N2Africa is a large scale, science-based “research-in-development” project funded by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and focused on putting nitrogen fixation to work for smallholder farmers growing legume crops in Africa. N2Africa aims to enhance productivity of grain legumes of smallholder farmers which in turn helps to increase income, improve household nutrition, and enhance soil fertility.

The DRC is the third largest country in Africa after Sudan and Algeria. It stretches from the Atlantic to the East African Rift plateau. It includes the major part of the Congo River basin. Crossed by the equator, it has a warm and humid climate in the region of the river basin, and a drier and cooler climate in the south. The DRC counts 64 million inhabitants.

The Cluster Agriculture Development Services (CADS) implemented the N2Africa project activities during the last six years, principally in Goromonzi and Mutoko districts. CADS fosters better livelihoods for various communities faced with different challenges. The high HIV-AIDS prevalence has intensified the challenges. One of the entry points to mitigate the negative effects of the pandemic is through improved access to locally produced nutritious diets.

After eight good years of working with thousands of smallholder farmers across seven districts during Phase I and five districts during Phase II, N2Africa Zimbabwe is now wrapping up the active funding phase of the project. In Zimbabwe, we are entering ‘Phase III’ in which farmers and our N2Africa partners will continue to reap the benefits of N2Africa technologies and approaches.

N2Africa activities were initially introduced in three provinces, namely Eastern, Northern, and Southern Provinces of Rwanda. In Phase 2, activities were scaled up in Western Province by partners operating there.

Agro Commercial Olinda Fondo (ACOF) is a woman-headed agribusiness company based in Mocuba District of Zambezia Province in Mozambique. ACOF produces and markets soyabeans and maize, selling mostly to the poultry industry. To supplement its own production, ACOF has an outgrower scheme involving women smallholder farmer groups in several districts: Dhere, Mocuba, Lugela, Maganja da Costa, Morrumbala, Gurue, Maua, Malema and Alto-Molocue. Ms Olinda Fondo, founder of ACOF, calls her outgrowers “my farmers”.