RCUK-CIAT Newton Fund: Bean breeding and Adoption in changing climates in post-conflict COlombia (BACO)

Beans provide a staple food source and economic commodity for farmers across Colombia. They are a major source of protein and mineral nutrition in the diets of the rural poor. However, bean production is at risk from increasing heat and drought stress associated with climate change. Our project examines how climate information can be better used in CIAT's bean breeding program. The result will be improved resilience of beans to climate, and improved access to these improved varieties, thus in turn supporting farm income and the promotion of stability of production. This would protect these fragile communities from fluctuations and shocks within the farming systems.

The project is about opportunities as well as challenges. We will focus in part on post-conflict regions, thus having direct impacts on a number of actors within Colombia. We we look at the potential to breed and cultivate beans where coca once stood.

Since all beans are not created equal - it is the small, red varieties that are generally cultivated and sold at market in this part of Latin America - we will be sure to take account of local preferences throughout the project. In this way we will deliver improvements where they are needed, rather than using only those varieties that are easiest to breed for stress tolerance.

1. How is your proposal addressing the economic development and welfare needs of Colombia?
Beans provide a staple food source and economic commodity for a number of fragile income groups. Improving resilience and access to these varieties will support farm income and the promotion of stability of production. This would protect these fragile communities from fluctuations and shocks within the farming systems.

The engagement of farmers, ex-combatants and displaced communities through producer organisations and the identification of particular incentives which may encourage adoption will provide benefits to the social capital of post-conflict areas, principally trust and encouraging support for innovation within the system.

Growing beans also provide support for household activities, in particular to empower gender. The nutritional benefits of these beans - beans are a major source of protein and mineral nutrition in the diets of the rural poor - will provide significant wider benefits in terms of prevention of health costs and further effects from malnutrtion.


2. What would the impact of your project or activity be, and who would benefit?
The extension of understanding of resilience and the focus on post-conflict regions will have direct impacts on a number of actors within Colombia. Firstly, household welfare would be improved through stability of production to ensure longer term planning, these would lead to less reliance on credit therefore reduce potential mental distress from disruptions caused by climate events. Connection within post-conflict areas to local supply chains will also provide support for local consumers, in terms of ensuring stability of supply and control of potential price spikes from these climate events. Moreover, promotion of particular traits which contribute to household reliance will provide support for plant breeders, in terms of input and selection of desirable traits to meet future demands identified from adoption. Consumers generally will be impacted from increased choice/access of particular traits and stability of supply.


3. What would success for this activity look like and how could it be measured?

Success will be measured by the strength of the relationship between parent performance (yield) and the candidate morpho-physiological traits used for selection under moderate to severe heat stress conditions, and by the yield stability (variance) of the selected donor parents under variability in stress.

The pathways to adoption of bean varieties will provide key drivers and incentives for promotion within Colombian systems. Engagement with Harvest Plus and the multiple organisations involved in producer organisation would lead to influence on policy towards beans in post-conflict areas but also the wider consideration of access and capacity, through consideration of infrastructure for availability of bean material.