| Sumario: | In Burundi, common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) is an important subsistence crop for smallholding farmers as it forms an important part of daily diet providing 20% of required calories and 50% of proteins. It is often referred to as the meat of the people of all income categories. It is especially to poor as a source of dietary protein and micronutrients, particularly iron and zinc reducing iron deficiency caused by the lack of diversity in the starch-based diets of the poor. The country’s average consumption per capita of 60 kg/year is among the highest in the world.
Despite its importance, bean seed production still low. Seed system in Burundi is not well developed as well as a part of the basic seed produced is not used to produce the certified seed. In some case, bean seed is eaten. With the support of CIAT/PABRA, there is a need to strenghteth the whole value chain by initiating seed companies in the country which will be responsible of certified seed production through farmers’ organization. Therefore, farmers will buy from the seed company to produce commercial grains. This is the reason why, CIAT/PABRA has organised an exchange visit to Masaka where CEDO, a seed company based in Uganda demonstrated how it is working with farmer’s organization to produce more beans in the region.
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