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和经济商品。它们是农村贫困人口饮食中蛋白质和矿物质营养的主要来源。然而，豆类生产正面临着与气候变化相关的日益严重的高温和干旱压力的风险。我们的项目研究如何在CIAT的豆类育种计划中更好地利用气候信息。结果将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，从而支持农场收入和促进生产稳定。这将保护这些脆弱的社区免受农业系统内部的波动和冲击。这个项目既是机遇也是挑战。我们将把部分重点放在冲突后地区，从而对哥伦比亚境内的一些行为体产生直接影响。我们着眼于在古柯曾经生长的地方培育和种植豆子的潜力。由于并非所有的豆子都是一样的——在拉丁美洲的这个地区，通常种植和销售的都是小的红色品种——我们在整个项目中一定会考虑到当地的喜好。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耐受性品种。

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.