Sorghum and biodiversity
It is difficult to distinguish the human impact on the effects of natural factors on the evolution of crop plants. A Franco-Kenyan research team has managed to do just that for sorghum, one of the main cereals in Africa. The scientists demonstrated how three societies living on the slopes of Mount Kenya have shaped the geographic distribution and structure of the genetic diversity of local varieties. Because of their practices for selecting and exchanging crop seeds for harvesting, the farmers in each ethnic group maintain varieties which are unique to them. These prove to be genetically and phenotypically differentiated, despite their close geographical proximity. This study sheds light on the debate on the ownership and redistribution of benefits from genetic resources.