The Role of Legumes in the Farming Systems of the Mediterranean Areas: Proceedings of a Workshop on the Role of Legumes in the Farming Systems of the Mediterranean Areas UNDP/ICARDA, Tunis, June 20–24, 1988

324 Pages·1989·3.67 MB·English

by  I. W. Buddenhagen (auth.)

THE ROLE OF LEGUMES IN THE FARMING SYSTEMS
OF THE MEDITERRANEAN AREAS
DEVELOPMENTS IN PLANT AND SOIL SCIENCES
VOLUME 38
The Role of Legumes
in the Farming Systems
of the Mediterranean Areas
Proceedings of a Workshop on the Role of Legumes
in the Farming Systems of the Mediterranean Areas
UNDP/ICARDA, Tunis, June 20-24, 1988
Edited by
A.E. OSMAN, M.H. IBRAHIM and M.A. JONES
The International Center for Agricultural Research in
the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Aleppo, Syria
KLUWER ACADEMIC PUBLISHERS
DORDRECHT / BOSTON / LONDON
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
The Role of legumes in the farming systems of the Mediterranean areas
: proceedings of a workshop on the role of legumes in the farming
systems of the Mediterranean areas, UNDPI ICARDA , Tunis, June 20-24,
1988 I edited by A.E. Osman, M.M. Ibrahim, and M.A. Jones.
p. cm. -- (Developments In plant and soil sciences; 38)
ISBN -13: 976-94-010-6949-6 e-ISBN-13: 976-94-009-1019-5
DOl: 10.1007/976-94-009-1019-5
1. Legumes--Mediterranean Region--Congresses. 2. Legumes as feed
-Mediterranean Reglon--Congresses. 3. Legumes as food-
-Mediterranean Region--Congresses. 4. Agricultural systems-
-Mediterranean Reglon--Congresses. I. Osman. A. E. II. Ibrahim,
M. M. III. Jones, M. A. IV. United Nations Development Programme.
V. InTernational Center for AgrIcultural Research in the Dry Areas.
VI. Series: Developments in plant and soil sciences; v. 38.
SB203.3.M43R65 1990
338.1'733'091822--dc20 89-15633
ISBN -13: 978-94-010-6949-6
Published by Kluwer Academic Publishers,
P.O. Box 17, 3300 AA Dordrecht, The Netherlands.
Kluwer Academic Publishers incorporates
the publishing programmes of Martinus Nijhoff,
Dr W. Junk, D. Reidel, and MTP Press.
Sold and distributed in the U.S.A. and Canada
by Kluwer Academic Publishers,
101 Philip Drive, Norwell, MA 02061, U.S.A.
In all other countries, sold and distributed
by Kluwer Academic Publishers Group,
P_O. Box 322, 3300 AH Dordrecht, The Netherlands
IJril/lct/ Oil acid/in' papa
All rights reserved
© 1990 ICARDA
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1990
No part of the material protected by this copyright notice may be
reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any
information storage and retrieval system, without written
permission from the copyright owners.
Table of Contents
Foreword vii
Acknowledgements ix
I. A GLOBAL AND REGIONAL OVERVIEW OF THE ROLE OF LEGUMES IN
FARMING SYSTEMS
Legumes in Farming Systems in Mediterranean Climates
I. Buddenhagen 3
The role of legumes in the farming systems of Algeria
A. Benbelkacem 31
The role of legumes in the farming systems of Cyprus
I. Papastylianou 39
The role of legumes in the farming systems of Egypt
A.M. Nassib, A. Rammah and A.H.A. Hussein 51
The role of legumes in the farming systems of Greece
c.1. Podimatas 63
The role of legumes in the farming systems of Iraq
A.H.K. AI-Anney 71
The role of legumes in the farming systems of Jordan
N.1. Haddad and B.A. Snobar 77
The role of legumes in the farming systems of Morocco
M. Bounejmate 85
The role of legumes in the farming systems of Portugal
A.M. Dordio 93
The role of legumes in the farming systems of Syria
B. Mawlawi and M.W. Tawil 105
The role of legumes in the farming systems of Tunisia
M.H. Halila, A.B.K. Dahmane and H. Seklani 115
The role of legumes in the farming systems of Turkey
M. GuIer 131
II. THE ROLE OF LEGUMES IN HUMAN AND ANIMAL NUTRITION
The role of food legumes in the diets of the populations of
Mediterranean areas and associated nutritional factors
P.N. Bahl 143
V
vi
The role of food legume straw and stubble in feeding livestock
B.S. Capper 151
III. THE ROLE OF LEGUMES IN CRop-LIVESTOCK SYSTEMS
Farming systems producing livestock in Mediterranean areas
A.R. Abou Akkada 165
The French Mediterranean zones: sheep rearing systems and
the present and potential role of pasture legumes
G. Gintzburger, J.J. Rochon and A.P. Cones a 179
The role of forage legumes in rotation with cereals in
Mediterranean areas
M.J. Jones 195
The role of legumes in improving marginal lands
A.E. Osman, M. Pagnotta, L. Russi, P.S. Cocks and
M. Falcinelli 205
The role of self-regenerating pasture in rotation with cereals in
Mediterranean areas
A.D. Robson 217
IV. THE ROLE OF SOCIo-EcONOMICS AND EXTENSION IN PROMOTING
LEGUMES IN FARMING SYSTEMS
Annual cropping under dryland conditions in Turkey: a case
study
N. Durutan, K. Meyveci, M. Karaca, M. Avci and
H. Eyuboglu 239
The extension of the ley farming system in South Australia: a
case study
G.D. Webber 257
The use of on-farm research as a method of extending legume
production in Mediterranean farming systems
W. Erskine, T.L. Nordblom, P.S. Cocks, M. Pala and
E.F. Thomson 273
Human constraints in extending the use of forage legumes in
Mediterranean areas
R. Springborg 283
v. WORKSHOP DISCUSSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 295
List of Participants 305
Foreword
Legumes are an important source of protein for humans and animals. They
provide nutritionally rich crop residues for animal feed, and playa key role
in maintaining the productivity of soils particularly through biological nitro
gen fixation. They are, therefore, of immense value in rainfed farming
systems.
The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas
(ICARDA) has a responsibility for research on food, pasture, and forage
legumes. The Center also has the broad objective of improving livestock
production in rainfed farming systems. Although food legumes have be~n
known and grown by farmers in the WANA region for a long time, their
productivity has remained low and variable. Forage legumes, on the other
hand, are not so well known by farmers of the region, and their role in the
farming systems is not so well understood. Thus, we need to develop the
concept of using forage legumes as crops and to fit them into cropping
systems. In its efforts to increase the productivity of food legumes and
develop the legume-based crop/livestock systems, ICARDA has established
a network of scientists in the different National Agricultural Research
Systems in the region. To further strengthen this network, ICARDA
convened a workshop on 'The Role of Legumes in the Farming Systems of
Mediterranean Areas' in Tunis, Tunisia, 20-24 June 1988. This workshop
was co-sponsored by UNDP, who also contributed funds for this publication.
An overview of the role of legumes in the farming systems of the
Mediterranean basin itself, and of other parts of the world with a Mediterra
nean climate, formed the background on which specific topics and discus
sions were based. The papers presented in the workshop, the discussions,
and recommendations are presented in these proceedings which I trust will
contribute to a better understanding of the past, present and future role of
legumes in farming systems. I am confident that the knowledge, interest and
ideas generated by this workshop will assist in developing sound future
strategies which will improve the welfare of the less privileged farmers in the
Mediterranean areas of the WANA region and elsewhere.
Nasrat R. Fadda
Director General
[CARDA
vii
Acknowledgements
We wish to convey our sincere appreciation to all those who contributed to
these proceedings: the authors, the workshop participants, Ahmed Kamel
and his staff at the ICARDA Tunis Office, and the secretaries and artists at
ICARDA headquarters, especially Aida Battikha, Mary Bogharian, Amira
Diab and Abdul-Rahman Hawa. We are especially grateful to Parvin
Damania for her invaluable secretarial expertise at a critical time.
The workshop could not have been held nor the proceedings printed
without the financial assistance of UNDP and the hospitality of the Govern
ment of Tunisia. We thank them for their generosity.
The Editors
ix
PART I
A GLOBAL AND REGIONAL OVERVIEW
OF THE ROLE OF LEGUMES
IN FARMING SYSTEMS
Legumes in Farming Systems in Mediterranean Climates
I.W.BUDDENHAGEN
Agronomy Department, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
Abstract. Agriculture in the Mediterranean region contrasts sharply from
agriculture in the other four distant regions with Med climates, due to its
ancient nature in ancient cultures. All winter food and forage legumes of
major utility evolved in the Mediterranean/West Asian region but have
become more important outside the region. The Mediterranean legumes can
become much more useful in their homelands with greater research and
development effort focused especially on nitrogen budgets in agrosystems
combined with watershed management to reduce overall ecosystem degrada
tion. The major opportunity is in developing an integration with cereals and
animals, in a rainfed key system patterned after the Australian experience.
Intercropping of food legumes with cereals spaced at lower density in
appropriate strips should be explored. Research on the nitrogen budget in
all systems needs more focus on actual gains to either inter or rotational
crops that really are attributable to N-fixation by the legume. Small gains
can be made under irrigation for the higher priced grain legumes and for
alfalfa and berseem with further breeding for disease/pest resistance, N
fixation rates and yield. Biological value of food and feed grain legume
protein is low and there are many toxicities also. Improvement is needed
through better supported and better integrated breeding programs involving
different disciplines. This is especially important if any winter grain legume
is to compete in stability of yield and in quality in the large markets for
animal rations.
Prologue
The Mediterranean region has rightly been called the first 'Eden'. Early
Man found it a paradise in climate and interlacings of land and water. With
his low population in antiquity there was abundant game and seafood and an
easy primitive agriculture (Attenborough 1987).
The Mediterranean region and areas just to the east were cradles of
evolving civilization and of the domestication of major animal and many
crop species. Our modern civilized world and the radical changes of the last
hundred years are unthinkable without the heritage of the religions and
A.E. Osman et al. (eds.), The Role of Legumes in the Farming Systems of the Mediterranean Areas, 3-29.
© 1990 ICARDA