Indigenous Plant Use Forum 2025

INCrease members presented the project, selected crops and preliminary results at the 27th Indigenous and plant use forum on August 10-14, 2025 in Muldersdrift, Gauteng. This conference was the best scenario to discuss and validate our initial findings given the thematic and geographic focus of the conference.

The presentations of the INCrease team took place in two sessions as follows:

Session 8 – Indigenous Crops for Sustainable Futures

Can Indigenous and neglected crops contribute to sustainable and resilient food systems in Southern Africa? Prof. Dr. Ndiko Ludidi

Deciphering the Role of soil microbes in sorghum responses to drought and heat via a metagenomic approach, Dr. Ali Ali

Comparison of the effects of intercropping of maize with soybean versus cowpea: a soil health and rhizospheric microbial diversity perspective, Dr. Adelé Barker

Changes in antioxidant enzyme activities to drought stress in two contrasting bambara groundnut genotypes, Sibusiso Mbewe

A comparative analysis of the production and commercialisation of indigenous and neglected crops across three regions in South Africa, David Puerta

Framework for the Promotion and Implementation of the Indigenous and Neglected Crops in Southern Africa, Dr.Olayinka Kareem

Session 11 – Conservation and Cultivation

Enhancing sorghum drought tolerance using rhizospheric bacteria isolated from blue buffalo grass, Ruvimbo Mhari