Regional wheat workshop: eastern, Central and Southern Africa, and Indian Ocean

Abstract

It is well recognised that the rate of development 1n agriculture, is greatly influenced, among other factors, by the quality of national institutions responsible for research and development programmes. The availability of well trained technical staff, and its utilisation in appropriately planned multidisciplinary activities enhances productivity and stimulates investments in agriculture. In the East African region comprising Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Rwanda, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, it is deemed essential to facilitate internal and external scientific communications as a means to developing scientifically Bound practical programmes focused at solving farming constraints and at introducing innovations. CIMMYT realises this need and has sponsored a one-week long workshop, as one of its many endeavours to contribute to improved human welfare. The Workshop brought together scientists from within the region and distinguished resource personnel from outside as well. The main objective was to share the technical information accrued from their national and international experience and research. Wheat Workshops have evolved in this region from narrow-based, single-discipline orientation, with a trend towards a broader base, covering topics of general interest regionally and internationally. This 1985 Workshop was markedly ambitious in its scope: the subjects discussed included developing varieties for different areas, purposes, and circumstances; innovative uses of wheat in blend with other flours; wheat production under small scale technology, on acid soils and under the constraint of the so called minor diseases which hitherto were given the lowest priority and yet continue to cause silent cumulative crop losses and quality degradation. The proceedings herein included contain the full text of all papers presented and a balanced summary of the discussions. As such, they should be of substantial interest to researchers, extension agents, donor agencies, and other international research institutions. It is the onus of individual government, and particularly their agencies specialised in developing infrastructures, or pro~iding services an~ financial as~istance to the agricultural sector, to take cognisance of the facts and recommendations herein presented, and thus help farmers in their respective areas of influence to expand or improve the wheat enterprises.