The Alliance-developed 30% faster-cooking beans using the BRIO method, advanced for release in six African countries

The Rapid Cooking Bean Project (RCBP) developed and advanced fast-cooking common bean lines across six African countries using an integrated strategy that combines accurate prediction of breeding values, rapid cycles of recurrent selection, index selection based on economic trait weights, and optimized mating designs to achieve sustained genetic gain (BRIO). Led by the University of Western Australia and the Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA) (2020–2025), the initiative combined modern phenotyping and participatory testing to accelerate genetic gains, reduce cooking time, and strengthen national breeding systems.