Enhancing drought resilience through legume integration in maize cropping systems

This blog post talks about how the integration of legumes into the maize cropping system. In the face of increasing climate change-induced droughts, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), through CGIAR’s Ukama Ustawi Initiative, is creating innovative strategies to safeguard livelihoods by empowering smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe to intensify, diversify and de-risk maize-mixed farming through the integration of legume crops into the traditional maize cropping systems. This method not only enhances soil fertility and moisture retention but also provides a diversified and resilient agricultural system. The forage legumes are used to formulate supplementary feeds for their livestock.