Scaling success: leading change with the Syngenta Foundation

by Georgina Smith | Feb 28, 2017

The catalyst for change came from catastrophe in Kenya, when farmers in the western part of the country lost their maize harvest to disease in 2012. At that time, Jacinta Majimbo, a bean farmer from Bungoma district in Western Kenya, could never be sure what her...

Bean researchers in Ethiopia win highest accolade  

by Georgina Smith | Dec 1, 2016

The Ethiopia Bean Research Programme led by the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) has won the country’s highest scientific award – the Gold medal and Cup – for the impact of its bean research, which has transformed the lives of...

How much do countries benefit from one another’s crop diversity?

by Colin Khoury | Jul 18, 2016

Bananas originated in South and Southeast Asia, and are now produced throughout the world’s tropics and eaten in at least 192 countries worldwide. Quinoa came from the South American Andes, and is currently cultivated in almost 100 nations. Countries clearly depend on...

Smart beans help farmers cope with global warming – CIAT on Deutsche Welle

by Stephanie Malyon | Dec 10, 2015

The eyes of the world are on Paris as leaders from 195 countries continue to hammer out a global agreement on how to address climate change, a threat that is expected to have huge impact on the ability of some communities to grow food. Take beans, for example. Beans...

Burundi: Breaking down barriers for beans

by Stephanie Malyon | Nov 26, 2015

As part of our contribution to the United Nations’ International Year of Pulses, we’re starting a blog series called “Bean-Growing Country of the Month.” This first article focuses on a country that is rebuilding its bean research programme with assistance from the...