Women Farmers Turn the Tide on Soybean Production

By Kudzanai Chimhanda

From the rich plateau landscapes of Angonia district in the Tete province of Mozambique emerges a tale of determination and hard work. Juliana Nicolau Moises, a mother of four, has been a devoted soybean farmer for more than a decade, tending to a crop whose pods carry the potential for value-added products, including milk and porridge for her children. But one wonders, what motivates smallholder farmers like Juliana to invest their efforts in soybean production.

“I have never looked back on producing soybeans,” reflects Moises. “This legume crop has allowed me to feed my family and meet my household needs, let alone the cash income from sales of the surplus crop. It has taken a lot of hard work and resilience to navigate through the complexities of soybean production.”

Entering her second season of implementing the Chinyanja Soy Use Case trials with CGIAR’s Initiative on Excellence in Agronomy, delivered in partnership with CIMMYT and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Moises eagerly anticipates a bumper harvest in the early planted fields. She has been avidly implementing trials on planting dates to establish the implications of early, mid, and late planting on soybean yield. Let alone the required attention to detail, she exudes a deep understanding of the significance of the trials by carrying out key agronomic practices to ensure a good harvest. This will not only nourish the health and wellbeing of her family but also symbolizes the fruits of her dedication.

Moises’s commitment extends beyond the trial she hosts as she implements her learning from the project to other fields, using innovative approaches like the double-row planting method. In soybean farming, this involves planting two rows of seeds on a wider ridge established on the traditional spacing that farmers use on maize. Traditionally, farmers in Angonia have been planting single rows of soybean on ridges spaced at 90 cm used for maize, thereby resulting in low soy plant populations and ultimately low yields. This different technique optimizes the plant population and land use efficiency, improving yields, and facilitating easier weeding.

Despite the promise of enhanced production, challenges persist. Southern Africa continues to face a growing demand for soybeans, with annual productivity of 861,000 metric tons (mT) falling short of the 2-million-ton demand. In Mozambique, vibrant soybean farms blanket the landscape, yet smallholder farmers like Moises grapple with underdeveloped markets and climate-related adversities, such as droughts and floods currently worsened by the El Niño phenomenon.

“As a devoted soybean farmer, I have met my own fair share of challenges. One of our biggest challenges is the labor requirement across the production season,” shared Moises as she navigates through her fields. “We need machinery for planting, weeding, and harvesting in order to reduce the labor and drudgery associated with soybean production. In addition, markets remain a challenge.” Her unwavering commitment inspires neighboring farmers, creating a ripple effect of hope and determination in the community.

Sharing the same sentiments is Veronica Ernesto Gama, who teams up with her husband every year to tend to her soybean field. Having started in 2007, their yields have sustained the food basket of her family while meeting nutritional needs. “In the past, I used to just scatter around soybean seeds in one place, but after these trials, I have learned the significance of applying the agronomically recommended spacing and the need for quality improved seeds to ensure a bumper harvest,” said Gama.