Heat-tolerant beans a lifeline for developing countries

A key global source of protein has received a lifeline, as bean breeders with the CGIAR global agriculture research partnership have discovered 30 new types of ‘heat-beater’ beans that could prevent production from crashing due to rising temperatures in large swathes of bean-dependent Latin America and Africa. 

“This discovery could be a big boon for bean production because we are facing a dire situation where, by 2050, global warming could reduce areas suitable for growing beans by 50%,” said Steve Beebe, a senior CGIAR bean researcher.

“Incredibly, the heat-tolerant beans we tested may be able to handle a worst-case scenario where the build-up of greenhouse gases causes the world to heat up by an average of 4°C. Even if they can only handle a 3°C rise, that would still limit the bean production area lost to climate change to about 5%,” he said.

Often called the ‘meat of the poor’ for the affordable protein it provides, the crop is a vital foundation of food security for more than 400 million people in the developing world. Beans are a highly nutritious food, offering protein, fibre, complex carbohydrates, vitamins and other micronutrients. In addition to heat tolerance, CGIAR experts are simultaneously breeding for higher iron content to enhance the beans’ nutritional value.

Among the beans found to be especially heat tolerant was one that was recently introduced into commercial production in Nicaragua, chiefly because of its performance in drought conditions. Tested in dry conditions in Costa Rica, it yielded more than twice the amount of beans compared to what farmers were currently cultivating. Beebe said scientists now have evidence that the superior performance was due not just to drought tolerance but also heat tolerance.

CGIAR is a global research partnership that advances science and technology to reduce rural poverty, increase food security, improve nutrition and health and ensure the sustainable management of natural resources.