On February 29, 2016
At Kigali, Rwanda
Climbing beans is a rare C-3 crop among the pulses, yielding in excess of 5 MT/HA like most of the C-4 cereals.
Besides high yields, Rwanda released and commercializes biofortified (Fe/Zn-rich) cultivars, therefore all-round good for food , nutrition and income security for the most vulnerable rural poor, particularly women, youth and children. They save scarce arable land through intensification, improve soils through N-fixation (>40 kg/ha) and mitigate CC by sinking C by massive vegetative/grain biomass.
The biggest challenge to mass adoption is the requirement for wood staking that cuts yield up to 90% besides destroying the environment through deforestation. The Rwanda Agriculture Board developed a staking innovation that substitutes wood with trellises by 70% while keeping similar grain yield potential and other mentioned attributes of climbing beans. At the same time, built a working PPP seed systems value chains that enhanced utilization of improved climbing bean varieties.
Bean productivity in Rwanda is twice to three times higher than in the rest of SSA. They have become a net-bean exporting country even with about 30% of bean area is under climbing beans. With staking problems out of the way, Rwanda can feed the rest E&C Africa. Private investment is cheaper, durable and environment-friendly staking materials could see the more than 4 million ha, dominated by the bush beans, in Africa go to the climbing types. Africa can then feed the rest of the world with beans.
More Information available here.
This event is further celebration of Pulse Feast.