**Acknowledgements**

*Sustainable Crop Production*

*Vigna subterranea* Bambara

groundnut

*Xanthosoma sagittifolium; Xanthosoma spp.; Ximenia caffra; Ziziphus mauritiana*

**54**

**4. Final remarks**

*accessions/species for 101 crops [58].*

**Table 2.**

In sub-Saharan Africa, countries rely mostly on agriculture as economic revenue and as a base for smallholder farmers, for both household income and food. Considering the diversity of the farming systems along the different agroecological zonings, evaluating its performance under climate changes is key to determine its future sustainability for alleviating poverty and food security. Overall, major farming systems in SSA are under threat since they are rainfall-dependent and thus pose a scenario of food insecurity if no proper agriculture management and solutions are taken. In this chapter, the potential of pulse crops as a viable and sustainable strategy for upholding farming systems' intercropping and production indices was highlighted. The promotion of legumes adapted to semi- and arid conditions will contribute to the diversity of cropping systems and diets of African people living in rural areas. However, there is a need to address critical knowledge gaps that will allow the full use and advantages to introduce successfully the so-called neglected and underutilized crops, native to Africa, within agricultural and food systems. By exploring native legumes adapted to arid conditions, namely, low rainfall periods, it will be a key tool for adaptation to climate change. This will also contribute to

*Present status and progress of AOCC developing genomic resources—reference genome sequencing of 100* 

**Scientific name Common name Assembled Stages of** 

*Artocarpus heterophyllus* Jack tree Reference genome [58] *Artocarpus altilis* Breadfruit Reference genome [58] *Faidherbia albida* Acacia (apple ring) Reference genome [69] *Moringa oleifera* Drumstick tree Reference genome [69] *Sclerocarya birrea* Marula Reference genome [69] *Digitaria exilis* Fonio Reference genome [58] *Eleusine coracana* Finger millet Reference genome [58] *Lablab purpureus Lablab* bean Reference genome [70]

*Solanum aethiopicum* African eggplant Reference genome [72]

*In the pipeline or soon: Abelmoschus caillei; Adansonia digitata; Allanblackia floribunda; Allanblackia stulhmannii; Allium cepa; Amaranthus cruentus; Amaranthus tricolor; Anacardium occidentale; Annona reticulata; Annona senegalensis; Balanites aegyptiaca; Basella alba; Boscia senegalensis; Brassica carinata; Canarium madagascariense; Carica papaya; Carissa spinarum; Casimiroa edulis; Cassia obtusifólia; Celosia argentea; Chrysophyllum cainito; Citrullus lanatus; Cleome gynandra; Cocos nucífera; Colocasia esculenta; Corchorus olitorius; Crassocephalum rubens; Crotalaria juncea; Crotalaria ochroleuca; Cucumis metuliferus; Cucurbita maxima; Cyphomandra betacea; Dacryodes edulis; Detarium microcarpum; Detarium senegalense; Dioscorea alata; Dioscorea dumetorum; Dioscorea rotundata; Diospyros mespiliformis; Dovyalis caffra; Ensete ventricosum; Eragrostis tef; Garcinia livingstonii; Garcinia mangostana; Gnetum africanum; Hibiscus sabdariffa; Icacina oliviformis; Ipomoea batatas; Irvingia gabonensis; Landolphia spp.; Lannea microcarpa; Lens culinaris; Macadamia ternifólia; Macrotyloma geocarpum; Mangifera indica; Momordica charantia; Morus alba; Musa acuminata AAA Group; Musa balbisiana; Opuntia monacantha; Parinari curatellifolia; Parkia biglobosa; Passiflora edulis; Persea americana; Phaseolus vulgaris; Plectranthus esculentus; Plectranthus rotundifolius; Psidium guajava; Ricinodendron heudelotii; Saba comorensis; Saba senegalensis; Solanum scabrum; Sphenostylis stenocarpa; Strychnos cocculoides; Strychnos spinosa; Syzygium guineense; Talinum fruticosum; Tamarindus indica; Telfairia occidentalis; Tylosema esculentum; Uapaca kirkiana; Vangueria infausta; Vangueria madagascariensis; Vicia faba; Vigna radiata; Vitellaria paradoxa; Vitex doniana;* 

**assembly**

RNAseq [71]

Reference genome [70] RNAseq [71]

**Ref.**

The work was funded by the Portuguese Rural Development Program (PDR2020) for the Operational Group STEnCIL, Initiative 27 [PDR2020–1.0.1- FEADER-031465], within the European Innovation Partnership (EIP-AGRI) supported by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and undertaken in the scope of project CajOmics [PTDC/AGR-PRO/5727/2014] funded by the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT)-FCT/MCTES/PIDDAC, Portugal, and the project CVAgrobiodiversity/333111699 funded by the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) and Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). The work was supported by FCT funds, to the following research units: LEAF [UID/ AGR/04129/2019] and cE3c [UID/BIA/00329/2019]. FM was individually funded by FCT-awarded postdoctoral fellowship SFRH/BPD/115162/2016.

### **Conflict of interest**

The authors declare no conflict of interest.
