Beans are the most important legume for human consumption in the world. They are estimated to be the second most important source of dietary protein and the third most important source of calories. It is estimated that about 20 million MT of beans are produced annually with a market value of US $10 billion (FAOSTAT, 2012). The leading countries in the production of beans in 2010 by volume were India, Brazil, Myanmar, USA and China. In Africa, the leading producers of beans are Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya whose production volumes in 2010 were estimated at 950,000MT, 455,000MT and 390,598MT respectively.

In 2010, Uganda was ranked second highest producer of beans after Tanzania in the East Africa Community region. Beans provide 25% of the total dietary calorie intake and 45% of the protein intake. They are also a major source of complex carbohydrates, essential micronutrients, dietary fibre, vitamin B and antioxidants in the nutritionally challenged diets of both the rural and urban poor. For centuries, beans have been produced mainly for food security at household level but currently producers are producing beans as a major source income security.

Given the importance of beans, this report uses Value Chain and SWOT analysis approaches to understand what the situation of the bean sub-sector in Uganda  in terms of production, marketing and consumption and also map the different actors in the bean value chain.