LEGUMECHOICE: CURRENT CONTRIBUTION OF LEGUMES TO RURAL LIVELIHOODS IN WESTERN KENYA Okeyo I1*., Shiluli, M.2 , Oborn I 1., Ochinga T1., and Muriuki J 1. 1World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), PO Box 30677, 00100, Nairobi, Kenya 2Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), Kisii Centre, Kisii, Kenya  Introduction Results and Discussions Food problems have haunted mankind since time immemorial. In the tropics, agricultural productivity lag behind population growth making the region increasingly food insecure. Rural poor in dry areas suffer most from effects of climate change hence require a range of coping strategies including legume based cropping systems. In Western Kenya, opportunities to increase productivity of staple crops are limited because households are large and cultivate only small land portions. Legumes are not new to African farming systems and have great potential to contribute to rural livelihoods and natural resource integrity: protein-rich grains, fodder, soil nitrogen (N), mulch, and fuel. Despite their widespread promotion in Kenya, adoption remains low. With this background, a study was set up to assess current contribution of legumes to rural livelihoods in Kisii and Migori counties of Western Kenya. Results show that legumes are an important component of farming systems among rural populations yet their maximum potential is underutilized. Legume species Bush bean is grown in all sites. Rongo had the highest seasonal grain legume species (5). Tree legumes were Calliandra and Sesbania in all sites except Suna West. Table2: legumes species Site Grain legumes Tree legumes Kitutu Chache North Common beans; Ground nuts; Green grams Calliandra calothyrsus; Sesbania sesban Nyaribari Chache Common beans Rongo Common beans; Ground nuts; Green grams; Cowpeas; Soya beans Suna West Common beans; Ground nuts; Green grams; Cowpeas - Cropping System Intercropping dominates for grain legumes. Tree legumes are grown as woodlots and hedgerows. Materials and Methods Kisii, Migori Fig 2. Cropping systems Fig 3. Legume area Legume Yields Average yield is far much lower than optimum yield estimate (0.6) for grain legumes in Africa FAOSTAT (2008); and PROTA (2006) Fig 1. Maps showing project sites Table 1: Research sites characteristics Site and soil characteristics Parameter Kisii Sub-county Migori Sub-county Elevation (m) 1798 1500 Mean annual temperature(ͦc) 20.3 28 Mean annual rainfall (mm) 1977 1200 Soil type Nitisols Xerosols Soil pH (H2O 1:2.5) 4.9 5.7 Total organic carbon (%) 1.9 Total organic Nitrogen (%) 0.3 0.2 Available P (ppm) 42 126 Potassium (me%) 1.7 2.0 Soil texture class clay Loamy sand Livestock Proportion (%) of households keeping various livestock types in Kisii and Migori Counties   Kisii Migori Kitutu chache North Nyaribari Chache Rongo Suna West Local cattle 22 33 67 81 Improved dairy cattle 52 58 41 Goats 27 21 39 Chicken 77 72 91 88 Sheep 4 24 31 Pigs Equines (horses, donkeys) Other : Doves 1 Sampling and data management Conclusion Households were selected through transects walks made across villages in 4 sub-counties: Nyaribari Chache and Kitutu Chache North in Kisii; and Rongo and Suna West in Migori. This followed predefined transects on GIS maps. A quick survey tool was administered to 307 households : Kitutu=77, Nyaribari= 79, Rongo= 76 and Suna=75. Data sets were extracted by pivot table in excel. Quantitative data was subjected to Analysis of variance using SAS software version 9.2. Qualitative data was analyzed using Stata9. Mean separation was done using Fishers’ least significance difference (LSD) at 5%. Legumes form are a critical component of cropping systems in Western Kenya yet adoption rate remains low Most popular grain legume in the study area is common bean while tree legumes are Calliandra and Sesbania sesban There exist potential niches to scale up production of multipurpose legumes in Western Kenya. Site and soil characteristics Experimental sites Latitude 0046’ S Longitude 37039’ E Elevation (m) 1106 Mean annual air temperature(oC) 22.1 Mean annual precipitation (mm) 800 Soil type Plinthic Cambisols Electrical Conductivity (1:5-mS cm-1) 0.04 Total organic carbon (%) 0.4 Cation exchange capacity (me%) 10.2 Water retention pF 2.0 (cm³/cm³) 20.5 pF 2.5 (cm³/cm³) 18.3 pF 4.2 (cm³/cm³) 13.3 Particle size distribution (%) Sand (2000-50µm) 47 Silt (50-2µm) 12 Clay (<2µm) 41 Soil texture class (soil type) Sandy clay Soil pH (H2O 1:2.5) 6.2 Bulk density (g cm-3) 1.14 Site and soil characteristics Experimental sites Latitude 0046’ S Longitude 37039’ E Elevation (m) 1106 Mean annual air temperature(oC) 22.1 Mean annual precipitation (mm) 800 Soil type Plinthic Cambisols Electrical Conductivity (1:5-mS cm-1) 0.04 Total organic carbon (%) 0.4 Cation exchange capacity (me%) 10.2 Water retention pF 2.0 (cm³/cm³) 20.5 pF 2.5 (cm³/cm³) 18.3 pF 4.2 (cm³/cm³) 13.3 Particle size distribution (%) Sand (2000-50µm) 47 Silt (50-2µm) 12 Clay (<2µm) 41 Soil texture class (soil type) Sandy clay Soil pH (H2O 1:2.5) 6.2 Bulk density (g cm-3) 1.14 Acknowledgements Varieties Stover yields LR09 SR09 LR10 SR10 DH04 3966a 7562a 4750a 725a Duma 43 3556a 6332b 4349a 721a Grain yields 2361a 3090a 2068a 3094a Site and soil characteristics Parameter Kisii Sub-county Migori Sub-county Elevation (m) 1798 1500 Mean annual air temperature(ͦc) 20.3 28 Mean annual precipitation (mm) 1977 1200 Soil type Nitisols Xerosols Soil pH (H2O 1:2.5) 4.9 5.7 Total organic carbon (%) 1.9 Total organic Nitrogen (%) 0.3 0.2 Available P (ppm) 42 126 Potassium (me%) 1.7 2.0 Soil texture class clay Loamy sand The study was part of activities of an on-going project: legumeCHOICE by ICRAF. We appreciate our collaborators: Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) and the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA ). The project is funded by Bundesministerium für Wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ) and fully mapped into the CGIAR’s Humid tropics CRP. *Corresponding author (i.okeyo@cgiar.org)