Bean consumption and production in Sub-Saharan Africa. A preliminary review

Bean production trends during 1962-81 in Africa and the structure of bean production in some major African producers are briefly analyzed; consumer preferences and marketing issues are also reviewed. Sub-Saharan Africa is second only to Latin America among the world's leading producing regions of Phaseolus vulgaris. Eastern Africa is the leading Sub-Saharan region in terms of land devoted to dry bean production, followed by the Great Lakes Region and Southern Africa. In both Africa and Latin America, beans are typically produced in small farms, much of the time in mixed cropping systems. In Africa, beans are produced as a subsistence crop and input use is almost always negligible. Available information on bean cropping systems in Rwanda, Malawi, Tanzania, and Kenya is briefly summarized. Typically, African consumers appear to readily accept mixtures of bean grain types of varying colors, shapes, and sizes. In most countries, it appears that large beans are preferred, especially red, than red mottled, pinkish or purple grain types, although yellows and whites are also accepted in some regions. Beans are also consumed as a fresh vegetable in the form of young green leaves. (CIAT)