Bolstering the Soy Value Chain to Address Malnutrition

This brief documents the Budikadidi RFSA’s soybean pilot intervention and offers early lessons learned and recommendations.

 Between 2017 and 2023, a CRS-led consortium implemented the USAID-funded Budikadidi Resilience Food Security Activity (RFSA) in the DRC’s Kasaï Oriental Province to sustainably improve household nutrition, food security, and economic well-being. The Budikadidi baseline evaluation revealed that families consumed less than four food groups, only 33% of women consumed animal-source protein, and only 10% of farmers (predominantly men) were participating in value chain activities. To address these challenges, the original project design focused on small livestock value chains; however, a goat epidemic severely weakened this intervention, and the intended dietary impact was not visible. Knowledge of dietary diversity had increased, but protein availability and accessibility remained a challenge for most households. In response, CRS pivoted and launched a soybean pilot in 2020 and captured early learning during a 2022 study consisting of staff interviews, participant feedback, and a desk review.