Farmers in Hawassa Zuria District, Ethiopia, adopt maize-forage intercropping to improve yields

Written by Rahel Abiy, ILRI

Maize, grown by more than 9 million smallholder farmers, has been a vital crop for Ethiopia’s food security since the drought and famine of 1984. In recent years, Ethiopia has doubled its maize production and productivity, although yields are still below optimum due to land degradation, poor access to production technologies, and climate change.

To address these and similar issues in eastern and southern Africa, Ukama Ustawi (UU), a CGIAR regional integrated initiative, is diversifying agribusiness ecosystems to achieve resilience through innovative partnerships. As part of the initiative’s work package 1 (WP1) focusing on diversification and intensification, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) has been carrying out forage-based feed innovations in the maize-based farming systems of the Ethiopian Rift Valley. Running from 2023–2025, the project involves intercropping forage legumes–cowpea and lablab––in maize-livestock farming systems.

In partnership with Sidama Region Agricultural Research Institute (SIRARI), ILRI has introduced two accessions each of cowpea (ILRI 9334 and ILRI 12688) and lablab (ILRI 11609 and ILRI 147) legumes, all sourced from ILRI’s herbage seed unit to 100 farmers in Hawassa Zuria District, Sidama Region. A combination of mother-baby trials was established in June/July 2024, with mother trials set up at a research station, a farmer training centre, and farmers’ fields. Baby trials are ongoing in farmers’ fields.

Field day highlights the benefits

On 13 August 2024, SIRARI convened a field day in Shamena Midregenet Village. Attendees included participants from ILRI, SIRARI, the Hawassa Zuria District Agricultural Office, and 33 local farmers cultivating maize-legume intercrops. Farmers in Shamena typically plant maize early in the year for mid-August harvest, followed by potato rotation. While some farmers intercrop haricot beans with maize, management of weeds, which provide low-quality feed but compete with maize for nutrients, remains a significant challenge. The recently introduced forage legumes are expected to improve soil fertility, serve as cover crops (thus contributing to weed control), and offer high-quality livestock feed.

The field day was held a little too early to see the full benefits of the forage legumes because farmers wanted to harvest the maize to prepare the land for the next crop. Thus, the forage crops needed a few more weeks to reach maturity for livestock consumption, but farmers have already observed some benefits from the maize-legume intercropping, including:

• better maize crop stands because the forage legumes improve soil fertility.
• maintenance of soil moisture by the forage legume cover.
• additional high-quality feed for livestock; and
• benefits of diversification as the maize were affected by poor rainfall at flowering.

Variations in forage performance have been observed between farms due to differences in planting time, weed management and soil type. Relative to previous years, the performance of the maize crops is poor due to rainfall failure during the growth stage, but it is too early to evaluate the results of the intervention as the forages are yet to reach their full growth potential.

Looking ahead

The feedback from the field day participants was positive. Several action points were agreed upon with the local partner:

• Capacity building: Given the novelty of forage legumes in the region, dedicated training on conservation and utilization practices is essential.
• Farmer observations: Farmers should be encouraged to share their observations after feeding the forages to their animals and assessing the impact on soil fertility and subsequent crop yields.
• Data collection: Feed biomass and quality data should be collected from sample farms to support farmer observations and provide valuable feedback.
• Scaling strategy: The innovation’s significant potential for scaling in the vast maize-producing areas necessitates careful profiling, packaging, and development of a comprehensive scaling strategy.
• Joint field visit: The CGIAR UU team, comprising ILRI, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), and the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT (ABC), should conduct a joint field visit to address system integration challenges.

We acknowledge the UU Project Initiative for its important work in supporting smallholder farmers in Ethiopia. The efforts to promote sustainable agriculture, improve livelihoods, and contribute to the overall development of the country are commendable.