A new genebank for southern Africa and the SADC region, in Eswatini

A new genebank at the National Plant Genetic Resources Centre of the Eswatini Ministry of Agriculture was inaugurated at Malkerns Research Station, Eswatini on 15 March 2024. The Guest of Honour was Hon. Mandla Tshawuka, Minister of Agriculture, Kingdom of Eswatini. Other special guests included His Excellency Ambassador Jeremy Liang of the Taiwan Embassy in Eswatini; Grace Lin, Department of External Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture, Taiwan; Sydney Simelane, Principal Secretary, Eswatini Ministry of Agriculture; Justify Chava, Head of the SADC Genetic Plant Resources Center; and Marco Wopereis, WorldVeg Director General.

The Minister of Agriculture appreciated the work done by WorldVeg through the TAVI project and that he was really impressed by the size and sophistication of the new genebank. He promised to recruit new staff to ensure the operations of the genebank are carried out efficiently and effectively, and instructed the Principal Secretary to submit the staffing requirements for his consideration. He extended his thanks and gratitude to the government and the people of Taiwan for another very significant and permanent symbol of the outstanding partnership and cooperation that has existed for many years between the two nations, and that he hoped that this kind gesture will be extended going forward to other programs.

His Excellency the Ambassador noted that Eswatini’s agriculture sector must undergo transformation similarly to Taiwan, with a need to promote the use of modern technologies to increase productivity and efficiency to enhance farmer incomes. He stated that implementation of TAVI has enhanced mutual prosperity based on a solid partnership between Eswatini and Taiwan and the genebank will leave a legacy for future generations and urged partners to make good use of the genetic resources to benefit all humanity. He expressed his appreciation to the Ministry of Agriculture for hosting the project, WorldVeg for coordinating implementation, and all partners who worked tireless to realize this dream. Lastly, he emphasized that TAVI had achieved much and will achieve more for Eswatini and SADC as a whole.

Grace Lin described the event as not just one to celebrate a physical structure, but a symbol of all stakeholders’ collective commitment to safeguarding agricultural biodiversity and ensuring food security for future generations. She further stated that through collaboration and shared vision, meaningful impacts can be made on regional agricultural development and nutritional wellbeing. She urged everyone to renew their dedication to preserving crop diversity, promoting sustainable agriculture, and ensuring a brighter future for all. And she affirmed that together, we can cultivate a resilient food system that nourishes communities and sustains the planet.

Grace Lin Department of External Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture, Taiwan
Hon. Minister of Agriculture, Mandla Tshawuka, Government of Eswatini

Justify Chava thanked the coordinators and funders of the TAVI project, and that the two new genebanks were a facility for SADC, Africa and the whole world. He made clear that genebanks should not be museums but that they transform communities in terms of food and nutritional security, and livelihoods improvements, and he stated his commitment to supporting them. He cited that material of traditional African vegetable is less utilized because it is not known, so he invited partners and funders to invest in more characterization and nutritional analysis in order to use them for economic development purposes. He also encouraged more capacity development and exchange of information among partners.

Marco Woperies extended his gratitude to the government of the Kingdom of Eswatini and Taiwan, and all partners for their support in the TAVI project. He highlighted the importance of taking care of vegetable genetic resources for their huge economic, nutritional and resilience power. He further mentioned that vegetables help create jobs and in particular for women and youth, they are essential for people’s health, and they diversify incomes and increase resilience of farmers. He thanked the Taiwan government for supporting TAVI and highlighted the project’s key achievements. He reaffirmed WorldVeg’s commitment to continue rescuing, conserving and using vegetable biodiversity, and that this partnership with the governments of the Kingdom of Eswatini and Taiwan and all stakeholders has set a precedent for cooperation and innovation.