Mucuna Use by Hillside Farmers of Northern Honduras

Summary

In the humid lowlands of northern Honduras, thousands of small-scale hillside farmers decided in the early 1980s to replace their traditional maize (Zea mays L.) cropping systems with a rotational one that included maize and Mucuna (Mucuna pruriens [L.] DC.). This new system consists of rotating a short-term Mucuna fallow during the main rainy season with a dry-season maize crop that is planted in the thick Mucuna mulch at the end of the rainy season. Mucuna re-establishes itself via natural reseeding towards the end of the maize cropping cycle and is always slashed prior to maize planting.

This case study describes the system, recounts the story of its adoption and disadoption (by the mid-1990s, many adopters had abandoned the Mucuna system) and discusses its strengths and limitations from a variety of angles. From the agro-ecological viewpoint, this system exemplifies the multiple benefits that cover crops, no tillage and soil mulching may bring to hillside maize farming. Such benefits include erosion control, improvement of soil fertility (increases in organic matter and better infiltration), better moisture retention, weed control, nutrient capture (via N fixation), synchrony between nutrient supply and demand, and a higher productivity without the need to apply chemical fertilizer. Agronomic problems, on the other hand, stem from the poor re-establishment of the Mucuna stand via natural reseeding and the consequent aggressive establishment of weeds such as Rottboellia cochinchinensis (Lour.) Clayton (itchgrass). From the socio-economic viewpoint, when compared to the traditional maize cultivation, the maize- Mucuna rotation brought significant benefits in terms of labour savings and economic returns per hectare. However, it did not compare well to other alternatives, such as common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) production, Tabasco chilli peppers (Capsicum frutescens L.) or livestock production. From the adoption viewpoint, land tenure did not constitute an obstacle to adoption of the Mucuna system. After its introduction in the region by migrant workers, adoption was basically spontaneous, through farmer-to-farmer diffusion. The main reasons for adoption included labour-saving, productivity boost, lower risk of crop failure and a higher market price of the dry-season maize. Abandonment, on the other hand, stemmed from the loss of productivity related to itchgrass infestation and a general tendency for maize to be displaced by more lucrative enterprises, such as meat and milk production. Although there are different ways of improving the performance of the Mucuna-maize system, the future niche for the system is unknown.