HIB varieties: Biofortified Beans for Improved Nutrition

Fueling Health with Iron-Rich Beans

The "Biofortified Beans for Improved Nutrition" technology addresses critical nutritional challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa, primarily iron and zinc deficiencies. Through the process of biofortification, it develops high-iron bean varieties that enhance their nutritional value. These "High-Iron Beans (HIB)" are the result of crossbreeding local elite lines with American bean varieties naturally enriched in iron. HIB varieties are characterized by high productivity, drought and disease tolerance, preferred culinary traits, and rapid cooking. This technology has resulted in the release of 31 high-yielding HIB varieties in key production areas across Sub-Saharan Africa, contributing to enhanced food security and nutrition in the region.

This technology is TAAT1 validated.

8•7

Scaling readiness: idea maturity 8/9; level of use 7/9

Adults 18 and over: Positive high

The poor: Positive medium

Under 18: Positive high

Women: Positive high

Climate adaptability: Highly adaptable

Farmer climate change readiness: Significant improvement

Biodiversity: Positive impact on biodiversity

Carbon footprint: A bit less carbon released

Environmental health: Greatly improves environmental health

Soil quality: Improves soil health and fertility

Water use: Same amount of water used

Problem

Poor nutrition, particularly iron and zinc deficiencies, is a significant issue in Sub-Saharan Africa. Iron deficiency leads to anemia, cognitive issues, maternal health risks, and low birth weight, while zinc deficiency weakens the immune system and results in stunting.
Traditional approaches to addressing nutritional deficiencies involve costly supplemental fortification methods.
Common bean varieties often lack sufficient iron and zinc to meet nutritional needs, posing a challenge to improving nutrition.

Solution

The technology involves developing and promoting biofortified bean varieties, which are enriched in dietary iron and zinc, offering a solution to nutritional deficiencies.
Biofortification is used to increase the concentration of iron and zinc in beans through conventional breeding, good agronomic practices, or biotechnological modification, avoiding the high costs associated with traditional fortification methods.
A series of recently released high-iron bean (HIB) varieties have been developed through crossbreeding and participatory breeding strategies. These HIB varieties offer higher iron and zinc content, improved yield potential, drought and disease tolerance, desirable culinary characteristics, and suitability for diverse agro-ecological zones.
The greater productivity, nutritional value, and commercial value of HIB varieties enable small-scale farmers to allocate more resources to bean cultivation, making it a primary agricultural enterprise and source of income.
Consumption of HIB varieties significantly enhances household nutrition, meeting a substantial portion of daily iron requirements and retaining high bioavailable iron after cooking. These beans are ideally suited for improving overall nutrition.
HIB varieties are not only used for home consumption but have the potential to create markets for high-iron precooked beans, pasta, composite flour, and processed foods in some African countries.
HIB varieties also exhibit traits such as high pod-filling, high yields, and adaptation to environmental stresses, making them valuable for agricultural and food security purposes.

Key points to design your project

Biofortified Beans for Improved Nutrition technology positively impacts gender equality, climate resilience, and SDG progress. It empowers women, addresses malnutrition, and contributes to climate action, aligning with goals to end hunger, promote health, and combat climate change in Sub-Saharan Africa.

To integrate this technology into your project, and create a list of project activities and prerequisites and plan these activities:

Raise awareness with bean-growing communities about the benefits of HIB and how to access seed,
Provide community-based seed banks, farmer groups and commercial multipliers with quality HIB varieties seeds,
Link producers of HIB to buyers and food processors for ensuring sustainable market demand,
Enhance demand for iron-rich beans through promotional campaigns that target different consumer groups, and
Establish financial incentives for farmers’ adoption of HIB varieties.

Considering the technology cost of per kg and a requirement of per ha, estimate the quantity of seeds needed for your project.

As the technology is available in Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, include the delivery cost to the project site and account for import clearance and duties if relevant.

A team of trainers could provide training and support during project installation. Include the cost for training and post-training support for using the technology.

Communication support for the technology should be developed (flyers, videos, radio broadcasts, etc.)

For better optimization of the improved maize variety, it is recommended to associate this technology with Seed dressing of Seed with Fungicide and Insecticide, Seed Inoculation with Rhizobia, Specialty Fertilizer Blends for Common Bean.

To implement the technology in your country, you could collaborate with agricultural development institutes and seed multiplication companies.

IP

Open source / open access

Countries with a green colour: Tested & adopted
Countries with a bright green colour: Adopted
Countries with a yellow colour: Tested
Countries with a blue colour: Testing ongoing

Countries where the technology is being tested or has been tested and adopted
Country	Testing ongoing	Tested	Adopted
Burundi	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Democratic Republic of the Congo	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Ethiopia	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Kenya	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Malawi	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Rwanda	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Tanzania	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Uganda	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Zambia	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Zimbabwe	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted

This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones. Any zones shown in white are not suitable for this technology.

Agro-ecological zones where this technology can be used
AEZ	Subtropic - warm	Subtropic - cool	Tropic - warm	Tropic - cool
Arid	–	–	–	–
Semiarid	–	–	–	–
Subhumid	–		–
Humid

Source: HarvestChoice/IFPRI 2009

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that are applicable to this technology.

Goal 2: zero hunger

Goal 3: good health and well-being

HIB (High-Iron Bean) varieties are cultivated using standard management practices.
Beans are self-pollinating, allowing farmers to save the best grains from their harvest for planting the following season, although this practice should be limited to prevent disease and insect pest accumulation.
Planting methods for beans may include flat land cultivation, hill or ridge planting (suitable for heavy soils, slopes, or high water table areas).
Soil preparation involves tillage, inorganic fertilizer incorporation, and seed inoculation with rhizobia.
To maintain productivity, it's advised not to recycle bean seeds more than three times.
Beans are typically grown as monocrops or intercropped with various crops like maize, sweet potatoes, cotton, coffee, bananas, sunflower, and others.
Seed rates are higher for pure stands of bush-type beans, while lower rates are used for intercropping. Inter-row distances are typically 50 to 75 cm, and the distance within rows or between hills is 10 cm for single seeds or 20 cm for two seeds per station.