The Southern Africa Bean Research Network (SABRN) is an African-owned regional bean network, consisting of National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) and their partners in 10 countries in the Southern Africa region. This network is part of the PABRA consortium along with the Eastern and Central Africa Bean Research Network (ECABREN), CIAT and a number of donor organisations. SABRN is affiliated to the Southern Africa Development Community's Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Unit (SADC/FANR) which provides policy guidance and oversight.

SEE ALSO | SABRN achievements | SABRN team

It brings together African universities, NGOs, and the private sector as well as government research and development (R&D) institutions to share information and expertise in the area of bean breeding and dissemination. Chitedze Agricultural Research Station in Lilongwe, Malawi is a key partner in PABRA (along with the University of Nairobi, Kenya) in collaborative research and capacity building in the area of plant breeding. As well as coordinating regional bean trials, sharing released improved bean varieties (contributed by some NARS breeding programmes, the private sector, SABRN and CIAT) among different countries and supporting emerging national breeding programmes, SABRN is working to strengthen national capacity in this sector in the region. It identifies, develops and deploys national expertise in a range of areas such as plant breeding, farmer participatory research, seed dissemination, agroenterprise development, and integrated pest and disease management (IPDM).

CIDA (Canada) and SDC (Switzerland) are the main donor organisations that contribute to funding SABRN. DFID (UK) supports research in Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The 10 countries participating in SABRN are: Angola, DR Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

OUR PURPOSE

SABRN's goal is to ensure wider availability and increased utilisation of demand driven bean-based technologies that increase agricultural sustainability and productivity, add value to bean commodity and are utilised for improving nutrition and food security and incomes of rural and urban poor in Southern Africa.

OUR AIMS

  • Select, test and disseminate marketable bean varieties of bush and climbing beans that improve food and health and address the region's local and export markets.
  • Test and disseminate improved agronomic practices for the management of soil and water for increased and lower-cost production of marketable bean varieties.
  • Refine and distribute post-harvest technologies, to add value and expand bean markets.
  • Package and disseminate effective integrated pest management (IPM) options for the major pests and diseases of marketable bean varieties.
  • Work with multiple partners to improve the availability and accessibility of good quality seed of improved and preferred marketable bean varieties.
  • Work with partners to make promotional materials and information more widely available in member countries for increased use of bean-based technologies.
  • Strengthen human and physical capacity of partners to innovate and to undertake research and development activities in their institutions.

SABRN, Kawanda Agricultural Research Institute, P.O. Box 6247, Kampala, Uganda
Tel +256-414-567670, fax +256-414-567635, email r.chirwa@cgiar.org

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