Presentation by Ms Beza Dessalegn, ICARDA-Egypt. 23-24 September 2019. Cairo, Egypt. FAO / WHO JOINT MULTI-STAKEHOLDERS CONSULTATION WORKSHOP LEVERAGING FOOD SYSTEMS TO COMBAT OBESITY IN THE NEAR EAST NORTH AFRICA (NENA) and THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN REGION

1. International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas
icarda.org cgiar.org
A CGIAR Research Center
Diversification of Production
Systems for Dietary Diversity
Sept. 23, 2019
Bezaiet Dessalegn

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• Agricultural production system: beyond food production to the
bigger system within which they are produced and the relations
between and among the different components (e.g. soil, water,
livestock, etc.)
• Diversification of the production system for dietary
diversification
• continuous cereal mono-cropping
• Policies - national food security on strategic crops e.g.
wheat and not so much on nutrition security,
• subsidies on selected fertilizers, set crop prices, etc.
==substantial reduction in area under legumes
• Challenges in growing legumes
• Biotic (Fungal, foliar, viral diseases; insects and pests,
parasitic weeds) and abiotic (drought, heat, cold and
salinity) challenges in legume cultivation
• Mechanization – manual harvesting of legumes –
uneconomical due to rising cost and shortage of labor
Diversification of production systems

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Nutrition
• valuable source of digestible
protein, minerals and vitamins, and
low-glycemic carbohydrate in daily
diet
• 2-3 times more protein than
cereals with complementary amino
acid profile for cereal
• Can be further enriched with
micronutrients through
biofortification of staple crops
• High protein content in straw also
increases milk production
The case for diversification through
increased legume production
Environment
• Break continuous depletion of soil
fertility, and the occurrence of both
persistent and new pests, weeds, and
diseases
• Inclusion of legume varieties improve
soil physico-chemical properties - can
fix 70-210 kg/ha N
• Lowers input requirements and less
pollution with nutrient use efficient
plants
 Residue of pulses has a lower C:N ratio
(17) compared with oilseed (41) and
wheat (32)… negative carbon footprint
Legumes (e.g. faba bean, lentils, chickpeas, etc.) have many nutritional,
environmental and economic benefits

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Economic
• Currently, the Arab region produces 1.47 million TNs of food
legumes from around 1.60 million ha area (less than 2% to the
global food legumes production (81.8 million tonnes)
(FAOSTAT, 2018).
• Insufficient domestic production to meet local demand -
imports mainly from Canada, Australia and USA
• Rotation, especially with improved varieties of legumes, leads
to higher yield in subsequent cereal crops
• In Morocco rotation with improved faba-bean varieties
led to: 459 kg/ha (48%) higher yields of subsequent
wheat crop, 23.2kg/ha more faba-bean consumption,
and $624/ha (104%) higher net returns (Yigezu et.al 2019)
• provide nutritious feed and forage for the livestock
• Liveweight changes in Ethiopian Arsi-Bale sheep fed
exclusively on Faba bean straws
The case for diversification through
increased legume production (Contd.)

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- Tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress –
including pests and diseases, heat, water
stress and quality, marginal soil conditions,
etc.)
- Fetch better market price due to market
specific characteristics like seed size and
color
- Bio-fortified as micro-nutrient rich grains
e.g. good source of Fe & Zn
- produce higher and stable yield
- Varieties that fit in the short season
windows of existing cereal-based systems
Diversification using improved legume
varieties (Examples)
Systematic and concerted research efforts over the years have generated
varieties with wider adaptability

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• To diversify production systems to integrate
legumes, increase availability and accessibility of
nutritious foods (dietary diversity) – while
improving system productivity… (Nutrition
sensitive agriculture)
• Investment and research in
• breeding - bio-fortification, resilience (pest
and disease, CC, etc.), mechanization,
marketability, etc.
• Adaptation of legumes to fit in existing
production and food systems e.g. wheat and
faba bean, rice and lentil, etc.
• Engage policy makers and other relevant
stakeholders to promote the nutritional,
environmental and economic case for increased
diversification of production systems for dietary
diversity – generate needed evidence
More needs to be done…

7. International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas
icarda.org cgiar.org
A CGIAR Research Center
Thank You