Integrating Clitoria ternatea and corn in dry land farming for seed production and high quality forage for livestock in West Timor East Nusa Tenggara: Oebelo Village farmer's experience

Abstract

The existing farming in Oebelo Village was a mixed farming. Farmers grow corn once a year in the rainy season, with beans, cassava, onion and pumpkin. Livestock keeping varied between farmers, including cattle, goat, pig, and local chicken. The introduction of Clitoria ternatea opened a new horizon of farming and a new source of income and forage. By integrating Clitoria ternatea farmers were able to: (i) improve corn productivity performance, (ii) receive additional income from selling forage and seed, and (iii) obtain high-quality forage source to feed livestock (goat, pig, and chicken). In 2019, farmersplanted Clitoria ternateaon 0.25 ha after harvest of corn (in February) and sold 30 kg of clitoria seed at 30-35 thousand rupiahs/kg, and feeding forage as additional feed portion to chicken and pigs. In 2019/2020 farmersplanted 3.13 ha, either in monoculture or in a relay, and sold 168 kg of Clitoria seed at 30 thousand rupiahs/kg. In early 2020 the farmers started to raise goats, and also keep on feeding the forage to chicken and pigs. Farmers noticed an improvement in the corn plant performance on the plot previously planted with Clitoria, and harvested more corn grain without even fertilized.