Beyond beans: How 30 years of PABRA experience could inform scaling across agriculture

This blog explores how 30 years of experience from the Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA) can inform the scaling of agricultural innovations across different crops, value chains, and regions. Drawing on discussions from the PABRA@30 celebration held in Kigali, Rwanda, on 31 August 2026, it highlights the alliance's achievements in developing improved bean varieties, strengthening seed systems, and building market-driven partnerships across Africa. The article examines how PABRA's demand-led breeding, corridor approaches, and off-taker-led platforms can be adapted to other agricultural commodities. It emphasizes the importance of equitable partnerships, local ownership, sustainable financing, and continuous knowledge sharing in scaling agricultural innovations. The blog also highlights the role of CGIAR's Capacity Sharing Accelerator (CapSha) in facilitating peer learning, South-South cooperation, and the exchange of practical knowledge to support inclusive and sustainable agricultural transformation across Africa and beyond.