Science and Technical Partnership in Africa: Technologies, Platforms and Partnerships in support of the African agricultural science agenda, Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, April 4&5, 2017

1. Scientific & Technical
Partnerships in Africa
Further information
Kerri Wright Platais | k.w.platais@cgiar.org
Program Head, Scientific and Technical Partnerships in Africa
Cultivating Science in Agriculture through Partnerships
IFPRI, April, 2017
Acknowledgements
IFPRI is pleased to acknowledge the following contributions to the Scientific
and Technical Partnerships in Africa brief on “New bean varieties for
improving income and nutrition in Africa”.
Scientific and technical contributors: Robin Buruchara, Clare Mukankusi and
Jean Claude Rubyogo , CIAT; Vivienne Anthony, Syngenta Foundation for
Sustainable Agriculture.
IMPACT economic assessments: Nicostrato Perez and Mark Rosegrant, IFPRI.
Editor, S&T Partnerships in Africa briefs: Gabrielle Persley, Doyle Foundation.
Design: Eric Ouma and Kamau Wanyoike
Photo credits: Shutterstock
The Pan African Bean Research Alliance (PABRA) is an alliance of 30
member countries across Africa; it is co-ordinated by CIAT and supported
primarily by the Governments of Canada and Switzerland.
The financial support of the International Fund for Agricultural
Development (IFAD) and the CGIAR Program on Policies, Markets and
Institutions (PIM) to this program is gratefully acknowledged

2. Context: Demand and supply
Demand: Beans provide dietary protein for over 100
million people in Africa, especially women and children
living in rural areas and poorer urban communities. The
average annual bean consumption of 50-60kg per person
in eastern Africa is the highest in the world. Increasing
productivity of preferred beans types means that beans
become both a nutritious food and a growing source of
income for smallholders, especially women.
Supply: As one of the most consumed pulses in Africa,
the potential market for beans and bean products is large
and will continue to grow. Although bean farming is
widespread and covers about 6 million ha, production is
constrained by relatively low yields of less than 1 mt/ha,
due to limited access and use of improved seed varieties
and complementary production technologies. Under these
conditions, annual domestic bean production is still lower
than demand in most African countries. All 30 member
countries of the PanAfrican Bean Research Alliance
(PABRA), except Tanzania, are net importers of beans.
Benefits
The breeding and seed delivery programs developed
by PABRA have reached millions of beneficiaries across
Africa with improved bean varieties. It is estimated that
during 2003-08, PABRA reached 7.5 million households
with seed of improved bean varieties, impacting about
35 million people with bean-based technologies. An
additional 15.8 million farming households accessed
quality seed of improved varieties of their choice during
2009-2014 (PABRA, 2015).
IFPRI’s IMPACT Modelling
Assumptions
IFPRI’s IMPACT model was used to simulate different
bean market (i.e. supply, demand, prices and trade)
scenarios for the countries of Ethiopia, Malawi and
Rwanda to 2030. Basic assumptions include: Productivity
increase of 40 to 50% for the improved bean varieties;
farmers’ adoption rate of 50 to 60% respectively for
the average and high adoption scenarios. A baseline
scenario of business as usual with no ‘bean technology
initiative’ is assumed – with climate change as given for
all scenarios.
Ethiopia
IFPRI’s IMPACT simulations shows that adoption of
improved bean technology can increase production by
as much as 35 to 54% and improve its projected trade
position of 14,000 mt net importer to 158,000 mt net
exporter in 2030 (Figure 1).
Malawi
For Malawi, bean production can be increased by 39 to
69% with the improved bean technology and lower its
projected 76,000 mt bean imports to 16,000 mt. If the
more optimistic, higher adoption rate (60%) is attained,
Malawi can be a net exporter in 2030 (Figure 2).
Rwanda
Rwanda’s bean production can also be increased by 36
to 55% over the baseline values, and the projected high
net imports of 205,000 mt can be drastically reduced to
71,000 mt. Rwanda may also have a small surplus for
export in 2030, if the higher technology adoption rate
(60%) is achieved (Figure 3).
References
Buruchara, R., Chirwa, R., Sperling, L., Mukankusi, C.,
Rubyogo, J.C., Muthoni, R., and Abang, M.M. (2011)
Development and delivery of bean varieties in Africa:
The Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA) Model.
African Crop Science Journal 19, (4), 227-245. Available
at: http://www.bioline.org.br/request?cs11022
PABRA (2015) Who we are. Available at: http://www.
pabra-africa.org/who-we-are
Figure 1 Ethiopia: Bean production scenarios 2000-2050
(Source: Perez, N. IFPRI 2017)
Figure 2 Malawi: Bean production scenarios 2000-2050
(Source: Perez, N. IFPRI 2017)
Figure 3 Rwanda: Bean production scenarios 2000-2050
(Source: Perez, N. IFPRI 2017)
Scientific & Technical Partnerships in Africa
Products
Over 200 new bean varieties have been developed and
released between 2003 to 2015, through the PanAfrican
Bean Research Alliance (PABRA), a consortium of 30
bean-producing countries in Africa, co-ordinated by CIAT.
These new varieties are helping to transform beans from
a subsistence food to a more market-orientated crop, with
new varieties that meet consumer preferences for taste
and shorter cooking time as well as market demand for
specific bean types suitable for sale as fresh vegetables,
processing or export markets (Buruchara et al., 2011). The
bean varieties released between 2003-2015 include beans
with resistance to multiple constraints (biotic and abiotic),
high iron and zinc content, and those for specific niche
markets.
Delivery
A PABRA-led initiative in collaboration with member
countries and with private sector participation, seeks to
supply improved bean varieties into target markets. The
new varieties have traits that are highly marketable, and
consumer-preferred, agro-ecologically adapted, and can
potentially increase yields by as much as 50%. With more
emphasis on technology dissemination, stable supply of
improved seeds and delivery of ancillary services, new
bean varieties are expected to achieve a level of farmers’
adoption of as high as 60% by 2030.