Strengthening the Capacity of the Partner Institutions to Address Global Food Security in East and Southern Africa: The Case of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya.
Addressing global food security in Africa through training next-generation researchers in plant pest diagnostics, in vitro culture, and clean plant production.
Dhekney, S., S.Zebelo, P. Sardaru, P. Natarajan, S. Tubene, C. Nindo, L. Mukwa, M. Dida, and M. Kairo.
University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Global Food Nutrition Security · East Africa, DRC · 2025
Keywords: clean plant materials, plant pests, global food security
Abstract
Vegetative propagated crops such as cassava, banana (including plantain), sweet potato, and yam constitute an important part of the diet for the population in Africa, and play a critical role in rural livelihoods, nutrition, and food security. These crops are particularly vulnerable to viral pathogens, which cause substantial economic losses and threaten food security of the African continent. Disease management in vegetative propagated crops is accomplished using diverse strategies such as the use of clean planting material, controlling insect vectors that transmit diseases, routine testing for pathogen detection in the field, and strict regulations governing the movement of plant materials. The University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s Center
for Global Food Security and Defense is actively involved in building capacity to train researchers, students, and extension workers in Africa for improving crop yield and productivity. Training workshops conducted in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya covered areas of disease surveillance, pathogen testing and diagnostics, in vitro culture techniques for clean plant production, and integrated pest management for controlling insect vectors. More than 100 participants were trained in areas of plant biotechnology, pathology, and entomology over a 3-yr period. These efforts to incorporate biotechnological approaches for integrated disease and pest management will help establish a foundation to adopt diverse management strategies
for sustainable crop production, improving productivity and ensuring food security in the region.
