N2Africa generates large volumes of agronomic and survey data. Timely analysis of this data is essential to ensure that on-going activities are properly informed by past findings. This places high demands on both the quality of data and on the speed with which it can be processed. For this reason, we have started to explore the use of tablet devices for data collection in the field. In collaboration with the U.S.-based company Nafundi, we are converting existing data collection forms to easy-to use electronic versions, using software called Open Data Kit (ODK).

This season N2Africa together with its disseminating partners is disseminating legume technologies to over 6000 farmers cultivating cowpea, groundnut and soyabean in seven districts in northern Ghana. N2Africa currently works with about ten partner organizations in Northern Ghana. These include Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Savanna Agricultural Research Institute, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and Evangelical Presbyterian and Relief Agency. The rest are URBANET, ADVANCE, ProNorth, SBF and Wienco.

Community mobilization

IITA Youth Agripreneurs in collaboration with N2Africa on the 3^rd of September, 2014 flagged off the 3-week intensive training for 20 youths from Borno State proposed few months ago, which seeks to build the capacity of the youths in agribusiness as an income generating activity.

In this cropping season, N2Africa-Ethiopia has planned to reach more than 5000 farmers in 24 Woredas (districts) through its research and development partners (Federal and Regional Agricultural Research Institutes and Hawassa University). The Woredas have been identified as potential pulse growing areas earlier and located at four regions in Ethiopia (Amhara, Benishangul-Gumuz, Oromia and Southern Region).

Progress has been made in implementing the N2Africa project since its launch early this year and I am hereby pleased to briefly share the progress per objective:

Objective 1. M&E and capacity building

Smallholder farmers have started embracing knowledge gained from the N2Africa project to improve groundnut production in Minakulu, Oyam district, Northern Uganda. World Vision Uganda engaged with 60 smallholder farmers to improve their skills on field agronomic practices for soyabean and groundnut production using a farmer field school approach. Using small demonstration plots, the participating farmers learned about responses of improved groundnut varieties SERENUT 5 and SERENUT 6 to P-fertilizer and gypsum over the two seasons of 2013.

Kilombero Valley, located in south-central Tanzania, is a major rice production area with smallholder rice schemes occupying about 2,080 square kilometers. Rice production is largely based on rain-fed lowland cropping systems, where rice is grown over the wet season, and field left fallow over the dry season. Demographic growth and increased demand for land are forcing many farmers to intensify their rice production systems. Declining fallow length and increasing number of crops before leaving the land to extended fallow significantly reduce yield.

N2Africa and the Humid Tropics

On 29^th July 2014, the N2Africa DRC team attended a workshop at Bodega hotel to plan activities for the Mega Program Humid Tropics. Many organizations and their partners¹ joined this meeting to familiarize themselves with the activities undertaken by every program or project, to detect the complementarities between these projects/programs and to identify the gaps to be covered for the East of DR Congo.