Improving Bean Markets in Africa

This project aims to improve food security income and health in sub-Saharan Africa by helping farmers and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) take advantage of the regional commercial opportunities of the bean crop. This project also addresses the root challenges that farmers and SMEs face in accessing markets in targeted bean corridors such as a lack of skills finance information insurance infrastructure and organizational capacity. Project activities include: (1) facilitating linkages and partnerships among value chain stakeholders through bean innovation platforms and enhancing business skills and collective marketing; (2) facilitating access to market services (information finance training infrastructure seeds fertilizer) and advocating support from key actors (for example non-governmental organizations and governments) for programs benefitting farmers and SMEs in the bean industry; and (3) supporting bean producers to meet production volumes and quality standards. This project expects to reach three million farmers linking them to profitable markets 10 million households consuming marketable beans and 10% of SME entrepreneurs trading value-added bean products and the project targets three million tons of improved bean products to be traded in targeted corridors.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) increased volume and quality of beans produced and sold by women and men smallholders; (2) increased production and sale by SMEs of beans and value-added bean-based products; (3) increased use by poor households of beans and dry bean products; (4) increased income and food/nutrition security of women and men smallholders; and (5) increased national and regional trade in beans.