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Project Goal:
Increase and sustain productivity per
unit area through the development, dissemination and promotion of
improved bean varieties and other production technologies in order to
improve on food security, nutrition and household income hence
contributing to poverty alleviation among resource-constrained farmers
while conserving the natural resource base.
Project Purpose:
To make available appropriate and improved bean varieties
and other production technologies to farmers in order to increase bean
production and therefore improve on food security, nutrition and
household income
Specific objectives
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Accelerate multiplication and dissemination of adequate quantities of
foundation seeds of the available improved bean varieties
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Identify new high-yielding genotypes with broad adaptation, acceptable
grain quality characteristics and combined with multiple stress
tolerances
-
Increase yield and stability of available released varieties and
popular land races
Project Description:
Common bean is the most important legume crop grown and eaten in Uganda.
It provides a cheap source of dietary plant protein, zinc, iron and
other essentials. The crop is a major complement to cassava, maize,
sweet potatoes, millet and bananas, which are the commonly eaten staple
foods in the country and yet are largely starchy. The crop is also
particularly suitable for food security because of the nature of it’s
short growing cycle of two and half to four months (for both bush and
climbing beans) and adaptability to different cropping systems. In
addition to the nutrition and household food security values, the crop
is a major income earner, especially for the women.
To benefit
from such advantages, a research project on beans is being implemented
in the country under two broad activities namely:
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Improved Bean Technology
Promotion and dissemination. Under this
project, promotion and dissemination is targeting mainly those
improved bean varieties released earlier (between 1999 and 2003) and
yet have not gone out widely to farmers. In addition, two pre-release
genotypes (RWR 1946 and RWR 2075) have been included. The target
districts include: Sironko (Bumasifwa and Bukhalu sub counties,
Eastern Uganda), Mubende (Kassanda and Kashambya sub counties,
Central), Kabale (Kitumba sub county, South west) and Luwero (Zirobwe
sub county, Central). In these districts beans is a major crop.
Different promotion and dissemination strategies have been focused on.
-
Improved bean technology
generation: which consists of identifying
more new superior bean genotypes and also incorporating the lacking
specific resistances into some of the earlier released varieties and
popular land races.
Contributors:
Annet Namayanja, Dr. Micheal Ugen, Dr. Fina Opio, M/s Losira
Nasirumbi, Mr. Ssekabembe Richard, M/s Rose Takusewanya,
M/s Jane Mukabalanga, M/s Hellen Eyedu, Mr. Kitinda Xavier, Mr.
Paul Kabayi, Mr Gabriel Luyima, Mr. Mugagga Isaac, Mr. Danny Mawejje.
Collaborators:
i) Districts Agricultural Staffs from
Mubende (Kassanda and Kashambya sub counties), Luweero (Zirobwe sub
county), Sironko (Bumasifwa and
Bukhalu sub counties) and Kabale (Kitumba sub county),
and ii) CIAT-Kawanda.
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