This project aims to strengthen the conservation and support for Namibia’s traditional food crops, which are increasingly threatened by climate change and genetic erosion. Despite their importance to food security, there is limited scientific data on the genetic diversity and distribution of these crops. The project will address this gap by establishing a database for eight key species and identifying weaknesses in their conservation practices and governance. Activities include digitizing and georeferencing records from the National Plant Genetic Resources Centre and National Herbarium, collecting new genetic material, analyzing phenotypic and genotypic diversity, and multiplying seeds for ex-situ conservation. Two community seed banks will be established, and national capacity will be built through training and data management support. The expected impact will be a data-driven governance structure for traditional crop genetic resources in Namibia.

The overall objective of the Enhancing the Conservation and Use of Plant Genetic Resources for a Resilient Traditional Seed System in Namibia project is to generate foundational scientific evidence on the conservation, diversity, and distribution of key traditional food plant genetic resources to inform and strengthen policies and governance structures in Namibia. The specific objectives are to:

1. Establish a comprehensive biodiversity baseline database of Namibia’s key traditional food plants
2. Strengthen long-term conservation of traditional food plant genetic resources at local, national, and international levels
3. Identify structural and policy barriers and gaps that hinder the development and support of traditional seed systems
4. Build local and national capacity on the conservation and data management of plant genetic resources

Hleni TN Heita is Namibia’s National Genebank Curator, a role she has held for six years. Her work has given her first-hand insight into the growing threats facing Namibia’s traditional seed practices. These are mainly due to climate change, genetic erosion, and weak data-driven policy compounded by limited resources and low community awareness around genebank operations. This experience drives her current project, which builds a digital biodiversity database to map genetic diversity in Namibia’s traditional crops and identify gaps in conservation policy and governance, in pursuit of sustainable resource conservation and evidence-based policy frameworks