Farmer Participatory Approaches in the Development ...

" :, '; Farmer Participatory Approaches in the Development of Technologies to Achleve ., Sustalnable Cassava Production in Thailand and Vietnam 1 Walana Walananonta', Tran Ngoc Ngoan' and Reínhardl H. Howeler' ABSTRACT

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Cassava (Manihof esculenta Crantz) is the third múst important food crop in southeast Asia, where it is usually grown by smaHholders in margina1 areas of sloping or undulating land. Farmers grow cassava because lhc crop wiJI tolerate long dt)' periods and poor soils, and will produce rcasonable yields with minimum inputs. Most farmers realize, however, tha! cassava production 00 slopes can cause severe erosion, whi1e production without fertiHzer or manure ínputs wiH Jead to a gradual decline in soil productivity. Current production pracl1ces may lhus

not he suslaÍnable. Research has shown that cassava yields can be maintaíned for roany years with adequate application of

fertíHz.ers or manures~ and that there are various ways ro reduce erosiono Adoptíon of erosion control practices, however, has been minimal as fanners generaUy se\! Uttle shot1-tenn benefits~ whiJe ¡n¡tía1 costs of establishíng tbese practlces may be substantiaL (n order to enhance the adoption of soH conservíng practlces and lmprove the sustajnahilíty of cassava productíon uooer a wide range of socio~economic and bio-physicaJ conditions, a farmer participatory research (FPR) approach was used lo develop not unly the most suitable soil conservation practices, but airo lo test new cassava variet;e', fertilization practice. and cropping syslems lha! tend 10 produce grealer soort-tenn benefits. The FPR methodology was initially developed in 2,3 sites each in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and China. Th. methodoJogy ¡neludes the conducting ofRRAs in each site, farmer evaluation of a wide range of practices shown in dernonstration plots, FPR trials with fanner-selected treatments on their own fietds, tield days with discusslons to

selee! lbe best among the testOO practíces, scaling-up uf selected practices to larger fields, and farmer participatot)' dissem¡nation to neighbors and neighboring cornmunities. Based on the results of these tríaIs.. farmers in the pilot sites have readily adopted better varieties, fenilization and intercropping practices and many farmers nave adopterl the planting of contour hedgerows to control erosiono j

In the seeond puase of this Nippon Foundation supported project, the farmer participatot)' approach fur technology development and di.semination was further developed in abou! 30 pilot sites e.ch in Thailand, Vietnam and China. Fanners were generally very interested to participate in these trials. Afier becoming aware of the seriousness of erosion in their cassava fields. they have shown a willingness 10 adopt simple but effective practíces to reduce erosion while at the sarue time obtaining short~term benefits from the adoption of new varieties and other improved practices. The testing by faOllers on their own fields of new cassava varieties and fertilization practices in addition to soil conservation practices was found to be of crucial importance for the adoption of more sustainable production practices. The resulting increases in cassava yields in Thailand and Vietnam over the past ten years have increased the annual gross income of cassava farmers by un estimated 200 million US dollars. KEYWORDS: eassava, erosion control. farmer participatory research (FPR) and extension (FPE), Thailand, Vietnam. impact assessment.

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INTRODUCTION Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is usually grown by smallholders in upland areas with poor soils and low or unpredictable minfall. (n the nortbeastem and easlern regions of Thailand, ca,sava is often grown on genlle slopes, but in the northem par! of Vietnam it is grown on sleep slopes; in both cases, soil erosian can be serious. Since most cassava fanners are poor, Ibey do nol apply mueh fertilizers lo cassava and Ibis may load lO a decline in soil fertility wnich in tum causes low yields. Past researeh by Kasetsart University has shown Iba! cultivation of cassava may cause lWice as mucn soil erosion as that of mungbean, and Ibree times as mueh as thal caused by maiz.e, sorghum and peanu! (Puttacharoen el al., 1998). Researeh on erosion control practices indicate that soil losses due to eros ion can be markedly reduced by varíous agronomic practices combined with simple soil conservation practices. This ineludes agronoroic practices sueh as minimum or zero tillage, mulching, contour ridging, intercropping, fertilizer or manure applícatíon, and planting at c10ser plant spacing. Soil conservation practice, ¡nelude terracing, hillsíde ditohes and planling contour hedgerows of grasses or legumes. Bul lhese lalter practices are Paper presented al UNESCAP CAPSA Regional Workshop on "Rural Prosperity and Secondary ¡ Crops", held in Bogor, Indonesia. Oee 6-9, 2005. 2 omee of Senior Expert, Depl. of Agriculture, ehalUcha!
Table

Year

2000

200!

t2~

Extent 01 adoption of soil conservatiou practices .ud the estimated iocrease in yieJd and groS! inoome of f.rm .... in the FPR pilot sites in Vietnam rrom 2000 to 2003.

Cassava ~ield (Vh.j With soH

Number

Arca with

of

soil conser.

Farmers'

households

(ha)

practice l )

ronservalÍon

12.1l 16.50 20,60 20.60"

13.75 19.95

62 200

21.12 59.87

Percent

yield

increase 13.5

20.9 23.7

Increase in gross income (US$¡ total per perha household 13,95 41.00 865 22.% 76.70 592 11,582 52.17 130.35 61,658 74.20 100.75

2002 222 88.85 25,48 2003 831 612.00 25.48" rutal 831 612.00 77,944 1) Farmers' practice ¡neludes most new technologies except soil conservation " Fresh root price: in 2000 350 VNDikg in 200 I 350 VNDikg in north, 200 in central and 290 in south in 2002 400 VNDikg in 2003 320 VNDikg (estim.ted) 1LJS$ ~ 14,000 VND in 2000 and 15,500 VND in 2003 J, Yields estímated from 2002 Source: Tran Ngoc Ngoan, 1003

Table 13 shows in more detail how Ihe adoptíon of varíous teehnologies increased over time in one commune in Pbo Yen disldct of Thai Nguyen provinee where Ibe projeet firsl started working in 1994, Sinee 1995 farmers have conducted FPR trials on new varieties, more balanced fertílization, íntercropping, and erosion control. After sorne years of testing farmer. initially adopled new varíelies and intercropping in small areas of Iheir land. This was followed by beUer fertilization and erosion control; Ihe laUer was adopted by only a sm.U numbor of farmers as mosl cassava fields in !he commun. are on gentle slopes or on lerraced land. It is elear Ihal the adoplion of ncw tcchnologies increased yields

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significantly, of both the local variety Vính Phu and the new varíeties, mainly KM 95-3 and KM 98-7. The gradual ¡nereases in yield, from 8.5 tilla in 1994 to 36.8 tilla in 2003 was accompanied by an increase in area planted using new technologies, resulting in aboul a 20-fold increase in nel ineome and marl4.10

21.5 30.9 29.3 24.7

2.17

22.7 29.0 26.2 NA

4.70

3.38 0.20

0.81

NA 15.45 18.70 12.35

NA 4.36 6.16

4.66

NA 11.10 12.54 7.69

Yinh Phu New varieties lntcrcropp;ng Balanced fert. Erosion controJ

2003

Yinh Phu New varieties lntcrcroppíng Balanced fert.

Erosion control

18

0.64

lOO

5.16

118

3.69

48

2.95

5

0.18 12.62

NA 225 120 54 5

NA 17.00 11.00

3.40 0.60 >32.00

"...U± >48.56

0.77

11.35 14.50 16.94 NA

4.36 4.36 6.16 NA

6.99

10.14 10.78 NA

15.17 47.66 36.44 NA >99.27

10.45 2002

NA 14.54 32.48

25.4 33.7 32.3

1.73

33.4 25.4

12.70 16.85 24.80 16.70 12.70

4.33

4.33 6.13 4.83 4.63

8.37 12.52 18.67 11.87 8.07

5.36 64.60 68.89 35.02

..J& 175.32

NA 36.8 36.0 33.6 27.0

0.67

NA 18.40 21.35 16.80 13.5

NA 4.33

6.13 4.83 4.63

NA 14.07 15.22 11.97 8.87

NA 239.19

167.42 40.70 5·;)2 >452.63

hIn Tien Phong farmers tradjtionaUy grow mainly Vinh Ptm variery but have now largely changed to KM 9S~3 and KM 9g~ 7; tbe new practices inelude intercropping with peanul. balanced fertilizatIDn of 10 t/ha of pjg manure plus 80N40P20§~80 K20. and eroston control by contour hedgerows ofTephosia candida 1l!'rice ofcassava in 1994: 400 VNDlkg ftesh roo!> Price of cassava in 2000-2003: 500 VND/kg fresh roots !'rice ofpeanut in 2000-3003: 5.000 VNO/kg dry pods J'Dala froro RRA al me stan ofproject 4}NA "" data no! availab1e "IUS$ = 11.000 dong in 1994, about 15,500 dong in 2003

Table 14 surnrnarizes the extent of adoption of new cassava technologies in FPR pilot sites in 15 provinees of Vietnam in 2003 and the resulling inerease in gross income due to higher yields obtained. Allhough balanced lertilization produced Ihe greatest yield íncrease, il was not adopted over a very wide area. New variet;es were most widely adopted resulting in the greatest increase in gross income. Th. total annual increase in gross ¡ncome due to adoption of new teehnologies in the FPR sites was estimated at 1.67 million US dollars or $72.92 per household.

12 Table 14. Exlent of adoption of new e•••••• produetlon techoologies in FPR pilot sites in 15 provine .. of Vietnam in 2003104, tbe effect 00 cassava yields, and tbe increase in gross in4'ome resulting from the yield ¡ncrease in those sites. Cassava yield (tlha) ]ncrease in gross income

TechnoJogy component No.of Area Farm.r.;· Improved total per hh -,---,-,-_ _-:-:_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.:.:ho"'u:::s"'eh"'o"'ld:::,:...,:("'h".)'::--pe-r"éac:::téCíc'::é-e') .t"c.itJ1~I~!!.L ('0001..18$)" (1..1S$) L New varieties 14.820 7,849 19.93 28.95 1,462 98.65 2. Balanced fertílízation 1.710 607 21.37 30.50 114 66.67 3. Soílconservationpractices 83161220.60 25.48 62 74.19 4.lntercropping 4.250 160 29.95 28.94 15 4' -17.32 5. Root and leafoilage for pig feeding 1,172 -" 12 10.24 Total l)

22,833 9,228

186 188

101 94

72.92

Farmers' practice usual1y ¡neludes most new technologies except the te¡;;hnology being tested

" based on a pdce of 320 VND/kg fresh roots in 2003/04; 1 US$ "3.370 pigs 4)

1,665

per ha (US$)

15,500 VND

¡ncrease in gross ¡ncome from the harvest of intercrops

Source: Tran Ngoc Ngoan. 2003.

ASSESSMENT OF IMPACT In order lo delermine more precisely tbe effecl of !his project on adoptíon of new technologies, an impact assessmenl was made by an outsid. consultant. He organized foeus group discussions and collecled data !fom funoers in eight representative project sites, four sites in Thailand and four in Vietnam. as well as from fanners living wi!hin !O km of those sítes, who had not participated in the projeel. Table 15 shows the percent of households (out of 767) who had adopted varíous teehnologies. New varíeties were adopted 1 by nearly all cassava farmers in !he eíght sites in Thailand and by 70% of farmers in Vietnam; tbe use of chemical fertilizers had been adopted by 85-90% of households in the eight sites in eaeh eountry; intercropping by nearly 60% of households in Vietnam, bUI by only 13% in Thailand. Conlour ridgíng was adopled by aboul 30% of households in bo!h Vietnam and ThaHand, while contour hedgerows were adopted by 23% of households in Thailand and 25% in Vietnam; in Thailand these hedgerows were almosl exclusively vetiver grass, while in Vietnam mos! farmers preferred!'he planting of Tepnrosia candida or Paspalum alratum, as tbese are easier to plan! (from seed) and can also serve as a greco manure and animal feed, respectively. Thus. it is clear that adoption of specific practiccs varies from site 10 site, depending on local condilions and traditional practices. Table 15 also indicates tha! !'here were highly significant dífferences in tne adoption of almosl all Ihe lechnologies between participating and non-partícipaling fanners (wi!h Ihe exception of eontour ridging and Ihe use of ehemieal fertilizers in Vietnam), witb participating farmers having a greater extenl of adoplion Ihan non-participaling farmers. In!his case, "participants" were defined as farmers who had conducled al leasl one FPR trial andlor had participated in an FPR training course, while "nonparticipants" fiad done neither, bul may have attended a fanoer field day organized by Ihe projeet. lt can be sceO thal new varielies and the use of ehemical f.rtilizers were readily adopted by both participants and non-participants, while adoption of soil eonservation practices and intercropping was botb less widespread and largely Iimited to participating fanners. This c1early points lo !'he diffículty of achieving spnntaneous and widespread adoption of soil conservation practices. But how docs adoption of !hese new technologies transl.te inlo higher yields and ineome? Figure 3 shows tbe eassava yields tbat farmers repnrted before and after !he projeet, eorrespnnding more or less to the second phase of tbe project, or from 1999 to 2003. In Thailand !'he yields of participating fanners inereased from 19.4 to 25.3 tlha (33%), while yields ofnon-partícipating fanners increased from 15.5 to 20.3 tlha (31%); in Vietnam project participants inereased yield from 13.7 to 282 t'ha (106%) while non-partieipants increased !heir yields from 14.3 to 23.9 IIha (67%) (Lilja el aL, 2005). Thus, in bolh countries yields inereased very markedly, but these inereases were grealer for participants than for non-participants, especially in Vietnam. For eomparison, Figure 3 also shows Ihe íncrease in yield for Ihe whole country, as reported by f AO during approximately tbe ,ame time periodo Yields for the whole of Vietnam are considerably below those reported by the farmers in !'he foeus groups; bul Ihe yield I

Planted Ín 50% or more of the farmer' s total cassava area

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inereases are similar lO Ihose reported by Ihe non-participanls. In Thailand Ihe initial yields in Ihe country were similar lo those of non-participating fanners, bul after-project yields were much bigher for participants as well as nearby non-participanlS Ihan for Ihe country as a whole. This indicates Ihal participating fanners benefited mos! from !heir experiences bul Iha! nearby fanners also benefited indirectly from the project. Table 15. Exteot ofadopuoo (percenl ofbous.holds)1) ofoew t«hnologles by participating and non-participating farme .. in th. cassova eroJe