As part of the investment in rhizobiology research and inoculant production in the different N2Africa countries, N2Africa recently facilitated the replacement of a 33 year old autoclave at the government inoculant factory in Marondera, Zimbabwe.

The International Postgraduate Course "Farming Systems and Rural Livelihoods: Vulnerability and Adaptation"will be held 7 – 18 October 2013 in Wondo Genet, Ethiopia.

This postgraduate course provides skills and methods to analyse (the dynamics of) farming systems as embedded in the complex livelihoods of rural people in Africa. For more information see the poster.

We received a link to a very interesting publication written by the Australian team Drew E, Herridge D, Ballard R, O’Hara G, Deaker R, Denton M, et al.: INOCULATING LEGUMES: A PRACTICAL GUIDE. Grains Research & Development Corporation (GRDC) [Internet]. Kingston, Australia; 2012. It provides a good overview of the use and benefits of Inoculants in the Australian setting, showing a fine series of photos of legumes and their nodulation.

For the 6^th International Nitrogen Conference (N2013), hosted by both Makerere University and IITA from 28th Nov to Dec 2013, in Kampala, Uganda (link http://www.n2013.org/) N2Africa will sponsor a number of selected participants that will present a paper or poster on N2Africa work

The Centre for Development Innovation Wageningen UR is pleased to announce the organisation of the International Course on Agriculture Nutrition Linkages, to be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 18 - 29 November 2013.

I was in a plane when Prem called confirming that the second phase of the COMPRO project (‘Institutionalization of quality assurance mechanism and dissemination of top quality commercial products to increase crop yields and improve food security of smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa – COMPRO-II’) had been approved. I was again in a plane when Prem called to inform that he was leaving the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Excellent and depressing news and all that before the respective flights took off!

This is a Special Podcaster Edition to thank Prem Warrior for his inspiration, support and friendship over the past five years. It has been a special journey for Nteranya Sangina and myself – and the many others whose lives Prem has touched. We will miss him!