Drought-tolerant Crops to Contribute to Food Security in Namibia

Farmers in Namibia now have new crop varieties of cowpea and sorghum that are more tolerant to drought and pests planted this year, thanks to nuclear technology provided with the support of the IAEA and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Namibia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, through an IAEA technical cooperation project which began in 2009, has enhanced existing seed varieties of cowpea and sorghum in its first ever plant breeding programme, released the new varieties in 2018 and facilitated seed multiplication for the 2019 cropping season.

“The achievement in improved crop varieties and quality plays an important role in the production of food and hence ensuring food security,” said Johanna Andowa, Director of Research at the Ministry. “Initially, we only had one sorghum variety and three cowpea varieties, and now with the newly released four sorghum and seven cowpea varieties, farmers have more options to choose from. These varieties are contributing to the national goal of producing high-yielding crops with better tolerance to physical and biological stresses, as well as improved nutritional quality.”

To read more please visit: https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/drought-tolerant-crops-to-contribute-to-food-security-in-namibia

Source: IAEA