Millet - more than just a food item
- The Cinzana Research Station:
its aims ...
- ... and the thinking behind
it
- Research results so far
For small-scale farmers In the Sahel zone, millet and sorghum are virtually
sacred basic foodstuffs. But low rainfall, poor soil, and a lack of equipment
mean that crop yields have been stagnating or even declining. The agricultural
research station at Cinzana in Mali, supported by the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture, is developing and disseminating improved seed
for millet, sorghum, and cowpea, as well as adapting cultivation methods.
In international agricultural research, attention has focused on wheat,
maize, and rice. While these cereals have high requirements (climate, soil
quality, irrigation, etc.) that make them incapable of meeting food requirements
for the growing population in the arid countries of the South, resistant
food crops such as millet and sorghum have long been neglected.
This research deficit, as well as the urgency of the food problem In the Sahel zone, were the main reasons for founding and supporting the Station
de Recherche Agricole de Cinzana in Mali.
1 The Cinzana Research
Station: its aims ...
The Cinzana Research Station aims to improve food security In the Sahel
region through sustained increases in the yields of the most important food
cultures - millet and sorghum. Millet in particular is more than just food
to small-scale farmers In the Sahel. It is used in barter trade and is a
status symbol (see case study). The improvement of
nutrition and income is achieved specifically by developing, providing,
and disseminating improved seed varieties and cultivation techniques for
intensive farming. At the same time, efforts are being made to improve access
to equipment, transport, and markets as well as to provide storage facilities.
» From the field: "Sufficient millet
is crucial for our existence"
2 ... and the
thinking behind it
The foundations for the Agricultural Research Station at Cinzana were
jointly laid in 1979 by the government of Mali, the U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID), the International Crops Research Institute for the
Semiarid Tropics (ICRISAT), and the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable
Agriculture's counterpart at the former Ciba-Geigy corporation.
The planning and construction of the station were organized jointly by
the partners involved. While the Malian government provided
the land and designed the station in collaboration with
ICRISAT, including research establishments and experimental
fields, USAID and the Ciba-Geigy Foundation met the
investment costs. At the same time, all the partners
involved provided technical support.
The station became fully operational in 1983 and started its research
work. Situated near the small village of Cinzana, 35 km east of the provincial
capital Ségou, the research station is located in the middle of one
of the most important millet-growing areas in Mali. The station now has
220 hectares of land, with five different types of soil, of which approximately
80 hectares per year is used for breeding and research purposes. A fallow
system is used at the station - i.e., the cultivated areas change from year
to year. In addition, several hectares of land have been set aside as a
nature reserve, allowing observation of the development of biodiversity
in natural conditions for a period of more than 20 years.
The station also has a good infrastructure, with everything from office
buildings to research laboratories, a computer room, a library, accommodation,
a restaurant, and guest rooms available. In addition, supplies of electricity
and water (including water for irrigating the test fields) are ensured by
the station's own equipment.
The research station is responsible to the Malian government and is subordinate
to the Institut d'Economie Rurale. It belongs to a network
of eight agricultural research establishments distributed
throughout the country (these include Soutuba, near
Bamako; Sikasso (mainly for cotton), Mopti, and Gao,
in the north of Mali; Kayes in the west; Samé;
and Niono) The aim of this network is to cover the various
production conditions in the individual regions of Mali
and the variety of crops cultivated. Financial support
from USAID and ICRISAT expired according to contract
in 1989, although close specialist collaboration still
continues in Mali with programs managed by the two organizations.
The Syngenta Foundation is now the sole financial sponsor
for the Cinzana station. The Malian government meets
the staffing costs for state employees at the station,
as well as the costs for most of the spare parts and
maintenance required.
3 Research
results so far
In the initial years, the main emphasis was on basic research on millet
and sorghum. From the 1990s onward, work moved more into the field, with
three external stations being built (in the north, south, and center of
the station's reference region) in order to take better account of the various
climatic and natural conditions during the research. In addition, various
"antennae" have been set up in villages, where staff from the station are
supervising tests in collaboration with the small-scale farmers and introducing
innovations. A number of technologies have emerged from these research activities,
for which documentation has been prepared and published.
» See millet
research findings
3.1 Breeding improved seed
Breeding improved seed varieties has so far concentrated on making varieties
available that have a shorter growth period, in accordance with the climatic
conditions in the arid north of Mali. A seed bank was set up for this purpose,
in which some 1,200 different varieties of millet are available, as well
as various sorghum and cowpea varieties. A few genotypes with the desired
properties can be selected from these, tested, and reproduced without the
genes of other traditional varieties being lost.
The main varieties selected were particularly high-performing domestic
ones appropriate to the local ecological conditions. In the course of time,
these were then crossed with various selected varieties. This has resulted
in the millet variety Toroniou de Ningali, for example. At 1.1
t/ha, this variety has a yield twice as high as varieties grown in higher-rainfall
areas in the south of the country. Toroniou not only has the shorter
growth period desired, but also has a higher tolerance for drought and pests.
Breeding particularly resistant varieties is therefore also part of the
station's research activities. In this way, millet varieties that are resistant
both to diseases (e.g., mildew) and pests are bred, as well as varieties
that have hairy corn-cobs, to keep birds away from the crop. Sorghum species
suitable for The Sahel's various vegetation zones (semiarid, subhumid, etc.)
have also been developed.
3.2 Developing modified cultivation techniques
In addition to breeding, several researchers at the station are also working
on developing adapted cultivation methods. For example, it was found that
if dense seeding is used, a productivity increase of 10-30% can be achieved
by annually alternating the cultivation of millet and cowpea (niébé).
The increase can be as much as 25-40% if the seed is sown before July each
year.
Another development at the station has been the use of carefully alternated
millet and cowpea rows in a field, with the rows being switched each year.
The planting distance is precisely determined, and both types have to be
sown on the same day.
This quite simple improvement has the following advantages: thanks to
their tuber bacteria, the cowpeas can fix nitrogen from the air and thereby
enrich the soil. The risk of crop losses when there is irregular rain is
reduced because the available moisture is better exploited. In addition,
this method makes it easier to tend mixed cultivation. The cowpea's tolerance
of and partial resistance to Striga, a semiparasitic wild plant,
inhibits the weed's spread. Due to the differing growth periods of cowpea
and millet, the fragile soil has cover for a longer period, and is therefore
better protected against erosion by rain and wind.
In addition to the mixed cultivation of millet and cowpea, millet and
peanuts or maize have also been planted in alternating rows. Here again,
the aim is to reduce the risk of crop losses due to drought, pests, and
disease, as well as to exploit the available soil nutrients better. For
example, peanuts reduce the extent to which Striga can attack millet.
The research station is also working on improving fertilization techniques
using farmyard manure and composted millet stalks. For example, it has been
found that adding straw can increase the fertilizer content by 42%, without
reducing the nitrogen content. Field experiments have shown that a 30-35%
higher yield is possible using this simple fertilization technique.
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