IPGRI activities in SSA
About the Region
Networks
Banana
Regional
Forestry
National Programmes
Training
Forestry
Specific crops
Conservation & use
Documentation
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Summary of progress |
 The SADC Plant Genetic Resources Centre (SPGRC) was
established in 1989 to promote and coordinate a regional network of plant
genetic resources. SADC is a conglomeration of southern African states
belonging to the Southern Africa Development Community. It is based in Lusaka,
Zambia. Member countries are Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of
Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa,
Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. As the first of its kind in the
region, and in the midst of challenges, constraints, opportunities and
diversity, the centre has been able to register successes that can be a
showcase for similar initiatives in the region, while at the same highlighting
experiences that will need to be avoided to ensure success.
SPGRC, from its inception, received funding from
the Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and the
SADC countries. This funding arrangement spans twenty years, with the
contributions from the Nordic benefactors progressively decrementing while
that from the SADC partners increasing correspondingly, to the extent that
after the project phase, all funding will be from the SADC countries. The
Nordic genebank provided consultancy while IPGRI, the International Plant
Genetic Resources Institute, has, in the ten-plus-year lifetime of the centre,
provided research support and scientific backstopping, supplied publications
and other informational material, as well as given material support.
The centre is an effective hub for plant genetic
resources in the sub-region and is responsible for maintaining base
collections for member countries while the specific national programmes
maintain their active collections. To functionalize its operations, it has
evolved mechanisms that ensure a coherent approach to the activities across
the countries. Annual work plans and budgets are charted, and progress
reviewed, in participatory fora. Regional crop working groups (RCWG) have been established to give technical advice to
the centre. The SPGRC documentation and information system (SDIS) was developed at the centre, and is now installed and in use at
all the national plant genetic resources centres (NPGRCs).
Governed by a Board comprising one member from
each participating country, within the framework of a ministerial memorandum
of understanding, the SPGRC has had many tangible benefits. It has developed
protocols for germplasm handling or adopted internationally recognized ones.
Great emphasis has also been placed on capacity building, with an average of
three persons per country trained to Master of Science level, and many more
have benefited from many short hands-on courses on plant genetic resources.
Public awareness has been created on the need to conserve and use plant
genetic resources, and the collection and documentation of indigenous
knowledge, innovations and practices actively promoted. The centre has been
very instrumental in stimulating debate on issues of access to genetic
resources, bio-safety and equitable sharing of the benefits that emanate from
the exploitation of plant genetic resources.
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