A compendium of participatory evaluation data on sorghum, finger millet and beans for climate change adaptation in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania

The compendium contains participatory evaluation data collected from crowd sourcing varieties of finger millet, sorghum, and beans from national genebanks in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda by over 1600 farmers over the period 2017-2019 in CCAFS climate smart villages of Hoima-Uganda, Nyando-Kenya and Hombolo and Singida in Tanzania. The compendium also contains additional Participatory Varietal Selection data collected on-station in three research stations of ARI-Hombolo, NARO-Bulindi ZARDI and Nyando in Kenya. Finally the compendium also presents organoleptic data of top performing varieties collected from farmers in Hoima Uganda

Rwanda: The Rubaya community gene bank

The Rubaya community gene bank, located in the Rubaya sector of Gicumbi district in Northern Rwanda, is managed by the Kundisuka cooperative. It originated when a farmer by the name of Mpoberabanzi Silas and an agronomist working in the Rubaya sector recognized the need to preserve some of the genetic resources in the area that were being lost (e.g. several varieties of beans, peas, maize, wheat and sorghum). Implementation of the project was supported by the staff of the Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB) in cooperation with Bioversity International (Plate 18). The managing cooperative was created in September 2012 and consists of about ten members with Mpoberabanzi Silas as president. The community gene bank’s storage facilities were constructed locally with support from Vision 2020’s Umurenge Program and the Ministry of Local Government. Their main purpose is to store the region’s priority crops (maize, wheat, beans and Irish potatoes), but farmers are free to use the facilities to store and conserve other seeds and planting material. The community gene bank does not yet have a visible role in the community, for example, in seed production or participatory crop improvement, as it is still in its early stages. However, its members’ vision is to invest in seed multiplication to make good-quality seeds available to the local community and regional gene banks. This will transform the enterprise into a business-oriented farmer cooperative certified by RAB

Resilient seed systems for climate change adaptation and sustainable livelihoods in the East Africa sub-region: Report of training workshop, Addis Ababa Ethiopia, 17-21 September 2019

Bioversity International is implementing a Dutch-supported project entitled: Resilient seed systems for climate change adaptation and sustainable livelihoods in the East Africa sub-region. This work aims to boost timely and affordable access to good-quality seed for a portfolio of crops / varieties for millions of women and men farmers’ and their communities across east Africa. A first project training: i) contextualized farmer varietal selection, ii) provided practical demonstrations of tools for climate-change analysis, iii) introduced policy issues associated with managing crop diversity, iv) outlined characterization and evaluation of genetic resources, and v) articulated associated gender issues, and issues related to disseminating elite materials. The training concluded with a contextualizing field trip. In the workshop evaluation, 98% participants declared their overall satisfaction level to be high (74%) or medium (24%), indicating the training furnished them with good ideas for networking and using the tools and methods they learned about

Standards and Development

This thesis examines perspectives on standards and development in Kenya’s horticulture sector. The debate on standards and development is at the forefront of global policy discussions. The proliferation of trade standards is often seen as a threat to poor countries that will diminish their export opportunities and lead to an unequal distribution of the gains from trade and result in marginalization of poor farmers. However, empirical studies have produced diverse conclusions about the effects of standards on development. The ability to comply with international standards has emerged as a key factor of success in developing countries’ participation in international trade. Kenya’s horticulture sector continues t

Citizen’s science approach to climate smart and nutrition sensitive seed value chains for food and nutrition security in Uganda and Ethiopia

Local communities currently have limited access to information and the diversity of planting materials that would allow them to diversify their production systems to cope with unpredictable weather and stabilize their livelihoods. There are currently limited and scattered mechanisms in place to share and increase the diversity of farmers’ varieties beyond the local level. Establishing new community seed banks and linking them with the existing ones will create an effective network, which will allow the national system to monitor the status of on-farm conservation and enhance the flow of seeds between them. This project ‘Citizen’s science approach to climate smart and nutrition sensitive seed value chains for food and nutrition security in Uganda and Ethiopia’ aims to improve farmers’ adaptation to climate change and enhance food and nutrition security by increasing the availability of quality, diverse and adapted seeds within local communities through participatory varietal evaluation using a crowdsourcing approach and innovative seed value chains

Surveying the use of neglected and Uunderutilized food-plant species in Africa. Case of Hoima, Uganda

For centuries, neglected and under-utilized species (NUS) have been grown for their food, fiber, fodder, oil, and medicinal properties. Sometimes known as forgotten foods, they include cultivated, semi-domesticated and wild species and traditional varieties. Their roles have been increasingly undervalued, and their importance increasingly neglected by researchers, policymakers and markets. This report presents a case study that focuses on the uses of NUS in Hoima, Western Kenya, grown in two contrasting agro-ecologies (semi-arid, and sub-humid), both characterized by rising maximum temperatures and precipitation, decreasing minimum temperatures, and an increasing aridity index

Sensory evaluation of finger millet and bean products in Hoima Uganda. Report of field work conducted 6-12 September 2019

Sensory evaluation, also known as organoleptic testing, involves assessing a food product for its aroma, flavour, sensation in the mouth and appearance. This activity was carried out under a project funded by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) titled Citizen’s Science approach to climate-smart and nutrition-sensitive seed value chains for food and nutrition security in Uganda and Ethiopia. The activity was conducted as a follow up to previous crowdsourcing trials and participatory varietal testing of 34 bean and 43 finger millet varieties by 300 farmers in Hoima, between 2017 and 2019, that identified seven bean and seven finger millet varieties selected by farmers as having most of the attributes needed for adaptation to climate change, including faster maturity, drought resistance, pest and disease resistance and high yields. To gather insights on farmers’ perceptions and preferences regarding taste and acceptability of the selected varieties, a sensory evaluation exercise that engaged 101 farmers (54 men and 47 women) was organized. The invited farmers were asked to taste a variety of local food products prepared from the selected finger millet and bean varieties and provide feedback on taste, texture, consistency, aroma, cooking time, colour and general acceptance. The exercise also aimed at promoting the benefits derived from the consumption of finger millet, especially in weaning infants and provision of important nutrients for lactating mothers. This report provides detailed sensory information about the selected beans and finger millet varieties and their suitability for making different food products

Agrobiodiversity and integrated seed systems to improve smallholder livelihoods

Crop and tree diversity are essential to agriculture sustainability and food and nutrition security. The diversity of species and varieties that are available for farmers and the ways through which this diversity is made accessible to them depend on seed systems. But what must seed systems be like to enhance agrobiodiversity and smallholders’ livelihoods? Our authors take a look at the strengths and weaknesses of existing seed systems and experiences gained from a ten-year project in five countries on three continents