It has always been my passion to be a leading scientist in Africa, proffering solutions to the problem of food insecurity on the continent. From my field and ethnographic experience, many African orphan crops need to be improved using modern biotechnology strategies to diversify cropping systems. In the face of climate change, crop diversification is key to promoting food security in sub-Saharan Africa instead of leaving farmers overlying on a handful of staple crops.

Many orphan crops have untapped potentials that scientists could use for developing improved cultivars. It is the case of the African yam bean, an underutilized legume indigenous to West and East Africa with a high nutritional value. It is a unique crop that produces edible tubers and beans for human consumption.

Still, breeders must overcome a significant barrier to promote the acceptance of this legume by consumers; these beans' hard skin requires a cooking time of more than 3h. No poor-resource smallholder in Africa is willing to cook beans for three hours when the energy comes from wood, fetched by the household members with hard work and extenuation.

Prof. Dr. ir. Stefaan Werbrouck
Laboratory for Applied In Vitro Plant Biotechnology 
Dept. Applied Biosciences
Fac. Bioscience Engineering,
University Ghent

1. M. O. Balogun, S. R. Akande, J. A. Raji, A.O. Olabisi, B.A. Ogunbodede (2012). Development and Comparative Assessment of InVivo and InVitro Techniques for Determination of Photoperiod Sensitivity in Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus). In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology - Animal 48:75-75.
2. Balogun, M., Maroya N., Augusto J., Ajayi A., Kumar L., Aighewi B. & Asiedu R. (2017): Relative efficiency of positive selection and tissue culture for generating pathogen-free planting materials of yam (Dioscorea spp.). Czech Journal of Genetics and Plant Breeding, 53(1), 9-16.
3. Adeola Ajayi, Morufat Balogun, Norbert Maroya, and Robert Asiedu. (2017). YIIFSWA Research Brief: Improving Yam Micropropagation Series 1. Effects of basal medium and plant growth regulator regimes on meristem and nodal cultures in white yam (D. rotundata) International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Nigeria. 22 pp.
4. Morufat Balogun, Norbert Maroya, Beatrice Aighewi, Ossai Chukwunalu, Adeola Ajayi, Lava Kumar, Djana Mignouna, and Robert Asiedu. (2020). YIIFSWA Working Paper Series No 8. Evolvement and advances in the hydroponics system for clean seed yam production. International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Nigeria. 15 pp.
5. Morufat Balogun, Norbert Maroya, Julius Taiwo, Ossai Chukwunalu, Adeola Ajayi, P. Lava Kumar, Olugboyega Pelemo, Beatrice Aighewi and Robert Asiedu. (2017). Clean Breeder Seed Yam Tuber Production using Temporary Immersion Bioreactors. IITA, Ibadan, Nigeria. 66 pp.