Securing the Harvest: Biotechnology, Breeding and Seed Systems for African Crops

Securing the Harvest: Biotechnology, Breeding and Seed Systems for African Crops

by J deVries, The Rockefeller Foundation, Nairobi, Kenya; G Toenniessen, The Rockefeller Foundation, New York, USA

Pub Date: November 2001
Paperback
224 pages

Readership
Plant breeding, biotechnology, and policy-making in the area of agricultural development.

Main Description
Improved food security, led by increased productivity among Africa’s many small-scale farmers, has been the aim of significant national and international effort in recent decades.
This book grew out of a two-year exploration conducted by the food security theme of The Rockefeller Foundation focusing on the potential for crop genetic improvement to contribute to food security among rural populations in Africa. It provides a critical assessment of the ways in which recent breakthroughs in biotechnology, participatory plant breeding, and seed systems can be broadly employed in developing and delivering more productive crop varieties in Africa’s diverse agricultural environments.

Reviews
• "The easy and without jargon technical writing allows this book to be read by under-graduate students. The information provided and the provacative thoughts throughout its sections make Securing the Harvest mandatory reading. This should include international and national researchers, development investors, and aid workers aiming to improve food security, protect the environment and alleviate poverty in rural Africa".
Rodomiro Ortiz, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Nigeria

Main Contents
Part 1: Biotechnology, Breeding and Seed Systems for African Crops: Re-thinking a 10,000-year-old challenge
• Introduction and Summary
• The Challenge
• The Roots of Hunge
• Breeding - Between an Art and a Science
• Biotechnology: Expanded Possibilities
• Seed Systems: Reaching the Poor in Numbers
• Conclusions
Part 2: Exploring New Strategies for Improving Africa’s Food Crops
• Maize
• Sorghum
• Pearl Millet
• Rice
• Cowpea
• Cassava
• Banana