Template:Chapters 5.13

5.13 -Use of Lentil for Smallholder Farmers in Africa to Increase Resiliency to Climate Change

Zago Marissa, University of Guelph, Canada

Suggested citation for this chapter.

Marissa,Z. (2022) Use of Lentil for Smallholder Farmers in Africa to Increase Resiliency to Climate Change. In Farmpedia, The Encyclopedia for Small Scale Farmers. Editor, M.N. Raizada, University of Guelph, Canada. http://www.farmpedia.org

Benefits of Growing Lentil and New Drought/Heat Tolerant Varieties

Certain countries in South Africa and the Sahara Desert have become drier by 10-40% within the past several decades, and future climate projections see the average summer temperature increasing 1.5°C by 2050 (Henderson et al., 2017). Furthermore, the total area in Africa affected by extreme heat could increase to 45% by 2050 (Henderson et al., 2017). Lentil is a drought resistant crop that may be beneficial to grow in areas that are already dry, and/or may become drier with climate change (i.e. increasing temperature and/or decreasing precipitation; Solh and van Ginkel, 2014).

Lentil is a suitable crop for dryland agriculture, as it requires a low average rainfall to grow (approximately 250-300 mm) and can tolerate sub-tropic temperatures (Matny, 2015). There are certain varieties available in Africa that are drought tolerant and heat tolerant, such as “Bakria” and “Idlib-3” that have been used by farmers in low-rainfall areas such as Morocco and Syria (Sarker and Kuman, 2011). “Bakria” matures early and is resistant to rust, while “Idlib-3” is wilt resistant and high in iron and zinc (Sarker and Kuman, 2011). Lentil also naturally fixes nitrogen, which helps replenish the nutrient in the soil and reduces the amount of fertilizer needed (Matny, 2015). Table 1 shows selected new lentil varieties adapted to Africa which may help to mitigate climate change:

Table 1. Examples of new drought/heat-tolerant lentil varieties available to help mitigate climate change in Africa:

In terms of nutritional value, lentil is often called “poor man’s meat”, as it is high in protein (Samaranayaka, 2017). For 100g of cooked lentils there is 9g of protein and when it is combined with a whole grain such as millet, a complete source of protein (i.e. all essential amino acids) is consumed (FDA, n.d; USDA, 2019 ). The crop is also an excellent source of vitamins and minerals, including folate, iron and zinc (Urbano et al., 2007). Folate is especially important for children and pregnant women to consume, as it regulates growth (Johnson, 2018).

There is a wide variety of lentils: there are large and small sized grains that can be green, brown, red/yellow and white (Sandhu & Singh, 2007). Because lentil is a small grain, it can easily be dried and cooked in a variety of ways; it can be roasted, boiled, prepared as a stew, and it can be mixed with other cereal or pulse crops (Matny, 2015). The straw of the crop can also be sold as animal feed and provide an extra source of income for households (Mussema et al., 2014; Ghanem et al., 2015). Furthermore, the demand for lentil has increased in local and international markets over the past decade, which has increased its local price in certain areas of Africa such as Ethiopia (van den Broek et al., 2014). Lentil is a high-valued crop, and it can provide a greater income per hectare than other pulse crops such as cowpeas and beans (FAO, 2015).

Planting and Harvesting Lentil

In Africa, lentil may be best suited to grow in the North and East (Matny, 2015). It can grow in many soil types, such as sand or clay loam, and tolerate a range of pH from 4-8; however, its optimal growth may occur in sandy loam with a pH around 7 (Sherasia et al., 2017). Lentil should not be planted in soils that are regularly flooded or water logged (Sherasia et al., 2017).

Lentil is typically planted in the cool season in North Africa (Saxena, 2009). It is planted in late winter to early spring and usually reaches maturity in 75-100 days under optimal growing conditions, but it can take up to 160 days (Saxena, 2009). In East Africa, lentil is often planted at the end of the rainy season in June to July (Ghanem et al., 2015). The crop is usually not irrigated and instead relies on rain and residual/conserved moisture in the soil (Ali et al., 2009).

Crop rotation is often practiced with lentil and less commonly with intercropping (van den Broek et al., 2014). Seeds can be planted by hand or a mechanized seed drill in rows approximately 20-30 cm apart and 4-6 cm deep; lentil poorly competes with weeds, so planting in rows is important to be able to access the crop to weed Ali et al., 2009). The seeding rate at which lentil is planted depends on climate and soil and can range from 30-120 kg/ha (Ali et al., 2009). In Ethiopia, the typical seeding rate is 50-65 kg/ha for small seeds and 65-60kg/ha for medium seeds (Mitiku, 2016). Seed priming can also be performed to increase lentil yield: this is done by soaking the seeds in water 1-3 days before planting to kickstart embryo development (Ali et al., 2009). Seed priming is especially beneficial during drought, as the seed retains moisture from being soaked in water and does not require as much rainfall to germinate compared to a seed that is not primed (Singh et al., 2015).

Lentil should be harvested when the seeds are a cream or light brown colour and when the stem is yellow (Ali et al., 2009)). Harvesting can be done by hand or by machine and should be done when there is sufficient air moisture to avoid shattering the pods (Matny, 2015). It is estimated that one hectare of land can be harvested by hand in 20 days (Diekmann & Al-Saleh, 2009). The entire plant is to be pulled from the ground, dried for 5-10 days, threshed and then stored (Matny, 2015; Mitiku, 2016).

How Lentil can be Adopted by Smallholder Farmers

The International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) is a non-governmental organization that helps dryland communities increase food security and decrease poverty, while promoting climate resiliency (ICARDA, 2019). ICARDA has paired with the Ethiopian Institute for Agricultural Research (EIAR) to develop and improve climate-resilient crops (including lentil) for smallholder farmers (ICARDA, 2015). The drought tolerant cultivars mentioned earlier (“Bakria” and “Idlib-3”) were created by ICARDA and have been adopted in several countries across Africa (Sarker & Kumar, 2011). To initiate a partnership between smallholder farmers and ICARDA, farmers can contact ICARDA through their website (provided in Section 5.0). The organization also has several offices in Africa, including Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco. Contact information is provided for directors of each office (ICARDA, 2015).

Constraints to Consider

As stated previously, lentil poorly competes with weeds, and therefore must have intensive weed management (Mussema et al., 2014). If weeding is not upkept, up to 75% of the crop yield can be lost (Mitiku, 2016). Most of the weeding is done solely by women, and it can be the most time-consuming task during the crop’s production (Mussema et al., 2014). In addition to weeding, lentil is impacted by a variety of diseases and pests such as fusarium wilt, dry root rot, nematodes and aphids, all of which should be monitored for during seed scanning before planting and during the crop’s growth (Solh & van Ginkel, 2014). Having access to herbicides and pesticides would be effective at controlling these issues, but they are often expensive or fake (Mussema et al., 2014).

Hand harvesting is another labor-intensive aspect of growing lentil, and it makes up half the cost of production (Sarker & Kumar, 2011). Mechanized harvest may help solve this constraint, however many smallholder farmers may lack capital to purchase tools and machines (Mussema et al., 2014). ICARDA has deployed cutter bars in North Africa that can be pulled by a combine or an animal to harvest lentil, which can decrease labour costs by 20% (Sarker & Kumar, 2011). The cultivar “Idlib-3” that is drought resistant is also a “good standing” crop that can pair well with the mechanized harvest (Sarker & Kumar, 2011).

As noted earlier, lentil can be grown in a wide range of conditions, however, it would not be suitable to grow in areas in Africa that receive – or are projected to receive – large amounts of rainfall, as lentil cannot grow in waterlogged or flooded soils (Sherasia et al., 2017). Lentil may be best suited to aid smallholder farmers in dry areas of the continent.

Helpful Links

1) International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dryland Areas (ICARDA): Contact information to request seeds: https://www.icarda.org/contact-us

2) Grain Research and Development Corporation: “GrowNotes for Lentil” https://grdc.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/293111/GRDC-GrowNotes-Lentil-Western.pdf • Provides an extensive amount of information about pre-planting, planting, harvest, post-harvest, marketing, pests and disease etc.

3) ICARDA: “Regeneration Guidelines for Lentil” https://cropgenebank.sgrp.cgiar.org/index.php/regeneration-guidelines-of-crops/lentil-mainmenu-405 • Outlines how to plant, fertilize, manage weeds and pests, and harvest

4) When to Harvest Lentils: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnFDgpqUl38

5) Directorate of Pulses Development: “Lentil” http://dpd.gov.in/Lentil.PDF • Provides information about nutritional value, seed application, nutrient management (e.g. NPK ratio), weed management and symptoms and control measures for diseases

6) Government of India - Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare: “Integrated Pest Management Package” https://farmer.gov.in/imagedefault/ipm/lentil.pdf • Provides information about disease and pest management (e.g. root rot, Fusarium wilt, nematodes).

7) FAO: “Pulses and Their By-products As Animal Feed” • Describes how lentil seed and straw can be sold as or used for animal feed

References

1. Ali, M., Singh, K.K., Pramanik, S.C., & Ali, O. (2009). Cropping systems and production agronomy. In W. Erskine, F. Muehlbauer, A. Karker & B. Sharma (Eds), The Lentil: Botany, Production and Uses (pp. 213-228). Oxfordshire, United Kingdom: CAB International.

2. Diekmann, J., & Al-Saleh, Y. (2009). Mechanization. In W. Erskine, F. Muehlbauer, A. Karker & B. Sharma (Eds), The Lentil: Botany, Production and Uses (pp. 248-261). Oxfordshire, United Kingdom: CAB International.

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4. FAO. (2015). Analysis of price incentives for lentils in Ethiopia for the time period 2005-2012. Retrieved from: http://www.fao.org/3/a-i4526e.pdf

5. FDA. (n.d). Protein. Retrieved from: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/InteractiveNutritionFactsLabel/factsheets/Protein.pdf

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16. Samaranayaka,A. (2017). Lentil: revival of poor man’s meat. In S.R. Nadathur, J.P.D. Wanasundara & L. Scanlin (Eds), Sustainable Protein Sources (185-196). Academic Press.

17. Sandhu, J.S., & Singh, S. (2007). History and origin. In S.S. Yadav, D.L. McNeil & P.C. Stevenson (Eds), Lentil: an ancient crop for modern times (pp. 1-9). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer. Sarker, A., & Kumar. S. (2011). Lentils in production and food systems in West Asia and Africa. International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Aleppo, Syria. Grain Legumes, 57, 46-48. Retrieved from: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/0d05/77bfa1b30a697b190cb908085ec276796655.pdf

18. Saxena, M.C. (2009). Plant morphology, anatomy and growth habit. In W. Erskine, F. Muehlbauer, A. Karker & B. Sharma (Eds), The Lentil: Botany, Production and Uses (pp. 34-46). Oxfordshire, United Kingdom: CAB International.

19. Sherasia, P.L, Garg, M.R., & Bhanderi, B.M. (2017). Pulses and their by-products as animal feed. Chapter 10: Lentil. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 163-167. Retrieved from: http://www.fao.org/3/a-i7779e.pdf

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23. USDA (2019). Lentils, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt. Retrieved from: https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/172421/nutrients

24. van den Broek, J., Sertse, Y., Becx, G., Asrat, P., Beyen, T., Dilnesaw, Z., Ewnetu, Y., Getachew, Y., Getahun, A., Getaw, H., et al. (2014). Landscaping study: legume value-chains in Ethiopia. Retrieved from: https://www.agriknowledge.org/file_downloads/g158bh34t