Pulses as a Climate Resilient Crops: Technology for Climate Smart Agriculture in the SAARC Countries

RK Neupane1 and R Shrestha2 1Program Director, FORWARD-Nepal

2Principal Scientist, Agronomy Division NARC, Nepal

Presentation outline

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Background on climate change

Pulses in the SAARC Region

Pulses as Climate resilient crops

Climate Smart Agriculture

Benefits of pulses in the cropping systems

Technologies in CSA in relation to pulses

Conclusion/Wayforward

Background

• Climate change a global phenomena

• Drought, partial rain, flood, excessive rain, landslides, rise in temperature, melting of glaciers, rise in seas level, higher in recent years in SAARC countries

• Synthetic fertilizers contribute 12-14% of global total GHG emissions from agriculture (IPCC&FAO)

• SAARC countries Bangladesh, India, Afghanistan, Nepal are most vulnerable to climate change

• Changes in climate and CO2 concentrations enhances the distribution and increase the competitiveness of and invasive weeds IPCC (2014)

• Climate change affected production & productivity of crops globally and in SAARC region : threats to the food security and livelihoods of the 1482 million people in the region

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Global land/ocean temperature index

Vulnerability to Climate Change

Bangladesh, Nepal, Maldives, India Afghanistan more vulnerable to CC

Pulses in the SAARC region

• Integral part of the cropping systems and source of vegetable

protein

• Chickpea, pigeonpea, lentil, cowpea, pigeonpea, beans, mungbean, blackgram, lathyrus and pea

• Area: 32.6 Mi hectares and production 21.7 Mi ton ( 38% & 28% of world production)

• High yielding crop varieties and input intensive cropping system during the green evolution era pushed pulse crops to marginal lands

• Decrease in area, production & productivity of these crops

• CSA technology: Technologies and practices that provide options for farmers for adaptation to increased climatic variabilities, increase crop production and enhance food security of the nation and reduce GHG emission

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•

Pulses as Climate Resilient crops

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Inherent capacity to fix atmospheric N

Adaptation to climate change and mitigating its effect

Reduce use of fossil fuel and GHG emission- the major driver

of climate change

Great genetic diversity; more climate resilient varieties can

be developed from the existing diversity

Fit in the multiple cropping systems: relay, sequence, mixed,

intercropping, farm forestry

Enhance soil fertility, improve yields, and contribute to food

diversity & to a more sustainable food system

Benefits of pulses in the cropping systems

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Lower Carbon foot prints

Low water foot prints production of 1 lb of pulses require only 43

gallons water compared to other commodities

Pulses in the system reduce the use of fossil fuel and GHGs , the

major driver of climate change

C: N ratio of pulse crop residue ranges from 125:1 to 40:1, while the

range of C: N of cereal residues is 70:1to 100:1

30-40 % yield increase in cereal legume rotation due to Non N

benefit : Reduced incidence of root and leaf disease in subsequent

crops , reduced weed population, increased microbial activity

CSA technologies in relation to pulses

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Short duration varieties

Short duration varieties of

pulses escape drought

Multiple cropping

patterns possible

mungbean, chickpea and

cowpeas, lentils

Introduction in non

traditioanl areas

Extra short duration

pigeonpea ICPL88039, VL

1,

CSA technologies in relation to pulses

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Disease/pest resistant varieties

Mungbean bean yellow

mosaics resistant (MYMV)

varieties,

Chickpea varieties with high

level of tolerance to Botrytis

Gray mold (BGM), and

Aschochita blight

Stemphyllium blight tolerant

vars in Lentil

Bari 6, 7 & 8

SB susceptible

CSA technologies in relation to pulses

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Improved cropping systems

Relay sowing

Utilizing moisture &

nutrients from the previous

crops

Reduction in cost of

production

Utilization of rice fallows

CSA technologies in relation to pulses

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Intercropping/ mixed cropping

Lentil+ mustard or linseed

Lentil +chickpea or linseed

Farm forestry

Promotion of pigeonpea along,

terrace in the hills, and as

boundary crop in farm forestry

Hedge row planting

Water smart technologies

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Seed priming

Uniform faster germination

yield advantage over non

priming ( 47% increase over

non priming (Musa e.t al. 1999)

Conservation agriculture

Drip irrigation

Water harvesting

Collection of rain water in

polylined ponds or cemented

tanks for irrigation in dry

season

Nutrient smart technology

• Rationalize use of synthetic fertilizers based on localized nutrient need – provide only that amount of fertilizers which is required in the particular plot of land for particular crop

• Fertilizer recommendation based on sustainable soil Management principles and Nutrient Expert tools to provide right amount ,right time right place and right form of fertilizer (4R)

• Promoting legumes both as pulse crop and as green manure crops

e.g. mungbean incorporation after first or second picking

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Conservation agriculture

• Minimum tillage, residue coved on oil surface and crop rotation with pulses

• Zero tillage, strip tillage, raised bed planting, relay sowing, intercropping, mixed cropping

• Use of seed drills/ZTDs

• 2WTs for energy use efficiency, small land holdings, feminization in agriculture

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Crop insurance

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Pulse crop are risky and due to the unpredictable nature of rains

Production of chickpea, lentil largely depends on the nature of

winter rains in the IGP

The risks of crop failures to be transferred to the insurance

company through promotion of attractive insurance

production/packages.

Weather index (WI) based agriculture insurance piloted in SAARC

countries :Uniform insurance coverage in case of crop failure due to

drought or excess rainfall.

WI insurance piloted among apple growers in Jumla Nepal. If

rainfall is below 60 mm during the period March –June, apple

farmers will get the compensation.

Village based seed enterprise (VBSE)

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Availability of quality seeds of pulses a major constraint and seed

replacement ratio (SRR) is very low

VBSE is being promoted for improved access of seeds of pulses

NARC

(FS,BS)

Cooperatives

CBSPs/VBSE

Seed company

TL seed

Certified

seed

Certified +TL

Extension Office

(Capacity building)

Agrovet

(Marketing)

SQCC

(Quality control)

Seed business of pulse crop

NGO Facilitation

Technology transfer smart or Knowledge smart

CCAFS has piloted Climate smart Village (CSV) concept for the

promotion of different components of CSA in selected locality

As CSA is context sensitive, practices varies across locations and local

needs

Community based integrated approaches ;where an array of appropriate

CSA technologies such as crops, livestock fodder, Solar pumps, trip

irrigation, water harvesting systems, IPM , cropping systems involving

pulses etc are applied.

Farmers, development partners and researchers collaborate to adapt the

appropriate technologies needed and identified by the community. In the

CSV model

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Way FORWARD

Component of CSA practices in Pulses are available

SAARC countries need to have mechanism for the

exchange of technologies and validate in their agro-

ecological and social texts

Biotic and abiotic stress tolerant pulse varieties and Input

response varieties need to be developed ?

Agronomic and crop management practices tailored to the

site specific niches

Access to seeds of pulses, information, credit, crop

insurance should be made easier for smallholder farmers

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Thank you for your attention!