Loss of crop diversity threatens Africa’s food sovereignty – FAO

KAMPALA, December 1, 2025 — The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations [FAO] has sounded the alarm over the rapid loss of Africa’s crop diversity.

Yurdi Yasmi, Director of Plant Production and Protection at the FAO, warns that the continent is losing the genetic bedrock of its food security, describing the situation as a “silent crisis”.

He notes that climate change and modern farming systems are eroding traditional seed varieties, with potentially irreversible consequences for Africa’s future food systems.

“Africa’s plant genetic resources are the foundation of its future food security,” he said. “They hold the keys to adapting agriculture to climate change, improving nutrition, and safeguarding livelihoods. But without sustained investment, this biodiversity will vanish silently and irreversibly.”

According to The State of the World’s Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture 2025 [PGRFA 2025)] more than 70 percent of Africa’s crop wild relatives and wild food plant diversity are now threatened, twice the global average.

The report notes that droughts alone account for 65 percent of seed emergencies across at least 20 African countries, wiping out local varieties that for generations sustained communities during harsh seasons.

“Sub-Saharan Africa has already lost 16 per cent of its 12,000 documented farmers’ varieties and landraces, with staple crops such as rice, cotton, yam, sorghum, and millet most affected,” it states.

Launching the report, Yasmi warned that as the continent warms faster than the global average, the loss of genetic diversity will weaken Africa’s capacity to adapt to environmental shocks, undermine food sovereignty, and increase dependence on imported seeds.

African scientists are working to conserve and sustainably use genetic resources, with around 44 per cent of the continent’s germplasm accessions already characterised, above the global average. However, most breeding programmes still rely on traditional methods rather than modern molecular tools that could yield more nutritious and climate-resilient varieties.

FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa, Abebe Haile-Gabriel, noted that initiatives promoting indigenous and underutilised crops such as moringa, amaranth, and African eggplant show promise. But FAO warns these projects remain underfunded and fragmented.

He highlighted a capacity gap, with only five sub-Saharan African countries possessing national plant genetic resource strategies.

“Across the region, 27 per cent of countries lack postgraduate training in plant genetic resources, while nearly two-thirds do not offer relevant secondary-level education,” he said. “Without investing in a new generation of plant geneticists and conservation scientists, Africa will not have the human capital to sustain its food systems.”

FAO is therefore urging African governments, donors, and research institutions to prioritise investment in cryopreservation, seed regeneration, and safety duplication, as well as the establishment of national and regional plant genetic resource strategies.

This, it says, must be complemented by stronger coordination between farmers, gene banks, and community seed systems, alongside improved education to build capacity in conservation and crop breeding.

Globally, just nine crops account for more than two-thirds of calorie intake. The report stresses that Uganda and other African nations are under growing pressure to protect their remaining plant genetic heritage, not only to preserve culture and nutrition, but also to ensure future generations can grow food in an increasingly unpredictable climate.

Africa currently maintains 56 gene banks holding around 220,000 plant samples from nearly 4,000 species. Only 10 per cent of these collections are safely duplicated, leaving irreplaceable genetic material vulnerable to natural disasters. Meanwhile, wild relatives and wild food plants — vital sources of traits for drought, pest and salinity tolerance — make up only 14 percent and 7 per cent of collections respectively.

Uganda, known for its rich diversity of beans, bananas, sorghum, and millet, faces similar threats. Many local varieties that once adapted to changing soils and weather conditions are declining as farmers shift to commercial hybrid seeds or lose traditional seed systems to droughts and floods.

The National Agricultural Research Organisation [NARO] has in recent years increased efforts to document and conserve indigenous crops through gene banks and community seed projects. However, experts warn that much of Uganda’s plant genetic diversity remains undocumented and at risk.

https://thecooperator.news/millions-face-acute-hunger-in-16-crisis-areas-fao-wfp-report-warns/

Buy your copy of thecooperator magazine from one of our country-wide vending points or an e-copy on emag.thecooperator.news