Submission: Ira B. Richards
Introduction
What follows is an anecdotal account of the assignment results intended to inform the Wisconsin/Nicaragua Partners of the Americas, Inc. of the potential for using Mucuna to complement other agricultural projects. A complete technical report on the activities and findings of the trip has already been submitted.
Background
Technoserve Nicaragua requested assistance from Partners' Farmer to Farmer program on the elaboration of a strategy to introduce the legume Mucuna pruriens (velvet bean) into small and medium beef and dairy farming systems of dairy cattlemen collaborating with the FONDEAGRO financed beef/dairy cattle development project implemented by Technoserve in the rural communities surrounding Matiguas, Matagalpa.
There are many adaptations of the Mucuna/corn system. Typically, Mucuna is planted in association with corn and allowed to take over the cornfield after the corn is harvested. The Mucuna then completes its cycle in the remainder of the year before dying back and/or being slashed in time for sowing the next year's corn crop by dibble stick in the accumulated mulch. The Mucuna seed left in the mulch cover germinates and the farmer must control it to prevent it from climbing the growing corn plants until the corn is harvested and the cycle is repeated.
The Mucuna fixes nitrogen from the atmosphere and recycles other essential elements from the sub-soil. The accumulated Mucuna mulch smothers weeds, prevents erosion, and improves the infiltration and water holding capacity of soil. Using Mucuna permits sustained agricultural production of the same parcel for an entire year. The longer it is used in the same parcel, the better the results are.
A major advantage for small holders who are often obliged to use steep fragile lands for agricultural production is that Mucuna permits their use while preventing erosion. I have personally seen slopes of over fifty percent used for corn production in Haiti, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama, and the use of even steeper slopes is reported.
Mucuna also has many livestock production applications. Although it is not usually incorporated in the soil as a green manure for pasture improvement, it is commonly used as an "in-situ" mulch for the elimination of weeds in pasture and/or as a protein bank. When Mucuna is sown in low-bush that is to be converted to pasture, it smothers and pulls down weeds and brush, which decompose under the Mucuna cover, reducing the labor required to clean a pasture of weeds while fertilizing the soil. Improved grass varieties can then be planted directly into the decaying Mucuna mulch, just as is done with corn. This practice eliminates dry season burning of spent pastures for weed control, promotes new growth of desirable grasses, and reduces the use of herbicides.
The use of Mucuna permits a more intensive use of land for agricultural production in a short-fallow system. The technology was developed by small farmers without the benefit of technical assistance from agronomists and spread spontaneously, without promotion or project subsidies, to at least Belize, Honduras, and Panama. It has been especially attractive to small holders where increased population pressure has reduced the length of time that land can be left fallow. In traditional slash and burn systems, which lead to serious resource degradation and decline in yields, the land requires an extended fallow period.
Without better knowledge of the actual farming system of the project participants and their needs, local climate, soils, and topography, it wasn't possible to predict whether the use of Mucuna would interest farmers or whether it would be worthwhile to attempt its introduction. After some discussion with FTF veteran volunteer Ronald Blandón of the Universidad Nacional Agraria and communication through him with Technoserve, an alternative program was agreed to. Since Mucuna was known to be used elsewhere, the program would start with a study of the actual farming systems of farmers/cattlemen in other areas of Nicaragua with similar conditions. If it seemed appropriate, a follow-up elaboration of specific models and a strategy for their promotion in the project area of Matagalpa would be undertaken. The proposed program was also significantly modified to suit the unexpected situation found in the project area once the assignment began.
Activities/Results
Through conversations with project technicians and farmers, it was ascertained that Mucuna was already present in the project area. The program focus then shifted to identifying locally adapted Mucuna/corn systems that could be promoted by project collaborators.
Investigation revealed that although its use was not widespread, there were farmers in each of three climatic zones who had developed a number of different Mucuna use models for corn production and other applications adapted to their farming systems. Some of these local adaptations were sufficiently successful that before this project, there had already been diffusion of the practices from farmer to farmer. There had been at least three projects in the recent past in different parts of the project area that had introduced the use of two Mucuna varieties with varying degrees of success.
This increased available options and permitted the development of numerous models appropriate for the different climatic zones of the project area. However, despite the presence of various Mucuna-use models, their successful application by a core of satisfied users, and in some cases, spontaneous diffusion, there appeared to be insufficient incentive for widespread adoption. In addition, a number of interviewed farmers had used Mucuna in the past, but had stopped for various reasons.
Because there wasn't time during the volunteer assignment for a more thorough investigation, it was not possible to determine definitively the reasons why some Mucuna-use models were more successful than others or why one model would be spreading spontaneously in a given community and essentially the same model would be rejected by farmers in another community. However, some factors were identified that appear to have influenced Mucuna use. Some of these factors are:
- the excessive labor requirement of Mucuna/corn systems;
This was surprising, since farmers in other countries have reported that the labor requirement for weeding Mucuna/corn in association was half that of conventional corn. The explanation might be in the locally common practice of using herbicides for weed control in corn. This system doesn't realize the full benefit of Mucuna and requires reseeding each crop year and separate production of seed.
- the lack of complementary economic incentives;
With a few exceptions, none of the interviewed farmers were using the high protein content Mucuna as feed. With one exception, interviewed farmers who currently or had used Mucuna only harvested enough seed for planting in their own corn plots. When the Technoserve project poultry component becomes active, there will be an opportunity to sell Mucuna seed in locally produced concentrates, which the project proposes to promote.
- the lack of an economic analysis;
Although farmers who used Mucuna were satisfied with the results, they usually didn't know how much greater their yields were with Mucuna than conventional corn production systems. The high cost of herbicide applications for weed control and low yields obtained would seem to be enough to convince even the most skeptical farmer, but it must be "seen to be believed."
- the unfamiliarity with potential of Mucuna/corn models;
Non-adopters and farmers who have used Mucuna don't know the real potential of the Mucuna/corn system since all of the models employed, with one exception, either don't let the Mucuna complete its cycle or alternate years in Mucuna and thus don't obtain maximum accumulation of essential elements and vegetative matter.
- the absence of land pressure and transitional character of agriculture in conversion of bush to pasture.
Although I have referred to project collaborators as "farmers," their primary activity is cattle raising, from which they derive the major part of their income. Forestland is first logged for more valuable hardwoods and then sold to cattlemen who then proceed to "improve" it by clearing and fencing. Remaining trees are felled and burned. When the tree cover is cut and burned there is a flush of mineral nutrients released from the ash, which permits a modest production of corn for one or two seasons, as in traditional Swidden agriculture. For cattlemen, agriculture is simply a step in the conversion of bush to pasture. Very often, when they ran out of bush, they sold the improved property and moved out to the frontier where they could buy an even larger holding. One of the objectives of the project is to stop the advance of the cattle frontier by increasing production and economic return on their existing holdings so that cattlemen/farmers will have less incentive to sell out.
Despite these constraints, it appears that conditions in the project area favor the adoption of the Mucuna/corn systems. Through demonstration of proven, locally adapted Mucuna-use models, complementary programs that provide economic incentives for Mucuna seed production, and introducing buyers to producers, the project could speed up adoption.
Follow-Up
The project technicians should be able to carry on without additional assistance as far as promotion of the velvet bean is concerned. They have plenty of experience and are technically competent. If other FTF volunteers working in dairy and beef production happen to be in Nicaragua working with other organizations when there are field days it would be useful to attend to see how effective they are. As a next step the project could use assistance with intensive grazing systems. Smaller pastures would also facilitate pasture improvement using Mucuna.
Comments
I enjoyed the assignment very much. I am grateful to W/NP for inviting me to participate in the program, to Ronald Blandón for his untiring assistance and personal attention, and to Martin Lecayo and the Technoserve technicians for their patience and assistance in the execution of the assignment.
