The institute, based in Kigali, Rwanda, indicates that, compared with bush beans, the super beans climb higher and have triple, even quadruple yields even in poor soil. Last month the institute began distributing the beans to farmers.
I'm no plant science expert, sadly, but from what I can tell after reading about the project, the beans are not genetically modified. Instead, it looks like they have been bred using a technique called marker assisted selection that helps scientists identify bean genes naturally resistant to root rot and other plant killers. A SciDev.net report about the varieties says they were 10 years in the making--a decade of collaboration between scientists and farmers.
University of Nairobi plant genetics professor Paul Kimani told SciDev.net that the new varieties fix five to 40 kilograms of nitrogen annually per hectare. Rwandan farmer Alphonsin Nyirambranjinka was quoted as saying that beans from one of the new varieties also taste sweeter. I'll take tasty high-yield beans over a golden goose and a giant any day.
Photo: A bean tendril makes its way up a rope. Credit: Joe Goldberg.
Tags: Family Farms, Food Sources, Green Tech
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