New African consortium on cereals, legumes to fill resources gap in plant breeding

Africa is the center of origin and also a major producer of several cereals like sorghum, pearl millet, finger millet, teff and African rice. Another major cereal, maize, has overtaken these traditional cereals while wheat is widely cultivated in North Africa and in Sudan and Ethiopia. Agriculture is the ‘engine for growth’ in Africa. But […]

Africa is the center of origin and also a major producer of several cereals like sorghum, pearl millet, finger millet, teff and African rice. Another major cereal, maize, has overtaken these traditional cereals while wheat is widely cultivated in North Africa and in Sudan and Ethiopia. Agriculture is the ‘engine for growth’ in Africa.

But which are the major cereals of concern in Africa? Such include rice, maize, millet, sorghum and wheat. The Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Organisation lists common pea as the world’s most important legume for human consumption. The other major legumes in Africa include cowpea, chickpea, groundnut, faba bean, pigeon pea and soybean.

Currently, the continent’s cereals and legumes face a wide range of challenges in the production of its major cereals and legumes.

Key among these challenges is the impact of climate change; land degradation and persistent biotic and abiotic stresses; rapid population growth across Africa and associated difficulty in meeting the projected demand for food.

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Not left behind is poor mechanization given that the low level of mechanization in African agriculture has continued to serve as a huge impediment towards advancing cereal production, especially of wheat and rice which, in turn, results in the high cost of producing these crops.

Dwindling financial resources for research and development; inadequate or weak policy environment also contribute immensely to the woes of producing legumes and cereals. Most government policies are inappropriate and inconsistent, and do not provide an enabling environment for the development of the cereal sector in Africa.

It is with this background that the African Seed Trade Association and Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) Clearinghouse have come together to form the African Cereal and Legume Breeding Consortium (ACLBC). This new platform aims at fostering partnerships on the crops breeding will focus on collaboration and investment by the private sector.

While addressing delegates at the 24th African Seed Trade Association Annual Congress on March 5, in Mombasa, Dr. Solomon Gizaw, Head of the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) Clearinghouse, said that the consortium will enable sharing genetic resources and breeding techniques to superior crop varieties.

With a focus on collaboration and investment, this consortium seeks to enhance farm-level productivity and contribute to economic growth by leveraging the strengths of both the public and private sectors,” said Yacouba.

ACLBC has been established by a partnership between the African Seed Trade Association (AFSTA) and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) through the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) Programme, as an integral part of the AfDB Feed Africa Strategy the focal emphasis of such a consortium is multifaceted.

Primarily, it enables sharing genetic resources and breeding techniques to superior crop varieties. Private sector participants invest in crop breeding research, seed multiplication and distribution channels, which facilitate farmer access to seeds of improved crop varieties by farmers more rapidly than the public programmes alone could achieve.

The consortium also serves as an incubator for innovation in plant breeding technologies, harnessing cutting-edge techniques like molecular breeding. Moreover, it creates commercial opportunities for businesses involved in agri-inputs production and marketing with reference to seeds, agrochemicals, farming equipment, and other related services.

Benefits of joining the consortium

In order to join the consortium, private seed companies must be members of AFSTA.

“Non-profit organisations like research institutes and universities can only join ACLBC if International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) invites them; however, they cannot be full members,” added Dr Gizaw.

Every year, he noted, members can request for seeds of up to three different types of crops, such as Maize, Rice, Wheat, Sorghum, Millet, Soybean, and particular crops, including the High Iron Bean (HIB), as long as those seeds are available and can be moved safely between countries.

“Upon receiving the seeds, members will have the sole rights to use them for two years, but this is based on agreements over intellectual property and testing with the technology providers. The seeds can only be requested after all export and quarantine protocols have been met,” said Dr Gizaw.

Various delegates at the Congress observed that the formation of breeding consortium, represents a contemporary step towards an integrated approach that builds on years of experience in plant breeding, agronomic research and seed system development within Africa.

Attracting the private sector has its advantages. It can bring much-needed financial resources, management expertise, efficiency in operations, and quick releases of new products due to motives driven by sustainability and competitive markets. Additionally, the private sector brings a market-driven approach that can help ensure that the varieties bred meet consumer preferences and, hence, have a higher adoption rate.

However, the private sector involvement can lead to prioritising profit over the needs of subsistence farmers and neglecting less profitable crops essential for local communities’ resilience but with appropriate coordination and extensive consultations among partners, such possibilities should be mitigated. Only then will Africa benefit from the new consortium.