The first National Genetic Resources Center for tropical agricultural crops in Central Africa has opened on the Bateke plateau. In cryobanks at -196°C, over 15,000 seed samples of local varieties of cassava, yam, bananas, and rare medicinal plants are already preserved.
The project is implemented with the scientific support of CGIAR (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research) and funded by a grant from the Global Environment Facility. The unique feature of the bank is its “dual purpose”: biodiversity conservation and breeding work.
“We are creating an ‘insurance policy’ for the region’s food security,” explains the bank’s director, Dr. Marie-Laure Mbangou. “In the face of climate change or plant diseases, we will have resistant varieties to rebuild agriculture.”
Simultaneously, the bank’s laboratories are working on developing new varieties adapted to drought and with higher nutritional value. Starting next year, the first improved seeds will be distributed to agricultural cooperatives in the Pool and Plateaux departments.
The project also includes an educational program for young scientists and the digitization of the sample catalog, which will be made available to the international scientific community. According to experts, this bank could become a key element in preparing African agriculture for climate challenges.