PEAS - Pigeonpea for Economic Advancement of Smallholders
Example: Walk us through a specific example(s) of how this solution makes a difference; include its primary activities.
Marketplace: Who else is addressing the problem outlined here? How does the proposed project differ from these approaches?
Curt
Bowen
Semilla Nueva
, QZ
, RE
1‐5 years
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In January 2013 we invited the scientist behind Africa’s pigeonpea development to see our first 100 families’ harvest in Guatemala. He told us it was the best work in the region and flew us to Africa to learn about their success. On the road for a month in the midst of Africa’s dry season all we saw was pigeonpea. It looked like corn in Iowa, the only difference being that pigeonpea in Africa is dominated by smallholders – over 1 million of them earning a better livelihood and income. It was a tale of development done right. Our hosts from ICRISAT turned to the back seat and told me, “Twenty years ago none of this existed; Guatemala can do this too. The market needs more pigeonpea and you’re in the ideal conditions to make it happen.”
Smallholder Farmers.
Nearly all 250,000 smallholder farmers in Guatemala grow sesame; 20 years ago it was non-existent. Farmers adopted it once they saw it grew easily and there was a strong market - this is our model for pigeonpea. We help farmers set up experimental plots, allowing them to realize the benefit on their own land. They're sharing results with neighbors and its growing like wildfire. Along with 1000 experimenting farmers, we’re finding the best ways to grow pigeonpea and working to reach export scale.
Last year 100 farmers grew new varieties of pigeonpea between rows of existing crops. Upon measuring the results, they verified that pigeonpea gave them a free crop, free protein to their family and free nitrogen to their soil without affecting their existing crops’ yields. This year over 200 women joined our food security groups, learning new pigeonpea recipes and encouraging their families to try it. This resulted in nearly 1,000 families planting pigeonpea this year. Farmers are growing small plots because we don’t yet have an international market. If all 250,000 farmers in the region grew pigeonpea on their entire farms, at current market prices this could generate $125M for smallholder farmers in Guatemala.
We’ve made connections with international grain traders who currently move pigeonpea from Africa to India, and are interested in buying from Guatemala as the harvest time aligns with current shortage. What they want is quantity, at least 10 containers, to make it economically feasible for them. In order to reach that threshold we’re increasing production through interim markets including food and animal feed manufacturers, local markets, and pushing home consumption. We’re also working on providing higher yielding and better-adapted seed. The prize money will help us further this work towards the export market, collaborating with global experts to investigate other options such as selling processed pigeonpea to US and Canadian importers.
In Tanzania we asked the leading government scientists what they did to bring 280,000 families into growing pigeonpea. They said, “Once we had the right growing techniques and a stable market, the rest took care of itself.” Farmers learned from successful neighbors. Exporters brought seeds to new villages. Our strategy is to lay the right foundation and let the market take care of the rest.
I helped found Semilla Nueva in 2009. As Executive Director I have been a part of the inaugural Ignite Good class, an Ashoka Emerging Innovator, and a speaker and policy consultant at several conferences in Latin America. My values and dedication have earned mentors and partners from some of the most respected agricultural development organizations including CIMMYT and ICRISAT, whom have all played key roles in this project.