IPGRI-SSA Networking

SADC Plant Genetic Resources Centre

IPGRI activities in SSA

About the Region
Networks
     Banana
     Regional
     Forestry
National Programmes
Training
Forestry
Specific crops
Conservation & use
Documentation

SPGRC

In the southern African region, the conservation of the indigenous plant genetic resources was highlighted as a priority in the framework of the regional strategy of agricultural research to increase the per-capita agricultural outputs in the region. This was in recognition that the increased use of modern crop cultivars, changes in land use and the disappearance of natural vegetation often linked with rapid agricultural development would be threats to the indigenous plant genetic resources. Following a consultation organized between Southern Africa Centre for the Coordination of Agricultural Research and Training (SACCAR) and IBPGR (Now IPGRI) a sub-regional plant genetic resources programme, SADC Plant genetic Resources Centre (SPGRC) was established over a 20 year period starting in 1988 within the framework of SACCAR, now the sector co-ordinating unit of SADC. The project is fully funded by the Nordic countries during the first 10 years after which member countries would start contributing 10% of the cost, increasing to 100% by the end of the project when the network would be run SADC member countries. IPGRI and Nordic genebank (NGB) provide technical assistance to the project. To date 14 countries are members of the SPGRC. These include Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Seychelles, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The project has established a regional genebank which houses the base collection at the SPGRC in Lusaka, Zambia and national plant genetic resources centres in each member state, each holding their respective active collection. The SPGRC has indeed been very effective in rallying the member countries in engaging in plant genetic resources activities. Various activities from collection, conservation, germplasm multiplication, characterization, evaluation, documentation and utilization have been undertaken. Another area where member countries have benefited much from the network is training and capacity building. During the past 12 years, SPGRC has been training many people in the SADC region at MSc. levels and through short courses. Such training has mostly been carried out at the University of Birmingham, UK and at the Nordic Genebank in Sweden. This training has now created a strong PGR scientific community within the region.

Since its inception, the network has evolved into a more or less autonomous regional organization on plant genetic resources and has set up a number of crop working groups to help develop regional strategies on conservation and use of their respective crop germplasm. The crop working groups include cereals and legumes, in situ and underutilized plants, forage and fodder, vegetables, vegetatively propagated plants, fruits and nuts, and oil seeds and industrial crops. IPGRI and NGB have assisted the work of these crop working groups through providing technical inputs at crop working groups meetings.

Click on the sub-region of interest

Summary and progress

SSA Home Page