CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing in crop breeding for climate change resilience: Implications for smallholder farmers in Africa

Food insecurity and malnutrition, compounded by climate change, are seriously threatening the growing African population. Unpredictable precipitation patterns and droughts are contributing to declining crop productivity. Efforts to increase agricultural productivity include adoption of crops that are resistant to climate change and engaging in climate resilient agriculture. Currently, CRISPR-Cas9 (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats - associated protein) technology is being used in crop breeding practices to improve traits such as drought tolerance, nutrition and disease resistance. The aim of this review is to explore the use of CRISPR-Cas9 technology in developing climate resilient crops for mitigation of food insecurity and hunger and the attendant implications for small holder farmers in Africa. A comprehensive systematic search of peer reviewed articles in three bibliographic databases, PubMed, Web of Science and Google Scholar, was conducted to identify documents relevant to applications and implications of CRISPR-mediated genome editing in crop improvement in the African context. The literature shows that CRISPR-Cas technology has been harnessed to enhance the resilience and nutritional content of various crops, by combatting biotic and abiotic stresses. The adoption of CRISPR-assisted crop improvement in breeding strategies can help smallholder farmers in low-middle income countries of Africa to adapt to climate change without productivity loss. By harnessing this technology, smallholder farmers can benefit from growing climate resilient crops with improved yields and stress resistance thereby contributing to food security and sustainable agriculture on the continent.