMERS IN DROUGHT-PRONE AREAS OF SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA AND SOUTH
ASIA
( ICRISAT, in partnership with CIAT, IITA and NARS partners )
Tropical legumes are one of the major components of farming systems in smallholder agriculture
of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and South Asia (SA). In spite of their importance, productivity of
these crops has remained stagnant or even declined over the years, particularly in SSA, because
of such constraints as drought, pest and disease problems, and unavailability and lack of access
to quality seed of improved varieties.
Tropical Legumes-II is a joint initiative of three international agricultural research centres, viz.
ICRISAT (chickpea, groundnut and pigeonpea), IITA (cowpea & soybean), and CIAT (common
bean) that aims to increase productivity and production of legumes and the income of poor
farmers in SSA and SA by 15 percent, with improved varieties occupying 30 percent of the total
area planted by some 57 million poor farmers in the coming 10 years. It is expected that this will
result in an additional value gain of more than US$ 300 million during that period.
The project’s strategy is to fast track testing and adoption of existing varieties and advanced
breeding lines for use by famers; generate new farmer- and market-preferred varieties and
hybrids with desirable traits (high yields, tolerance to moisture stress, and resistance to pests and
diseases); and establish decentralized, pro-poor seed production and delivery systems.
All activities will be carried out in full partnership with NARS of nine countries, including Mali,
Niger and Nigeria in western and central Africa; Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique and
Tanzania in eastern and southern Africa; and India in South Asia.
The project puts very high emphasis on capacity building for the NARS in terms of both human
resources and infrastructure. Each NARS in the pilot countries would be enabled to have a fully
functional national programme for each crop, with a total of 47 researchers (12 PhD and 35 MSc)
trained within the next 3 years.
The project management is with ICRISAT (on behalf CIAT and IITA), and the participating NARS
partners, including private sector seed companies and NGOs.
Background and Rationale

Grain legumes are important components of agricultural production, and are major sources of
protein for the poor, especially in tropical and sub-tropical countries.The last four decades saw
significant improvements in agricultural productivity and production in many parts of the world
regions. These events have bypassed Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and parts of South Asia (SA),
however. Today, large numbers of people in SSA and SA are undernourished. The 2002-04 FAO
data show that an estimated 33 percent of people in SSA and 22 percent in SA are
undernourished. This means 214 million people in SSA and 299 million in SA face hunger.
Fig. 1: Relative importance of TL-II crops in SSA and SA (avg. of 2003-05)

Tropical legumes, including common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), chickpea (Cicer arietinum),
cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), groundnut (Arachis hypogaea), pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan), and
soybean (Glycine max) are very important in the farming systems of SSA and SA. They constitute
an important source of protein and cash, and help maintain soil fertility for the poor farmers in
these regions.
Of the total world average area planted to these crops for the period from 2003-05, the two
regions combined accounted for close to 40 percent, with nearly 100 percent, 99 percent, and 86
percent of the world’s total pigeonpea, cowpea, and chickpea, respectively, grown here (fig. 1).
About 74 percent, 67 percent, and 10 percent, respectively, of all the world’s groundnut, common
bean, and soybean were also grown in the two regions during the same period.
Yields of these crops in the two regions have remained almost stagnant, or even declined in
some instances, particularly in Africa, over the years (see table 1). The modest gains made in
total production, at least in SSA, have been achieved from area expansion (see fig. 2) rather than
from increases in productivity. Further expansion in area can no more be an option considering
the increased pressure on land, due to unchecked population growth and associated
environmental concerns.

Table 1: Average yields of TL-II crops (source: FAOSTAT)

Crop SSA SA World

1995-97 2003-05 1995-97 2003-05 1995-97 2003-05

Bean 707 687 736 856 648 725

Chickpea 708 717 628 734 758 773

Cowpea 583 643 775 916 324 463

Groundnut 898 954 1,385 2,079 1,339 1,767

Pigeonpea 694 747 656 759 682 700

Soybean 1,175 974 1,148 1,220 2,107 2,277

Fig. 2: Change in the area harvested of TL-II crops in SSA and SA (avg. of 2003-05 over
1995-97)

Major constraints to tropical legumes productivity and production in SSA include moisture stress
(mainly drought), decline in soil fertility, disease and insect problems, poor crop management
practices, unavailability of and lack of access to quality seed of improved varieties, and poor
market access.
Legumes are highly susceptible to pests and diseases that reduce yields substantially. Diseases
such as wilt disease in chickpea and rosette disease in groundnut can cause 100% yield loss.
Pest damage, especially during the early seedling stage and pod formation, also causes severe
yield losses. Low yields also result from various abiotic constraints, such as salinity, low soil
fertility, heat stress, and, in particular, drought – which is a major and common constraint across
all regions. Genetic and crop management options could greatly reduce crop losses caused by
these stresses. Some technologies are already available for immediate adoption by farmers,
though in other cases more crop improvement research is needed to generate and/or fine-tune
genetic solutions suited to drought-prone areas. Many studies on the adoption of improved
cultivars bred by national programs or provided by international agricultural research centers
(IARCs) have concluded that the major bottleneck preventing adoption by farmers is the fact that
good quality seed is either difficult or impossible to access by resource-poor farmers. Some of the
major difficulties associated with the production and distribution of legume seeds are a low seed
multiplication ratio, the bulkiness of the seed (transportation costs), and its poor storability (as a
result of infestation by pests and rapid loss of viability).
No single agency can produce and provide that quantity of seed. Therefore, it is essential to
produce the seed at village level by farmers themselves (and avoid storage and transport) The
project therefore aims to enhance the linkages between the formal and informal seed sectors
(non-governmental and community-based systems), train farmers, farmers’ associations/ groups,
and local seed traders in seed production, processing and distribution and to develop models of
small enterprises that will allow efficient, sustainable, and more equitable seed production and
delivery systems. Strong linkages will be established with PASS (Program for Africa’s Seed
Systems) and other programs to derive synergies in promoting local seed enterprises.
Objectives of TL-II

The overall objective of TL-II is to bring about significant increases in the productivity and
production of tropical legumes to improve farmers’ income, nutrition quality, and livelihoods in
SSA and SA. It is aimed to increase productivity of legumes in SSA and SA by 15 percent, with
improved varieties occupying 30 percent of the total area planted by some 57 million poor farmers
in the coming 10 years. It is expected that this will result in an additional value gain of more than
US$ 300 million during that period.
The target in the short term (2008-10) is to achieve a 5 percent increase in legumes productivity,
with improved varieties occupying 10 percent area, reaching 14 million poor farmers. This is
expected to bring about an additional value gain of more than US$75 million.
This proposed project aims (i) to exploit the improved germplasm that already exists, by using
‘fast track’ evaluation and seed production; (ii) to encourage farmer-participatory varietal
selection; (iii) to develop improved crop cultivars (including hybrids in the case of pigeonpea) by
combining conventional plant breeding with modern breeding tools and techniques developed at
the participating institutes and by the Tropical Legumes I Project supported by the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation; and (iv) to strengthen national programs’ capacity for plant breeding. Priority-
setting, baseline surveys, monitoring and evaluation, policy support, and assessment of adoption
and impacts will be used to set the context for, and give support to, all the above activities.
The programme’s strategy to achieve its intended target is by developing, testing, and promotion
of improved varieties, and by establishing effective seed production and delivery systems.
The programme has eight specific objectives.
Objective 1: Targeting crop breeding and seed delivery efforts to enhance the impact on the
livelihoods of the poor in drought-prone regions of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia

Objective 2: Enhancing groundnut productivity and production in drought-prone areas of sub-

Saharan Africa and South Asia

Objective 3: Enhancing cowpea productivity and production in drought-prone areas of sub-

Saharan Africa

Objective 4: Enhancing bean productivity and production in drought-prone areas of sub-Saharan

Africa

Objective 5: Enhancing chickpea productivity and production in drought-prone areas of sub-

Saharan Africa and South Asia

Objective 6: Enhancing pigeonpea productivity and production in drought-prone areas of sub-

Saharan Africa and South Asia

Objective 7: Enhancing promiscuous, multipurpose soybean productivity and production in

drought-prone areas of sub-Saharan Africa

Objective 8: Developing sustainable seed production and delivery systems for reaching the poor
in drought-prone areas of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia

The project’s targeting and impact strategy will employ the commodity chain approach and will
be strongly oriented towards the full range of clients. It will be supported by the feedback provided
by participatory diagnosis of constraints. Lessons learned from elsewhere show that an end-user
focus must be included in production-based activities if a sustainable impact of improved legume
varieties is to achieved.

The project’s variety development strategy will take advantage of existing improved germplasm
in the short term through participatory varietal selection (PVS). At the same time, new segregating
populations will be developed and selected for tolerance to drought and resistance to
accompanying biotic constraints. This will be complemented by a seed delivery strategy that will
emphasize decentralized, pro-poor seed production and delivery systems. A diverse array of seed
system components, as well as different combinations of components, will be tested through
action research designed to identify the most appropriate seed delivery options for specific
contexts. The promotion of value-added processing and storage facilities, as well as the
stimulation of explicit market links, are part of this strategy.

Partnerships

This is a joint programme among ICRISAT (chickpea, groundnut and pigeonpea), CIAT (common
bean), and IITA (cowpea and soybean) and shall be implemented in full partnership with NARS in
the countries selected for piloting. NGOs, CBOs, and private sector will also play important roles.
All the proposed activities will be carried out in partnership with scientists from the national
agricultural research systems (NARS) in project countries. Capacity building will be common to
all the seven objectives, addressing both research and product development infrastructure and
the human resource development within the ten target countries. Research and development
(R&D) activities will be adapted to suit specific needs both in the three major regions (Eastern
and Southern Africa, West and Central Africa, and South Asia) and within specific countries.
Nine countries have been selected on the basis of the following factors:

 Suitability for one or more target legume crops;

 Suitability for evaluating one or more of the targeted stress factors (such as drought,
disease, and pests);
 The spread and depth of poverty and the potential of legumes to reduce vulnerability of
livelihoods;
 Agro-ecological representation and potential for spillovers to other areas;
 Potential for synergy with other ongoing efforts by governments and partner institutions;
and
 Accessibility, feasibility, and likelihood of success.

The primary target countries for the selected crops are summarized below:

Region/Country Groundnut Cowpea Bean Chickpea Pigeonpea Soybean

ESA

Ethiopia - - X X - -

Kenya - - X X - X

Malawi X - X - X X

Mozambique X X - - - X

Tanzania X X X X X X

WCA
Mali X X - - - -

Niger X X - - - -

Nigeria X X - - X X

South Asia

India X - - X X -

As stated earlier, the two cross-cutting objectives, i.e. socio-economics and seed systems, will be
carried out in all countries.
Proposed Activities

Objective 1: Targeting crop breeding and delivery efforts to enhance impact on livelihoods
of the poor in drought-prone regions of sub-Saharan Africa and South asia
The proposed activities are: (i) Baseline studies and situation and outlook analysis for targeted
legumes (ii) Monitoring and evaluation including surveys to monitor adoption, (iii) Targeting
innovations for up-scaling and for reaching vulnerable groups (iv) Capacity building for NARS
partners (v) Coordination.

Objective 2: Enhancing groundnut productivity and production in drought-prone areas of

sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia
Proposed activities : (i) To assemble 10-15 advanced breeding lines and ‘off-the-shelf’ pre-
release varieties that have farmer- and market- preferred traits and then evaluate them in farmer
participatory on-farm trials in drought-prone areas for local and wide adaptation; (ii) To develop
new high-yielding varieties, resistant/tolerant to drought and foliar (leaf) diseases (such as rust,
late leaf spot and early leaf spot), with farmer- and market-preferred traits for different uses (food
and oil types), using conventional and modern breeding approaches (linked to Tropical Legumes I
Project for marker-assisted breeding and access to new sources of resistance); and (iii) To
upgrade the skills and capacity (infrastructure) of NARS, including farmers.
Objective 3: Enhancing cowpea productivity and production in drought-prone areas of
sub-Saharan Africa
Proposed activities: (i) Existing cowpea breeding lines will be tested to determine their drought
tolerance. This will involve scientists from IITA and the national programs and selected farmers in
the five participating countries evaluating elite cowpea lines for drought tolerance and preferred
traits. The seeds of promising elite lines will then be multiplied by community-based seed
growers. (ii) Segregating populations will be created for drought tolerance and attendant traits
using parents derived from the evaluation of elite lines. (iii) The capacity of national agricultural
research system scientists, extension personnel, and farmers to develop and evaluate improved
cowpea varieties will be strengthened. Participatory planning workshops, involving major
stakeholders (scientists, development partners, extension agents, and NGOs), will be held to
review the planned project activities, agree on the project logframe, develop implementation and
monitoring plans, share tasks among participating institutions.
Objective 4: Enhancing bean productivity and production in drought-prone areas of sub-
Saharan Africa
Proposed activities : (i) Evaluation of existing regional nurseries and genotypes for drought
tolerance, to enable farmer-participatory selection and ‘fast track’ early release. Lines bred in
Latin America have potential for immediate application in Africa. (Fast tracking can work on a
local level in any country, but in any case, participatory varietal selection will be backed up by
parallel testing on station of best bets, to obtain data for formal release). (ii) Development of
parental materials and their use in crosses designed to develop small-, medium- and large-
seeded bean cultivars with desirable traits in terms of quality and resistance to low soil fertility
and biotic stress. (iii) The strengthening of infrastructure and human resource capacity to make
regional and national bean breeding programs more effective.

Objective 5: Enhancing chickpea productivity and production in drought-prone areas of

sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia
Proposed activities are as follows: (i) Identify and enhance adoption of farmer- and market-
preferred chickpea cultivars (chosen from existing improved breeding lines) in water-limited
areas, (ii) Develop improved chickpea germplasm with enhanced tolerance to drought, resistance
to fusarium wilt, and market-preferred seed traits, and (iii) Enhance NARS’ capacity for chickpea
improvement research and development and train farmers in improved chickpea production
technologies.
Objective 6: Enhancing pigeonpea productivity and production in drought-prone areas of
sub-Saharan Africa
Proposed activities include the following: (i) Identify and make available farmer-preferred, high-
yielding pigeonpea varieties for each focal region (including hybrids in India); (ii) Develop g
enetically enhanced pigeonpea germplasm with drought tolerance and resistance to major
diseases and insect pests to create varieties and hybrids with more stable yields in diverse agro-
ecological conditions; and (iii) Enhance NARS’ capacity in terms of modern pigeonpea production
technologies through training, meetings, and workshops in each focalarea.

Objective 7: Enhancing promiscuous, multipurpose soybean productivity and production

in drought-prone areas of sub-Saharan Africa
Proposed activities include: (i) Variety/elite line testing; (ii) Create breeding populations; (iii)
Marketing and value chains; (iv) Capacity building: (v) Soybean workshop: Workshop will be
organized to synthesize ideas on how to make inoculum use an integral part of sustainable
soybean production in Africa; and (vi) Soybean seed systems: Participatory planning workshops,
involving major stakeholders (scientists, development partners, extension agents, and NGOs),
will be held to review the planned project activities, agree on the project log-frame, develop
implementation and monitoring plans, share tasks and review budgets among participating
institutions.

Objective 8: Developing sustainable seed production and delivery systems that will reach
the poor in drought-prone areas of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia
The seed delivery strategy within this project aims to actively promote small-scale farmers’
access to new drought-tolerant varieties. We plan to address the key bottlenecks in production
and delivery, while at the same time exploiting existing market opportunities, as well as identifying
novel market niches. Due to market failure problems associated with conventional private-sector
seed systems, the proposed project will investigate and design seed-delivery models to meet the
needs of different clients within drought-prone zones, such as (i) the very poor, who consume
most of their harvest; (ii) the entrepreneurial exporters who view arid zones as disease-free sites
for seed multiplication; (iii) women’s groups; and (iv) farmers’ cooperatives who can use seed
businesses and related agro-enterprises to achieve quite significant livelihood gains. Those
farmers who save their own seeds particularly in SA will be knowledge empowered to select,
process and store their seed for the next crop in the scientific manner.
Strong linkages will be developed with PASS (Program for Africa ’s Seed Systems) and other
programs to derive synergy in promoting local seed enterprises.
Expected Outcomes

The programme has developed 150 expected outputs for both short-term (3 years) and medium
to long-term (6-10 years) periods. These include increases in capacity (human and
infrastructure), information systems, advanced breeding lines and varieties, and seed delivery
mechanisms that would lead to increased productivity of the crops, increases in the area planted,
and increased income to farmers. Some specific examples follow:

 Ten to 15% increases in crops productivity and production in each target country
 Ten to 15% increase in income generated from legumes production in each target
country;
 A functional national research programme developed for each crop per country;
 At least one functional drought screening facility available for each target country;
 At least one advanced line developed and/or released for each crop in each country;
 At least one production guide for each crop per country prepared in local vernaculars and
distributed; and
 At least 100 farmers and small-scale seed producers in each target country trained in
seed processing and packaging for each crop.

Implementation and Management

ICRISAT will manage the project and will liaise with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, on
behalf of the three centers (CIAT, ICRISAT and IITA). A Project Manager will work with the eight
Objective Coordinators in implementing project activities to achieve the stated milestones and
outputs. The Project Manager will also represent Tropical Legumes II Project in Tropical Legumes
I Project planning meetings. The Project Management Team will include the eight Objective
Coordinators and the Project Manager. An Advisory Group comprising the Deputy Director
General for Research from each of the three Centers, one representative each from sub-Saharan
Africa and South Asia, one internationally reputed legume expert, and one representative from
the Tropical Legumes I Project to enhance linkages between Legumes I and II Projects.