By Maxwell Chivasa
With today’s prevalent droughts and the general decline in rainfall in arid and semi-arid parts of southern Africa, coupled with environmental degradation and neglect of indigenous food plant species, a wide range of plants are threatened with extinction.
Some plants used as food for animals and human beings and even medicinal purposes have disappeared.
Southern Africa is rich in indigenous and introduced plant genetic resources but these are threatened by genetic erosion.
Concerned about the possible total loss of a wide diversity of wild and cultivated, indigenous and exotic plant species and the inevitable desert encroachments, Southern African Development Community (SADC) member, states have set up national plant genetic resource centres.
In southern Africa and globally, there is awareness of the dangers of the loss of weak plant species that cannot stand long periods of drought and have responded by setting up gene-banks where they can “withdraw” seeds to reprogate when drought conditions improve.
Some member states of SADC have had foresight and set up programmes and policies for plant genetic resources centres, with the help of the main SADC Plant Genetic Resources Centre (SPGRC) in Lusaka, Zambia. The centre runs a mammoth gene-bank programme for the region to conserve and promote use of plant genetic resources.
SPGRC, set up by SADC member states in 1989, coordinates the inventory, collection, characterisation, evaluation, rejuvenation, multiplication and documentation of indigenous and exotic plant genetic resources in this region.
This programme, initiated by the Southern African Centre for Cooperation in Agricultural and Natural Resources, Research and Training (SACCAR) with financial support from the Nordic countries, has now assumed greater importance as it works with member states in the preparation of a southern Africa regional synthesis report on the state of plant genetic resources.
The SPGRC could not have been more important now when countries throughout the world are taking stock of plant genetic resources material to prepare sub-regional contributions to what will culminate into a Report on the State of the World’s Plant Genetic Resources and Global Plan of Action.
SPGRC has already secured funding to the tune of US$35,4million, with an estimated input ofUS$20, 6 million from the Nordic donors and US$14, 8 million in kind and cash from SADC member states during the first 20 years. Through bilateral funding between SADC member states and individual Nordic countries other funds will be available for the national plant genetic resource centres activities.
A number of sub-regional preparatory meetings have been taking place throughout the world to come up with sub-regional synthesis reports for presentation at the final worldwide conference, International Technical Conference and Programme for Plant Genetic Resources, in Leipzig, Germany, from 17 to 23 June 1996.
SADC members states’ preparatory meeting for the Fourth International Technical Conference on Plant Genetic Resource for Southern Africa held in Kadoma, Zimbabwe recently, offered the opportunity for putting together one of the most comprehensive reports on plant genetic resources from this region.
The director of SPGRC, Dr G Y Mkamanga commented: “Some countries in Africa or in other continents are not as integrated in their programmes as we are in southern Africa and as a result will not find it as easy as we did in compiling such a report.”
Dr Mkamanga warned that because of deforestation, land degradation, selection pressure and breeding, the SADC region is experiencing the erosion of plant genetic resources.
“Some conservation measures have been started in order to reverse this trend. The SADC SPGRC is coordinating all activities involving in-situ and ex-situ conservation in the region through a network of national plant genetic resources centres,” said Dr Mkamanga.
Southern Africa’s environment deteriorated due to deforestation for hardwood timber and for commercial and large scale farming. In some countries traditional smallholder farmers were relocated on marginal land on which human and livestock pressure also led to massive deforestation and land degradation.
The indigenous crops on which agriculture was historically based in the region were gradually marginalised especially by crops from the new world such as maize, beans, groundnuts, potatoes, cassava and pumpkins.
The indigenous species like sorghum (adaptable), pearl millet, finger millet and bambara nuts were now grown on a very small scale mainly to maintain tradition and are in danger of genetic erosion as farmers resort to the high yielding varieties.
Other causes of genetic erosion are the frequent droughts, flooding, changes in land use, over-grazing of grasslands especially in dry areas and repeated late bush fires.
For some it takes a lot of convincing that a wide variety of species can be lost totally, but the SPGRC is not taking chances in conserving genetic resources for future generations who, without such a centre, might not see or use some of the plants being destroyed today.
And recommendations from the international technical conference to be held in Germany in June, will also help strengthen and enhance gene banks for SADC countries and other regional groupings worldwide. (SARDC)
