TRAINING ON “GENETIC RESOURCES AND GENEBANK MANAGEMENT”

National, regional and international research and development institutions are aware of the importance of conserving biodiversity for sustainable agricultural development, food security, and protecting the environment. Africa is a hot spot and a center of diversity for many species of global importance. This agrobiodiversity is under major threat, leading to losses of species and farming systems and genes needed to adapt to biotic and abiotic stresses. 

The related African indigenous/traditional knowledge of local communities on the management of natural resources and the crop landraces and their wild relatives evolving under farmers and natural selections are invaluable components of local agrobiodiversity which have sustained the natural resource base and the livelihoods of local communities, and conserved in situ and on-farm genetic resources and traditional farming practices which can be valued in similar conditions over the world.

The Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS) within the Programme on Development of National Gene Banks in the OIC Member States implements various training workshops for professionals in the plant and animal genetic resources as part of the objective of the program to improve the human and institutional capacity of the genetic centers in the counties.

In continuation of the three regional training Webinars (ASIA Chapter, AFRICA Chapter and MENA chapter) organized in 2021 by IOFS, COMSTECH and BCI-PARC on “Acquisition, Conservation, Exchange and Safety Duplication of Plant Genetic Resources in OIC Member Countries”, the IOFS will conduct the training workshop in partnership with the Government of Tunisia.

Tunisia, a member of the Islamic Organization of Food Security, is willing to put its experience and technical and scientific facilities to meet the challenge of helping African countries build their capacities with an appropriate technology transfer in the field of genetic resources conservation and sustainable use.

In November 2007, the Government of Tunisia, through the initiative from the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, established a National Gene Bank (NGBT) with the mandate to coordinate and promote all the activities of conservation and sustainable use of plants, animals and micro-organisms biodiversity. A gene bank with a capacity for ex situ conservation of 200,000 seed accessions is constructed at the NGBT headquarters in Tunis. 

The main aim of this training is to present and familiarize African participants with the Genebank operations and Genetic Resources conservation to contribute to strengthening capacity conservation practices and sustainable use through appropriate theoretical courses, presentations, and practical sessions under the guidance of specialized trainers.