This report advocates for a shift in African agricultural practices, focusing on legume-centered agroecological strategies. It highlights the problems associated with industrialized agriculture's heavy reliance on inorganic fertilizers, which exacerbates food insecurity and environmental degradation.

The mid-20th-century Green Revolution, emphasizing monoculture cereal crops and non-renewable inputs, has fallen short of expectations. High costs, lengthy supply chains, inadequate training, soil degradation, and climate change impacts have hindered its success. Legume production has declined in favor of cereals, leading to the loss of nitrogen fixation and dietary contributions from high-protein legumes. Fertilizer shortages and Green Revolution shortcomings underline the need for long-term solutions in food availability, nutrition, and land regeneration. Recentering agriculture on legumes offers a promising solution.

This report analyzes the challenges and potential solutions of agroecological legume crop intensification in Africa, stressing farmer involvement, local food security, and alignment with smallholder farmers' needs; and proposes a four-point strategy for legume crop intensification in Africa, aiming to reduce reliance on unpredictable supply chains:

• Redirect subsidies to support legume intercropping.
• Research underutilized legumes and soil bacteria.
• Harmonize formal and informal seed sectors.
• Integrate frass and legume production.

The report targets policymakers, government agencies, agricultural researchers, food producers, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations involved in agriculture, nutrition security, and sustainable development.