CIAT & PABRA at the Pan-African Grain Legume conference

Over 450 of the world’s most prominent grain legume researchers met in Livingstone, Zambia, earlier this month for the Pan-African Grain Legume and World Cowpea Conference, a signature event of the UN-declared International Year of Pulses 2016.

Organised by CIAT, Legume Innovation Lab and IITA, the week-long event brought together researchers working across legumes, including common bean, cowpea and faba beans, all of which face similar challenges, such as poor investment, bottlenecks in seed systems and minimal (but growing) private sector involvement. And yet all have great potential to increase the food security, nutrition and incomes of smallholder farmers, value chain actors and communities in sub-Saharan Africa.

Highlights from the week: 

• More than 100 PABRA partners from more than 15 countries, including researchers from CIAT and national research stations, community based organisations and private sector business owners, attended the event
• More than 50 research papers, in the form of posters, oral presentations and as part of plenary sessions, were presented by CIAT and PABRA partners (see links below)
• Researchers from CIAT and PABRA co-led two packed-out plenary sessions that generated substantial discussion on seed systems and value addition, and appeared as panelists in plenary discussions on nutrition, gender, and nitrogen fixation and sustainable intensification
• Partners from Uganda, Burundi, Kenya and Swaziland brought value-added bean products, including flour, scones, biscuits and jam, for delegates to sample. Bean Jam, invented by Jane Tsela from Malkerns Research Station, Swaziland, was a great hit with all, including Honorable Given Lubinda, MP, Zambian Minister of Agriculture and Livestock (pictured below)

• CIAT Director General, Ruben Echeverria, and PABRA Director, Robin Buruchara, had a fruitful meeting with the minister to discuss opportunities for further research partnerships with Zambia. Already, Zambia is an active member of the PABRA network, however, they also agreed to explore potential collaborations in soil and forage research
• Catherine Madata, bean breeder from Southern Tanzania and Steve Beebe (pictured), Head of CIAT’s bean programme based in Cali, Colombia, received lifetime achievement awards from TMAC for their service to legume research

• Paul Aseete (pictured below), a researcher from NARO, Uganda, was shortlisted for the Young African Grain Legume Scientist 2016 for his research on pre-cooked beans and value added products, a PABRA research project in Uganda and Kenya in partnership with NARO, KALRO and private sector partner Lasting Solutions, which aims to develop a fast-cooking and affordable pre-cooked bean product

• PABRA and CIAT participation in the conference was supported by SDC, IDRC and TLIII.

Photos from the conference – will be available on the conference website soon.

Presentations from the conference – are available on the conference website.

Thank you to all the sponsors and partners for making the conference possible. 

PABRA and CIAT research presented at the conference: 

Abiotic stress:

• Evaluation of bean germplasm developed for drought tolerance in Malawi, Makumba, Chitedze Research Station
• Evaluation of drought tolerant common bean varieties for adaptability, yield and acceptability in the drought prone areas of Burundi, Ruraduma et al, ISABU
• Field and Screen house evaluation of Andean RIL (SEQ1027 X BRB191) population of Common bean (Phaseolus Vulgaris L) under Irrigated and Non-Irrigated environments, Mabel, Makerere
• Integration of climbing beans in smallholder cropping systems in Malawi, Chirwa, CIAT
• Tolerance to Combined Low Phosphorus and Drought Stress in Small-seeded Common Bean, Duarte, INTA Nicaragua
• Use of Root Traits in Screening Common Bean Genotypes Tolerant to Drought in Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia, Amane Instituto de Investigacao Agraria de Mocambique
• Tithonia diversifolia, Potential Alternative Solution to the Lack and High Cost of Fertilizers for Common bean Production Case of Moso Region in Burundi, Ruraduma et al, ISABU

Economics and Value Chain Development:

• Challenges and Opportunities in Bean Production and Marketing in Selected Bean Corridors in Kenya, KAVOI et al, KALRO
• Household demand for common bean in Uganda, Larochelle, Virginia Tech
• Index-based Agricultural Insurance Products Challenges, Opportunities and Prospects for Uptake in Sub-Sahara Africa, Ntukamazina et al, ISABU, Burundi
• Ex-Ante Analysis of the Demand for new value added pulse products A case of Precooked Beans in Uganda, Aseete, NARO

Gender and Youth: 

• Intra-household women and men participation in bean production in Central Uganda, Mugagga et al, NARO

Genomics and Plant Breeding:

• Assessment of Stability, Adaptability and Yield Performance of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) genotypes under multi-environment conditions in Zimbabwe, Mutari, CBI
• Bean Breeding by the Pan African Bean Research Alliance Trainer explanations of Training Results, Miiro, Makerere University
• Bean varieties bred, released and market opportunities for seed companies in the East and Central African region, Otsyula KALRO
• Diversity of iron & zinc in seed of common bean genotypes in East Africa, Amongi CIAT
• Enhancing Navy Bean Production Through Development of Arcelin Based Bruchid Resistant Varieties in Ethiopia, Berhanu A Fenta, EIAR
• Gene pyramiding resistance to major diseases of common bean, Mukankusi, CIAT
• Identification of common bacterial blight resistant sources for the bean breeding program in Uganda, Alladassi, Makerere & NaCCRI
• Identifying acceptable improved bean varieties for income and nutrition in Zambia, Kennedy Muimui ZARI
• New sources of resistance to bean rust established with SSR markers in Uganda, Odogwu, Makerere University
• Incorporating Gender-Sensitive Traits in Breeding Programs, Beebe, CIAT
• Relationships between yield and its components for common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in Burundi, Nduwarugira et al, ISABU

Integrated Crop Management:

• Variabilite agro-morphologique des accessions de haricot commun au Togo, Tchabana, ITRA

Nutrition and Health:

• Linking Agriculture to Nutrition: The Role of Nutrition Education in Bean Seed System Development in southern Africa,  Zulu, CIAT
• Participatory preparation and evaluation of bean-based food products, KALRO, Kenya
• Constraints of Bean Consumption by the Base of Pyramid (BoP) Consumers in Urban and Peri-urban Nairobi, Kenya, Chege et al, CIAT
• Trade-Off Between Protein Content, Cooking Time and Consumer Acceptability of Released Bean Varieties in Swaziland, Jane Tsela, Malkerns Research Station Swaziland

Plant Pathology:

• Bean diseases and pest in Angola, Dovala-Chicapa, IIA (French)
• Developing a screening protocol for bean root rot caused by Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc Determination of optimal inoculum levels, Kato, CIAT
• Genotypic diversity of Rhizoctonia Solani the causal agent of Rhizoctonia root rot of common bean in Uganda, Ssekamatte, CIAT
• Yield loss Associated With Common Bean Rust on Germplasm Evaluation in Uganda, Odogwu, Makerere University

Seed Systems: 

• Application of Geographical information System in Monitoring and Evaluation on accessibility and utilization of improved bean seed varieties in Northern Tanzania, Kalemera CIAT
• Assessing the potential demand for seed of improved bean varieties in Malawi, Ruth Magreta CIAT
• Capacity Building of Farmer Groups for Good Quality Seed Production to Accelerate Adoption of Improved Bean Varieties in Northern Zone of Tanzania. Case Study of Kilindi District, Kweka, SARI
• Growth Prospects of Community Based Common Bean Seed Multiplication in the southern Rift Valley, Ethiopia, Tebeka et al. Makerere University
• Integrated seed system for increased seed availability and higher yields in Uganda, Ugen NARO
• Linking Bean Seed Companies to Reach Smallholders with improved bean seeds in Northern Tanzania, Fadhili Kasubiri CIAT
• Unlocking pre-basic bean seed supply bottlenecks through mutually beneficial public-private sector partnerships in Malawi and Zimbabwe, Mutari CBI
• Using subsidised seed to catalyse demand-driven bean seed systems in Malawi, Rubyogo CIAT

Sustainable Intensification:

• Drought tolerant bean varieties offer hope to smallholder farmers in Malawi, Chataika CIAT
• Effect of different management options on yield of climbing and drought tolerant bush beans in different soil health conditions, Chataika CIAT
• Integrated impacts assessment and trade-offs of adaptation packages in Tanzania, Mwongera, CIAT
• Narrowing Common Bean Yield Gap and Improving Productivity Using Organic Soil Amendments within Smallholder Farming Systems of Sub-Saharan Africa, Mponela CIAT
• A Strategy for Geographic Targeting of Climbing Bean Varieties and Practices in Africa, Taba, CIAT

Technology Dissemination and Impact:

• Adoption of Climate-Smart Technologies contexts and constraints, Mwongera, CIAT
• Knowledge-based planning for innovation systems and agricultural research for development the case of SABRN, Muthoni, CIAT
• Building a Partnership to promote legume research A case of Pulse Innovation in southern Ethiopia, Beyene, Hawassa University
• The impact of climbing bean adoption on welfare of smallholder common bean growers in Rwanda, Katungi et al CIAT