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AGRA

Seeds of Capacity Building in Africa's Agriculture

May 22, 2007
SciDev.Net
By Michael Malakata
Summary/excerpts

An article in the British, not-for-profit online journal SciDev.Net says, 'Success in preventing food shortages in Africa will be achieved only if farmers maintain a wealth of seed diversity that can cope with ever-changing rainfall patterns.'

The article goes on to say:

Seed banks have been identified as part of the solution. They preserve seed diversity, and can provide the raw genetic material to develop improved plant varieties.

In April this year, the Global Crop Diversity Trust and the United Nations Foundation announced a joint initiative to safeguard 21 of the world's most critical foods crops by preserving their seeds.

In describing the role foundations are playing in the process to improve agricultural output among small sub-Saharan African farms, the article says:

Current initiatives are not just about saving current crops ? there are also plans to improve them.

A new partnership between the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation has allocated US$150 million to improving seeds ? including cassava, millet and sorghum ? through conventional breeding to increase their yields and make them suitable for Africa's unpredictable rainfall patterns.

This work will decrease farmers' dependence on hybrid maize seeds, which need sufficient rainfall to grow and already do not yield enough maize.

The partnership is working with policymakers in African governments, nongovernmental organisations, African centres of excellence and donors to bring about a green revolution.

At the Rockefeller Foundation meeting on biotechnology, breeding and seed systems for African crops on 26 March this year, Venancio Massingue, Mozambican minister of science and technology said, "Seed breeding is key to the modernisation of our economies through agriculture, and to providing jobs both in rural and urban areas."

The article concludes with the editorial message that...

In an era where economies are driven by scientific and technological developments, no single country in African can ignore science and still expect to thrive.

The continent of Africa has the basics ? land and water ? to produce enough food for its people. Combined with initiatives to train scientists, develop seeds and improve farmer's access to this technology ? with support from African policymakers ? the battle against hunger in Africa could be won.

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Photo credit: CIMMYT

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