Summary

Common bean is an important source of dietry protein and starch in Africa and a primary staple in parts of the Great Lakes Region. Tanzania remains one of the worlds ’ major bean producing countries although according to official statistics, production per capita has almost halved in the last 20 years. The main international bean improvement programmes are run by the Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical [CIAT] from Colombia and by the Collaborative Research Support Programme [CRSP] co-ordinated by the Land Grant Universities in the USA. CIAT also maintains the world’s largest collection of Phaseolus germplasm. The National Bean Programme in Tanzania is supported by both CIAT and CRSP. Collaboration between these international programmes and the National Programme has resulted in the release of more than 20 improved bean varieties. The paper reviews the development of bean improvement programmes in Tanzania since 1959, the contribution made by the international programmes and the strategies used to develop high-yielding bean varieties with resistance to pests and diseases and tolerance to some edaphic stress factors