Micronutrient-rich beans enhancing diets and livelihoods in rural Uganda

Improving bean production in Africa has been the Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA)'s goal since its inception in 1996. PABRA works with partners who play different roles in the bean production process, including national bean programs, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), the private sector, church groups, farmer associations, and community-based organizations. One partner, with whom it has worked with since 2009, is the Community Enterprises Development Organization (CEDO), an NGO based in south-western Uganda. It disseminates technologies to thousands of bean farmers, using demonstration gardens, and provides practical training in cookery. It also brings together farmer groups who want to improve their agricultural production, food security, and income through cooperative activities and use of improved agricultural practices. “Working with PABRA has raised our bean production from subsistence farming to cash cropping, says Mrs Rosemary Mayiga, CEDO's program coordinator, when she spoke at a PABRA forum.