Addressing farmers’ constraints through on-farm research: peas in Western Canada

Abstract

Dry pea (Pisum sativum L.) production in Canada increased from 27,000 hectares in 1976 to over 400,000 hectares in 1993. Most of these pea producers had never grown peas before and an intensive applied research and demonstration program was developed to help farmers produce this new crop successfully. The Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan Universities, provincial Departments of Agriculture, and Pulse Growers Associations, in cooperation with Agriculture Canada and private industry (pulse traders, pea breeders, Rhizobium manufacturers, and herbicide and fertilizer companies), were involved in rapid development of the pea industry. Registered pea cultivars increased from 3 to 30, two-thirds of them introduced from western Europe. A Canadian Rhizobium industry was developed, and two feed pea marketing missions were sent overseas. Many field scale demonstrations were used to show the merits or lack thereof of new cultivars, inoculation, N and P fertilization, herbicidal and cultural weed control, various harvesting methods, plus the effect of seeding rates and dates. Demonstrations were also conducted on the use of peas in swine and dairy rations. Concurrently, a large private processing and marketing industry developed. In addition, two plants were constructed to process peas into dry pea products, such as pea fiber, pea starch, pea protein concentrate, and pea flour. A plant was established to produce a snack food similar to potato chips, but with a lower fat and higher protein content. The expansion of pea production could not have occurred this fast without the cooperation of all participants.