Introduction

Welcome to the last Podcaster of 2016! Although a hectic time for us all pulling together the reporting for the past year – it’s also a great opportunity for reflection on all that has happened over the past 12 months. So much has happened it is hard to believe only last March many of us met in Livingstone at the PanAfrican Grain Legume and World Cowpea Conference to celebrate 2016 as the International Year of Pulses.

Legume yield gaps in Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania

Currently sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is not self-sufficient in cereals, while the demand is projected to triple between 2010 and 2050 due to population growth and changing diets. Therefore it is needed to drastically increase food production to meet this challenging demand for agricultural products by 2050. A major option is narrowing gaps between actual farm yields and yield potential.