Postgraduate Scholarships through PABRA
Under the bean component of the project " Enhancing grain legumes’ productivity, and production and the incomes of poor farmers in drought-prone areas of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia," PABRA has offered four postgraduate degree scholarships (two M.Sc. and two Ph.D. degrees) in the area of breeding of bean for drought-prone areas. Candidates are currently being selected from among the five countries participating in this project (Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe), and successful candidates will register for their degrees at regional universities. One M.Sc. and one Ph.D. degree scholarship has been made available to each regional bean network.

FUNDRAISING INITIATIVES

Bean Seed and Bean Climbing Proposals
SABRN actively participated in the development of two bean seed and climbing bean proposals now funded by the McKnight Foundation covering Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania.

Improving Tropical Legume Productivity Proposal
PABRA partners from Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda and Tanzania were part of a consortium of partners that participated in the development of a proposal on Improving Tropical Legume Productivity in Africa and South Asia using conventional breeding technologies, with an emphasis on drought.

NEW PUBLICATIONS

Bean Factsheet
Details of improved bean varieties available in different PABRA countries including photos are now compiled together in a bean factsheet which can be downloaded here.

PABRA Outlook
Issue 3 of PABRA Outlook, a newsletter about bean research and development in eighteen countries in sub-Saharan Africa is now available in English and French for download online. To order hard copies, contact r.buruchara@cgiar.org.

PABRA Annual Report 2006-2007
The Annual Report which details the work of the Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA) for the period April 2006 to March 2007 is now available for download online. To request a hard copy, contact r.buruchara@cgiar.org.

PABRA Poster
A new poster outlining in detail what PABRA is and what it does is available for download online in small format (A4) in English, French and Portuguese. For larger copies of this poster (A1 size), please contact r.buruchara@cgiar.org.

PABRA Millennium Workshop Proceedings
The proceedings of the Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA) workshop held in 2001 are now available for download online. Alternatively the proceedings are also available on a CD-ROM. To request a free copy, contact r.buruchara@cgiar.org.

PABRA Brochure
A brochure in English, French and Portuguese which details the work of the Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA) is now available for download online. To order hard copies, contact r.buruchara@cgiar.org.

CIAT in Africa Highlights
Four of the newly published Highlights in the CIAT in Africa Highlights series (No. 29, 31, 34 and 35) may be of interest to PABRA members. This series, initiated in 2003, summarises research results and policy implications from the work of CIAT and its partners in Africa and its partners in Africa and all 35 briefs can be downloaded from the CIAT Africa website.

MORE NEWS

A Regional Network for West and Central Africa
PABRA has been considering the potential mechanisms and possibilities of establishing collaboration among interested countries in the CORAF/WECARD region. It is in this context that PABRA, through FARA, convened a workshop in Accra, Ghana from 4-6 October 2006. The objectives of the meeting were to review the relative importance of beans and the current status of bean research in the West Africa/CORAF region; share experiences from the bean networks in East Africa (ECABREN) and in Southern Africa (SABRN); and to explore the potential for establishing partnership and collaboration within CORAF partners and between CORAF/WECARD and other African bean networks. Twenty five participants including NARS scientists and extension workers, NGO and private sector staff from West and Central Africa (WCA) countries attended the workshop.

The participants proposed a new bean network (tentatively named WECABREN) through CORAF/WECARD and nominated IRAD of Cameroon to be the coordinating institution in WCA, with linkages to CORAF/WECARD and PABRA. FARA and CORAF/WECARD agreed to facilitate access to other bean research networks in the region and to support information and learning exchanges in bean research for development (R4D) across the sub-regions, with technical backstopping and training provided by PABRA-CIAT. Staff from the national programmes agreed to undertake bean surveys and to begin germplasm characterisation and exchange in the region.

Joint External Evaluation of PABRA (JEEP)
In September 2006 a mid-term programme evaluation called the Joint External Evaluation of PABRA (JEEP) was conducted. The evaluation report was widely distributed to PABRA stakeholders and was discussed at the 11th Annual PABRA Steering Committee meeting. Its objectives were twofold; first to assess the relevance, effectiveness, and efficiency of PABRA with regard to impact, outcomes and outputs (as outlined in the PABRA performance framework), and secondly to draw lessons and recommendations for the future of the programme.

The evaluation team considered PABRA to be a successful and useful programme which contributes to national poverty reduction and allows donor harmonisation. The programme demonstrates direct effects in farmers' fields and addresses development issues such as poverty reduction, gender equity, ecological, economical and social sustainability and sustainability of impact. The team recommended continuing funding of PABRA but it was advised to consider models and concepts that ensure continuity in a changing environment and to increase resources for coordination of the Southern network.

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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