Happenings - Is there a Future for Orphan Crops? T

The plant breeding community will continue to be armed not only ▪ Methods are now available to evaluate the genetic with a vast array of data but also with the proper tools worth of the vast genetic resources archived in gene and technologies to decipher and implement the banks and streamline application of these resources in crop improvement programs. [...] But the just a year’s time the impact of these interventions ecology of the landscape is threatened by the conversion could be seen,” says Dr Gete Zeleke, Director of of natural vegetated land to cropland, and continuing the Water and Land Resource Centre (WLRC) in Ethiopia. [...] An important delegation from CORAF – the West and ▪ Increase the resilience of the food production system Central African Council for Agricultural Research and of at least 2 million producers/processors (including Development – visited ICRISAT in Mali to identify 50% of women and 60% of young people) in the 5 partnership avenues for a project funded by targeted countries and more than 10 million i. [...] The Swiss project aims to contribute beneficiaries; to the food, nutritional and economic security of more ▪ Sustainably meet the demand for know-how than 10 million people, including 50% women and 60% (technologies and innovations) of at least 40% of young people in five countries in West and Central Africa. [...] Calls for proposals and the Resilience of Production Systems and Family Farms contracting of selected partners are in the offing and in West and Central Africa) project and its objectives.