Under N2Africa Phase I and II, a wide range of training and extension materials about legumes (from production to marketing) and biological nitrogen fixation has been developed. Most of these materials have been adjusted to the relevant context in the different N2Africa countries, or translated into local languages.
In phase I, many of the extension materials were based on the booklet, “Biological Nitrogen Fixation (BNF) and Grain Legume Enterprise: Guidelines for N2Africa Master (or Lead) Farmers (Woomer, 2010). Three different versions (in English) of this booklet were developed, one each for East and Central Africa (EAC), Southern Africa and West Africa (Turner, 2011). Since then, many additional materials have been developed, e.g. related to rhizobia strain isolation and characterization, processing and value addition of legumes, or simplified instructions on the application of rhizobial inoculants.
In Phase II, a lot of attention was drawn to synthesizing lessons learned from the first phase and presenting this information in easy-to-use leaflets and posters for farmers and extension officers. A major partner in this development was the African Soil Health Consortium (ASHC). A joint effort was undertaken to ensure that the information presented was consistent and in line with information provided by other projects. A general booklet on Biological Nitrogen Fixation was complemented with country-specific information on good agronomic practices for the different legumes.
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We have developed a report with a complete overview of all materials developed under the project with a brief description, followed by the available information sorted per topic: Biological nitrogen fixation and grain legume enterprise, Technical trainings and protocols, Rhizobium inoculation, Agricultural management practices for legumes and Post-harvest handling, processing and marketing of legumes. The overview shows what a wealth of information is created, and we hope that this way, it will remain easily accessible to partners. |
Esther Ronner, Wageningen University & Research
References:
Turner, A. (2011), Dissemination Tools Produced, www.N2Africa.org, 17 pp.
Woomer, P.L. (2010), Biological Nitrogen Fixation and Grain Legume Enterprise: Guidelines for N2Africa Master Farmers. Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility Institute of the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture, Nairobi, 17 pp.