N2Africa experiences: Mozambique

Towards the end the N2Africa project focused on scaling out the legume technologies proven under Phase I using a “business-led” approach. This involved engaging government, development organizations, and the private sector, creating awareness on N2Africa technologies and approaches, and facilitating dissemination campaigns.

Strides in inoculant production and distribution in Malawi - the story of AISL

Prior to 2015, awareness of the advantages of soyabean inoculation was created among farmers in Malawi by N2Africa, but soyabean inoculant remained largely unavailable to farmers. Inoculant production was mostly limited to research (with only a few hundred sachets being sold to farmers) through the government’s Department of Agriculture Research Services (DARS). This public institution was unable to scale its production to meet the inoculant demand.

OSSOM’s awesome future

The One Stop Shop Operations Mechanism (OSSOM) was started in Kenya at the beginning of 2017 to better link “last mile” agrodealers to commercial manufacturers and distributors of BNF technologies. This move followed three year’s reliance upon the Western Region Agricultural Technology Evaluation (WeRATE) as N2Africa’s main outreach partner in west Kenya, an umbrella organization comprising 28 farmer associations.

MIRCEN will continue its rhizobiology services

The Microbial Resource Center (MIRCEN) was established at the University of Nairobi long before the N2Africa Project (1977) and will continue its work afterward. Our activities include testing legume inoculants and other bio-fertilizers, maintaining a small working culture collection of symbiotic micro-organisms and conducting training and research on soil microbiology. The past eight years that MIRCEN has worked closely with N2Africa have proven mutually beneficial. Scholarship opportunities were extended to Kenyans earning MSc and PhD degrees.

Kenya’s N2Africa actions in 2017 and exit strategy

The final year of N2Africa in Kenya was committed to positioning for lasting project impact. These actions are illustrated through our accompanying 2017 project “scorecard”. As Tier 1 operations are partner-led, household engagement and farmer training was largely conducted by others and loosely monitored using project M&E tools. A paradigm shift from community-based outreach to “last mile” agrodealer support was undertaken.

Partner PAD and N2Africa

PAD (Programme d’Appui au Developpement Durable) is a Congolese NGO that was established in 2001. It is based in Bukavu in the eastern part of the Democratic republic of Congo (DRC). PAD has a professional staff specialized in rural areas, dissemination of innovative agricultural technologies, and cooperative movement.

Adoption of improved chickpea technologies in North Gondar zone of Ethiopia: the case of Gondar Zuria district

Submitted by charlotte.schilt on

Adoption of improved technologies is seen as a key driver to increase agricultural production and productivity in Ethiopia. Considerable efforts have been made by government and NGOs to disseminate improved technologies in order to boost production and productivity chickpea though the outcome is not impressive. The purpose of this study was to analyze drivers of chickpea technologies adoption and farmers’ preference to adopt chickpea in Gondar Zuria district.