Plant breeders at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) have (re-)discovered a vintage bean variety – the tepary, once grown by native Americans in the southwest US and Mexico in hot and arid climates. Researchers are crossing these with modern beans to create heat-tolerant varieties, as beans are extremely sensitive to higher temperatures, making them particularly vulnerable to climate change. Scientists are also breeding some of the new heat-resistant varieties to be higher in iron, to help alleviate malnutrition. In Africa, the heat-resistant bean will likely be a boon to Malawi, DRC, Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya. However, it may take two to four years to test, certify, and distribute the seeds widely.

Meanwhile, the Independent concluded its series exploring the GMO debate (which included articles “The future of GM: A future decided by a rogue report and ill-health”, “Inside the greenhouses where Monsanto ‘plays God’ with the future of the planet”, “Monsanto chief admits ‘hubris’ is to blame for public fears over GM “) with a he-said-she-said dialogue between Claire Robinson of GMWatch and environmentalist and GM proponent Mark Lynas.

In Africa, developments include a new bill that protects plant breeding in Rwanda; news that Ugandan farmers are beginning to grow a profitable plantain banana in order to stop over-reliance on imports from the Democratic Republic of Congo; and plans for the construction of a state-of-the-art agricultural university in Tanzania.

From the B4FA Fellows, Noah Nash reports on a USAID Ghana–sponsored fair that calls on farmers to adopt smart technologies. Ojomo Akor writes from Nigeria abouta farmer who is commercializing fish feed made from locally sourced agricultural wastes. From Uganda, Michael Ssali asks “Climate change: What is it and how does it affect agriculture?” and Lominda Afedraru reports on scientists breeding rice that can grow on less nitrogen, in drought.

As ever, we hope you enjoy this week’s issue, and look forward to receiving your questions, comments, contributions and story links at [email protected] Thank you for joining us!

Biosciences & plant genetics around the world