Nairobi — Researchers are now alarmed that more government funding is required in order to maintain and sustain plant gene banks in the country so as to preserve crop diversity.
Plant genebanks are technical facilities that store plant genes. The most common type of material in this kind of facility is seeds, many of which have evolved to last a long time if they are kept cool and dry.
Normally, while in storage, the deterioration of seeds is mainly catalysed by the presence of oxygen, high temperature, and water; however, these factors are excluded in a gene bank.
In some countries, these facilities are mounted in some of the coldest points, such as mountains.
These seeds are then made available to scientists, breeders, and farmers for breeding more nutritious, productive, and resilient varieties.
Speaking during a Crop Trust Biodiversity for Opportunities, Livelihoods, and Development (BOLD) event last month, Dr Alice Muchugi, who is a theme leader of Biodiversity and Tree Genetic Resources (TREES), stressed that the Kenyan government is currently reluctant to fund these institutions despite them serving a critical role of safeguarding unique plant genetic resources.
Currently, the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO) has a Genetic Resource Research Institute (GERRI) gene bank, which houses over 50,000 seeds that are made available for farmers across the country.
Muchugu noted that the budget allocation for gene banks by the government is minimal, which results in most activities in these facilities being peddled by donors.
"They don't want to fund because if you go the budget because the budget for the gene banks is under the ministry of agriculture there is so much to be done because most of the activities are run by donors," she stated.
Muchugi claims that the expensive nature of these facilities, especially considering that they require maintenance for complex equipment that is also electrically powered, and the high human labour needed to take care of these seeds, means that funding, particularly from the government, is needed.
"The process of conserving is money-consuming because, as we say, if we are going to keep them in a cold room, they take electricity, running all the time, and after some time these seeds die because even if they are kept in these conditions, they die, so they have to be planted for regeneration, then we bring them back," she stated.
"These processes need money; you need to pay the people who take care of them in the field, especially where the land is not secure; we have to look for people to safeguard. You see, the only people who are seen there are the breeders. Even when a donor comes, they want to give the breeders, but they forget that there is somebody taking care of them when they are in the field," she added.
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Furthermore, Muchugi stressed that there is also a critical need for people to get educated more about gene banks.
According to Crop Trust, gene banks will play a critical role in growing a diversity of crops that farmers can use to protect their fields and livelihoods against the ravages of climate change and other threats such as pests and diseases.
"Gene banks, which gather and store crop diversity, along with information about it, play a crucial role in ensuring that it remains available for use by farmers, plant breeders, and researchers, come what may. And the Crop Trust plays a crucial role in supporting gene banks," it stated.
