Dr. Agyemang Danquah, the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) has launched a new research programme to improve the productivity of Bambara groundnut as part of efforts to tackle food and nutrition insecurity in Ghana.

Led by the Deputy Director in charge of Research, Innovation, and Development at WACCI, Dr. Agyemang Danquah, the programme will work to unlock the potential of this important and nutritious leguminous crop, which is native to Africa.

Dr. Danquah’s breeding programme will build on the successes of previous and ongoing research on the crop in different laboratories across the world to develop new and better-yielding Bambara groundnut varieties that will help improve yield in farmers’ fields in Ghana.

“There are significant gaps that still exist in our understanding of the valuable traits and genetic diversity present in Bambara groundnut. Modern tools, technologies, and methodologies such as advances in genomics, targeted mutagenesis, reverse genetics, and whole-genome DNA sequencing can enable efficient gene discovery and germplasm mining for crop improvement,” he explained in an interview.

Dr. Danquah is convinced Bambara groundnut can be key to improving the food and nutrition security, as well as the livelihoods of the farmers who cultivate the crop. It is rich in important nutrients such as carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fibre. It is also rich in essential minerals such as magnesium, iron, zinc, and potassium. Because of its balanced macronutrient profile, it has been referenced as a “complete food”. It is also a popular animal feed used in feeding pigs and poultry.

In many countries where it is grown, it is an important cash crop for the women who dominate production and processing. “Clearly, there is the need to improve Bambara groundnut and develop it as a mainstay crop in Ghana and in Africa where it is mainly grown and consumed,” he said.

Like most legumes, Bambara groundnuts can take atmospheric nitrogen and produce its own fertilizer. It is thus able to grow well in poor soils. It also grows well in acidic soils and in areas with high temperatures. These features make Bambara groundnut adapted to agroecological zones where fertilizer, chemicals, and irrigation are often too costly or unavailable.

Despite these qualities, Dr. Danquah observes Bambara groundnut remains an underutilized and research-neglected crop as agricultural sector stakeholders have not invested adequate resources in improving it. “The average grain yield is very low, estimated at 0.85 tonnes per hectare, although potential yield can well be over 3.0 tonnes per hectare,” he noted. To date, no improved varieties have been released in Ghana.

Although Bambara groundnut is good at withstanding drought, heat, and other environmental stresses, severe drought stress can negatively impact its growth. Also, it is hard to cook and difficult to mill. The crop is also susceptible to weevils which destroys the quality and quantity of grains, thus reducing the seeds germination potential and market value of the grains. These qualities have discouraged the widespread consumption of Bambara groundnuts. Dr. Danquah’s programme will be working to develop varieties that overcome these and other challenges that the crop has.