Rwandans to enjoy iron-rich beans to fight prevalent
BY EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE
The Rwandan government has today announced the release of five new iron-rich bean varieties that could provide more iron in the diets of millions of Rwandese who eat beans every day, and will thus aid to fight anaemia which is prevalent in the country.
The varieties, which are RAB CB-12-8 or RWV 2887, RAB CB-12-1 or RWV 3006, RAB CB-12-3 or RWV 3316, RAB CB-12-4 or RWV 3117 and RAB CB-12-6 or MAC 42, were selected from a pool of over 5000 nursed seeds, evaluated across mid- to high-altitude agro-ecologies in Rwanda for several years, and finally tested in over 50 on-station and on-farm trials prior to their release to farmers by the Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB).
Meanwhile, development and delivery of the varieties is being funded by HarvestPlus, an organisation which leads a global effort to breed and disseminate staple food crops that are rich in vitamins and minerals to improve nutrition and public health, together with partners including Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB), International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), other Rwanda Government agencies and local partners.
According to a statement announcing the new varieties of bean, their release to the Rwandan population is informed by the fact that in Rwanda, anaemia, which is used as an indicator of iron deficiency, afflicts almost one out of five non-pregnant women and 40 percent
The press statement adds that children and women will be the main beneficiaries of these new bean varieties, which could provide up to 30% of their daily iron needs.
“Beans are the ‘meat’ and even the ‘bread’ of the Rwandan countryside. A meal without beans in Rwanda is like a meal without food.” explains Lister Katsvairo, HarvestPlus Country Manager.
The new iron-rich bean varieties were bred by the Rwanda Agriculture Board and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture using conventional breeding methods and farmers who evaluated these beans during field trials liked them because they were high yielding and resistant to major diseases and pests, says HarvestPlus.
HarvestPlus also maintains that the beans are also highly marketable due to their large seed size and their preferred colors, including red and white that are sought for in local and urban markets. “Demand for these varieties has already started, and we have produced enough seed quantities to sell to farmers at an affordable price for the next cropping season,” intimated Katsvairo.
Touching on how farmers will get the new bean varieties, the statement said HarvestPlus and its partners will distribute more than 200 tons of iron-rich climbing and bush bean varieties via agrodealers and local markets to about 75,000 farming households by September.
The statement continues that farmers will be able to grow these new beans to feed their families, and can also harvest and share seeds with others in their community amplifying the nutritional benefits.
It is envisaged that by the end of 2013, more than half a million household members in Rwanda will be eating iron-rich beans.
Iron deficiency is widely prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa and during childhood as well as adolescence, lowers resistance to disease and impairs learning capacity. It is also known to reduce the ability of adults for physical labour. Severe anaemia on the other hand increases the risk of women dying in childbirth.
HarvestPlus leads a global effort to breed and disseminate staple food crops that are rich in vitamins and minerals to improve nutrition and public health. Using a process called biofortification, higher amounts of vitamins and minerals are directly bred into foods such as bean, cassava, sweet potato, rice, maize, pearl millet, and wheat.
The organisation is part of the CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Improved Nutrition and Health and coordinated by CIAT and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
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| Some new bean varieties released by ISAR on January 15th |
The Rwandan government has today announced the release of five new iron-rich bean varieties that could provide more iron in the diets of millions of Rwandese who eat beans every day, and will thus aid to fight anaemia which is prevalent in the country.
The varieties, which are RAB CB-12-8 or RWV 2887, RAB CB-12-1 or RWV 3006, RAB CB-12-3 or RWV 3316, RAB CB-12-4 or RWV 3117 and RAB CB-12-6 or MAC 42, were selected from a pool of over 5000 nursed seeds, evaluated across mid- to high-altitude agro-ecologies in Rwanda for several years, and finally tested in over 50 on-station and on-farm trials prior to their release to farmers by the Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB).
Meanwhile, development and delivery of the varieties is being funded by HarvestPlus, an organisation which leads a global effort to breed and disseminate staple food crops that are rich in vitamins and minerals to improve nutrition and public health, together with partners including Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB), International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), other Rwanda Government agencies and local partners.
According to a statement announcing the new varieties of bean, their release to the Rwandan population is informed by the fact that in Rwanda, anaemia, which is used as an indicator of iron deficiency, afflicts almost one out of five non-pregnant women and 40 percent
The press statement adds that children and women will be the main beneficiaries of these new bean varieties, which could provide up to 30% of their daily iron needs.
“Beans are the ‘meat’ and even the ‘bread’ of the Rwandan countryside. A meal without beans in Rwanda is like a meal without food.” explains Lister Katsvairo, HarvestPlus Country Manager.
The new iron-rich bean varieties were bred by the Rwanda Agriculture Board and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture using conventional breeding methods and farmers who evaluated these beans during field trials liked them because they were high yielding and resistant to major diseases and pests, says HarvestPlus.
HarvestPlus also maintains that the beans are also highly marketable due to their large seed size and their preferred colors, including red and white that are sought for in local and urban markets. “Demand for these varieties has already started, and we have produced enough seed quantities to sell to farmers at an affordable price for the next cropping season,” intimated Katsvairo.
Touching on how farmers will get the new bean varieties, the statement said HarvestPlus and its partners will distribute more than 200 tons of iron-rich climbing and bush bean varieties via agrodealers and local markets to about 75,000 farming households by September.
The statement continues that farmers will be able to grow these new beans to feed their families, and can also harvest and share seeds with others in their community amplifying the nutritional benefits.
It is envisaged that by the end of 2013, more than half a million household members in Rwanda will be eating iron-rich beans.
Iron deficiency is widely prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa and during childhood as well as adolescence, lowers resistance to disease and impairs learning capacity. It is also known to reduce the ability of adults for physical labour. Severe anaemia on the other hand increases the risk of women dying in childbirth.
HarvestPlus leads a global effort to breed and disseminate staple food crops that are rich in vitamins and minerals to improve nutrition and public health. Using a process called biofortification, higher amounts of vitamins and minerals are directly bred into foods such as bean, cassava, sweet potato, rice, maize, pearl millet, and wheat.
The organisation is part of the CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Improved Nutrition and Health and coordinated by CIAT and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
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