Bean farming

The beans are the main staple food and a major source of protein and calories for the population of Rwanda. Because of the limitation on the available agricultural land, the Government of Rwanda has put a lot of emphasis on the promotion of   growing of climbing varieties of beans. It is estimated that between 50,000 to 100,000 hectares in Rwanda are under climbing bean variety.

The production and trade of beans has however not yet been formalised. There is a need to add value to the beans before the farmers sale on the market.

 Varieties of Beans

The following key varieties of beans are grown in Rwanda;

• Climbing beans
• Bush beans

Yields of Beans in Rwanda

The yield of beans can be summarised as follows;

• Climbing Beans give a better yield than bush beans because they are disease and rain tolerant and can be intercropped with other crop like maize.
• The beans take 3months to ripen offering possibility for four planting seasons annually with a hectare yielding 3-4 tonnes each harvesting season.

Disease that Attack the Beans

The diseases that attack beans include the following;

• Anthracnose
• Root rot
• Ascochyta blight

Benefits of bean farming

The benefits are summarised as follows;

• Source of iron and zinc.
• Accounts for 13 percent and 18.72 percent of carbohydrates and lipids.
• Source of income for the farmers.
• They help fix soil nitrogen in the soil
• They curtail soil erosion in sloping areas with heavy rain.

Areas that grow beans in Rwanda

The following are the key districts in Rwanda that grow beans;

• Burera
• Gakenke
• Gicumbi
• Rulindo