Leg4Dev Information

Grain and agroforestry legume crops have major unrealised potential for climate-smart transformation of nutritional, income and sustainability outcomes from smallholder systems in sub-Saharan Africa where the quantity and quality of protein produced and consumed is insufficient to meet current and future nutritional demand and requirements. Legumes produce high-quality edible protein for humans that is critical for future sustainable protein supply in SSA for nutrition and food security needs In SSA, legumes are widely used as an intercrop in maize and cassava systems, and are also significant sources of income for women. Rain-fed legume-maize and legume-cassava cropping systems can boost smallholder productivity and reverse declines in soil fertility. Both yields and adoption rates of leguminous crops remain low in SSA despite their potential role in improving nutrition, soil health, income, and food security. LEG4DEV will conduct a gap analysis and needs assessment across all ongoing and completed projects of relevance, and across all stakeholders to develop a decision-support and prioritisation system whereby LEG4DEV can ensure that it remains focussed on outstanding research and innovation gaps that act as barriers to scaling out of legume-based agroecological intensification in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Zambia & Malawi. The project’s objective is to promote scaling of legume-based agroecological intensification of smallholder maize and cassava cropping systems in SSA for water-food-energy nexus sustainability that enables food security and livelihood resilience.