Grain legumes in integrated crop management systems

This chapter focuses on integrated crop management strategies to increase grain legume production in rainfed, resource-poor farming systems. Generally, grain legumes fail to reach even half of their potential yields in these systems. For rainfed grain legumes the major contributor to the yield gap is sub-optimal soil moisture, along with a suite of nutrient, pest and disease constraints. The challenge is to identify remedial action within the means of resource-poor farmers. This requires greater emphasis on farmer-participatory research to identify local constraints, and engaging farmers in trialling locally feasible solutions. Examples of this approach are documented. Particular areas in need of intensive on-farm research include adapting grain legume farming to conservation agriculture and exploring means to increase cropping intensity of grain legumes in cereal-dominated cropping systems. It is suggested that a concerted shift in international and national efforts to support farmer-participatory approaches is needed.