Tag Archives: sub-Saharan Africa

East Africa has the highest per capita consumption of livestock products among all the regions in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). High population pressure has led to increased competition for land between food grains and feed resources. The problem is compounded by a lack of quality feed year-round, with major feed shortages …

Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) contributes to significant health problems in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) is an important source of energy and beta-carotene, which is converted into Vitamin A in the body. One medium-size sweetpotato provides enough to meet the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A for children and …

Sweetpotato is a vegetatively propagated crop with short cropping cycle. In most cases each of the cropping cycle is started with planting cutting material, other than breeders who use true seeds. Normally, crop propagated vegetatively accumulate diseases resulting to adverse effects on yields. Throughout Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), most farmers source …

Africa has long relied on traditionally breeding systems that are a time consuming to release improved variety. Frequently those new varieties do not suit the various geographic areas and the preferences of diverse farmers and consumers within a country. Indeed, as of 2008, most countries in Africa had no real …

Weevil is a major threat to sweetpotato, which plays a vital role in food security and income generation for both the urban and rural poor in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Weevils can devastate sweetpotato production, and even cause total crop loss. Weevil resistant varieties are the most sustainable solution to this …

This is a review presentation on progress in viruses’ assessment in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The current initiative is development of new tools for quick virus assessment such as, sRNA, tube arrays and LAMP technology. In conclusions, tube arrays are recommended for distribution within hubs. However, the expected Next generation sequencing …

  This is a report of breeders annual meeting held at Mukono, 2010. This report highlights major activities, plans and achievements across major potato producing SSA countries.

Sweetpotato is the third most important food crop in East Africa in terms of production and the fourth most important in Southern Africa. It can produce better yields in poor conditions with fewer inputs and less labor than other staples, making it particularly suitable for households threatened by migration, civil …

Sub-Saharan Africa produces more than 7 million tonnes of sweetpotato annually, about 5% of global production. Since the early 1960s, production in East and Central Africa has increased one and-a-half times (to 250% of 1960 production). Recent projections by IFPRI indicate that sweetpotato production in Africa will more than double …