Thanks for your support!

UK aid and the British people understand the importance of producing safe, nutritious and diverse crops for healthy diets as climates change—and are providing the support to make it happen.

An amaranth farmer in Dodoma harvests her crop.

An amaranth farmer in Dodoma, Tanzania harvests her crop. Amaranth is an important dual-purpose crop with good heat and drought tolerance. UK aid supports WorldVeg research on amaranth.

The donor is committing £18 million to the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International to support the tracking of plant pests and diseases; the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology to support pest control work; and the World Vegetable Center to breed vegetable varieties better adapted to climate challenges.

“Climate change is one of the greatest challenges the world is facing, and the world’s poorest will be the worst hit,” said International Development Secretary Alok Sharma.

Crops developed specifically for the most vulnerable countries in Asia and Africa must be adapted to grow in higher temperatures, be capable of withstanding droughts or floods, and have natural, in-bred resistance to pests and diseases.

WorldVeg is breeding improved high-value tomato with tolerance to heat and drought and resistance to pests and diseases; high-protein, nitrogen-fixing mungbean; and dual-purpose amaranth for consumption as a leafy vegetable and source of nutritious grain.

“UK aid is a leader in the global effort to mitigate the impact of climate change in developing countries,” said Marco Wopereis, WorldVeg Director General. “We appreciate the continuing investment UK aid has made in WorldVeg research to adapt important vegetable crops to changing climate conditions.”

Return to FRESH!

Mungbean (Vigna radiata). High in protein, this versatile legume can be consumed in many different ways. UK aid supports WorldVeg research to develop improved mungbean lines.

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Low-Cost Solar Dryers Yield Sustainable Incomes to Marginal Farmers of Koraput District in Odisha.
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Asia and Pacific Seed Association (APSA) recognizes 2021’s five ‘most influential’ seed scientists in Asia-Pacific
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European donor delegation discusses partnerships for greater impact delivery in Malian agriculture
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