Abstract:

Africa is home to about a billion people, most of whom are smallholder farmers deriving their livelihood from rain fed agriculture. Of these, over 200 million live in poverty and face malnutrition due to, among other factors, low dietary intake of nutrient-rich foods (WHES, 2016)., According to IFPRI (2016) these include 58 million for children under 5 years. Pulses are nutrient-rich could contribute towards reducing malnutrition (FAO, 2015).They improve the quality of people's diets and their overall health, and diversify livelihood options. However, the consumption of pulses is relatively low in Africa compared to other continents. African governments should therefore put in place policies that will promote increased pulse consumption.