“The development of African agriculture is plagued by several scourges such as drought, climate change, diseases and even pests. These evils are harmful to crops and crops. One of the ways of research to reduce the impact is to use varieties, more resistant seeds.”
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Turning to old varieties can pay off. Ann Tutwiler, Systemiq’s chief consultant and former director of Biodiversity International, recalls an experiment using 400 varieties of Ethiopian durum wheat from the national seed bank.
“We found 40 that worked very well. They were given to thousands of farmers to test them. And some of them have been selected to lead to new seeds more resistant to cold, drought, or pests. It’s a way of reviving some of the oldest varieties that exist. ”
Farmers still need to get some. Ann Tutwiler works through the information provided by the foundation for access to seeds (Access to seeds foundation).
Read article (in French)
