Charrua, Alberto BentoHavik, Philip JanBandeira, SalomãoCatarino, LuísRibeiro-Barros, AnaCabral, Pedro da Costa BritoMoldão-Martins, MargaridaRomeiras, Maria Manuel2021-09-042021-09-042021-08-022071-1050PURE: 33273722PURE UUID: 2c642ffe-9c52-40e9-ba6c-b2941711283aScopus: 85112261624ORCID: /0000-0002-6479-6672/work/98754371ORCID: /0000-0001-8622-6008/work/98754373WOS: 000690062900001http://hdl.handle.net/10362/123845Publisher Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.In Mozambique (South-eastern Africa), Phaseolus vulgaris and Vigna spp. are important staple foods and a major source of dietary protein for local populations, particularly for people living in rural areas who lack the financial capacity to include meat in their daily dietary options. This study focuses on the potential for improving diets with locally produced nutritious legumes whilst increasing food security and income generation among smallholder farmers. Using bean species and varieties commercialised as dry legumes in the country, it sets out to characterize and compare the chemical properties of Phaseolus vulgaris and Vigna spp. among the most commercialised dry legume groups in Mozambique. The principal component analysis showed a clear separation between Phaseolus and Vigna species in terms of proximate composition, whereas protein content was quite uniform in both groups. It concludes that the introduction of improved cultivars of Phaseolus vulgaris and Vigna species maize–legume intercropping benefits yield, diets and increases household income with limited and low-cost inputs while enhancing the resilience of smallholder farmers in vulnerable production systems affected by recurrent drought and the supply of legumes to urban informal markets.1787020engChemical compositionEast AfricaLeguminosaeMalnutritionPhaseolusPulsesVignaGeography, Planning and DevelopmentRenewable Energy, Sustainability and the EnvironmentEnvironmental Science (miscellaneous)Energy Engineering and Power TechnologyManagement, Monitoring, Policy and LawSDG 2 - Zero HungerSDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energyjournal article10.3390/su13168839https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85112261624