Established in 1996, the Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA) is a consortium of African regional bean networks (the Eastern and Central Africa Bean Research Network, ECABREN, and the Southern Africa Bean Research Network, SABRN) consisting of National African Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) in a total of 18 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, an international research organisation (CIAT) and a number of donor organisations.

The 18 countries participating in PABRA are Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

PABRA has evolved from a CIAT project to an African partnership programme by strengthening the national bean programmes and by supporting the regional networks. PABRA facilitates collaborative research within and between the networks by providing a forum for building and maintaining linkages to multiple partners (researchers, non-government organisations (NGOs), community-based organisations (CBOs) and farmers). These linkages are maintained through joint planning, agreed division of responsibilities, joint implementation of activities and joint reporting. The collaborative approach facilitates the sharing of knowledge, the exchange of germplasm and the dissemination of technologies and methods across national frontiers. The Alliance also facilitates capacity building. With PABRA support, the regional networks identify, develop and deploy 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).

SEE ALSO | PABRA team | PABRA membership


The Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance gratefully acknowledges support for its activities from the following donors: the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa, the UK Department for International Development, the Canadian International Development Agency, The Rockefeller Foundation, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the US Agency for International Development. The views expressed are not necessarily those of these organisations.

OUR PURPOSE

PABRA's goal is to enhance the food security, income and health of resource-poor farmers in Africa through research on beans. To achieve this goal, PABRA works in partnership with farmers and rural communities, NGOs, traders and other private sector partners. The major beneficiaries of PABRA's work are rural women, who are primarily responsible for the crop's production and post harvest handling.

OUR AIMS

  • Develop and disseminate new higher yielding bean varieties.
  • Improve production through better crop, soil and pest management by farmers.
  • Achieve wider impact by extending farmer access to new bean technologies to all main bean production areas in Africa.
  • Improve and disseminate understanding of how communities in diverse situations can best achieve food security and improve incomes.
  • Strengthen the capacity of NGOs and local agricultural services and strengthen the research sector (NARS, farmer research groups).

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

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PABRA's goal is to enhance the food security, income and health of resource-poor farmers in Africa through research on beans. To achieve this goal, PABRA works in partnership with farmers and rural communities, NGOs, traders and other private sector partners.