 Cowpea, also known as black-eyed pea, is widely cultivated in Zimbabwe. This bean feeds humans and animals and is an important cash crop. But global warming has hit local cowpea production and a nuclear technique is being used to make this key food more resilient. Plants mutate naturally, but the beneficial mutations that enable them to adapt to a changing environment can take thousands of years. Scientists can speed up this process by using radiation. Seeds are exposed to gamma rays to generate changes in the plant's DNA. The most promising plant is then selected for further breeding. The IAEA, in partnership with the FAO, has helped Zimbabwe create a new cowpea variety that performs up to 30% better under drought conditions. We can see that with the introduction of these new varieties and new technologies in the cropping of cowpea we have benefited immensely. Now farmers are less at risk of losing their harvest due to unusual weather.