PABRA News
Here you’ll find the latest on everything happening around our organization. From innovative projects to breakthroughs in bean production and distribution, stay up to date with everything happening at PABRA and its impact on agriculture and food security in Africa. Follow our news and be part of the change!”
From food scientist to nutrition entrepreneur
By Yvonne Munyangeri, and Eliud Birachi When Diane Mukamuremyi left her secure job selling imported nutritional supplements, many people thought she was taking an enormous risk. She had a university degree in Food Science, a stable income, and a promising career ahead...
Thirty Years of PABRA: Rubén Echeverría’s Legacy for Agricultural Research in Africa
By Luisa Fernanda Prieto Campo As PABRA celebrates its 30th anniversary, former CIAT Director General Rubén Echeverría reflects on the strategic decisions that strengthened bean research in Africa and helped position PABRA as a leading platform for agricultural...
Waithera replaces Wairimu as Improved Beans Expected to Raise Farm Incomes and Reduce Imports
From the original version published by Kilimo News - Kenya Beans have long been at the heart of Kenya’s food system, serving as the country’s second most important staple crop after maize and forming part of millions of households’ daily meals. Now, a new generation...
Farmers take lead in shaping Malawi’s next generation of bean varieties
By Eunice Magwaya, Evans Chizula, Adon Phiri, Wilson Nkhata Farmer involvement defines the approach of the Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA) program of the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, ensuring that innovation is shaped by those who grow,...
Small seed, bigger harvest: How Waithera is winning Kenyan farmers’ trust
By Justin Mabeya1, David Karanja2, Vicky Korir2, Eileen Inyanji1, Jean Claude Rubyogo1, Anne Ngugi2, Wincaster Makoani2 1Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT/PABRA 2 Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) In Kenya’s farms, change is...
Advancing agrifood systems through women’s empowerment: CGIAR’s IWD 2026 in Rwanda
By Paula Janviere Umurungi, Yvonne Munyangeri, Eliud Birachi In Kigali, CGIAR Centers in Rwanda convened scientists, researchers, and development partners to mark International Women’s Day 2026 as a platform for reflection, dialogue, and action on the role of women in...
Women driving bean value chain Newsletter!
For PABRA, celebrating women lives on in every season. From research labs to farms, from aggregation hubs to value addition enterprises, women are the backbone of the bean value chain. Across Africa, their contributions are powerful yet often under-recognized, even...
Waithera beans help Kenyan female farmer beat drought
By Dennis Ong'or, Warren Arinaitwe, Jean Claude Rubyogo If you ask Lucy Wairimu Mbugua about beans, she does not start with the technical details or yield figures. She starts with the weather. “Our seasons are not the same anymore,” she says, recalling years when her...
Beans, bees, bold dreams: Mercy Loko’s path to agricultural success
By Warren Arinaitwe, Dennis Ong'or, Jean Claude Rubyogo On a family farm in Kenya, Mercy Loko, a young farmer from Katumani in Kenya, grew beans the way their parents had always done; small-scale, low inputs, and without much technical guidance. The orchard on the...
From despair to hope: How beans are restoring a future for women in Eastern DRC
By Napoleon Kajunju, Lydie Mulonda, Jean Claude Rubyogo In the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, life is often shaped by uncertainty. In the provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu, and Tanganyika, for instance, armed conflicts, chronic insecurities, and...
Multi-crop threshers save time, reduce drudgery, and expand income and employment opportunities for women and youth in Tanzania
Between July 2024 and September 2025, the Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA) promoted portable Multi-Crop Threshers (MCTs) across 12 regions in Tanzania to expand mechanization access for smallholder farmers, particularly women and youth, generating 12,972...
Post harvest management guide for common beans: A guide for farmers and extension
A third of all food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted. The losses and waste occur from the farm to the fork along the food value chain. Post-harvest losses have significant impacts on food and nutrition security, health, and finances for both consumers...
🎉Celebrate 30 years of PABRA!
2026 marks 30 years of the Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA) – three decades of innovation, impact, and transformation across Africa. From improving nutrition to strengthening livelihoods and building resilience for millions of farmers and families, beans have...
Women driving bean value chain Newsletter!
For PABRA, celebrating women lives on in every season. From research labs to farms, from aggregation hubs to value addition enterprises, women are the backbone of the bean value chain. Across Africa, their contributions are powerful yet often under-recognized, even...
Read our 4th Edition of PABRA Friends Newsletter!
Catch up on the latest updates from PABRA Friends — including a new project update, a World Food Day Q&A, and much more! Read here
Apply for the Visiting PhD Researcher – Bean Metabolomic Diversity & Human Health
Apply Now! Job Description The Alliance of Bioversity International & CIAT delivers research-based solutions that harness agricultural biodiversity and sustainably transform food systems to improve people’s lives. Alliance solutions address the global crisis of...
Apply for a Visiting PhD Researcher Position in Bean Proteomic and Peptide Diversity!
The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT is inviting applications for a Visiting PhD Researcher position under the Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA) and the Periodic Table of Food Initiative (PTFI). This exciting doctoral research opportunity focuses...
Masters’ Research Funding – BRAINS Project
Description The Alliance of Bioversity International & CIAT delivers research-based solutions that harness agricultural biodiversity and sustainably transform food systems to improve people’s lives. Alliance solutions address the global crisis of malnutrition,...
Partnerships and Funders
