Blog Annual meeting of the Rapid Cooking Bean Project in Kampala, Uganda

With funding from ACIAR for RCBP (ACIAR project CROP/2018/132), researchers from UWA partnered with bean breeders and agronomists from the Alliance-Uganda, and NARES in six countries in Eastern and Central Africa Bean Research Network (ECABREN) with the aim of introducing new rapid breeding methods to reduce cooking time by 30% and increase seed iron (Fe) by 15% and zinc (Zn) by 10% in five years. The enthusiastic and consistent involvement of collaborating scientists in six countries has made RCBP a model for the long-term genetic improvement and adoption of new common bean varieties for Africa. The partners implemented a novel breeding approach (BRIO) to accelerate breeding for rapid cooking and biofortified beans. BRIO stands for (B) accurate breeding values, (R) rapid cycles, (I) index and (O) optimal contributions selection (OCS).  

“BRIO builds on decades of research and breeding,” said Prof. Wallace Cowling, the project's Principal Investigator based at UWA (Fig. 2). “Previously, BRIO methods have achieved world-leading genetic gain in canola and field peas in Australia. This project is helping to adapt the methods to bean breeding. With BRIO, rapid genetic gain with low rates of population inbreeding is possible”.  

Over 100 million people across Africa face food insecurity, and the challenges are growing. Climate change, conflict and rising food prices in over 70% of low-income countries are pushing healthy diets further out of reach (World Bank, 2025). Yet, there is reason for hope. Through the RCBP, Alliance and ACIAR are partnering with NARES to co-develop bean varieties that are climate-resilient, reliable for farmers, market-preferred and demanded by consumers. These varieties could serve as the foundation of affordable, nutritious diets. Dr. Clare Mukankusi Mugisha, Global Bean Breeding Lead at the Alliance, emphasized (Fig.3):

“We must ensure farmers have access to bean varieties that are climate-resilient, market-preferred and nutritious, while making food systems more productive, inclusive and sustainable. This is more than crop science: It’s about shaping food systems that nourish both people and the planet.” 

Across six countries, our NARES partners have successfully evaluated RCBP progeny and selected advanced lines with potential for future variety release, that combine high yield, high nutrients, and short cooking times in each of the major market class (Fig. 4).  

• In Kenya, PVS led to the identification of two promising small red bean lines, which are scheduled for submission to national performance trials (NPT) in 2026. According to collaborating scientist Shamir Misango, bean breeder and head of the bean program at Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) in Kakamega, over 100 lines from cycles 1 and 2 of the RCBP are currently in the pipeline at the Advanced and Preliminary Yield Trial (AYT, PYT) stages.  
• In Uganda, under the leadership of Dr. Stanley Nkalubo and collaborating scientist Dr. Immaculate Mugisa at National Crops Resources Research Institute (NaCCRI), two PVS activities were conducted involving nine bean types across market classes such as medium red, sugar, yellow, red mottled, and medium white. Additionally, approximately 195 lines representing diverse market classes including large black, medium red, sugar, yellow, red mottled, medium white, Kabulangeti, carioca, and pink were evaluated at various yield trial stages, with 25% outperforming the commercial checks.  

Training is a backbone of the RCBP. From breeders to lab technicians, capacity building has ensured the sustainability of these innovations. During the workshop, the first two days were dedicated to developing skills in key tools, specifically, the Breeding management system (BMS), and the use of R for randomisation and data analysis. The workshop reviewed: (i) What training achieved, such as partners’ awareness of spatial analysis and the importance of following the trial design during planting, and ability to clean and share data through the BMS. (ii) What bottlenecks remain, such as confidence in data analysis using R software and (iii) How local institutions can be further empowered in new breeding methods. At the heart of the discussions was leveraging regional crop centres in Africa such as Makerere University Regional Centre for Crop Improvement- MaRCCI (Fig. 5) to work with RCBP to develop and implement robust training modules on BRIO, collaborative student research projects and onboarding visiting scientists. These initiatives are catalysts for knowledge transfer, local capacity building, and global scientific exchange. With strong foundations in place, we’re now looking ahead. New funding opportunities from multiple donors could scale this impact across Africa and beyond, ensuring this work continues to empower breeding programs, nurture young talent, and fuel innovation. 

“This isn’t just the end of a phase – it’s the beginning of a new one”, said Jean Claude Rubyogo, the Global Bean Program Leader at the Alliance and Director of PABRA.

With the right investments, the RCBP could extend its reach towards variety release, seed system development and capacity development especially in collaborating with higher institutions for learning in Africa.

In a study conducted by Dr. Enid Katungi and colleagues in Uganda, findings suggest that farmers may not be fully benefiting from improved bean varieties, largely due to weaknesses in the seed systems.

One key issue is seed contamination, particularly among varieties with similar physical traits, which undermines varietal purity and farmer trust. Quality-related challenges are also limiting optimal adoption, with significant implications for market segmentation especially in regions where regulatory systems are weak or poorly enforced. While extension services appear to be closely connected with farming communities, there is a clear need to retool extension agents with up-to-date information on research-derived technologies.

As environmental pressures intensify, addressing these systemic challenges through investment in robust seed systems, stronger research-extension linkages, and continued innovation in breeding will be critical for delivering the full potential of improved bean varieties to smallholder farmers.  

“Several breeding challenges remain that must be addressed to fully realise the potential of rapid-cooking biofortified bean varieties”, said Dr. Renu Saradadevi, project research associate from UWA. “One of the key issues is the presence of unfavourable genetic correlations between traits of interest – particularly between iron content and cooking time. In our populations, we have observed that as we select for shorter cooking time, iron levels tend to decline.”

Another concern is the negative correlation between seed size and iron concentration. Therefore, many of the lines selected for higher iron content are small-seeded types, which limits their suitability for markets that prefer large- or medium beans. Compounding these challenges is the current dominance of black-seeded progeny in the RCBP pipeline (Figure 6), which is the least preferred seed colour across East African markets.