Seed Catalogue of Best Perfoming Varieties of Beans and Finger millet in Hoima Uganda
Food and nutritional security of resource poor farmers globally is increasingly under a serious threat
of climate change. In Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, agricultural production rates are low, exacerbated
by frequent erratic rainfall and droughts due to climate change. The homogenization of agriculture
to single crops or varieties in hope of higher yields, coupled with the associated loss of biodiversity,
has further decreased the resilience of resource-poor farmers. The loss of genetic diversity in farmers’
custody has greatly narrowed the gene pool from which to depend on. In order to help them adapt to
climate change, a project called “Promoting Open Source Seed Systems for Beans, Millet and Sorghum
for Climate Change Adaptation” funded by the Benefit-sharing Fund (BSF) established under the
International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) was implemented
in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. This project increased the availability and diversity of climate-smart
varieties of four important crops, namely beans, forage legumes, finger millet and sorghum through
testing, breeding and production of high quality seeds and increasing access to a wider range of locally
adapted varieties
