RCUK-CIAT Newton Fund: Bean breeding and Adoption in changing climates in post-conflict COlombia (BACO)

豆类为哥伦比亚各地的农民提供了主食来源和经济商品。它们是农村穷人饮食中蛋白质和矿物质营养的主要来源。然而，与气候变化相关的高温和干旱压力不断增加，使豆类生产面临风险。我们的项目研究了气候信息如何更好地应用于CIAT的豆类育种项目。其结果将是提高豆类对气候的适应能力，并改善获得这些改良品种的机会，从而反过来支持农业收入和促进生产的稳定性。这将保护这些脆弱的社区免受农业系统内部波动和冲击的影响。这个项目既是机遇，也是挑战。我们将部分侧重于冲突后区域，从而对哥伦比亚境内的一些行为者产生直接影响。我们着眼于在古柯曾经屹立不倒的地方培育和种植豆类的潜力。由于不是所有的豆子都是平等的--在拉丁美洲这一地区通常种植和在市场上销售的是红色的小品种--我们肯定会在整个项目中考虑到当地的偏好。通过这种方式，我们将在需要的地方进行改进，而不是只使用那些最容易培育的品种来耐受压力。

Beans provide a staple food source and economic commodity for farmers across Colombia. They are a major source of protein and mineral nutrition in the diets of the rural poor. However, bean production is at risk from increasing heat and drought stress associated with climate change. Our project examines how climate information can be better used in CIAT's bean breeding program. The result will be improved resilience of beans to climate, and improved access to these improved varieties, thus in turn supporting farm income and the promotion of stability of production. This would protect these fragile communities from fluctuations and shocks within the farming systems. The project is about opportunities as well as challenges. We will focus in part on post-conflict regions, thus having direct impacts on a number of actors within Colombia. We we look at the potential to breed and cultivate beans where coca once stood. Since all beans are not created equal - it is the small, red varieties that are generally cultivated and sold at market in this part of Latin America - we will be sure to take account of local preferences throughout the project. In this way we will deliver improvements where they are needed, rather than using only those varieties that are easiest to breed for stress tolerance.