{"id":4404,"date":"2015-06-19T11:09:37","date_gmt":"2015-06-19T16:09:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.generationcp.org\/sunsetblog\/?p=4404"},"modified":"2016-05-02T14:14:59","modified_gmt":"2016-05-02T19:14:59","slug":"superior-bean-pods-boost-yields-in-face-of-drought","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.generationcp.org\/sunsetblog\/2015\/06\/19\/superior-bean-pods-boost-yields-in-face-of-drought\/","title":{"rendered":"Superior bean pods boost yields in face of drought"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo:<\/a>
Bean Market in Kampala, Uganda.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Common beans are the world\u2019s most important food legume, particularly for subsistence and smallholder farmers in East and Southern Africa. They are a crucial source of protein, are easy to grow, are very adaptable to different cropping systems, and mature quickly.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

To some, beans are \u2018a near-perfect food\u2019 because of their high protein and fibre content plus their complex carbohydrates and other nutrients. One cup of beans provides at least half the recommended daily allowance of folate, or folic acid \u2013 a B vitamin that is especially important for pregnant women to prevent birth defects. One cup also supplies 25\u201330 percent of the daily requirement of iron, 25 percent of that of magnesium and copper, and 15 percent of the potassium and zinc requirement.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, yields in Africa are well below their potential \u2013 between 20 and 30 percent below. The main culprit is drought, which affects 70 percent of Africa\u2019s major bean-producing regions. Drought is especially severe in the mid-altitudes of Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi and Zimbabwe, as well as across Southern Africa.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the past seven or eight years, rains have been very unreliable in central and northern Malawi,\u201d says Virginia Chisale, a bean breeder with Malawi\u2019s Department of Agricultural Research and Technical Services<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the past, rains used to be very reliable and people were able to know the right time to plant to meet the rains in critical conditions,\u201d she says. \u201cNow these primary agriculture regions are either not receiving rain for long periods of time, or rains are not falling at the right time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Virginia recounts that during the 2011\/12 cropping season there were no rains soon after planting, when it is important that beans receive moisture. Such instances can cut bean yields by half.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Steve Beebe in the field.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cDrought is a recurrent problem of rainfed agriculture throughout the world,\u201d says Steve Beebe, a leading bean breeder with the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)<\/a>. \u201cSince over 80 percent of the world\u2019s cultivated lands are rainfed, drought stress has major implications for global economy and trade.\u201d<\/p>\n

Steve was the Product Delivery Coordinator<\/a> for the beans component of the Legumes Research Initiative (RI)<\/a>, part of Phase II of the CGIAR Generation Challenge Programme (GCP)<\/a>. The RI incorporated several projects, the biggest of which was Tropical Legumes I (TLI) (see box). The main objective of the work on beans<\/a> within TLI was to identify and develop drought-tolerant varieties using marker-assisted breeding techniques. The resulting new varieties were then evaluated for their performance in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s vital that we develop high-yielding drought-tolerant varieties so as to help farmers, particularly in developing countries, adapt to drought and produce sustained yields for their families and local economies,\u201d says Steve.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

For an overview of the work on beans from the perspectives of four different partners, watch our video below, \u201cThe ABCs of bean breeding<\/a>\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n