1. Pan Africa Bean Research Alliance: New Results-Based
Management System for enhanced impact-oriented R4D
R. Buruchara1, R. Chirwa2, M.M. Abang1, and R. Muthoni1
1 International Center for Tropical Agriculture, Kawanda Research Station, P.O. Box 6742, Kampala-Uganda
2 International Center for Tropical Agriculture, Chitedze Research Station, P.O. Box 158 Lilongwe Malawi
PABRA – WHAT IS NEW? Offers a faster mechanism
The goal of the Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA), a CIAT to introduce innovations
facilitated partnership , is to improve the productivity and the e.g. Small pack approaches
nutritional quality of beans so as to improve the income, nutrition and which started in Rwanda,
food security of the rural and urban poor, particularly women, while and moved to Ethiopia and Kenya,
safeguarding the natural resource base. This is in line with CIAT s and now to Malawi, Tanzania
Strategy in Africa and the SRF of the CGIAR. Through its research for and DRC-East
development program, supported by a consortium of donors (CIDA and
SDC, BMGF, H+, Kirkhouse Trust (KT), ASARECA, etc), PABRA takes
advantage of the complementarities and synergies derived from public-
private partnership involving NARIs, NGOs, GOs, extension services Less endowed national programs releasing varieties
providers and private sector. In 2011, PABRA adopted a new results- through PABRA networking:
based management (RBM) system with a revised logic model (LM) and • Countries without breeding programs: Angola, Burundi, south DR
performance measurement framework (PMF). Achievement of results at Congo, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique and others have
the output level is directly linked to the attainment of immediate, released bean varieties
intermediate and ultimate outcomes. This poster highlight the benefits
of PABRA and shows how the revised LM and PMF contribute towards
enhanced impact-oriented R4D within PABRA. Moving bean technologies and
approaches across countries or
PABRA – BENEFITS WITHOUT BORDERS networks
Harmonizing research on beans in Africa: All 28 member countries • Through PABRA, all 28 countries
in PABRA implement the same log frame – see the Logic Model below have adopted PVS approaches –
involving various stakeholders in
selecting varieties as part of the
variety development process
Strengthening the knowledge base and through a gender
lens: PABRA does degree and non degree training in technology
development, delivery and decision making – see Table 1.
Table 1.: Number of people by gender trained across PABRA countries
between 2009-10
Level of Training Total trained Women (%) Men (%)
Regional level 401 32.2 67.8
National level 8333 31.8 68.2
Helping network countries to recover faster after wars: The
national bean research programs in Angola, Burundi, D R Congo and
Rwanda have recovered very fast from the effects of wars due to links
with PABRA. For Example Burundi despite the war the NARS released 6
varieties in between 2009-10
Reaching More Beneficiaries Through Wider Impact Strategy –
PABRA is drawing from its previous achievements (7 million) and this
time it is projecting to reach 20 million farmer households beneficiaries.
Facilitating a platform and a conceptual framework for
PABRA strategy for taking on emerging challenges
other players / actors to enhance synergy - other specific donor
funded activities find space in the PABRA frame work: Four major challenges facing agriculture in Africa are gender
• Sub-Saharan Africa Challenge program : – Developing market, inequality, malnutrition, environmental degradation and climate
gender and institutional arrangements for IR4D change.
• Tropical Legumes -II: Developing and disseminating drought
resistant bean varieties These challenges constitute major limitations to attaining desirable
• McKnight Foundation: Developing bean seed systems livelihood by rural communities in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• KT- Enhance capacity of NARS in marker assisted selection in
disease resistance PABRA partners have stepped up efforts to address these challenges
in a targeted manner using the RBM system and have developed
Faster progress by WECABREN - taking advantage of progress • an impact monitoring and evaluation strategy
already made in ECABREN and SABRN: • a gender strategy
• Varieties developed by other networks move to West Africa • a climate change strategy
• Innovations and processes including institutional • a nutrition strategy
arrangements developed in other networks are promoted in • an environmental management strategy
west Africa These strategies are currently being implemented
For more information contact: r.buruchara@cgiar.org