Annotated
Bibliography Entry
Reference:
de Vries and Toenniessen, 2001
Title: Securing the Harvest: Biotechnology, Breeding and Seed Systems
for African Crops
Authors: de Vries, J. and Toenniessen, G.
Publisher: CAB International, Wallingford, Oxon, UK
Publication details: 2001. 224p.
Summary
Table 1:
Demands
for Improved Breeding of Seven African Crops
Table of Contents
Back
to Monographs page
Summary
One of the many outcomes
of the global media debate on biotechnology has been a heightened level of
awareness, and – one wants to believe – interest in how the food
crops that provide our nutrition are developed, grown, and eventually end up
on our tables. This is a positive outcome for several reasons. First, because
agriculture in the developed world, although playing a huge role in the way we
live, tends to remain out of sight and out of mind for nearly all of us except
the 2 or 3% who are farmers and farm workers. Second, because it has reminded
us that food security is never a resolved issue. One way or another, we have
to keep on producing enough food for 6 billion people today and 8 billion by
2025, or there could be mass starvation. Finally, the debate on biotechnology
has provided spokespersons of the agricultural community with the opportunity
of explaining to the rest of the world just how dependent we already are, with
or without biotechnology, on genetic improvement of food crops and on inputs
such as fertilizer.
As the one remaining
major world region where agriculture has yet to be transformed from
subsistence, low-yield systems dependent on shifting cultivation to efficient,
modern systems capable of producing regular surpluses, the question of crop
improvement is especially important to Africa. Africa is also the sole world
region where many indices of food security have shown a serious decline in
recent years. In the context of continued high population growth and an
increased emphasis on keeping Africa’s unique natural environment intact, it
is clear that crop yields must be substantially and sustainably increased. As
they have in all other parts of the world, more efficient, better-performing
crop varieties can play an important role in achieving this goal.
The study’s Africa
focus reflects a greater emphasis being placed by our Food Security Programme
on that part of the world bypassed by the ‘Green Revolution’. Its
attention to issues ranging from frontier research in biotechnology to
participatory methods of seed dissemination via farmers’ groups reflects a
greater concern with the application of science to the needs of the poor that
result in real, positive changes in their lives and livelihoods.
The title of Part I of
this book, Biotechnology, Breeding, and Seed Systems for African Crops:
Re-thinking a 10,000-year-old Challenge, reflects what is an ambitious
attempt by the authors to encapsulate in a brief format our current
understanding of the nature of the task of extending better-performing crop
varieties to Africa’s farmers. While it is clear that any one group can only
focus on selected portions of this process, it is hoped that the opportunities
identified can mobilize additional resources and generate new partnerships
that cover the full scope of the challenge ahead.
The authors foresee need
for gaining a greater understanding of agro-ecologies in Africa and for the
application of participatory methods as well as biotechnology. By generating
new crop varieties with greater yield stability, greater productivity and
greater local acceptability, and by getting the new genetic resources into
farmers’ hands through more responsive seed systems, they believe increased
food security can be attained.
Back
to top
Table
1. Demands for Improved Breeding of Seven African Crops
|
Maize
|
Sorghum
|
Pearl
millet
|
Rice
|
Cowpea
|
Cassava
|
Banana
|
|
Drought
resistance
|
Resistance
to downy mildew
|
Resistance
to downy mildew
|
Drought
tolerance
|
Virus
resistance
|
Early
bulking stress resistant
|
Develop |
|
Nutrient
use efficiency
|
Phosphorous
acquisition efficiency
|
Resistance
to low phosphorous soils
|
Increased
national breeding
|
National
breeding |
Improved
root quality
|
Identification
of useful markers for breeding |
|
Multiple
resistance to foliar diseases and ear rot
|
Insect
resistance
|
Resistance
to head miners
|
Increased
Understanding of rice agro-ecologies
|
Insect
resistance
|
Improve
|
Multi-location
testing for improved varieties
|
|
Resistance
to stem borers
|
Resistance
to anthraxcnose
|
Development
of non-traditional hybrids
|
Rapid
Deployment of line with resistance to major pests
|
Transformation
and gene expression systems
|
Pest
and disease resistance
|
Further
research on banana streak virus
|
|
Postharvest
resistance to insect pests
|
Pest/disease
complexes
|
Bird
resistance
|
Increased
capacity in molecular breeding
|
Identification
of resistance
|
Decentralisation
of cassava breeding |
|
|
Striga
resistance
|
Striga
resistance
|
Striga
resistance
|
|
Improved
nutritional characteristics
|
Improved
nutritional characteristics
|
|
|
|
Heterosis
|
Study
of farmer varietal preferences
|
|
Gene
flow studies
|
Characterization
breeding
environments
|
|
|
|
Seed
systems
|
|
|
|
|
|
Back to top
Table
of Contents
Acknowledgements
Foreword
Executive
Summary
Part I: Biotechnology, Breeding, and Seed Systems for African crops:
Re-thinking a 10,000-year-old challenge
Chapter
1. Introduction and Summary
Introduction
Summary
Chapter
2. The Challenge
2.1 Overview
2.2 A Myriad of Production Constraints
2.3 Africa’s Diverse Cropping Landscape
2.4 A Seed Sector ‘Dominated by Market Failure’
2.5 Policies and Institutions are Critical to the Success of Crop Improvement
2.6 The Soil Fertility Problem
2.7 What, Then, is Needed?
Chapter
3. The Roots of Hunger
Chapter
4. Breeding – Between an Art and a Science
4.1
Overview
4.2 Aims and Contributions of Plant Breeding
4.3 Crop Improvement’s Counter Arguments
4.4 Farmer Participation in Crop Improvement
4.5 Crop Improvement’s Ground Zero: National Breeding Programmes
4.6 Applied Science Powerhouses: International Agricultural Research Centres
4.7 Building Linkages Within a Continuum of Crop Improvement Activities
4.8 Managing the Complexity of Adaptation
4.9 An Emerging Paradigm for Breeding in Africa
4.10 Africa Breeding Challenges Summary
Chapter
5. Biotechnology: Expanded Possibilities
5.1 Overview
5.2 Areas of Plant Biotechnology Research
5.3 The Interface Between Biotechnology and Breeding
5.4 Biotechnology in Africa
5.5 Biotechnology for African Crops: Challenges Summary
5.6 The Potential of Apomixis
5.7 Intellectual Property Rights
Chapter
6. Seed Systems: Reaching the Poor in Numbers
6.1
Overview
6.2 Issues in Seed Supply
6.3 Sustainable Supply of Seed in Africa
6.4 Seed Policy and Seed Regulatory Structures
6.5 African Seed Systems Challenges Summary
Chapter
7. Conclusions
Part
II: Exploring New Strategies for Improving Africa’s Food Crops
Chapter
8. Maize
8.1
Brief History of Maize Cultivation and Utilization in Africa
8.2 Maize Production Levels and Trends in Africa
8.3 Maize Production Constraints
8.4 Maize Improvement Through Breeding and Biotechnology
8.5 Principal Challenges for Maize Improvement in Africa
8.6 Maize Seed Systems
8.7 Review of Priority Areas of Research and Development
Chapter
9. Sorghum
9.1 Brief
History of Sorghum Cultivation and Utilization in Africa
9.2 Sorghum Production Levels and Trends in Africa
9.3 Sorghum Production Constraints
9.4 Sorghum Improvement Through Breeding and Biotechnology
9.5 Principal Challenges for Sorghum Improvement in Africa
9.6 Sorghum Seed Systems
9.7 Review of Priority Areas of Research and Development
Chapter
10. Pearl Millet
10.1
Brief History of Millet Cultivation and Utilization in Africa
10.2 Millet Production Levels and Trends in Africa
10.3 Millet Production Constraints
10.4 Millet Improvement Through Biotechnology and Breeding
10.5 Principal Challenges for Millet Improvement in Africa
10.6 Millet Seed Systems
10.7 Review of Priority Areas of Research and Development
Chapter
11. Rice
11.1
Brief History of Rice Cultivation and Utilization in Africa
11.2 Rice Production Trends in Africa
11.3 Rice Production Constraints
11.4 Rice Improvement Through Biotechnology and Breeding
11.5 Principal Challenges for Rice Improvement in Africa
11.6 Rice Seed Systems
11.7 Review of Priority Areas of Research and Development
Chapter
12. Cowpea
12.1
Brief History of Cowpea Cultivation and Utilization in Africa
12.2 Cowpea Production Levels and Trends in Africa
12.3 Cowpea Production Constraints
12.4 Cowpea Improvement Through Biotechnology and Breeding
12.5 Cowpea Seed Systems
12.6 Review of Priority Areas of Research and Development
Chapter
13. Cassava
13.1
Brief History of Cassava Cultivation and Utilization in Africa
13.2 Cassava Production Levels and Trends in Africa
13.3 Cassava Production Constraints
13.4 Cassava Improvement Through Biotechnology and Breeding
13.5 Principal Challenges for Cassava Improvement in Africa
13.6 Cassava Seed Systems
13.7 Review of Priority Areas of Research and Development
Chapter
14. Banana
14.1
Brief History of Banana Cultivation and Utilization in Africa
14.3 Banana Production Constraints
14.4 Banana Improvement Through Biotechnology and Breeding
14.5 Principal Challenges for Banana Improvement in Africa
14.6 Banana Seed Systems
14.7 Review of Priority Areas of Research and Development
Appendix
A:
Production (1000 t) of principal food crops in sub-Saharan Africa, 1997
Appendix
B: Per capita
production (kg per person) of principal food crops in sub-Saharan Africa, 1997
References
Index
Back to top
Website: http://www.cabi-publishing.org/Bookshop/book_detail.asp?isbn=0851995640
New Genetics, Food &
Agriculture: Scientific Discoveries - Societal Dilemmas