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http://www.cipav.org.co/lrrd/12/3/riva123.htm
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The early adoption of the legume Arachis pintoi was studied in the State of Caquetá, located in Colombia’s Amazon region. Data came from 174 farmers randomly surveyed within the area of influence of Nestlé, a multinational milk-processing company. In addition, 52 farmers who had already adopted Arachis were surveyed separately to study their experiences, difficulties, and prospects with the legume. Results indicated that livestock activity is undergoing dynamic intensification. Since 1986, milk production per lactation has increased by 31%, cow fertility by 5%, herd size by 18%, and the area sown to improved pastures by 165%. Current adoption rate of Arachis is about 9.2%, with an estimated 3000 ha already planted. Two-thirds of farmers who had adopted Arachis said they would double, in the next year, the average area sown (9.6 ha/farm). Adopters tended to have larger farms and to have invested twice the capital than did non-adopters. The cost of seed for both grass and legume accounted for 40-52% of total establishment costs, making seed quality decisive in guaranteeing success. To promote Arachis, more information on the plant and its management in association with grasses must be disseminated. Mechanisms should also be sought to reduce establishment costs.
Livestock activity in the State of Caquetá, located in the Amazon region of Colombia, South America, is mostly carried out by small and medium-scale farmers, who produce both beef and milk (ie., dual-purpose) in the same farm (Michelsen 1990). Cropping plays a marginal role. The bovine population is estimated at 1.1 million heads, equivalent to 4.2% of Colombia’s livestock inventory (DANE 1996).
The State of Caquetá occupies an area of 8.9 million hectares, most of it under forest. The average annual rainfall is 3500 mm, with an annual relative humidity of 81%. Although livestock is the predominant agricultural activity, over the last two decades, illicit activities, such as planting and marketing coca, have become important sources of income, leading to deteriorated public order and social co-existence. One way of contributing to improved socioeconomic conditions is to increase income from livestock activities.
Reliable statistics to determine the evolution of milk production are not available, but information from Nestlé de Colombia (a branch of the multinational milk-processing company) shows that average annual sales of milk per farm to the company increased notably between 1986 and 1996, from about 8,969 litres to 14,949 litres. As the human population in the region increased, the fresh milk market also grew and Nestlé was established, buying significant quantities of milk for processing and distribution at both local and national levels. This higher demand for milk induced farmers to increase production by improving the forage base of their farms, which contained a high degree of degraded native or naturalised pastures, with low production indices per animal and per hectare. The adoption of the grass Brachiaria decumbens marked a turning point in livestock production: dual-purpose cattle were raised, with emphasis on milk production (Michelsen 1990; Ramírez and Seré 1990).
For several years now, CIAT and Nestlé have jointly monitored the evolution of livestock systems in Caquetá in terms of two interrelated topics of common interest to both institutions:
The forage legume Arachis pintoi, a perennial forage peanut, had already been developed through joint research between CIAT and its partners. This material was evaluated for several years and was released in 1992 as a forage alternative for Colombia’s Altillanura (hilly savannas), Coffee Region, and the Andean Piedmont (Rincón et al 1992). The forage peanut is an innovative option for Caquetá because of its perennial and multiple purpose attributes. It has high potential for use in pastures, in mixtures with grasses or as a cover crop. This legume, through nitrogen fixation and soil cover, can contribute significantly towards sustainable livestock systems. The Nestlé Project, a collaborative effort between Nestlé and CIAT, was created to promote the adoption of A. pintoi in the region. The Project is oriented towards on-farm validation and transfer of this new technology. Most importantly, results from the Project were expected to be extrapolated to other regions of Colombia and tropical Latin America with similar environmental and socioeconomic conditions.
The adoption of new and improved forages is a complex and slow process. The decision to adopt an improved pasture implies a considerable investment of capital, not only to establish it but also to acquire more livestock because improved forages substantially increase the stocking rate. This is a critical issue for small and medium-scale farmers, such as those predominating in Caquetá, who have limited capital and restricted access to credit.
For a new forage option to be massively adopted, it should be not only profitable, but also technically and financially viable. Furthermore, it must be sustainable in that it conserves the natural resources, that is, it should not cause or aggravate the deterioration of the productive capacity of natural resources over the long term.
The present study analyses the adoption process of Arachis pintoi, as promoted by the Nestlé Project. By using farmers as an information source, the Project was able to identify possible constraints to the process and thus facilitate the design of strategies to accelerate adoption. A survey was conducted in 1997 of cattle farms of Caquetá that were located in Nestlé’s area of influence to determine the current status of adoption of A. pintoi, albeit in a very early phase.
Basic data were collected by surveying a sample chosen from all the farms supplying milk to the Nestlé plant in Caquetá. A combined survey strategy was used, with two sample groups:
· A completely randomised sample, whose size was determined through conventional statistical methods. Nestlé provided a list of farms supplying milk to its plant and the farms’ daily and annual production during 1996. Using the variance of farm milk production and assuming different levels of confidence and permissible margins of error, 174 farms were surveyed at random. The level of confidence was between 80 and 85%, with a permissible maximum error of the estimator (i.e. mean milk production per farm) of 10%.
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Table 1. Land use dynamics on dual-purpose farms in Caquetá, Colombia (1986 and 1997). |
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Land use |
1986 survey1 |
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1997survey |
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Area (ha) |
% |
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Area (ha) |
% |
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Total farm area |
131 |
100 |
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158 |
100 |
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Pasture area |
95 |
73 |
|
129 |
82 |
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- Naturalised |
62 |
47 |
|
38 |
24 |
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- Improved |
33 |
26 |
|
91 |
58 |
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Cropping area |
4 |
3 |
|
3 |
2 |
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Fallow area |
22 |
17 |
|
10 |
6 |
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Forest area |
9 |
7 |
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16 |
10 |
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1Data from Ramírez and Seré (1990). |
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In all, the survey interviewed 226 farmers, and covered the following topics:
· current situation of pastures and constraints found in Caquetá;
· farmers’ use of A. pintoi, and knowledge of and expectations for the legume;
· farm resources (availability of labour, land distribution and uses, and infrastructure);
· specific farm characteristics;
· institutional factors;
· economic indicators, such as prices of products and inputs.
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Table 2. Frequency of use of pastures on cattle farms located in Caquetá, Colombia (1986 and 1997). |
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Type of pasture |
1997 |
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1986 |
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Frequency of use |
Total area (ha) |
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Frequency of use |
Total area (ha) |
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Absolute (no. of farms) |
Relative (%) |
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Absolute (no. of farms) |
Relative (%) |
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Naturalised |
200 |
89.7 |
8505 |
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117 |
99.2 |
7304 |
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Brachiaria decumbens |
182 |
81.6 |
13111 |
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110 |
93.2 |
3056 |
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B. humidicola |
86 |
38.6 |
2823 |
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5 |
4.2 |
23 |
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Arachis pintoi in association |
57 |
25.6 |
546 |
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0 |
0.0 |
0 |
B. brizantha |
55 |
24.7 |
954 |
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0 |
0.0 |
0 |
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Pangola grass |
52 |
23.3 |
2419 |
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50 |
42.4 |
153 |
B. dictyoneura |
22 |
9.9 |
196 |
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0 |
0.0 |
0 |
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A. pintoi alone |
8 |
3.6 |
10 |
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0 |
0.0 |
0 |
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Imperial grass |
5 |
2.2 |
137 |
|
9 |
7.6 |
200 |
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B. ruziziensis |
5 |
2.2 |
21 |
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0 |
0.0 |
0 |
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Jaragua grass |
4 |
1.8 |
61 |
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18 |
15.3 |
318 |
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B. decumbens;Desmodium sp. |
2 |
0.9 |
7 |
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0 |
0.0 |
0 |
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Buffel grass |
2 |
0.9 |
31 |
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0 |
0.0 |
0 |
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B. humidicola and B. Decumbens |
1 |
0.4 |
30 |
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0 |
0.0 |
0 |
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B. dictyoneura + B. brizantha + B. Decumbens |
1 |
0.4 |
6 |
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0 |
0.0 |
0 |
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B. humidicola + B. Dictyoneura |
1 |
0.4 |
2 |
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0 |
0.0 |
0 |
| B. decumbens + B. brizantha | 1 | 0.4 | 10 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | |
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B. brizantha + Desmodium sp. |
1 |
0.4 |
4 |
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0 |
0.0 |
0 |
Other Brachiaria species1 |
9 |
4.0 |
72 |
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0 |
0.0 |
0 |
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India grass |
1 |
0.4 |
8 |
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0 |
0.0 |
0 |
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Kudzu |
1 |
0.4 |
30 |
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0 |
0.0 |
0 |
Axonopus micay |
0 |
0.0 |
0 |
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7 |
5.9 |
47 |
Panicum maximum |
0 |
0.0 |
0 |
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5 |
4.2 |
83 |
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Para grass |
0 |
0.0 |
0 |
|
11 |
9.3 |
47 |
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Elephant grass |
0 |
0.0 |
0 |
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1 |
0.8 |
94 |
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Total no. of farms in sample |
223 |
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118 |
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1Includes B. radicans and B. plantigea, both known in the area as “brachipará”. |
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Available data, when compared with data from a 1986 land use study (Ramírez and Seré 1990), show great dynamism in land use patterns in Caquetá (Tables 1 and 2). The most relevant aspects are:
The farmers are apparently responding to pest and disease problems by diversifying germplasm.
Of the 226 farmers surveyed, 83% (187) acknowledged problems related to forage availability and quality, indicating a need for new technologies. Most of the problems perceived are related to diseases and pests, particularly spittlebug (Table 3) (Michelsen 1990; Ramírez and Seré 1990).
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Table 3. Frequency of problems limiting forage production on farms located in Caquetá, Colombia. |
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Type of problem |
Farmers |
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(Number)1 |
(%) |
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Pests and diseases |
146 |
64.6 |
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Poor quality of available forage |
60 |
26.5 |
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Problems related to climate (rain, drought) |
24 |
10.6 |
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Lack of physical and financial resources |
8 |
3.5 |
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Lack of other forage options |
3 |
1.3 |
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Problems related to soil quality |
5 |
2.2 |
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Others |
3 |
1.3 |
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1The total number of farmers is greater than 226 because some farmers reported more than one problem. |
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Of the 226 farmers interviewed, a significant number (179) had heard of Arachis, 171 had seen it, and 68 were using it. Farmers’ experiences with forage peanut vary broadly, ranging from very recent plantings to grazing with different categories of cattle. Arachis is being planted in two types of pastures:
Of those farmers experimenting with forage peanut, 84% (57) use it in association with grasses, and 68% (39) have planted with sexual seed.
Of the 68 farmers who adopted the legume, 21 (31%) have had problems establishing it, mainly because of poor germination of the grass specie (8) and slow establishment of the forage peanut (7). Overall, 82% of the 68 farmers were highly satisfied with Arachis, and 37 (55%) of them had already grazed Arachis, citing its capacity to increase pasture productivity. They also found that this forage increased stocking rate, milk production, and weight gains; controlled weeds; performed well in association with grasses; and enhanced palatability (Table 4).
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Table 4. Farmers’ opinions of Arachis pintoi as a grazed forage legume, Caquetá, Colombia (1997) |
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Score |
Farmers |
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(Number) |
(%) |
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Very good |
10 |
26.3 |
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Good |
19 |
50.0 |
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Regular |
4 |
10.5 |
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Bad |
1 |
0.6 |
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Don’t know yet |
4 |
1.5 |
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Total |
38 |
100 |
Of the 23 farmers who had not yet used Arachis for grazing, 16 said that the legume had only been recently planted, 3 said it had not established well, 2 intended to use it for a different purpose, and 2 gave a mixture of the previous reasons. Eight farmers who had tested the forage peanut were not satisfied with their results so far (Table 5).
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Table 5. Causes for dissatisfaction among farmers who had tested Arachis pintoi in Caquetá, Colombia (1997). |
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Cause for dissatisfaction |
Farmers |
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(Number) |
(%) |
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Not yet identified |
4 |
50.0 |
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No progress observed |
2 |
25.0 |
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Cattle won’t consume it |
1 |
12.5 |
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Tends to disappear |
1 |
12.5 |
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Total |
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