IPGRI in sub-Saharan Africa: Regional report - SSA 1999-2000

The sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region comprises 48 sovereign states. Well over 600 million people live in Africa south of Sahara. The vast majority of these people depend directly on the land for their sustenance. Overall, only about 6% of Africa's land is cultivated. Even so, the agricultural sector is the largest source of employment and provides a high percentage of export and foreign currency earnings. In the past, agricultural development has aimed at replacing traditional practices with farming systems based on exotic cash and food crops with chemical inputs, large-scale irrigation and mechanization. More and more, however, it is being recognized that indigenous African farming systems, practices, crops and varieties are finely tuned to prevailing ecological conditions and must largely form the basis of sustainable agricultural development. SSA subsistence farmers are mainly women, who produce more than 75% of the household food through field cropping and home gardening. There is considerable inter- and intraspecific diversity of crops, herbaceous and forestry species. A number of species endemic to the subregion include millet (Pennisetum spp.), sorghum (Sorghum spp.), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), bambara groundnut (V. subterranea), African rice (O. glaberrima), fonio (Digitaria exilis) and yam (Dioscorea spp.), among others. Such endemic species have specific genetic constitutions that confer resistance to diseases and pests, the ability to produce in marginal soils, and resistance to some environmental hazards such as drought. These species are also preferred by the population for their culinary and organoleptic qualities and they hold a key to food security and sustainable development in the subregion. The genetic base of these crops is, however, being seriously eroded, largely as a result of their replacement in the farming systems, climate change, socio-economic factors, natural disasters and armed conflict. Awareness of the importance of conserving and using plant genetic resources increased substantially among scientific and policy-level leaders in SSA during the 1990s. This increased awareness has led to renewed commitment to the conservation of biodiversity. Over 40 countries in SSA submitted reports on the status of conservation and use of their plant genetic resources in preparation for the technical conference. IPGRI collaborated closely with the national programmes to compile the component subregional synthesis reports, which gave the SSA group a clear understanding of the national, subregional and regional priorities in conservation and use. These reports were used to develop a plan of action for IPGRI in the conservation and use of genetic resources in Africa that reflects the elements of the Global Plan of Action (GPA). National programmes on plant genetic resources are considered to be the main elements in a global effort. In SSA, many national programmes in plant genetic resources are generally weak, so IPGRI devotes considerable resources to working with partners in the region to: -facilitate national coordination of plant genetic resources: -develop regional networks on plant genetic resources; -sponsor thematic research and methodology development; -assist in plant genetic resources training and education; -provide information and documentation. This report provides an overview of the progress made by IPGRI and partners in the SSA region for the period 1999–2000. The specific institutions and organizations with which IPGRI collaborates are mentioned in the sections on respective activities.