BSF project "Strengthening Community-Based On-Farm Conservation & Sustainable Use of Crop Diversity in Semi-Arid Zambezi-Gwembe Valley of Zambia"

" Strengthening Community-Based On-Farm Conservation & Sustainable Use of Crop Diversity in Semi-Arid Zambezi-Gwembe Valley of Zambia" is one of the projects supported by the Benefit-Sharing Fund of the International Treaty for Food and Agriculture (Second Cycle). Improving food security and the livelihoods of the Zambezi-Gwembe valley resource-poor farmers and farming communities is the objective of this BSF project. This ultimate objective is being accomplished through the sustainable management and conservation of sorghum, pearl millet, cowpea, beans, sweet potato and cassava, which are crucial for the dietary needs and livelihoods of local communities and the development of new improved and locally adapted crop varieties. A strategic program has been developed on priority landraces for on-farm Participatory Plant Breeding, based on farmers’ knowledge and needs vis-à-vis PGRFA.