Articles
Traditional vegetables: improvement and development in sub-Saharan Africa at AVRDC – The World Vegetable Center
Article number
1102_2
Pages
21 – 28
Language
English
Abstract
Traditional vegetables play an important role in Africa, not only as a source of food and nutritional security but also as income generating high value crops, especially for women.
However, they have not been given sufficient emphasis in national agricultural policies and strategies, and the untapped potential in these neglected and underutilized crops species has not been sufficiently exploited.
Farmers have been the sole curators and developers of these crops with little or no support and encouragement from their respective countriesRSQUO research and development organizations.
The situation has improved recently, as interest increases from public institutions, the scientific research community, non-governmental organizations and the seed sector.
AVRDC NDASH The World Vegetable Center, as the only international vegetable research and development center, has been involved in improvement and conservation of traditional vegetables at many locations around the globe.
The CenterRSQUOs program in sub-Saharan Africa started with the establishment of the Regional Center for Africa in Arusha, Tanzania in 1992. Since then, a number of activities have been conducted in collaboration with national agricultural research and extension systems, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations.
An increasing number of breeding lines have been developed, and improved cultivars have been released recently by different countries and by seed companies.
Achievements in technology development and dissemination, capacity building, and the likely future direction of research for traditional vegetables in sub-Saharan Africa are presented in this paper.
However, they have not been given sufficient emphasis in national agricultural policies and strategies, and the untapped potential in these neglected and underutilized crops species has not been sufficiently exploited.
Farmers have been the sole curators and developers of these crops with little or no support and encouragement from their respective countriesRSQUO research and development organizations.
The situation has improved recently, as interest increases from public institutions, the scientific research community, non-governmental organizations and the seed sector.
AVRDC NDASH The World Vegetable Center, as the only international vegetable research and development center, has been involved in improvement and conservation of traditional vegetables at many locations around the globe.
The CenterRSQUOs program in sub-Saharan Africa started with the establishment of the Regional Center for Africa in Arusha, Tanzania in 1992. Since then, a number of activities have been conducted in collaboration with national agricultural research and extension systems, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations.
An increasing number of breeding lines have been developed, and improved cultivars have been released recently by different countries and by seed companies.
Achievements in technology development and dissemination, capacity building, and the likely future direction of research for traditional vegetables in sub-Saharan Africa are presented in this paper.
Authors
F.F. Dinssa, T. Stoilova, N. Nenguwo, A. Aloyce, A. Tenkouano, P. Hanson, J.DA. Hughes, J.D.H. Keatinge
Keywords
awareness creation, capacity building, germplasm conservation, germplasm development, seed systems, technology deployment, cultivar release
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