Status of Faba Bean (Vicia faba L.) in the Mediterranean and East African Countries

Abstract

Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) was first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent of the Near East. It ranks fourth among the cool season food legumes and is now grown in more than 66 countries. Faba bean is a versatile crop; besides being an important source of protein for food and feed, it offers many services for the ecosystem. The Mediterranean and East African countries account for nearly 32% of the global faba bean production. However, the interest in growing faba bean in these countries does not seem to meet their demand even though it is a crop of great economic and social importance there and it is well adapted to Mediterranean-like environments and to the Highlands of subtropical environments. Numerous factors affect the production of faba bean in the Mediterranean and East African countries including the limited financial support that is posing a challenge to the crop improvement for the major production and adoption constraints such as the biotic and abiotic stresses and the antinutritional components. While major achievements have been made toward the development of faba bean varieties having desired traits, there is still a lot of work to be done. The high level of genetic diversity in faba bean accessions and the available molecular markers will considerably help tighten the gap between the production and the demand in the Mediterranean and East African region.