Abstract
Durum wheat is an important food crop in the world and an endemic species of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In the highlands of Ethiopia and the oases of the Sahara this crop has been cultivated for thousands of years. Today, smallholder farmers still grow it on marginal lands to assure production for their own consumption. However, durum wheat is no longer just a staple crop for food security but has become a major cash crop. In fact, the pasta, burghul and couscous industry currently purchase durum grain at prices 10 to 20% higher than that of bread wheat. Africa as a whole imports over €4 billion per year of durum grain to provide the raw material for its food industry. Hence, African farmers could obtain a substantial share of this large market by turning their production to this crop. Here, the achievements of the durum breeding program of Ethiopia are revised to reveal a steep acceleration in variety release and adoption over the last decade. Furthermore, the variety release for Mauritania and Senegal is described to show how modern breeding methods could be used to deliver grain yields above 3 t ha−1 in seasons of just 92 days of length and in daytime temperatures always above 32 °C. This review describes the potential of releasing durum wheat varieties adapted to all growing conditions of SSA, from the oases of the Sahara to the highlands of Ethiopia. This indicates that the new breeding technologies offer great promise for expanding the area of durum wheat production in SSA but that this achievement remains primarily dependent on the market ability to purchase these grains at a higher price to stimulate farmer adoption. The critical importance of connecting all actors along the semolina value chain is presented in the example of Oromia, Ethiopia and that success story is then used to prompt a wider discussion on the potential of durum wheat as a crop for poverty reduction in Africa.
Highlights
Durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) is an important food crop of the world, with an estimated36 million t of annual global production [1]
It must be mentioned that the pasta industry in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) often utilizes bread wheat flour for its production and typically only products from North Africa and developed countries meet the international standard definition of
In the absence of governmental subsidies that push toward the cultivation of other crops, farmers tend to prefer durum wheat as long as the market continues to guarantee additional profits
Summary
Durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) is an important food crop of the world, with an estimated. It must be mentioned that the pasta industry in SSA often utilizes bread wheat flour for its production and typically only products from North Africa and developed countries meet the international standard definition of ‘pasta’ by using 100% durum semolina [14]. In the absence of governmental subsidies that push toward the cultivation of other crops, farmers tend to prefer durum wheat as long as the market continues to guarantee additional profits In this regard, the existence of a strong value chain for the pasta, couscous and bourghul industry is quintessential to the success of durum wheat cropping. The existence of a strong value chain for the pasta, couscous and bourghul industry is quintessential to the success of durum wheat cropping The former Sudan is not a true Sub-Saharan country, but it has agro-environmental conditions that differ from North Africa and it is presented here. Both aspects of durum wheat, as a “food security” staple food for smallholder farmers, as well as a “poverty reduction” industrial crop will be considered here
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