The World Vegetable Center has collected and stored 6,000 vegetable germplasm at its state-of-the-art facility in Arusha. The seeds comprise of more than 100 species of vegetables such as Egg plants and Solanum nigrum. Taking journalists on a tour of the World Vegetable Center, Eastern and Southern Africa, a scientist in charge with Traditional Vegetables Conservation and Utilizatuon at the centre, Dr Sognigbe N’Danikou underscored the facility’s role in supporting better income and healthier diets for Tanzanians. “This is a global key collection point of traditional African vegetable seeds where collection and conservation work is done in collaboration with national partners who maintain duplicate collections”, said the scientist. “Nearly half a ton of Vegetbale seeds is collected at the center every year which eventually leads to led to the release of hundreds of varieties”, he observed.

Source: The North Africa Journal November 25, 2023 01:47 UTC