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Pearl Millet Production System(s) in the Communal Areas of Northern Namibia: Priority Research Foci Arising from a Diagnostic Study

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Relation http://oar.icrisat.org/4739/
 
Title Pearl Millet Production System(s) in the Communal Areas of Northern Namibia: Priority Research Foci Arising from a Diagnostic Study
 
Creator Matanyaire, C M
 
Subject Millets
 
Description Pearl mtht tr the major crop in nonhem Namzbta where 60% of the population
ltvr Akhoyn agndrurd rrrnrch was rmdu:trl ~n rnrre rea as aunng theprr.
mdepmdmcr penod thrhrrt 5t.d) rooot~rn barrone ~njomatloa uar conauctra
in 1993.
The study conjned the predominance of pearl millet tn norihrm Namtbia,
wrh an average sown area per household of 3.5 ha. The farmers identify sbrt
duration as the morr preferred vanrtd rratt above grotn yield, and research
needs to be rargrtcd tn 11nr mth rhtfnrmers'prcjerences. Drought war idmt~fied
as the ma]orcmtraznt on pearl mtUetproducrionfollowd byiach ofdraft power.
Fanners do recogntu the importance of a good crop srod, early thinnzng, ad
~edtngT he use of manure 8s mdespread whtk the use of chemtcal feriilrzer is
very hmtted.
Research priorittes tdmtified tn the study include the developmenr of droughrdmating
technulogtes, devrlopnent of pearl miht mltivars that meet the
jnmrs' prrjerewe, ad tmpmvemmt of roil fmiltry and cmp management
rtratcfles
A lnrgc pearl millet grain yleld gap war tdentlfied mth on-farm yields of 0.15
to 0.20 t ha-1 compared with on.rtotionylcldr of3 63 to 3.87 t ha-' dunng the
1992/93 reasa. The yield gap analys~ssh ows the comparanuc gram yield gains
of tmproved mnnagmmt to be bctwcrn I34 ad 725% (for the levrlr ofmanage.
mat identified) compared mrh va"ctd change yield gatns of 6 to 44% at the
spectfied mawgemrnr heh. Based on these findings the Mtnisty of Agriculture,
Walcr and Rural D~e~opmrn(MtA WRDJ zr requeried to put more effort tnfo
resource management research ar opposed to genetic improvement, with more
empivrr~so n on.farm research.
 
Date 1996
 
Type Conference or Workshop Item
PeerReviewed
 
Format application/pdf
 
Language en
 
Rights —
 
Identifier http://oar.icrisat.org/4739/1/CP_1063.pdf
Matanyaire, C M (1996) Pearl Millet Production System(s) in the Communal Areas of Northern Namibia: Priority Research Foci Arising from a Diagnostic Study. In: Drought-tolerant crops for southern Africa: Proceedings of the SADC/ICRISAT Regional Sorghum and Pearl Millet Workshop, 25-29 July 1994, Gaborone, Botswana.