UNDERUTILIZED AFRICAN PLANT BIODIVERSITY FOR NEW CROP DEVELOPMENT

The African continent is rather poor in plant biodiversity compared with other continents situated on the equator. Nevertheless, many useful plant species have been domesticated in the past from Sub-Saharan Africa material. Ethnobotanical research offers the possibility to collect information on use and utility of wild plant species from traditional people living in or close to challenging natural environment. This type of information then allows us to find new candidates for domestication and subsequent crop development for income generation and increased food security. The text presents species that were domesticated in the past, but also highlights a few promising new ones. The institutional problems that go together with (niche) crop development are briefly discussed, whereas the conclusion gives a brief overview of possible solutions and scenarios to address the latter problems presented.