Climate-Resilient Bean Seeds for Food Security

Cowpeas were originally domesticated in Africa and are one of the earliest crops to ever be farmed. Their ability to thrive in arid regions with sandy soils and little rainfall have made cowpeas an important crop in much of Africa and Asia. The high protein seeds are traditionally used in stews and curries, or ground into flour or paste. Now, with climate change driving increased heat and drought around the world, vegetables like cowpeas have a more important role to play than ever. 

The initial cowpea project will be implemented in Zimbabwe through our Planetary Pulse partners Seed Programs International (SPI). Working with local growers and partners on the ground, SPI will provide access to improved varieties of cowpea seed, along with promotion and knowledge to empower farming families about the benefits of incorporating these improved varieties into their farming systems.

This cowpea project will enable families and their communities to access the health and environmental benefits of growing pulses (legumes), which include strengthening family nutrition through diet diversification, increasing protein and micronutrient intake, and improving soil fertility when legume crop residues are incorporated back into the soil.

In 2023, the Planetary Pulse Project distributed 33,310 packets of legume seeds to growers and women farmers cooperatives in five countries. We are activey seeking supporters to help us sustain and hopefully scale up the Planetary Pulse Project, based on its success and demand in the first year. Please check out the beautiful year one impact report (attached) to meet some of the growers and farmers in need who received bean seeds in 2023.