The National Centre for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology (NACGRAB) is intensifying efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s national plant genetic resource collections through an ongoing collecting mission across the country.
The mission is focused on collecting valuable diversity of pigeon pea and fonio that is currently underrepresented or absent from the National Genebank. These crops are important agricultural resources, particularly because traditional varieties maintained by farmers often possess traits that have developed in response to local growing conditions.
Collecting Nigeria’s Crop Diversity
NACGRAB collecting teams are visiting farming communities across different parts of Nigeria to identify and collect traditional varieties of pigeon pea and fonio maintained by farmers.
The collecting activities are guided by a gap analysis study, which identified areas where these crops are grown but where their diversity is not adequately represented in the national collections. This information is helping the teams prioritise locations where additional collecting can make the greatest contribution to strengthening the National Genebank.
So far, collections have been made from several farming communities, with the teams engaging directly with farmers and documenting the diversity found within their production systems.
One of the ongoing activities includes engagements with pigeon pea farmers in Edo State, where the NACGRAB collecting team is working with farmers to identify and collect traditional pigeon pea varieties.
Targeting 400 Landraces
With support from the Crop Trust Funding Facility, NACGRAB aims to collect 400 landraces of pigeon pea and fonio before the end of the current collecting season.
Each landrace collected represents a distinct genetic resource. Together, these collections will expand the diversity available within the National Genebank and provide researchers and breeders with a broader pool of genetic material for future use.
The value of these resources extends beyond their immediate agricultural use. Genetic traits found within traditional varieties may contribute to the development of crops that are better adapted to changing environmental conditions, emerging pests and diseases, and other challenges facing agricultural production.
Protecting Resources for Future Generations
Farmers have played an important role in maintaining crop diversity over generations. By collecting and conserving these resources in the National Genebank, NACGRAB is helping to ensure that valuable genetic materials are protected and remain available for future research, breeding and crop improvement.
The ongoing mission also highlights the importance of collaboration between genebanks, farmers and development partners in conserving Nigeria’s agricultural biodiversity.
As the collecting teams continue their work across the country, NACGRAB remains committed to documenting and conserving the diversity of Nigeria’s important food crops.
The mission is more than the collection of seeds. It is an effort to ensure that the genetic diversity maintained by farming communities today remains available to support food security, climate resilience and crop improvement for future generations.
#CropTrust #FundingFacility #CropDiversity #Genebank #NACGRAB #FoodSecurity #PowerOfDiversity
