Sustaining Maize-legume based cropping systems for food security

The countries where the SIMLESA project was undertaken is primary nations of Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique and spill over countries comprising Botswana, Rwanda and Uganda. In Rwanda, the project was implemented by Rwanda Agriculture Board in collaboration with CIMMYT (2012-2014). The aim of SIMLESA/Rwanda Project is to promote CA agriculture under six principles: minimum soil disturbance through minimum tillage; maintenance of permanent soil cover using crop residues; maize-bean crop rotations to help combat the various biotic constraints; make use of improved and high yielding crop varieties; use appropriate soil fertility management inputs combination and grouping farmers and other stakeholders into innovation platforms. To achieve this, five activities were implemented in Kamonyi and Bugesera selected Districts with different agro-ecologies. Those activities comprised socio-economic sites characterization for the project interventions, experiences of Maize-Legumes Innovation Platforms establishment, effect of CA on maize and beans productivity, intercropping maize-bean technology and identification of maize farmers preferred varieties using mother-baby model.