In July 1998, the Bean Cowpea CRSP signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Using one-time special funds provided by the Bean/Cowpea CRSP, the collaboration will make it possible for the CRSP to extend its impact into several countries of the southern and eastern Africa region. Activities will include: (1) initial on-station research to test the adaptability of CRSP cowpea storage technologies to environmental conditions in Zambia; (2) establish the effectiveness of the storage technologies (solar heater, triple bagging, and improved ash) against the predominant bruchid in the region, Callosobrucus rhodesianus - this will be done in collaboration with Professor Giga at the University of Zimbabwe; (3) initiate training of scientists/extensionists in the use of the storage technologies. Dr. Laurie Kitch, Plant Production and Protection Officer of the FAO Southern and Eastern Africa region, will be responsible for organizing and implementing the work. In conjunction with this new initiative, Jess Lowenberg-DeBoer and Larry Murdock visited Zimbabwe in February, 1999. Lowenberg-DeBoer also visited Mozambique and made a preliminary assessment of the best locations to begin the extension of the CRSP technologies. His initial hypotheses were: (1) Mozambique is the best site to begin extension activities; (2) efforts need to be made to stimulate the processing of cowpea grain and leaves, which in turn will create the demand necessary to justify increased production of cowpea; (3) there is a substantial existing market for packaged cowpea products; (4) on farm storage of cowpea is a real problem, bruchids being a limiting factor in keeping cowpea grain available; (5) transfer of CRSP cowpea varieties from West Africa into the region may face serious problems, because the diseases of the crop are different and because the uses of the crop - especially consumption of the leaves and green pods - are different than in much of West Africa. A cowpea variety bred in Cameroon by the Purdue/IRAD-Cameroon cowpea storage team is already on its way across the continent. The line, "24-130" doesn't yet have an official name, but that didn't bother scientists at Seed Co Limited, a company based in Harare, Zimbabwe. Seed Co. was particularly impressed by the high return rate in yield-to-seed planted (approximately 200 fold) - having obtained yields of nearly 2 per ha with planting of 10 kg seed. Virus resistance and dual-purpose plant type with high yields of both leaves/fodder and grain were other attractive features for Seed Co. According to Ken Cunliffe, Seed Co cowpea breeder, "in short, I am very impressed with the variety." This development is the result of an initiative by Larry Murdock at Purdue and Laurie Kitch - who led the breeding work in Cameroon, but is now with the FAO Regional Office for Southern and Eastern Africa. They saw the opportunity to put the concept of regionalization of CRSP work into practice, and arranged for seed of CRSP-developed cowpea lines from West Africa to be tested by Seed Co. Seed Co agreed to do the tests, and generously agreed to produce several hundred kilograms of seed of two lines from Cameroon and make that seed available for distribution in Cameroon as well as for testing in southern and eastern Africa. That seed is now in hand and plans are in place for its testing and distribution in both regions. In Zimbabwe, Seed Co is the market leader for seed, and has about 70 percent of the market share of all agricultural seeds. The majority of all sales are in the small-scale communal sector. In addition, Seed Co has branches in Mozambique and Zambia, and is expanding into markets in numerous countries in southern and eastern Africa. It is also exploring the market in Cameroon. Seed Co has formally requested to become a distributor of variety 24-130. The engagement of private sector companies, with efficient distribution systems, will ensure that high quality seed will reach a maximum number of small-scale growers.