COP26: Young scientist advances climate-smart agriculture

A young Zimbabwean scientist, who focuses on the development of plants that are resilient in the face of climate change, believes the world is listening to Africa’s concerns about the environment. He reflects on COP26, in which he was part of a panel discussion.

For his research, Prince M Matova has received the international Young Scientist Award 2021 from the plant mutation breeding division of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.

While leading the maize breeding programme at the Ministry of Agriculture in Zimbabwe, his team was also named the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center’s best maize breeding team in Southern Africa twice between 2016 and 2020.

Matova has just completed his PhD in the department of plant sciences at the University of the Free State, South Africa, and is due to graduate before the end of the year.

His specific research focus is on plants that can tolerate droughts, heat stress and pests and diseases.

He is currently the research and agronomy manager and maize and legumes breeder of Mukushi Seeds in Harare, Zimbabwe.

UWN: In what ways is your country or sector affected by climate change?

Prince Matova: Zimbabwe has been experiencing frequent and extreme drought and heat stresses which may be due to the changing climate. Seasons have become shorter and the annual rainfall is less compared to that in previous years, such as during the late 1980s.

The lower rainfall is not limited to the areas that traditionally receive lower rainfalls, but also applies to high-potential rainfall areas of the country. This has resulted in crop failures and, in bad years, food shortages. There has also been flooding.

UWN: How well are Africa’s voices represented at COP26?

Matova: In the side event at COP26 in which I participated as a speaker, there were three presenters from Africa (South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mali) out of eight presenters (the rest included one each from Germany, Mexico, Sri Lanka and two from the IAEA).

I think Africa was well represented and I believe this also indicates that the world is ready to listen and work with Africa in mitigating the effects of climate change.

UWN: Regardless of representation ... do you think Africa has a voice at the conference?

Matova: I think Africa has a voice that is being heard. Fighting climate change requires a collective effort from everyone surviving on this Earth, and that means Africans, too. This is why Africa is well represented at COP26 across all levels (policymakers and scientists).

UWN: Politicians and diplomats are often the public faces of gatherings such as COP26. How important are the contributions of scientists at forums such as these?

Matova: Science is there to bring solutions to challenges affecting people and their environment. It is, therefore, very important that scientists are part of these gatherings as they will subsequently work with policymakers to try to address the challenges ordinary people face [because of climate change].

UWN: What is your university doing about climate change?

Matova: Through the plant breeding department at the university [of the Free State], the university is contributing by training scientists and equipping them with the knowledge and the expertise needed to mitigate and adapt to climate change effects.

It also works on the development of crop varieties that are tolerant to droughts and heat stresses as well as insect pests and diseases that come with climate changes.

UWN: In what ways are you contributing or have you contributed to COP26?

Matova: I shared my experiences on the strategies we are using as breeders to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change.

One of the tools we are using is mutation breeding in collaboration with the IAEA. The tool is very powerful and has demonstrated the ability to produce elite and adapted crop varieties.

In Zimbabwe, the technique has helped with the development of Zimbabwe’s first registered mutant variety of cowpea. In nature, the cowpea is generally drought- and heat stress-tolerant.

Mutation breeding further enhanced the adaptive capacity of the new mutant variety, making it more drought- and heat stress-tolerant, better yielding and increased its seed size.

Sharing this experience with participants at COP26 presents hope that we have the capacity to fight the effects of climate change and maintain resilience to environmental shocks affecting food production.

As a member state of the United Nations and collaborating with the IAEA, capacities have been built to fight these climate challenges more efficiently through the use of precision phenotyping gadgets for drought screening, for example.

UWN: Some agreements have already emerged at the gathering. What are the three most important things you would like to see coming out of the meeting?

Matova: I think it is action, mitigation and adaptation strategies being supported and implemented. Action is needed across the different strategies that are available for mitigation and adaptation.

There is a need to continue with awareness-raising and capacity-building and then the actual action leading to tangible results that mitigate and allow adaptation to the challenge.

In our area of plant breeding, we need more varieties with better adaptive capacity to climate change effects so that our farmers can continue to provide food security.