The project provides support and services to the Groundnut Improvement Network for Africa (GINA) community building on the expertise and long-term collaboration of CIRAD and IBP in modernising breeding in Africa as well as on the previous work with nine (9) countries across West and East and Southern Africa in enhancing the genetic potential of peanut production and enhancing peanut seed systems overall. During this extension phase, CIRAD and IBP, through its local representation in Senegal (Seed and Crop Knowledge Africa, SCKA), provide support in project coordination and for deployment, maintenance and training in the use of the BMS in nine (9) countries of the first phase of the project and a further six (6) countries that will engage during this extension phase. One of the major challenges for producers is the relatively low seed multiplication rate of peanut; as such an increase in the efficiency of field-based research trials in the fifteen (15) GINA countries engaged in this project is an overall aim. To achieve this aim, an increase of the efficiency of the breeding programs for variety development, germplasm management and sharing, in seed multiplication and diffusion across the GINA national programs has been targeted.
To achieve these efficiency gains, effective coordination of GINA at the regional level and support in implementing modern breeding schemes, population development and variety testing will be provided. Moreover, digitisation of peanut breeding, the design and conduct of field trials and post-harvest processing will be implemented and promoted. Key to achieving this target, in addition to the ongoing improvements and adjustments to breeding programs currently underway, will be the widespread use of the Breeding Management System (BMS) across the GINA countries and the development of new functionalities for data management systems and data analysis. By 2025 the GINA programs will use the BMS, GIGWA and available data analysis tools to guide their breeding decisions, to design, manage and analyse at least 90% of their trials and nurseries in the BMS. Concurrently, interfacing BMS to ClimMob will facilitate implementation of the TRICOT method (triadic comparison of technology options) with strategic partners such as NGOs, farmer organisations, the CGIAR and other initiatives to test and disseminate at least three (3) new varieties each year during 2024-25 with at least 200 farmers in four (4) GINA countries.
The project is expected to significantly strengthen the GINA network, to contribute to the development and dissemination of new, improved peanut varieties of higher yield and better quality that are adapted to the realities of climate change and that contribute to food security across a number of countries in Africa.
The IBP and SCKA are very pleased to be an important part of this project.