‘Kikatiti’ to Expand Pinto Bean Production and Consumption in East Africa

Tanzania is the largest dry bean producer in East Africa, but production is primarily subsistence scale with low inputs and average yields. The pinto bean market class is growing in East Africa, but expansion is hampered by a general lack of genetic diversity available in adapted germplasm for breeding improved pinto bean cultivars.

To increase genetic diversity in developing improved cultivars, a collaborative group of researchers examined pinto germplasm accessions from North America for agronomic performance across multiple years and locations in Tanzania. They identified several accessions with high yields and further tested them in on‐farm trials in Tanzania for potential release. A pinto from the dry bean breeding program at the University of Nebraska Agricultural Research Division with exceptional performance was released by the Tanzanian National Seed Committee as ‘Kikatiti’ in 2024. Kikatiti exhibits high yield potential and broad adaptation across the region, upright architecture, resistance to multiple diseases, and good seed quality.

Kikatiti will contribute to the expansion of pinto bean production and consumption across Eastern Africa and help to improve livelihoods of small‐scale farmers in the region.