Food security and minor crops in Uganda: the farmers' perspective and policy implications

Citation: NTAKYO P. R. et al.(2011). Food security and minor crops in Uganda: the farmers' perspective and policy implications [PowerPoint slides]. Proceedings of the 10th African Crop Science Conference, Maputo, MOZ.Ensuring food security requires adapting food systems that support and promote production and utilization of minor crops. The presentation advocates for the use and production of local Indigenous vegetables for nutritional value, which can be promoted through policy innovation. Increased campaigns to commercialize agriculture have influenced farmers' resource allocation towards highly marketable crops, and away from household food security

Food security and minor crops in Uganda: the farmers' perspective and policy implications

This paper analyses the production and utilization of minor crops, including roots and tubers, Indigenous vegetables and pulses such as cowpea, pigeon pea and chickpea. It explores the extent to which agriculture-related policies affect production and utilization of minor crops in Uganda. Current policies favour production of major crops. Farmers concentrate resources on major crops for marketing, neglecting food and nutrition security. Ignorance, lack of seed, and low interest are the main reasons indigenous vegetable crops are not grown. The report advocates for better support of local under-utilized crop production through policy change

Food security and minor crops in Uganda: the farmers' perspective and policy implications

This paper analyses the production and utilization of minor crops, including roots and tubers, Indigenous vegetables and pulses such as cowpea, pigeon pea and chickpea. It explores the extent to which agriculture-related policies affect production and utilization of minor crops in Uganda. Current policies favour production of major crops. Farmers concentrate resources on major crops for marketing, neglecting food and nutrition security. Ignorance, lack of seed, and low interest are the main reasons indigenous vegetable crops are not grown. The report advocates for better support of local under-utilized crop production through policy change

Genomic Characterization of Yogue, Kasokero, Issyk-Kul, Keterah, Gossas, and Thiafora Viruses: Nairoviruses Naturally Infecting Bats, Shrews, and Ticks

The genus Nairovirus of arthropod-borne bunyaviruses includes the important emerging human pathogen, Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV), as well as Nairobi sheep disease virus and many other poorly described viruses isolated from mammals, birds, and ticks. Here, we report genome sequence analysis of six nairoviruses: Thiafora virus (TFAV) that was isolated from a shrew in Senegal; Yogue (YOGV), Kasokero (KKOV), and Gossas (GOSV) viruses isolated from bats in Senegal and Uganda; Issyk-Kul virus (IKV) isolated from bats in Kyrgyzstan; and Keterah virus (KTRV) isolated from ticks infesting a bat in Malaysia. The S, M, and L genome segments of each virus were found to encode proteins corresponding to the nucleoprotein, polyglycoprotein, and polymerase protein of CCHFV. However, as observed in Leopards Hill virus (LPHV) and Erve virus (ERVV), polyglycoproteins encoded in the M segment lack sequences encoding the double-membrane-spanning CCHFV NSm protein. Amino acid sequence identities, complement-fixation tests, and phylogenetic analysis indicated that these viruses cluster into three groups comprising KKOV, YOGV, and LPHV from bats of the suborder Yingochiroptera; KTRV, IKV, and GOSV from bats of the suborder Yangochiroptera; and TFAV and ERVV from shrews (Soricomorpha: Soricidae). This reflects clade-specific host and vector associations that extend across the genus

Determining the molecular drivers of species-specific interferon-stimulated gene product 15 interactions with nairovirus ovarian tumor domain proteases

Tick-borne nairoviruses (order Bunyavirales) encode an ovarian tumor domain protease (OTU) that suppresses the innate immune response by reversing the post-translational modification of proteins by ubiquitin (Ub) and interferon-stimulated gene product 15 (ISG15). Ub is highly conserved across eukaryotes, whereas ISG15 is only present in vertebrates and shows substantial sequence diversity. Prior attempts to address the effect of ISG15 diversity on viral protein-ISG15 interactions have focused on only a single species ISG15 or a limited selection of nairovirus OTUs. To gain a more complete perspective of OTU-ISG15 interactions, we biochemically assessed the relative activities of 14 diverse nairovirus OTUs for 12 species ISG15 and found that ISG15 activity is predominantly restricted to particular nairovirus lineages reflecting, in general, known virus-host associations. To uncover the underlying molecular factors driving OTUs affinity for ISG15, X-ray crystal structures of Kupe virus and Ganjam virus OTUs bound to sheep ISG15 were solved and compared to complexes of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus and Erve virus OTUs bound to human and mouse ISG15, respectively. Through mutational and structural analysis seven residues in ISG15 were identified that predominantly influence ISG15 species specificity among nairovirus OTUs. Additionally, OTU residues were identified that influence ISG15 preference, suggesting the potential for viral OTUs to adapt to different host ISG15s. These findings provide a foundation to further develop research methods to trace nairovirus-host relationships and delineate the full impact of ISG15 diversity on nairovirus infection