Kenya is transforming bean research

5 May 2025. Kenya is taking bold steps to transform its bean research landscape through renewed collaboration, innovation, and capacity building. At the heart of this transformation is a growing partnership between the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) and the Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA), under the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT. This collaboration is not only driving the development of improved bean varieties but also laying the foundation for climate-resilient agriculture, stronger seed systems, and next-generation researchers poised to shape the future of food security in the region.

During a visit to KALRO centers at Katumani, Thika, and Kakamega, Dr. Eliezah Kamau -Bean
Program Lead at KALRO-Thika - underscored the value of the Alliance partnership. The partners also reviewed ongoing work at the Horticulture Research Institute (HRI), where Dr. Kamau highlighted breeding efforts focused on drought tolerance, low soil fertility adaptation, and resistance to pests and diseases. This collaboration marks a vital step toward a more resilient and productive bean value chain in Kenya.

Industry Insights: The Bean Value Chain

As part of their field engagement, the Alliance team visited the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) in Donholm, Nairobi, where they met with Mary Cherot, Executive Director of Cherubet Foods. Cherubet is a growing small and medium-sized food processing enterprise (SMFE) that specializes in value-added products, including instant composite porridge and pre-cooked beans.

Despite ongoing supply challenges, especially in maintaining consistent grain quality, Cherubet Foods sees strong market potential in yellow and red mottled bean varieties. The company primarily sources its beans through cooperative societies and smallholder farmers from the Rift Valley and border regions. This underscores the pressing need to strengthen aggregation networks and post-harvest handling systems to ensure consistent quality and a reliable supply chain.

Accelerating bean breeding to respond to market demands in East Africa: ACIAR’s Rapid Cooking Bean Project for health, nutrition and fuel efficiency

24-28 Marc 2025. A training program for partner countries in RCBP was held at the Alliance's Uganda
office , where researchers identified a major bias in seed colors of beans in RCBP, with the majority belonging to the black bean market class.

The project uses advanced breeding technologies, including pedigree selection, genomic selection and optimal contribution selection (OCS) to accelerate the development of common bean varieties that cook at least 30% faster and contain 15% more iron and 10% more zinc than traditional varieties. RCBP is a collaborative effort between The University of Western Australia (UWA) and members of the Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA) through the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, and six National Agricultural Research and Extension Organisations (NARES) in Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. The project not only focuses on scientific innovation but also on empowering a new generation of African plant breeders with new skills including gender-inclusive training.

The project is implementing a novel breeding approach (BRIO) to accelerate breeding for rapid cooking and biofortified beans. BRIO stands for accurate breeding values (B), rapid cycles (R), index selection (I) and optimal contributions selection (OCS) (O). The BRIO approach was implemented by the Alliance in Uganda in 2019 by intercrossing a diverse set of 160 founder parents. This was followed by rapid two-year cycles of overlapping early generation recurrent selection. Faster-cooking beans released by partners in this project will lower household fuel use and labor, especially for women, while addressing regional micronutrient deficiencies. Through strategic breeding cycles and inclusive capacity-building, RCBP is creating a ripple effect across agriculture, nutrition and gender equity, making it a powerful model for sustainable development in the region.