The aim of the network, initially based in Nairobi, is to expand the continent's seed market in traditional and non-traditional crops.
28 April 2011: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) is supporting a pan-African network of seed testing laboratories called the Forum for Africa Seed Testing (FAST), which was established by the African Union and the African Seed Network.
The aim of the network, initially based in Nairobi, is to expand the continent’s seed market in traditional and non-traditional crops. FAST has a number of goals, including to push for the implementation of laws to harmonize the sector, promote quality control, increase exchanges of germplasm and promote technical innovations in seed laboratories across Africa. The network will provide a regulatory framework for a variety of African crops, including black nightshade and African cabbage. Important grains for food security, such as Fonio, will also benefit from the forum. FAST was established at a meeting of African seed experts in Bamako, Mali, in March 2011. [FAO Press Release]