AGRICULTURAL NEWS - Africa is a continent where, at least outwardly, we like to celebrate our diversity - the rich variety that can be found in our many cultures, languages, fashions, flora and fauna.
That's why it's perplexing to see such a large segment of the African population depending on a very small number of food crops, like maize, rice, and wheat. And it's more than just boring to the palate.
It's severely diminishing the quality of our diets and making our farming systems more vulnerable, especially during severe droughts like the one that hit Southern Africa this year.
Meanwhile, there has been a lot of talk lately about how Africa's agriculture sector is primed to become a new economic engine for a continent that has become too dependent on commodities like oil. Next week, Heads of State and top officials from across Africa and around the world are coming to Nairobi for the African Green Revolution Forum, where there could be millions of dollars in new commitments to Africa's smallholder farmers.
A wealth of crop diversity
But Africa is unlikely to achieve its agriculture potential or be prepared to deal with challenges like drought that climate change will make more frequent unless we change our thinking about crop diversity. For the last two decades, my work has revolved around developing and promoting nutritionally enhanced sweet potato. It has convinced me that, with the right approach, farmers will cultivate a wider variety of crops and consumers will embrace the new additions to their dinner table.
Africa is actually blessed with a wealth of crop diversity. Much of it - including sorghum, yam, and cowpea - is native to the continent. But many other crop types have arrived via trade, like banana, pigeon pea and wheat from Asia, and beans, cassava and maize from the Americas. But rather than capitalise on this full basket of food options, we've bet too heavily on just a few crops.
Take the case of maize in Eastern and Southern Africa. Yes, it can grow in different farming environments and supply large amounts of calories. But the crop has weaknesses. It's susceptible to drought and pests and its nutritional quality is mediocre.
And while recent research has delivered more resilient and nutritious maize varieties, these are not sufficient. The fact remains that in many regions, rising temperatures and increasingly erratic rainfall will cause maize yields to fall by up to 22 percent in many areas and up to 60 percent in South Africa and Zimbabwe, according to a 2015 report from the Montpellier Panel.
A wealth of crop diversity
But Africa is unlikely to achieve its agriculture potential or be prepared to deal with challenges like drought that climate change will make more frequent unless we change our thinking about crop diversity. For the last two decades, my work has revolved around developing and promoting nutritionally enhanced sweet potato. It has convinced me that, with the right approach, farmers will cultivate a wider variety of crops and consumers will embrace the new additions to their dinner table.
Africa is actually blessed with a wealth of crop diversity. Much of it - including sorghum, yam, and cowpea - is native to the continent. But many other crop types have arrived via trade, like banana, pigeon pea and wheat from Asia, and beans, cassava and maize from the Americas. But rather than capitalise on this full basket of food options, we've bet too heavily on just a few crops.
Take the case of maize in Eastern and Southern Africa. Yes, it can grow in different farming environments and supply large amounts of calories. But the crop has weaknesses. It's susceptible to drought and pests and its nutritional quality is mediocre.
And while recent research has delivered more resilient and nutritious maize varieties, these are not sufficient. The fact remains that in many regions, rising temperatures and increasingly erratic rainfall will cause maize yields to fall by up to 22 percent in many areas and up to 60 percent in South Africa and Zimbabwe, according to a 2015 report from the Montpellier Panel.
