Harnessing Chickpea Value Chain for Nutrition Security and Commercialization of Smallholder Agriculture in Africa
This proceedings on "Harnessing Chickpea Value Chain for Nutrition Security and Commercialization of Stallholder Agriculture in Africa' is the outcome of the First International Chickpea Workshop held in Debre Zeit, Ethiopia the location which represents the major chickpea growing areas in the country as well as Center of Excellence for the national chickpea research. As it is the first of its kind in that scope, the First International Chickpea Workshop created a vibrant interaction among our global partners and individuals from the chickpea communities. In looking forward, it has been strongly believed that the workshop not only documents what has been achieved by the different interaction levels but also demonstrates that the NARS could play significant role in promoting science and knowledge to resolve agricultural bottlenecks of their own. Accounting for ~2.5% of world and more than 55% of Africa's chickpea production, Ethiopia stands to the top 10 global chickpea producing countries while it is the 1st producer in Africa. Research advances in breeding and crop management practices over the four decades resulted in the development and release of proven technologies that brought a dramatic productivity increase from less than a tone to close to two tons in just a decade and half, comparable to many high input cereals, which has significantly improved the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. In addition, the crop has emerged as one of the major agricultural export commodities next to coffee, sesame and beans. As a result, Ethiopian chickpea has now been shifted from a simple precursor crop to a principal component of the cropping system that significantly contributed in leveraging poverty reduction.