Taiwan Africa Vegetable Initiative (TAVI)

Project summary

The TAVI (Taiwan Africa Vegetable Initiative) project is an international initiative that brought together four African countries partners and the World Vegetable Center to conserve and use African vegetable biodiversity to address malnutrition by increasing the production and consumption of nutritious vegetables. The African partners of the TAVI project included the Republic of Benin (represented by the Genetics, Biotechnology and Seed Science Unit (GBioS) of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences of the University of Abomey-Calavi), Eswatini, Madagascar and Tanzania. The project has three key objectives that were to: i) upgrade genebanks of Eswatini’s National Plant Genetic Resources Centre (NPGRC) and the World Vegetable Center’s Regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa in Tanzania.; ii) rescue genetic resources of traditional African vegetables by collecting at least 4,800 landraces and crop wild relatives from 25 species in Eswatini, Tanzania, Madagascar and Benin, which are “hotspots” of vegetable biodiversity in Africa and iii) improve nutritional content of Eswatini’s school meals as part of the National School Feeding Program (NSFP). Field-tested school and home garden interventions and links to champion farmers to supply schools with nutrient-dense African vegetables can bring more nutritious diets to students and families. The GBioS activities are anchored in the second key objective.

Project objective

Under the TAVI project, the GBioS Unit will rescue 1,200 accessions of 25 traditional African vegetable species and their wild relatives. Specifically, the project:

  • will collect1,200 accessions of traditional African Vegetable species and their will wild relatives;
  • regenerate and share with World Vegetable Center genebank in Arusha the collected accessions;  and
  • train MSc student on traditional vegetables documentation and strengthen the GBioS genebank staff’s capacity on genebanking operations.

Project activities

  1. collection of germplasm of traditional vegetable species through collecting missions organization;
  2. regeneration and sharing of the collected accessions;
  3. training of MSc students on the collected accessions documentation through phenotypic characterization and genome-wide molecular characterization;
  4. participation of the genebank staff in various training sessions/workshops; and
  5. landscape genomic analysis for collected accessions.

Project duration and budget

TAVI is a three-years project co-funded by the Taiwan Council of Agriculture (COA) and the Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). The GBioS’ budget share in the project worth € 228,600.

Project intervention areas

The germplasm rescue activities are to be carried out at the national level and in all accessible areas.

Project achievements

Under the TAVI project:

*a total of four collecting missions covering 59 different districts out of the 77 in Benin were organized;

* a total of 9,477 accessions of 50 different species were collected;

*1430 collected were regenerated;

*2,963 accessions were already shared with World Veg Arusha;

*1758 collected were characterized phenotypically;

*Sequencing information are being generated for 1,500 collected accessions;

*a total of 11 students were sponsored for their MSc research;

*three students successfully defended their dissertation already, while the eight other are either at write-up stage or at the data collection stage, and

*the genebank staff attended two annual training workshops organized in Arusha; and

*landscape genomics analyses going on Amaranthus cruentus.

Project partners

World vegetable Center

Tanzanian Agricultural Research Institute (TARI)

Centre National de Recherche Appliquée au Développement Rural (CENRADERU-FOFIFA)

Eswatini’s National Plant Genetic Resources Centre (NPGRC)

Project contact person

  • Prof Enoch G. Achigan-Dako, Genetics, Biotechnology and Seed Science Unit (GBioS), University of Abomey-Calavi, Republic of Benin, e.adako@gmail.com
  • Dr Dèdéou Tchokponhoué, Genetics, Biotechnology and Seed Science Unit (GBioS), University of Abomey-Calavi, Republic of Benin
  • Dr Sognigbe N’Danikou, World Vegetable Center, Arusha Tanzania.

Privacy Policy

Introduction:

At GBioS, accessible from [https://gbios-uac.org](https://gbios-uac.org), the privacy of our visitors is one of our main priorities. This privacy policy document contains types of information that are collected and recorded by GBioS and how we use it.

Consent:

By using our website, you hereby consent to our privacy policy and agree to its terms.

Information Collection:

We collect several different types of information for various purposes to provide and improve our service to you.

Types of Data Collected:

– Personal Data: While using our service, we may ask you to provide us with certain personally identifiable information that can be used to contact or identify you.

– Usage Data: We may also collect information on how the service is accessed and used. This usage data may include information such as your computer’s Internet Protocol address, browser type, browser version, the pages of our service that you visit, the time and date of your visit, the time spent on those pages, and other diagnostic data.

Use of Data:

GBioS uses the collected data for various purposes:

– To provide and maintain our service

– To notify you about changes to our service

– To allow you to participate in interactive features of our service when you choose to do so

– To provide customer support

– To gather analysis or valuable information so that we can improve our service

– To monitor the usage of our service

Data Security:

The security of your data is important to us, but please remember that no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. Although we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

Changes to this Privacy Policy:

We may update our privacy policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new privacy policy on this page.

Contact Us:

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at contact@gbios-uac.org.

Legal Notice

Website Publisher :

The website [https://gbios-uac.org](https://gbios-uac.org) is published by GBioS, located at 01 BP 526 Cotonou, Republic of Benin.

Publication Director:

The Publication Director is [First Name Last Name], holding the position of [professional title], who can be contacted via email at [contact@gbios-uac.org] or by phone at [phone number].

Hosting:

This site is hosted by [Hosting Provider’s Name], located at [hosting provider’s full address], [city, postal code], [country]. Contact phone: [hosting provider’s phone number].

Intellectual Property:

This site and its content are protected under copyright and intellectual property laws. Any reproduction, in whole or in part, on any electronic medium or otherwise, is strictly forbidden without prior permission from the publication director.

Personal Data Protection:

In accordance with applicable laws, you have the right to access, modify, rectify, and delete personal data concerning you. To exercise these rights, please contact [email or postal address dedicated to data protection].

Cookies:

The site [https://gbios-uac.org](https://gbios-uac.org) uses cookies to enhance user experience and analyze traffic. Cookies are files stored on your computer that collect information about your navigation. Acceptance of cookies is necessary for some functionalities of the site.

Hyperlinks:

GBioS is not responsible for the content of external sites linked by hyperlinks. The use of these sites is at the user’s own risk.

Changes to Legal Notice:

GBioS may modify this legal notice at any time. Regular consultation is recommended.

Applicable Law:

This site is governed by the laws of Benin.

For any questions regarding this legal notice, contact [contact@gbios-uac.org](mailto:contact@gbios-uac.org).

Terms of Use

  1. Introduction

Welcome to [https://gbios-uac.org](https://gbios-uac.org) (hereinafter referred to as the “site”). By accessing our site, you agree to these terms of use and commit to abide by them. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use the site.

  1. Use of the Site

The GBioS site is a space providing information on our research and development activities in genetics, biotechnology, and seed science. The content is for personal and non-commercial use only. Any commercial use is strictly prohibited without our prior written consent.

  1. Intellectual Property

All content published on the site, including texts, graphics, logos, images, and videos, is the property of GBioS or its partners and is protected by copyright law. No part of the site may be copied, reproduced, modified, or disseminated without the express permission of GBioS.

  1. Liability

GBioS strives to ensure the accuracy and updating of the information disseminated on the site but does not guarantee that this information is complete, precise, or up to date. GBioS cannot be held responsible for damages resulting from the use of the site.

  1. Changes to the ToU

GBioS reserves the right to modify these ToU at any time. Changes will take effect as soon as they are published on the site. It is your responsibility to regularly check the ToU to be aware of any changes.

  1. Applicable Law and Jurisdiction

These ToU are governed by the laws of the Republic of Benin. In the event of a dispute, the courts of the Republic of Benin will have exclusive jurisdiction.

Contact

For any questions or requests for information concerning the site, please contact us at [contact@gbios-uac.org](mailto:contact@gbios-uac.org).