The North Africa Biosciences Network (NABNet), one of the four networks of NEPAD/Biosciences Initiative, has started a project aimed at improving barley production in North Africa. Poor yield of barley in the area has been attributed to lack of drought and salinity tolerant cultivars. Although the available varieties in North Africa are mainly suitable for livestock consumption, people are increasingly eating them due to their nutritionl quality, the director of NABNet Prof Mohamed Elarbi Aouani noted. It was with this in mind that NABNet organized a meeting of experts (4-6 February 2008) in Tunisia recently to review progress of the project titled “Genetic improvement of nutritional quality and drought and salinity tolerance of North African barley germplasm" aimed at improving the crop. With funding from the Canadian International Development Agency, the NABNet Barley team agreed to seek collaboration from relevant regional and international organizations to undertake comprehensive genetic resources evaluation, physiological and biochemical characterization, biotechnological improvement and field assessment. Institutions involved in the project include Egypt’s National Research Centre (NRC) and Agricultural Genetic Engineering Research Institute (AGERI); Tunisia’s Centre de Biotechnology de Borj Cedria (CBBC) and Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRAT) and Algeria’s Institut National de La Recherche Agronomique (INRAA).

For more information contact Prof Elarbi Aouani (nabnet@nepadst.org) or Daniel Otunge of ISAAA AfriCenter (d.otunge@cgiar.org ).