On-Farm Participatory Evaluation and Selection of Legumes Intercropped With Finger Millet ( <i>Eleusine coracana</i> L) in Western Amhara

Abstract

Background and Objective: Sustainable intensification of agriculture reduces the demand for increased land resources and intercropping is one of the sustainable intensification methods. However, identify and evaluate the potential and compatible legume species for intercropping with finger millet is necessary. Materials and Methods: A field experiment was conducted at two major finger millet producing areas of northwestern Ethiopia. Four legumes crops (Sweet lupine, Cowpea, Haricot bean, and Soybean) intercropped with finger millet. Results: Sole finger millet gave better yield than the intercrop systems in both districts. However, land equivalent ratio (LER) was more than unity for all treatments in both districts except for finger millet intercropped with soybean at South Achefer district. At Guangua finger millet intercropped with cowpea and soyabean gave 27% and 12% yield advantage, respectively and finger millet intercropped with cowpea preferred first by farmers for its high grain yield, soil fertility improvement (restoration) and its suitability for animal feed (cowpea green biomass and its grain is best animal feed for cattle and sheep/goat since livestock feed is a serious problem in those areas. At South Achefer finger millet intercropped with sweet lupine and cowpea gave 38% and 35% yield advantage respectively and finger millet intercropped with sweet lupine preferred first by farmers for its high grain yield to make stew as a protein source, soil fertility improvement and its suitability for human and animal feed. Conclusion: Therefore intercropping finger millet with cowpea and soybean at Guangua and intercropping finger millet with sweet lupine and cowpea at South Achefer preferred by farmers and also had yield advantage as compared to sole finger millet hence FM+CP and FM+SB recommended for Guangua and similar agro-ecologies and FM+SL and FM+CP for South Achefer and similar agro-ecologies as 1st, 2nd option respectively.