6 - 8 October 2025. Zimbabwe.
African Plant Breeders Meeting + pre-conference 4-5 October.
With the dual threats of climate change and population growth exacerbating food insecurity and malnutrition, the role of innovative plant breeding has never been more critical. This conference served as a platform for sharing cutting-edge research, fostering collaboration, and exploring sustainable solutions to enhance agricultural productivity, improve nutrition, and build resilience in the face of a changing climate.
The pre and post conference activities, featured workshops, training sessions, and networking opportunities designed to equip participants with the tools and knowledge needed to drive transformative change in the field of plant breeding.
Key Outcomes:
Strengthened collaboration for resilient and inclusive crop improvement: The meeting reinforced the importance of co-creation among African NARES, CGIAR centers, private sector actors, and farmer organizations to accelerate the breeding, release, and adoption of climate-resilient, nutrient-dense, and market-preferred crop varieties.
Integration of science, policy, and market systems for impact:
Participants agreed that effective breeding outcomes require not only scientific excellence but also supportive regulatory frameworks, efficient seed systems, and demand creation strategies to ensure improved varieties reach smallholder farmers and strengthen food and nutrition security.
Commitment to innovation, capacity building, and resource mobilization:
The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to invest in next-generation breeding tools, build African scientific leadership, and pursue innovative funding models and partnerships that sustain long-term genetic gains and locally led innovation across the continent.
05/10 Breeding Opportunity Crops for Cropping Systems – Knowledge, Collaboration & Co-creation
This session emphasized the importance of co-creation and participatory approaches in breeding underutilized and opportunity crops to strengthen African cropping systems. Sieg Snapp and Eva Weltzien highlighted agroecological integration and farmer-centered innovation, while Kevin Pixley and Kevin Murphy underscored system-level breeding strategies and cross-continental learning. Nyaradzai Chisango shared community-based experiences from Zimbabwe, illustrating how local collaboration accelerates adoption of resilient and diverse crop varieties. Collectively, the session called for aligning breeding goals with local food system needs through inclusive partnerships among research institutions, farmers, and policymakers. - Sieg Snapp, Program Director, Sustainable Agrifood Systems Program (SAS), CIMMYT
- Eva Weltzien – Rattunde, CIMMYT Consultant/Honorary Associate, University of WisconsinMadison, WI, USA
- Kevin Pixley, Dryland Crops Program Director (DCP), CIMMYT
- Kevin Murphy, Professor, International Seed and Cropping Systems,Washington State University
- Nyaradzai Chisango, The Community Technology Development Trust (CTDT), Zimbabwe
06/10 African Plant Breeders Association (APBA) - The APBA Story / Journey
Julia Sibiya traced the growth of the African Plant Breeders Association (APBA), reflecting on its achievements in capacity building, networking, and advocacy for African-led breeding programs. She outlined APBA’s role in amplifying African scientific leadership, strengthening education and mentorship for young breeders, and fostering strategic collaborations through initiatives like VACS. The outcome reinforced APBA’s vision of empowering African breeders to deliver impact-driven, context-relevant genetic innovations for climate resilience and food security.
- Julia Sibiya, APBA President, and Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (VACS) Capacity Development Lead, CIMMYT
06/10 Winning the Race against Food Insecurity, Malnutrition, and Climate Change
This high-level panel highlighted integrated approaches to overcoming Africa’s intersecting challenges of food insecurity, malnutrition, and climate stress. Abdou Tenkouano and Stanford Blade emphasized diversification, pest management, and climate-smart breeding, while Chiedozie Egesi showcased innovations in root crops. Private sector and regulatory voices—such as Bayer’s Nadine Dushimiyimana and Zimbabwe’s Claid Mujaju—called for enabling policies and industry engagement to scale improved varieties. The discussion concluded with consensus on collaborative action among public institutions, private sector, and policymakers to accelerate resilient food systems.
- Abdou Tenkouano, The International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE)
- Stanford Blade, DDG-R, ICRISAT
- Chiedozie Egesi, Executive Director, National Root Crops Research Institute, Nigeria
- Nadine Dushimiyimana, Bayer, Head of Regulatory Science – East Africa
- Claid Mujaju, Director of the Seed Services Division in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Ministry of Agriculture Zimbabwe
- Gordon Mabuyaye, SeedCo
06/10 Lightning round: crop success stories
This dynamic session celebrated breeding achievements across Africa’s diverse crop portfolio,
showcasing rapid genetic gains and community-level impacts. Presentations covered successes from okra and finger millet to sesame, taro, and Bambara groundnut, emphasizing improved yields, nutritional value, and climate adaptability. Breeders from across the continent shared lessons on participatory methods, value chain engagement, and gender-responsive innovation. The outcome was a collective affirmation of Africa’s rich genetic diversity as a foundation for future food security and economic empowerment. - Dorcas Ibitoye - Okra
- Dennis Tippe – Finger millet
- Mareme Niang - Sesame
- Prakash Gangashetty - Pigeonpea
- Alfred Ozimati - Amaranth
- Vish Banda/Thiago Mendes - Taro
- Dean Muungani – Bambara groundnut
- Nalule Habibah - Amaranth
- Micheale Yifter Weldemicheal - Sesame
07/10 Fast tracking the release and commercialization of climate smart and nutrient dense crop varieties in
Africa - AGRA Event
This AGRA-led session focused on reimagining collaboration between CGIAR, NARES, and private sector actors to shorten breeding cycles and accelerate market delivery. Kevin Pixley called for bold system-level partnerships, while Biswanath Das and Dorcas Gemenet emphasized strategic breeding design and the adoption of modern tools to enhance efficiency. The outcome was a roadmap for harmonizing breeding innovation, regulatory alignment, and demand creation to deliver improved varieties faster and more equitably across Africa.
- Kevin Pixley - CIMMYT Bold, smart, and even crazy ideas: reimagining CG–NARES collaboration to tackle system-level challenges
- Biswanath DAS, CIMMYT - Setting up breeding programs for success - knowing where to go and how to get there.
- Dorcas Gemenet, OneCG- Breeding innovation redefined, smarter tools, strategies, and approaches to deliver genetic gains faster and cost-effectively
07/10 ICRISAT Event
This session showcased advances in breeding for dryland crops through genomic selection, predictive modeling, and trait introgression. Stanford Blade and Clare Mukankusi highlighted the optimization of breeding pipelines for beans and groundnuts, while Cyrill Diatta and Sieg Snapp demonstrated breakthroughs in drought resilience and genotype-by-environment understanding. The discussions reinforced the centrality of science-driven innovation and regional collaboration to enhance dryland productivity, nutrition, and farmer livelihoods under climate stress.
- Stanford Blade, Deputy Director General, ICRISAT
- Clare Mukankusi, Alliance Bioversity & CIAT, Uganda - Optimising breeding pipelines for yield, better nutrition and climate resilience in Dry beans
- James Mwololo, ICRISAT, Malawi - Enhancing prediction accuracy of groundnut yields in Eastern and Southern Africa
- Cyrill Diatta, ISRA, Senegal - Stay-Green Allele Introgression Enhances Drought Resilience in Elite West African Sorghum Lines Targeted for Dryland Adaptation
- Sieg Snapp, Program Director, Sustainable Agrifood Systems Program (SAS), CIMMYT - Understanding G x E x M for better yields in the drylands
07/10 Fast tracking the release and commercialization of climate smart and nutrient dense crop varieties in Africa
National breeders from Burkina Faso, Kenya, Burundi, Zambia, and Côte d’Ivoire presented practical pathways for accelerating varietal release and seed system integration. Case studies demonstrated how coordinated efforts—from EGS production to commercialization—can deliver nutrient-dense, climate-resilient varieties to farmers more efficiently. Contributions from SeedCo, AGRA, and regulatory authorities underscored the importance of aligning public and private sector efforts with robust regulatory frameworks and farmer awareness campaigns. The session concluded with a shared commitment to scaling successful models across countries.
- Nofou Ouedraogo -Sorghum Breeder, INERA, Burkina Faso - Accelerating the release, EGS production and commercialization of nutrient dense, climate-resilient and market-demanded sorghum, cowpea and rice varieties in Burkina Faso (NutriCropFaso)
- Rachael Kisilu, Sorghum Breeder, KALRO, Kenya - Rapid Release and Commercialization of Climate-smart Sorghum varieties in Kenya
- Ir NDIKUMANA Jonas, Maize Breeder, ISABU, Burundi - Multi-environment evaluation and release of resilient and climate smart maize hybrids for farmers in Burundi
- Lutangu Makweti, Cowpea Breeder, ZARI, Zambia - Advancing Climate-Resilient Cowpea: Evaluation, Release, Early Generation Seed Production, and Commercialization of New Varieties in Zambia
- NOUMOUHA Ghislain, Rice Breeder, CNRA, Côte d'Ivoire - Evaluation, Release, and Commercialization of improved climate-resilient varieties of irrigated lowland and rainfed upland rice in Côte d'Ivoire
- Gordon Mabuyaye, SeedCo - Seed Company choices of varieties to commercialize
- Rufaro Madakadze - AGRA - Creating Farmer Awareness and Demand for climate smart and nutrient dense crop varieties
- Claid Mujaju - Director Research and Specialist Services, Zimbabwe - National Regulatory Authority on requirements for commercialization and quality control
- Peter Mbogo – AGRA Regional Seed Officer East Na Southern Africa - Concluding Remarks
08/10 Innovative fundraising for crop improvement
Moderated by Damaris Odeny, this panel explored new financing mechanisms and partnerships to sustain African breeding innovation. Representatives from the Novo Nordisk Foundation, Gates Foundation, GIZ, AFSTA, AGRA, and the Zimbabwean government discussed blended finance, public–private collaboration, and regional investment strategies. The outcome was a call to diversify funding sources, strengthen accountability, and build long-term financial resilience for African-led breeding programs through innovation-driven resource mobilization.- Moderator: Damaris A. Odeny, Principal Scientist - ICRISAT and Chair, Scientific Committee, APBA
- Erik Alexandersson, The Novo Nordisk Foundation, Denmark
- Evelyn Lusenaka, Centre of Excellence for Seed Systems in Africa (CESSA), Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)
- Young Wha Lee, Gates Foundation, USA
- Yacouba Diallo, AFSTA, Kenya
- Tom Pircher, GIZ, Germany
- Obert Jiri, Permanent Secretary, Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Zimbabwe
08/10 Strengthening Partnerships for Resilient Legumes: Advancing Science, Sharing Tools, and Building Communities for Climate-Smart Agriculture - Kirkhouse Trust
This session underscored the global collaboration driving legume improvement for climate-smart agriculture. Researchers from Africa, Europe, and the US shared advances in genomics, phenotyping, and data-sharing tools for beans, cowpea, and other legumes. Presenters highlighted cross-institutional networks that enhance breeding efficiency and knowledge exchange. The outcome was a commitment to sustain scientific partnerships, build breeder capacity, and translate research breakthroughs into farmer-accessible, resilient legume varieties across diverse African environments.
- Kelwin Kamfwa, University of Zambia, Zambia
- Yayis Rezene, Southern Agricultural Research Institute (SARI), Ethiopia
- Celestina Jochua, Instituto de Investigação Agrária de Moçambique, Mozambique
- Travis Parker, University of California, Davis, USA
- Juan Osorno, North Dakota State University, USA
- Swiwia Hamabwe, University of Zambia, Zambia
- María Muñoz-Amatriaín, University of León, Spain
- Sobda Gonné, Institut de Recherche Agricole pour le Développement (IRAD), Maroua, Cameroon
- Michael Timko, University of Virginia, USA
- Sean Mayes, University of Nottingham, UK
- Florence Ifeoma Akaneme, University of Nigeria, Nigeria
The event brought together innovators, researchers, entrepreneurs, and investors to highlight transformative solutions with real potential for market and societal impact, foster collaboration, leverage funding opportunities and contribute to socio-economic growth.
