Interview with Dr Robert Mwanga (formerly CIP) by Stefan Möhl (CIP)
Every October, the World Food Prize honors individuals who significantly contributed to food quantity and quality. I am at the Namulonge research station near Kampala, Uganda, to meet one of the laureates: Dr Robert Mwanga. Upon arrival, a young researcher warmly greets him, saying, “Professor, it’s an honor to see you here. We know all about your work.” Mwanga modestly accepts the praising. He has dedicated his career to sweetpotato, developing vitamin A-enriched varieties with higher yields that are now grown as staples in many African countries. During our late Sunday afternoon interview, he is joined by two grandchildren, who play in the evening sun as we sit under a large tree overlooking the test fields. The atmosphere is warm and carefree, and yet we’re here to discuss a pressing issue: how to feed a growing population with less land. Mwanga promised me an answer.
CIP: Dr. Mwanga, in the mid-20th century, food shortages were mitigated by the so-called Green Revolution, which introduced modern hybrid breeding and significantly boosted crop yields. Today, however, we face similar concerns, particularly in Africa, where populations are projected to double in the next 25 years. Do we need a second Green Revolution to ensure global food security?
Robert Mwanga: The Green Revolution came about because scientists at that time saw potential in certain crops, particularly rice. And what they did was to exploit that potential and to increase yields. The production went up and rice helped to solve food shortages in Southeast Asia and the rest of the world.
Similarly, today we have other crops with huge potential. No just to produce more food, but more nutritious food. If we can unleash this untapped potential, we have a real shot at reducing hunger and poverty and increasing health.
You see, populations are growing so rapidly that we have to tackle today’s challenges from multiple angles. And I think to do this we have to look at roots, tubers and bananas – in short RTBs. So these are cassava, sweet potato, banana, yam and others. These crops produce massive quantities of food and in many places could end hunger. But they are also crops, which contain different, essential minerals, micronutrients such as vitamin A, beta carotene, zinc, iron.
We have a real chance here to improve livelihoods with these crops in sub-Saharan Africa or India. A crop like sweet potato for instance, can have three harvests a year. Similarly, cassava and Bananas have great potential for yield increase. What’s more is that we can process these crops into products and diversify the way they are consumed. This value addition can improve income and create jobs.
I think we need to sensitize governments about the role of these crops. That if exploited, they will bring in higher income and save lives. Because more often than not, hunger is hidden. People may have enough to eat but still suffer. Many die because of poor health. Mothers die because they lack iron and zinc in their bloods. Their children turn blind because of vitamin A deficiency. Many policymakers are simply not aware of this and so it stays hidden. Yet Millions of children die.
CIP: So how do we find the next super potato or banana?
Robert Mwanga: Today, the situation is quite complex, and we need to look at things differently. Scientists, the breeders and the soil experts, entomologists, or whoever is involved, needs to have multiple angles to be able to fix the problem.
Take for instance Uganda where cassava and sweet potato are big staples. It’s a small country but extremely diverse in terms of climate and cultures and each community has its own preferences. Varieties that do well in western Uganda, for example, might not be the right thing for people in central Uganda.
So, scientists have to work together to meet particular preferences, to meet the needs of different segments, markets and climates. It’s not as simple as saying, okay, we have one particular variety of rice or sweet potato this will cut across the whole country. The situation is more complex and breeding teams have to work together with many other disciplines to meet these specific preferences.
Sometimes I also think we focus too much on plant science. I mean does the problem lies with the plant or can it be the moisture level in the earth or a nutrient shortage in the soil that causes problems. So the problem might be lying elsewhere and not necessarily in the plant and therefore it’s important to have a holistic picture when breeding new varieties.
With RTBs we are doing this now, but this process takes time. I mean many of the maize and grain varieties that were bred in the past took 20 years or longer before they were eventually commercialized. Donors need to appreciate this. There is no quick fix to hunger, poverty and poor health.
CIP: If we are already so invested in grains and cereals, why should we not rather concentrate on these crops to make them even better?
Robert Mwanga: Because the gains we can have with RTBs are far greater. Their potential is yet untapped. Not only to increase food availability, health and income. They also help to mitigating climate change because RTBs grow relatively quickly, need less inputs and are far more drought tolerant compared to grains.
Inconsistent rainfall, especially in sub-Saharan Africa is a major problem. Many places depend on maize which is a crop that is very sensitive to drought. We see it all the time that late rains or no rainfall at all wipes out maize crops and cause severe food shortages. In these scenarios, RTBs are shock absorbers, already today. If communities grow these crops, it drastically reduces their vulnerability because they still have yields.
Also, RTBs contribute to reducing soil erosion and deterioration. If managed well, they are actually improving it. Plus, in the case of sweet potato, they also serve as excellent animal feed and help to diversity the diet with proteins.
CIP: If they really hold such great potential, how come that we only realise this now?
Robert Mwanga: First of all, governments have not been sensitized enough to appreciate the importance of healthy diets. Most money for research went into cash crops for income generation. Hardly anyone was investing into food crops, especially in countries that largely depend on agriculture.
Money went into coffee, cotton, tobacco and tea because these were thought to generate income. I think this is gradually changing and people start to realize that a thriving economy also needs healthy and well-fed people. Tobacco and coffee alone simply won’t do.
Slowly there is also a realization that RTBs are also important for income. If you look at some countries in West Africa, for example, cassava and yams are big crops economically. Not because they are eating cassava all day, but they have developed different products from cassava and export it. Similarly, I believe, potatoes and bananas can be harnessed. They can contribute significantly to our economies.
CIP: Doctor Mwanga, is there anything you’d like to add?
Robert Mwanga: The system is dynamic. The planet is dynamic, you see what I mean? We need to realise that a problem in South Africa can reach South America. It can travel from Uganda to China and hit Canada at any time. This system needs constant monitoring and a growing body of shared knowledge from people from around the globe. The scientific community needs to collaborate even more because we cannot reinvent the wheel every time we are faced with a problem. We need to work together as a global community. This will save time and resources and drive progress. Because hunger, poverty and disease concern the whole globe. No one is independent.
CIP: Thank you for this interview.