National Research Institutions

This folder explores the issue of food loss in more detail and presents current experiences, challenges and areas of action.

Pour accompagner le développement actuel de la culture des ignames à Madagascar, l’estimation de la prévalence et la caractérisation partielle des viroses présentes sur les ignames cultivées de parcelles paysannes de certaines régions productrices du pays ont été réalisées. Des tests PCR ont permis de détecter le Dioscorea bacilliform virus (badnavirus) sur les trois espèces d’ignames les plus fréquemment rencontrées, Dioscorea alata, D. bulbifera et D. esculenta. Le séquençage partiel de ces virus a permis de révéler la présence d’au moins dix souches distinctes réparties dans six des treize groupes génétiques de DBV. Plus problématique pour ses effets sur le rendement, une souche originale de Yam mild mosaic virus (potyvirus) a également été mise en évidence par RT-PCR sur une plante D. alata. Compte tenu de la présence constatée de virus, des mesures de sélection sanitaire, incluant destruction des plants infectés, sélection et indexation des plants-mères, mise en place de pépinières de multiplication sécurisées et schéma de quarantaine, sont proposées avant toute diffusion de maté

This report analyses the status of incorporation of climate change adaptation and climate-smart agriculture (CSA) measures in the SADC Member States’ agriculture and food security frameworks and policies. It details the current situation in the SADC member states with respect to the existence of policies, strategies and programmes that were primarily designed to build resilience to climate change among famers.

Bambara nut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc) is a nutritious legume, however, its production is characterised by use of landraces, which have been maintained by farmers. Lack of improved varieties has contributed to low yields. This re– search was done to identify potentially high yielding and farmers’ preferred genotypes for improved production of Bambara in Malawi. A completely Randomised Block Design experiment with eight genotypes (181CR, 181RD, 194, 137CR, 137RD, 317, 2762 and 2768) and four replicates was implemented at Chitedze, Chitala and Mbawa Research Sta– tions to identify high yielding genotypes. In addition to the yield, farmers’ criteria based on plant vigour, ability to fully bury its pods in the ground (mounding), yield at harvest, maturity period, seed colour, grain size, taste of boiled dry grain and taste of fresh pods were used to identify farmers’ preferred genotypes. Significant yield differences were identified between genotypes (P < 0.0001), sites (P < 0.001) and interaction between genotypes and sites (environment) (P < 0.001). Yield means across sites show that genotype 181CR yielded highly (1322 kg/ha) followed by 2768 (1066 kg/ha), 181RD (1064 kg/ha) and 2762 (841 kg/ha). In contrast to the high yielding genotypes, genotype 137RD gave the lowest yield (485 kg/ha) followed by 194 (573 kg/ha), 317 (617 kg/ha) and 137CR (620 kg/ha). Mbawa Research Sta– tion showed significantly high yields with site mean of 1177 kg/ha compared with Chitedze and Chitala with site means of 703kg/ha and 530 kg/ha respectively. Farmers ranked the eight accessions in order of importance as follows: 181RD, 181CR, 2768, 137CR, 194, 137RD, 2762 and 317. Combination of yield and farmers’ preference identified three geno– types (181RD, 181CR and 2768) as potential varieties for production in Malawi. Accessions 181RD and 2768 were specifically selected for relish unlike 181CR, which has been selected for use as snack. However, further research on nutrition, value addition and marketing needs to be conducted on the identified genotypes.

A wide range of indigenous vegetables are consumed in Malawi. These contribute greatly to the nutritional well-being of rural people by providing the essential nutrients required for body growth and development and for prevention of diseases associated with nutritional deficiencies, such as blindness due to vitamin A deficiency. Rural families traditionally have made conscious efforts to preserve these plants around their homesteads, in crop fields and communal lands. In recent years, however, exotic vegetables have taken prominence over indigenous vegetables, in spite of their generally lower nutritive value. The availability of indigenous vegetables has declined drastically because of excessive cultivation of field crops and habitat change, including deforestation. This has been exacerbated by a lack of major research and extension efforts to improve their husbandry and promote these species. Thus, the plants must be gathered at increasing distances from human dwellings, and rural women spend more valuable time in search of them. There is also growing ignorance among young people about the existence of these nutritionally rich food plants. The decline in the use of indigenous vegetables by many rural people has resulted in poor diets and increased incidence of nutritional deficiency disorders and diseases in many parts of the country.

To improve the status of indigenous vegetables in Malawi, a long-term research project was implemented at Bunda College of Agriculture to collect and catalogue indigenous vegetable germplasm and to develop production technologies for smallholder adoption.

Flooding happens annually in Cape Town’s informal settlements. The impact on residents’ lives is enormous, yet people have few resources to cope. They are also society’s most vulnerable: often unemployed, living in shacks, and with nowhere else to settle but where the water gathers each year. These communities will also bear the brunt of the likely increase in flood events as climate change makes the Cape’s heavy rains more severe and frequent.

We cannot avoid the underlying reasons for why these communities find themselves in such vulnerable circumstances, or the fact that flooding-related humanitarian crises will continue to plague these communities and the city charged with assisting them.

It’s critical to find sustainable, workable flooding responses, now. This means involving communities in flood-prone informal settlements in decision-making processes. The City of Cape Town is responsible for coordinating this response, but has difficulty when it comes to involving local communities.

This book explores the challenges and opportunities of collaborative governance as a way to get a broader group of stakeholders involved in flooding responses, as part of our ongoing research through the Flooding in Cape Town under Climate Risk (FliCCR) project.

This publication is a report of the outcomes of the workshop convened by His Excellency, Lt. General Dr. Seretse Khama Ian Khama, President of Botswana and Chairperson of SADC in May 2016 on Food Security and Poverty Eradication to exchange ideas on how to address several food and nutrition security challenges in Southern Africa.

The Green Choice Alliance (GCA) developed a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Framework to measure the conservation and socio-economic gains of projects that are being implemented using sustainable land use best practice methods and located within the biodiversity hotspots of South Africa as shown on the map.

The Climate Information Portal (CIP) is a web interface operated by the Climate System Analysis Group (CSAG), at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. The portal, which currently provides climate information for Africa and Asia, integrates climate information into a user-friendly map and graph-based interface. The information comes from a climate database that stores a large suite of observed climate data as well as projections of future climate.

The South African Risk and Vulnerability Atlas (SARVA) is a platform for global change information transfer from research to policy and decision makers. The SARVA program provides a centralised repository for global change research (www.rvatlas.org.za) as well as a collection of integration and awareness tools aimed at improving evidence-based decision-making concerning global change. The current focus of the Atlas is on the country, regions and localities of South Africa. However investigations are being carried out to assess expansion opportunities into other parts of the region.