Goal of the project
The project aims to:- Double the average dry bean yield in ten years: from 0.4 tons per ha to 0.8 tons per ha
- An annual increase in the production of dry beans of more than 50% by year 10
- Reduce Zimbabwe’s dependency on imported dry beans by 12,000 tons
- Increase the protein intake of at least 100,00 smallholder families through a higher dry bean consumption
Project number
FDOV14ZW37Country
- Zimbabwe
Location
- Harare
Sector
- Agriculture
- Dry beans
- Seeds
Project budget
€ 2,351,864 (FDOV contribution = € 1,175,932)
Partners
- Klein Karoo Seed Marketing Pty. Ltd
- Applied Plant Research
- Agricultural Partnerships Trust
- Seed Services Institute
Project description
Malnutrition in Zimbabwe is a challenge. More than one-quarter of all children (28%) are stunted. Dry beans are an important source of protein. The production and productivity of dry beans dropped seriously due to the decline in the agricultural sector during the first decade of the 2000s. This project’s objective is to increase production, sales and consumption of dry beans in Zimbabwe, to reduce poverty and malnutrition of smallholder farmers and improve their food security and farm sustainability. The project focuses on sugar beans, which can be grown multiple times per annum as mixed or intercrop.
The project presents the following activities (building blocks):
- Development and release of high-yielding dry bean varieties via Single Seed Descent (SSD) selection in order to achieve maximum yield potential with pre-conditions regarding stress resistance
- Introduction of a model for seed multiplication and marketing of dry bean seeds
- Improvement of smallholders’ agricultural practices and knowledge and provision of market access to smallholder farmers, which enables them to increase dry bean production at a profit. A farmer group of 5,000 farmers will be established and trained on good agricultural practices, financing, market linkages, and nutritional and agricultural benefits of dry beans.