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<p>Mixed cropping is the cultivation of two or more crops simultaneously on the same piece of land, often to optimize yield, land use, dietary diversity, and climate resilience. The practice of mixing multiple legume species, such as faba bean (<i>Vicia faba</i>) and field pea (<i>Pisum sativum</i>), is relatively understudied. Here, we investigate the cultivation and utilization of faba bean and field pea&#xa0;(FF) mixtures based on a survey and interviews with 343 farming households from six communities in highland Ethiopia. Of those interviewed, 57% had experience planting such a mixture, but only 9.6% had planted it in the study year. Farmers included one of three varieties of faba bean and one variety of field pea in their mixtures. Their main reasons for planting these mixtures were to harvest high grain quality and quantity of field pea (51.5%), and to improve overall crop productivity (21.2%). Local farmers primarily used the mixed product as shiro, a popular stew prepared from roasted and ground legumes, and praised the taste compared to each of the two legumes prepared separately. However, farmers reported a decrease in the production of mixtures (as well as the two components grown separately) due to the introduced parasitic weed <i>Orobanche crenata</i> (47.0%), the browsing of field pea by the common duiker (<i>Sylvicapra grimmia</i>, 17.1%), and the lodging of faba bean (11.6%). The decline of this practice highlights the need to understand its advantages and disadvantages before farmers discontinue the practice and the associated knowledge is lost.</p>

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Farmers’ Knowledge and Perceptions of Traditional Mixed Cropping of Faba Bean (Vicia faba) and Field Pea (Pisum sativum) in Highland Ethiopia

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月29日

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  • Tsige Hailegiorgis,
  • Zemede Asfaw,
  • Zerihun Woldu,
  • Bikila Warkineh,
  • Morgan L. Ruelle,
  • Alex C. McAlvay

摘要

Mixed cropping is the cultivation of two or more crops simultaneously on the same piece of land, often to optimize yield, land use, dietary diversity, and climate resilience. The practice of mixing multiple legume species, such as faba bean (Vicia faba) and field pea (Pisum sativum), is relatively understudied. Here, we investigate the cultivation and utilization of faba bean and field pea (FF) mixtures based on a survey and interviews with 343 farming households from six communities in highland Ethiopia. Of those interviewed, 57% had experience planting such a mixture, but only 9.6% had planted it in the study year. Farmers included one of three varieties of faba bean and one variety of field pea in their mixtures. Their main reasons for planting these mixtures were to harvest high grain quality and quantity of field pea (51.5%), and to improve overall crop productivity (21.2%). Local farmers primarily used the mixed product as shiro, a popular stew prepared from roasted and ground legumes, and praised the taste compared to each of the two legumes prepared separately. However, farmers reported a decrease in the production of mixtures (as well as the two components grown separately) due to the introduced parasitic weed Orobanche crenata (47.0%), the browsing of field pea by the common duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia, 17.1%), and the lodging of faba bean (11.6%). The decline of this practice highlights the need to understand its advantages and disadvantages before farmers discontinue the practice and the associated knowledge is lost.