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.

Best agronomic practices and M&E tools

On January 18^th, 2017, the world will celebrate pulses! Global Pulse Day will be celebrated every year to promote the nutritional and environmental benefits of pulses. Submit ideas for Global Pulse Day on January 18^th, 2017.

• CIAT Blog: Bean researchers in Ethiopia win highest accolade;
• Tropical legumes III: An exemplar of partnerships for pulses;
• Soybean Innovation Lab – Newsletter November 2016;
• Soya ni Pesa

Genome-Enabled Prediction Models for Yield Related Traits in Chickpea
M., Roorkiwal, A., Rathore, R.R., Das, R R, M.K., Singh, A., Jain, S., Srinivasan, P.M., Gaur, B., Chellapilla, S., Tripathi, Y., Li, J.M., Hickey, A., Lorenz, T., Sutton, J., Crossa, J.L. Jannink and R.K., Varshney. (2016). Frontiers in Plant Science, 7 (1666). 01-13. ISSN 1664-462X

Under most circumstances, ‘Tier 1’ refers to the most important or the highest priority. In the N2Africa project, Tier 1 countries are those countries in which we started the project in 2009. During the second phase of the project these countries are no longer priority countries, as the project focuses on five ‘Core Countries’.

Introduction
Rwanda was among the first countries where N2Africa activities started, early at the beginning of the project. Already in February 2010, the first hundred farmers were testing the soyabean technology called “need to inoculate”. Each farmer was hosting four plots, with two plots inoculated and two plots not inoculated. The results confirmed the need to inoculate soyabean. From then, N2Africa dissemination packages of soyabean included inoculants.

Almost all crop types in Malawi suffered in what is seen as one of the worst crop performances of the last 13 years. Aftermaths of El Niño have left a good part of Malawian farmers more destitute, impoverished and worried. Despite the hard times in this planting season, those farmers who planted legume crops have some refuge and have stories to share.