Al Jazeera English’s program Innovate Africa will profile work being done at the World Agroforestry Centre to develop lesser-known food crops in Africa.

Established in 2013 through the African Orphan Crops Consortium, the African Plant Breeding Academy aims to develop improved varieties of ‘orphan crops’ that could help provide food security to millions of African people.

The Academy, which is based at the World Agroforestry Centre, provides scientists and technicians with a dedicated place to sequence, assemble and annotate the genomes to help develop food crops with higher nutritional value to better withstand climate changes, pests and disease.

Orphan crops are those that have to date been neglected by researchers despite being an important part of the diets of local people. In Africa, they include plants such as baobab, amaranth, breadfruit and the spider plant.

Innovate Africa is a 6-part television series that showcases how entrepreneurs and innovators across Africa are using technology to change lives. It can be seen on Al Jazeera English at the following times GMT: Tuesday: 2230; Wednesday: 0930; Thursday: 0330; Friday: 1630; Saturday: 0530.

Read the full story: Transforming food