Pulses provide numerous benefits when integrated into crop systems, including fixing nitrogen, breaking pest cycles, and improving soil and water efficiency. However, their integration is limited by small-scale farmers' uncertainty about prices, marketability, and labor needs. Holistic research is needed to optimize production methods, quantify pulses' impacts on systems, and facilitate farmer adoption. This includes developing agronomic options, measuring pre-crop and intercrop effects, and understanding yield gaps and farmer decision-making. Improved policies, seed systems, markets, and extension approaches can also support greater pulse integration.

1. Pulses in Integrated Crop
Systems and Agricultural
Landscapes
Robin Buruchara
Director,
Pan Africa Bean Research Alliance
(PABRA), CIAT.
IYP 2016
Global Dialogue
FAO, Rome, Italy
22 -23 November 2016

2. Contribution of Pulses in Productivity Cropping
Systems
• Availability of nitrogen and other nutrients
• Break disease, pest and weed cycle
• Enhance nutrient and water use efficiency
• Reduce the impact of weather extremes
• Augment system diversity
• Diverse legumes have diverse uses (human
livestock etc.)

3. Why is integration of pulses into farming
systems limited?
• Uncertainty in small scale system:
Price signals
Pulse marketability
Labor requirements
Benefits are unclear

4. Need for holistic research to:
• Optimize production methods – by
developing appropriate agronomical
management options that full exploit genetic
potential.
• Quantify impacts of pulses in farming
systems – incentives for farmers
• Facilitate farmers to adopt pulses

5. Optimizing production methods
Improving pulse integration within e.g.
cereal systems:
Staking options
-Innovative and environmentally
friendly staking options
With a focus on developing appropriate
agronomical management to fully exploit
genetic traits

6. INTEGRATED PEST AND DISEASE
WEED MANAGEMENT (IPDWM)
PEST AND DISEASE
KNOWLEDGE
Key pests and diseases
Lifecycles
Geographical areas
Mapping
SURVEILLANCE &
MONITORING
Crop monitoring
Pest and disease
prediction
PREVENTION
Site selection
Variety
Time of planting and
rotations
Water & nutrient
management
Farm hygiene
Pest host management
INTERVENTION
Mechanical
Biological
Chemical
Cultural
Integrated pest, disease and weed management

7. Integrated soil fertility and water management

8. Solar bubble driers (GrainPro)
Hermetic grain storage bags Metallic silos
Innovative post harvest grain handling & storage approaches
Postharvestlosses
30%
<10%

9. Quantifying impacts of pulses in farming
systems
• Pre-crop and intercrop effects (e.g. improved yields
and protein content of cereals)
• Disruption of weed, pest, and disease cycles
• Water use efficiency
• Multiple services in farming systems
• Greenhouse gas footprints
• Agrobiodiversity and ecosystem services

10. Facilitating pulse adoption by farmers
• Develop understanding on:
– Factors underlying yield gaps
– Farmer decision making
– Farmer variety selection and demand for technologies

11. Innovative tools and
approaches for pulse
market
Food Processors
Humanitarian
Agencies Animal Feed Manufacturers &
Bulk Handlers
P
1
P
4
P
3
P5
P2
P
6
Cre
dit
Insuran
ce
MIS
Extension apps
Research and
Extension
Input Supply
Platform Lead
firm/aggregator
P
1
P2
P6
ICT INTERFACED VALUE CHAINS
Transport and
logistics Apps
Quality-Traceability Apps
Production hubs (P)
Markets/Con
sumption
hubs
Distribution
hubs
Payment (apps)
Payment (apps)

12. Evaluating & developing multi-actors approaches for
enhanced seed production and access
Multi-stakeholders seed
platforms
Basic seed (NARS & Public and
Private seed enterprises)
Certified seed
(large and
small packs)
Certified/Quality
Declared Seed
Breeder seed (NARS & Public and Private seed enterprises -
licensed)
Mechanization tools/labor saving technologies
Farmers Traders Farmers

13. Facilitating better policy
• To facilitate development of policy options, appropriate to
various scales, addressing
– Minimal (and declining) investment in agricultural
research and development
– Poor research – extension linkages
– Functioning input-output markets
– Incentives to support integration of pulses in farming
systems
– Effective information delivery and sharing
• Between research and extension
• Value chain actors
• Within farmer to farmer networks

14. Thanks