Empowering breeding resources dynamic strategies for effective capacity building

Capacity building (CB) for breeding involves activities to improve the abilities of individuals, organizations, or communities to achieve their objectives. This includes providing breeding entities with knowledge, tools, and support like programs, workshops, mentorships, and technology adoption. The dynamic nature of CB means it’s adaptable, flexible, and forward-thinking, capable of addressing changing circumstances, emerging technologies, and new challenges. In Africa, capacity building emerges as a critical endeavour to foster sustainable development and address multifaceted challenges. These strategies should be flexible but capable of evolving to stay relevant and practical. Effective CB requires research, innovation, technology adoption, and ethical awareness tailored to the specific needs. Engaging local communities, especially in sustainable agriculture and conservation, is vital for long-term sustainability. In Africa, the ABI and BRI platforms aim to leverage the continent’s potential, empowering marginalized areas, promoting governance and entrepreneurship, and adapting to global trends. The report ‘Technical Assistance for Strengthening Capacity in Using Digital Sequence Information’ (Box 1, Box 2) outlines four years of efforts. Details are on https://excellenceinbreeding.org/module3 and case studies (Hunt et al., 2021; Garcia-Oliveira et al., 2021, 2022). Additional training includes data management and analysis, costing, genetic gain analysis as well access to e-learning platforms. Incremental results will be presented and discussed. To conclude, dynamic CB strategies enhance breeder and molecular breeder skills, cost effective operations, and drive sustainable agriculture, resilience to climate change, and food security through knowledge sharing and exposure to cutting-edge techniques. Building upon these past achievements and embracing the dynamic nature of CB will undoubtedly lead to other breakthroughs and impactful contributions to global agriculture and food systems as we move forward.