1. Legume CHOICE tool:
A decision support framework for enhancing the contributions of
legumes to farmer livelihoods
Irene Okeyo, Ingrid Oborn ,ICRAF; Generose Nziguheba IITA; Tamene Temesgen, Duncan Alan, ILRI;
Utility of the Legume CHOICE tool
Legume CHOICE tool offers a systematic participatory framework for categorizing legume species, defining how they fulfil different livelihood functions and then matching appropriate legume types to widely varying farming contexts.
The tool aids in making informed decisions with farmers, about which legume types and species would be most appropriate to meet their livelihood needs
The simple concept underlying the tool is that varied legume types fulfill different functions within farms and that by matching legume types with the functions demanded by farmers, a sensible set of legume options can be tested and refined at farm level
Introduction
Legumes are very diverse in form and function and present multiple opportunities for beneficial human use
Complexity surrounds how various species fit within different farming systems.
The science community has been enthusiastic in promoting legumes among farmers but reality on the ground is that legume uptake is much lower than expected
It is with this in mind that the Legume CHOICE decision support approach was developed
Results and outputs
Table 1: The prioritized list of legumes that may be recommended for use in smallholder farmers in Kitutu Chache North, Kenya.
How the legumes fulfil functional needs is the product of expert scoring and participatory matrix scoring.
From the list used Cajanus cajan is the best recommended legume in Kitutu.
Primary legume functions - what this option provides (0-4), 4 high provision, 0 low provision
How well this option fulfils functional needs
Legume name
Type
Food
Feed
Income
Erosion control
Fuel
Soil fertility
Score for functional fit
Rank for functional fit
Cajanus cajan
Grain legume 4 2 3 1 11 6 29
Phaseolus vulgaris 5 25
Arachis hypogaea L. 8 26
Medicago sativa
Herbaceous legume 7 21 10
Mucuna pruriens 15 12
Lablab purpureus
Calliandra calothysus
Tree legume
Gliricidia sepium 19
Leucaena leucocephala
Sesbania sesban
Sesbania grandiflora
Accacia angustissima
How does it work?
Who is the legacy product useful for?
It can be used by government, NGO’s, research institutions and relevant organizations dealing with food security issues
The tool is applicable in selecting legume species for sustainable intensification in smallholder farming systems: e.g. Maize CRP
Pictures
Key partners
Key contacts
Ingrid Oborn , ICRAF, P.O. Box , Nairobi, Kenya.
Duncan Alan, ILRI, P.O. Box 30709, Nairobi, Kenya
This document is licensed for use under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
November 2016