4.1.4 Some summary results from FFS demo plots Raw yield data from the three food spray trial sites in the first year showed varying results and no consistent patterns. The highest yielding treatment was neem seed extract alone at Shella Mella FFS, the maize-based Ethiopian food spray alone at Chano Mille FFS and Ethiopian food spray with neem at Faragossa. At each site, there was not a large difference among any of the five experimental treatments, but the unsprayed plot tended to yield less than others. A crude first economic assessment was made on the trial data at Shelle Mella village in 2013, as this was the only site to make an approximate comparison with smallholder conventional chemical use in a field of an untrained farmer nearby. Table 4.4 gives the yield data, cotton revenues, productions costs for pest management and fertiliser and net margins for food spray only, neem only, unsprayed and insecticide treatments. The neem treatment yielded best, although not significantly different from the two food spray treatments, whilst the insecticide treatment clearly cost the most. In terms of net margin
studies on testing the food spray method and farmer training
Chap.4 Ethiopian case
(‘profit’), the neem treatment was a little higher than the food spray treatments.
Table 4.4. Yields, costs and economic returns of food spray, neem, insecticide and unsprayed treatments at Shella Mella village in 2013. Treatment
Seed cotton yield (Kg/ha)
Seed cotton price (ETB/Kg)a
Total revenue from seed cotton (ETB)
Total pest control and fertilizer cost (ETB)
Net margin (ETB)
Benin food product (BFP)
1833.30 ± 88.19 a
10
18,333
85
18,418
Ethiopian food product (EFP)
1866.70 ± 66.67 a
10
18,667
25
18,642
Neem alone
2000.00 ± 57.74 a
10
20,000
640
19,360
1300.00 ± 57.74 c
10
13000
0
13,000
1633.30 ± 66.67 b
10
16333
1395b
14,938
Unsprayed (control) Conventional*
Sig. difference
P < 0.001
Source: Amera et al. (in press) * Plot located on a separate farm 400m from the FFS demo plots. a The price of seed cotton was 10 Ethiopian birr ETB (US$1 = 19 ETB) in 2013. The price was the same for all the types because the food spray cotton was not sold with an organic premium. b Pest control cost for the conventional cotton was inclusive of the costs of fertilizers that were not used in the cotton grown with the use of food spray. The yields of conventional cotton were collected from the smallholders in the study areas.
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