When farmer Bultu Etefa was told that she must look after her cattle and the family while maintaining natural resources, she did something interesting: she joined the training delivered at wereda level on fodder production. Now she is among a group of smallholder farmers behind various efforts under Humidtropics to improve livestock feeds. She said, “Fodder is useful to the women who control over the use and sell of milk products in the community. It brings significant changes in both quality and quantity of milk. I sell butter myself and use the money for whatever purpose on my … [Read more...]
Impacting Smallholder Agriculture in Ethiopia
“Today I'm very happy to see the research outcomes on soil and water management practices reflected on the field, and to hear from the farmers how they appreciated the contribution of researchers. This is very significant for us and easy to scale out in the future. In this regard, Humidtropics and its Partners CIP, ILRI and IWMI did a very good job and served their purpose of striving to change lives, in particular in the areas where there are critical problems in natural resource management and shortage of fodder to feed livestock in the dry season†Dr. Hirpa Legesse, Wolega University, … [Read more...]
Legumes: a Unified Solution to Food, Fodder and Soil Fertility
Humans love them, herbivorous animals thrive on them, the earth benefits from their presence, but not enough are being grown. From the vegetarian platters of Ethiopia, to Githeri in Kenya, Saka Madesu in the Congo, and the ubiquitous groundnut, Legumes continue to sustain people across the African continent. The paradox, however, is their extremely low coverage, especially in African farming systems, where they could play a pivotal role in the lives and livelihoods of farmers, their families, and the continent at large. This is precisely what LegumeCHOICE, a participatory research … [Read more...]