Introduction

The problem statement, which defines the rationale for the IPGRI programme in SSA, is:

“The genetic base of plant biodiversity in Africa is being seriously eroded as a result of human and natural causes. The potential of these resources for sustainable use and development is simultaneously grossly unrealized and under-explored.”

IPGRI aims to promote awareness of the importance of conserving and using plant genetic resources in the continent, and to support the development of national programmes and systems in this regard. Given the importance of the continent in terms of plant genetic resources and diversity, and the growing threat to their conservation, IPGRI in SSA is working with national and regional partners to promote conservation and use of PGR in the continent. The Vision and Goal. The vision for the IPGRI SSA programme is stated as:

“Plant genetic resources conservation and use given adequate and significant recognition by SSA countries, and contributing effectively towards keeping ecosystems in ecological balance and sustaining livelihoods and environment.”

The goal of the programme is to ensure that plant genetic resources are conserved and used sustainably for the benefit of present and future generations. IPGRI SSA seeks to contribute toward efforts of countries to develop and implement national and regional strategies and plans for the conservation and sustainable use of their plant genetic resources.

Objectives

The IPGRI SSA strategic plan has two classes of objectives: General Objectives and Strategic Objectives. General Objectives describe the ends that will be achieved as a result of the overall operation of the programme. Specific Objectives are specific to the respective components of the work agenda. These specific objectives will be described under the sections dealing with the respective programme components.

Objective 1: To support countries in sub Saharan Africa to be able to conserve, assess and meet their own plant genetic resource needs.

Objective 2: To strengthen international collaboration in the conservation and use of genetic resources, through involvement in network activities.

Objective 3: To develop and disseminate knowledge and technologies relevant to the improved conservation and use of PGR.

These three general objectives link the IPGRI SSA strategic plan directly to the IPGRI global strategy and logical framework. To meet these objectives, a number of project activities are undertaken within the regional programme.

The Structure of the Regional Project C04

Project C04 (Supporting National Plant Genetic Resources Programmes in sub-Saharan Africa) is seen as the central pillar in the IPGRI-SSA operation. The project consists of seven activities, as shown the table below.

CO4 Project Structure

The project aims to be technically and structurally complementary to other projects in the project portfolio, and to be pro-active in creating cross-project linkages between Thematic Projects and the Regional Project and identifying demand-driven research opportunities with potential for impact to be carried out in the region. All ten Thematic Projects have activities in the region, worked out in a collaborative manner between staff of the Thematic Projects and Regional staff.

A new concept of “Regional Programme”

In the new strategic Plan developed by the IPGRI-SSA group in February 2001, a new concept of “Regional Programme” has been proposed. The regional SSA programme is intended to cover the entire operations within the SSA region. It is therefore seen as including work under CO4 and other thematic Projects operating in the region. The main purpose for this structure is to enhance the cohesiveness of our operations, and be able to look at the issues within the region from a holistic perspective. The concept of CO4 as the ‘regional project’ will continue to be seen as a component of the broader regional programme. Given this new concept of the regional programme, our strategic plan has identified the key programme components and defined specific objectives for each component. A component could consist of activities from a number of IPGRI thematic projects and also from CO4. This new structure thus promotes interaction and integration across projects, and is described further below.

Programme components and strategic objectives

There are six major components to the IPGRI SSA work programme. These define the major blocks of work necessary to be done for the accomplishment of our overall, goal and mission. Each component is further defined by a strategic objective which describes the expected end that will be achieved through that component.

Component 1: Support for institutionalization of national PGR programmes

This component seeks to support the process and structure for the plant genetic resources programme within SSA countries. It has been observed that plant genetic resources conservation and use has not received the necessary recognition in national institutional structures, and this is hampering effective coordination, management and policy support for PGR in respective countries.

Our position on this issue is that if there is to be an effective conservation and use of genetic resources within the SSA region, it must begin from having effective national strategies and programmes on biodiversity conservation and use. Our primary purpose therefore is to support the process of the institutionalisation of plant genetic resources as a key component of national efforts for food security attainment and environmental conservation.

Strategic Objective 1:

To support the institutionalisation of PGR conservation and use in SSA countries, and to develop appropriate frameworks and mechanisms for ensuring effective coordination and management among stakeholder institutions within respective countries.

Component 2: Support to regional PGR and networks

The Global Plan of Action identifies networks as important mechanisms for promoting the collection, conservation, exchange, evaluation and enhancement of crop genetic resources, together with the sharing of information. IPGRI SSA uses networking as one of the major tools for its operation in the continent. Support to networks is therefore a major component of our operations.

Strategic Objective 2:

Functional regional networks, serving as a mechanism for supporting collaborative activities among national PGR programmes, and promoting regional and cross-country dimensions of PGR conservation, management and use, developed and supported.

Component 3: Conservation and use of plant genetic resources (including forest genetic resources

Developing strategies, approaches and methodologies for the conservation and use of plant genetic resources is the core of our activities. It is about finding ways on how to conserve and use the diversity of plants (crops, wild relatives, trees, shrubs, medicinal plants and other wild plants), both at species and genetic levels, so that they are not lost and are maintained in both their original habitats (in situ/on farm) and in collections (ex situ) and are made accessible for use, for the improvement of quality of life. This component therefore includes both crop genetic resources and forest genetic resources. The results of this component feed directly into national programme development and support to regional networks efforts on PGR.

Strategic Objective 3:

To advance the conservation and use of plant genetic resources in sub-Saharan Africa, in an effort to alleviate poverty, attain food security, promote environmental conservation and maintain spiritual and cultural values in the region.

Component 4: Policy and Legislation

National and international policy developments increasingly affect plant genetic resources work. In SSA countries however, awareness of the policy implications on PGR conservation and use amongst both researchers and development workers, is generally weak. Given the increasing importance of policy in influencing the conservation agenda as well as the use and exchange of plant genetic resources, it is considered essential to create more focus on the policy and legislation aspects of PGR, and enhance capacity in this area. Policy has therefore been instituted as a major component of work in IPGRI SSA. The major emphasis in this will be in the area of capacity building and in the area of proprietary rights related to PGR.

Strategic objective 4

Enhance awareness and capacities of national partners and IPGRI SSA Staff in PGR policy and legislation, and support efforts that would lead to development of sound PGR policies in SSA countries.

Component 5: Training and education

Training and education will remain as the basis of our capacity building effort in PGR. Through training, particular skills are imparted to stakeholders involved in PGR conservation and use. This is done through on the job training and through the organization of various targeted training courses. Education, in the context of this programme, refers to the strengthening of capacities in universities and other educational establishments, and their facilitation to offer PGR relevant courses in the institutions.

Strategic objective 5:

To assist countries in SSA to develop the knowledge and skills to assess and meet their needs of the conservation and use of PGR.

Component 6: Information and Documentation in PGR

The sub-Saharan Office for IPGRI does, and will continue to, support and promote computer-based (and other) germplasm documentation and management systems. In addition, the sub-Saharan Office will facilitate the flow of information, if and when this is necessary, appropriate and applicable, through such media and mechanisms as is possible and affordable.

Strategic Objective 6:

To ensure that decision-making on plant genetic resources conservation and use in sub-Saharan Africa is well informed, and that data and information on PGR are well managed and disseminated.

The table shows some of the key activities within each component, and also shows the contribution and interaction between IPGRI thematic projects and the regional project (CO4) to respective components.