Chickpeas can grow in water-stressed areas and they fix nitrogen, reducing need for added fertilizers and enhancing the quality of the soil in which they grow. However, we are experimenting with several new irrigation techniques that will help expand the seasons that chickpeas can be grown in Ethiopia as a way to increase yields by planting more times during the year.

Kumnager Ahmed is a field supervisor at Omega Farms. She recently completed her BA at the Adama Science and Technology University in Ethiopia. She oversees the approximately 60 farmers who work at Omega Farms each day. Throughout Ethiopia, approximately three million small-scale farmers without access to many modern production methods account for more than 80 percent of total production of oilseeds and pulses crops.

Chickpeas in a food market in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. Chickpeas are a major pulse crop in Ethiopia, and are important for both the domestic and export market.  With an average of 22 percent protein, chickpeas can serve as a more sustainable alternative to meat. They are also rich in fiber, complex carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals such as iron, and low in endocrine-disrupting phytoestrogens.

Here you can see the difference here between a chickpea that come for the local seed, and a larger chickpea that comes from a new seed introduced by the Ethiopian Institute for Agricultural Research. As part of this project, PepsiCo and its partners are working to provide better seeds to local farmers to help them grow larger, denser chickpeas to support an increase in production.

This is a chickpea field in Shoa, about an hour outside Addis Ababa. We are in pilot phase now and are testing a variety of methods – irrigation, fertilizer, seed spacing, seed variety – to see what combination provides best yield for farmers. Later in 2012, another crop will be planted, based on these new learnings.

These chickpeas, in pod and on stem, are being grown on a farm in Shoa, Ethiopia about an hour from the capital city, Addis Ababa.  The chickpea was originally found in what is now Turkey about 7,500 years ago. There are 2 main types of chickpea: Desi, which has small, darker seeds and a rough coat, cultivated mostly in the Indian subcontinent, Ethiopia, Mexico, and Iran; and kabuli, which has lighter colored, larger seeds and a smoother coat, mainly grown in Southern Europe, Northern Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Chile.

In the interview, Derek explains Enterprise EthioPEA, “PepsiCo hopes to use chickpeas to address famine and malnourishment in the Horn of Africa, stimulate economic development in Ethiopia, and support PepsiCo’s business strategy for Africa more generally. Today, PepsiCo is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of chickpea-based hummus, a product that is experiencing rapid growth in demand. Chickpeas will play an important role in growing PepsiCo’s nutrition business to $30 billion in revenue by 2020. This is truly a great example of what we at PepsiCo call “Performance with Purpose.” The project will create new markets for products and increase yields for farmers while allowing PepsiCo to create healthier, locally sourced foods and beverages that benefit the whole community while driving long-term growth for the company.”

Please check out the whole interview and let us know what you think.

He noted a main agreement by attendees was a critical need for health professionals and food companies to consider how we build better links to biodiversity through promoting more diverse diets and the use of ingredients drawn from diverse eco-zones.

To learn more about the event, please see this video of Derek from the forum.

Mehmood ended the interview by saying, “You learn, you continue
 to improve, you stay ahead.”

Read the whole interview to find out more.