In Kenya, the agriculture sector contributes 29.3% to GDP and accounts for 80 % of national employment. Kenyan exports of fine beans to the EU and UK account for 70% of all vegetables and 21% of horticultural exports. About 60% of fine bean exports are produced by >50,000 Kenyan smallholder farmers acting as outgrowers for commercial farms. It is a crop with great potential to address food insecurity, income generation and poverty alleviation in the region. Total production is approximately 62,400 t p.a., however with 60% pack-out (40% rejects) total exports are circa 37,400 t p.a. ‘Soiling’ of beans via rainsplash accounts for >25% of these rejects. This is due to direct yield losses associated with splash transfer of plant pathogens and bean quality defects due to fungal and bacterial pathogens. Latent infection can also result in further post-harvest storage losses. This project will implement spray innovations based on anionic polyacrylamides (PAM) to minimise soiling. This will reduce yield losses & wastage and increase farm income. Field validation will be undertaken on Vegpro Kenya’s commercial farms and with selected outgrowers. Effective dissemination through Vegpro’s existing knowledge exchange pathways will facilitate rapid adoption by 5,000 smallholders that supply into Vegpro

Climate models predict that yields of major crops in Africa will decline by up to 8% by 2020 and 10-20% by 2050. Higher temperatures, exacerbated by decreasing water availability for irrigation, will become the primary threat to fine and runner bean production. New varieties and improved growing practices that increase resilience to combined stresses are needed. Vegpro (Kenya) Ltd (VP) are a major exporter of fine and runner beans, grown both on commercial farms that employ 8,000 local workers, and on 5,000 outgrower sites across Kenya. In hot dry months (Jan-March, July-Sept), a combination of heat and drought stress can reduce yields by 20-30%, and since current mitigation strategies are inconsistent and ineffective, overall losses can reach 50-60% due to a failure to meet commercial product specifications. Lost revenue to VP is estimated at £8.6M p.a., and for VP's 5,000 outgrowers, losses of 33% of annual income are commonplace. We will develop innovative practical solutions that improve plant productivity by 20% and reduce waste by 40% under combined heat and drought stress, generating additional income for the consortium and VP’s outgrowers of £6.6M p.a.. Project outputs will accelerate sustainable intensification on large- and small-holder farms in a changing climate, increasing local food and job security, and improving well-being and social harmony.

Delivering consistent supplies of high quality fresh produce is a significant challenge for Kenya’s fresh veg. growers. Yields of beans range from 5 to 50T/ha and up to 40% of produce is of poor quality, due to ineffective irrigation and soil-borne diseases. A 12% increase in average yield and a 20% reduction in waste would raise Class 1 yields by 978T/year; this would generate an extra £3.2M/year, increase food security and improve soil management practices. We will: 1) Develop irrigation scheduling tools to improve consistency of cropping; 2) Identify effects of biocontrol agents on soil pathogens and soil microbiome 3) Determine effects of soil water availability on incidence and severity soil pathogens and efficacy of biocontrol agents; 4) Develop integrated control measures to improve Class 1 yields, quality and shelf-life; 5) Promote benefits of precision irrigation and biocontrol at workshops/on-farm demos; 6) Assess social and economic impacts of outputs and implement sustainability improvement plans.