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U.S.-African partnership developing drought-tolerant maize - African-led project using biotechnology to increase grain harvest

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Littleton, Colorado
January 26, 2009

Biotechnology is a key component of a public-private partnership that could save millions of lives by developing drought-tolerant maize for small-scale farming operations in sub-Saharan Africa.

More than 300 million Africans depend on maize as their main food source. The partnership — known as Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) — was formed because crop yields are reduced greatly by frequent droughts in Africa, leading to hunger and poverty.

“This project, conducted mostly in Africa for Africans, will result in improved maize hybrids, yielding an additional 25 percent more grain under moderate drought conditions, compared to the best African seed currently available,” Vanessa Cook, U.S. agricultural company Monsanto’s WEMA project lead, told America.gov.

“Approximately 0.8 million metric tons of additional grain would be produced if 1 million hectares of maize showed this increase in a moderate drought year,” Cook said. “This would feed an additional 4.8 million people, providing the equivalent of $320 million in food aid and increased income to farmers.”

With the support of Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda, WEMA is led by the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), an African-run charity facilitating public-private partnerships in appropriate proprietary technologies to increase productivity for poor farmers in sub-Saharan Africa.

These are the other WEMA partner members:

  • The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, which provides high-yielding maize varieties  adapted to African conditions and expertise in conventional breeding and drought-tolerance testing
  • The U.S. firm Monsanto, which contributes proprietary corn lines, testing of genetically modified maize and the substantial expertise and capabilities of its molecular breeding research laboratories and data analysis
  • National agricultural research systems, farmer groups and seed companies in Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda, which contribute expertise in field testing and knowledge of local conditions and product requirements
  • The Howard Buffett Foundation, which has pledged $5 million for this project
  • The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has committed funding of $42 million

The Gates Foundation director of agricultural development, Rajiv Shah, told America.gov, “Our long-term goal with this project is to give farmers access to crops that can protect them from frequent drought, so [farmers] can feed their families, increase their incomes and build better, healthier lives.”

By 2018 or earlier, the enhanced seeds are expected to be available without royalty charges to small-scale African farms.

BIOTECHNOLOGY AND GENETIC MODIFICATION

The new maize varieties will be developed using a combination of conventional plant breeding and biotechnology (also called genetic modification or genetic engineering).

Conventional breeding involves repeatedly crossing and pollinating plants, then selecting the best varieties. This method takes eight years to 10 years or longer. For WEMA, Monsanto will accelerate the selection process with marker-assisted breeding, which allows researchers to find and track genetic material associated with drought tolerance and focus on developing those lines.

Genetically modified crops are produced by introducing a new piece of DNA from another plant or bacterium to strengthen the desired characteristic, Cook said. For this process, a “gene gun” powered by air pressure is used to shoot DNA pieces coated onto microscopic gold particles into plant cells, with the goal of inserting a new, desirable genetic trait. Plants then are grown to see if the desired change occurs.

“Ten million farmers have been using [genetically modified] crops in 23 countries in the last 12 years,” Bruce Chassy, professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, told America.gov, “and they have seen higher yields and healthier soil, in addition to reduced pesticide use, energy use and emissions of greenhouse gases.”

“And, of particular benefit to developing countries, [genetically modified] crops also can be nutritionally enhanced and made more resistant to fungal infections that produce toxins dangerous to humans,” Peggy Lemaux, University of California, Berkeley, faculty member, told America.gov.

“Genetic engineering is a powerful tool to improve crop yield in sub-Saharan Africa, in addition to conventional plant breeding, soil conservation, increasing soil nutrients and increasing access to fertilizer and quality seeds,” Cook said.

CONTROVERSY OVER GENETICALLY MODIFIED CROPS

“Concerns have been raised about [genetically modified] crops regarding the possibility of introducing harmful and irreversible changes to the gene pool, human health problems and unknown future safety risks, which may be inadequately regulated,” Chassy said, “but genetic engineering has been practiced for 45 years with no known adverse affects, and instead the improved crops have generally been very productive and beneficial.”

To preserve existing genetic diversity, Lemaux said, gene banks worldwide have collected and stored samples of most crop and plant seeds. In terms of human health, “commercial genetically engineered crops and products available today are at least as safe in terms of food safety as those produced by conventional methods,” she added.

“In the United States, 10 to15 years of research and safety testing of [genetically modified] products make them the best understood and most researched foods on the market,” Chassy said.

“In Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda, there are national teams to ensure that the regulatory frameworks are in place for testing [genetically modified] crops and that the WEMA project follows the necessary procedures,” Monsanto’s Cook said.

“Leading scientists around the world have attested to the health and environmental safety of agricultural biotechnology,” C.S. Prakash, a Tuskegee University professor, told America.gov, “and they have called for bioengineered crops to be extended to those who need them most — hungry people in the developing world.”

Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA)
Source: AATF
http://www.aatf-africa.org/aatf_projects.php?sublevelone=30&subcat=5

Africa is a drought-prone continent, making farming risky for millions of small-scale farmers who rely on rainfall to water their crops. Maize is the most widely grown staple crop in Africa – more than 300 million Africans depend on it as their main food source – and it is severely affected by frequent drought. Drought leads to crop failure, hunger, and poverty. Climate change will only worsen the problem. Drought tolerance has been recognised as one of the most important targets of crop improvement programs, and biotechnology has been identified as a powerful tool to achieve significant drought tolerance by the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization. Identifying ways to mitigate drought risk, stabilise yields, and encourage small-scale farmers to adopt best management practices is fundamental to realising food security and improved livelihoods for the continent. AATF is leading a public-private partnership called Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) to develop drought-tolerant African maize using conventional breeding, marker-assisted breeding, and biotechnology. The benefits and safety of the maize varieties will be assessed by national authorities according to the regulatory requirements in the partner countries: Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda.

Objective

The partners in this five-year project will develop new African drought-tolerant maize varieties, incorporating the best technology available internationally. The long-term goal is to make drought-tolerant maize available royalty-free to small-scale farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The problem

Drought is the most important constraint of African agriculture severely affecting maize, the most important African staple food crop. Three-quarters of the world’s severe droughts over the past 10 years have occurred in Africa. The WEMA partnership was formed in response to a growing call by African farmers, leaders, and scientists to address the effects of drought in a way that is cost effective to African smallholder farmers.

WEMA project

AATF will work with the internationally funded non-profit International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), the private agricultural company Monsanto, and the agricultural research systems in eastern and southern Africa in this effort. AATF will contribute its leadership, unique experience in public-private partnership management, technology stewardship and project management expertise. CIMMYT will provide high-yielding maize varieties that are adapted to African conditions and expertise in conventional breeding and testing for drought tolerance. Monsanto will provide proprietary germplasm, advanced breeding tools and expertise, and drought-tolerance transgenes developed in collaboration with BASF. The varieties developed through the project will be distributed to African seed companies through AATF without royalty and made available to smallholder farmers as part of their seed business. The national agricultural research systems, farmers’ groups, and seed companies participating in the project will contribute their expertise in field testing, seed multiplication, and distribution. The project will involve local institutions, both public and private, and in the process expand their capacity and experience in crop breeding, biotechnology, and biosafety.

Partner institutions

African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF)
National agricultural research systems in Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)
Monsanto
Funding Partners

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Howard G. Buffett Foundation

Maïs Econome en Eau pour l'Afrique (WEMA)
Source: AATF
http://www.aatf-africa.org/aatf_projects.php?sublevelone=31&subcat=5

L'Afrique est un continent très touché par la sécheresse, faisant de l'agriculture une entreprise à haut risque pour des millions de petits fermiers qui comptent sur la pluie pour arroser leurs récoltes. Le maïs est la plante la plus abondamment cultivée en Afrique – plus de 300 millions d'africains, pour qui il représente la première source de nourriture, en dépendent – et il est gravement touché par les sécheresses fréquentes. La sécheresse entraîne la perte des récoltes, la faim et la pauvreté. Le changement climatique ne fera qu'aggraver le problème La tolérance à la sécheresse a été reconnue comme l'une des cibles les plus importantes des programmes d'amélioration des plantes cultivées, et la biotechnologie a été identifiée par l'Organisation des Nations Unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture comme un outil puissant pour obtenir une résistance significative à la sécheresse. Identifier des façons de mitiger le risque de sécheresse, stabiliser les rendements et encourager les petits exploitants agricoles à adopter les meilleures pratiques de gestion est fondamental pour réaliser la sécurité alimentaire et améliorer les conditions de vie sur le continent africain. L'AATF dirige un partenariat public-privé appelé Maïs Econome en Eau pour l'Afrique (Water Efficient Maize for Africa, ou WEMA) destiné à développer un maïs africain résistant à la sécheresse en faisant appel à la sélection classique, la sélection assistée par marqueurs et la biotechnologie. Les avantages et la sécurité de ces variétés de maïs seront évalués par les autorités nationales, conformément aux exigences réglementaires de chaque pays partenaire : Kenya, Ouganda, Tanzanie et Afrique du Sud.

Objectif

Les partenaires de ce projet sur cinq ans développeront des variétés de maïs africain résistantes à la sécheresse en incorporant la meilleure technologie disponible dans le monde. L'objectif à long terme est de mettre à la disposition des petits paysans d'Afrique sub-saharienne un maïs résistant à la sécheresse, libre de droits.

Le problème

La sécheresse est la contrainte la plus importante dont l'agriculture ait à pâtir en Afrique, et elle affecte gravement le maïs, la culture vivrière la plus importante en Afrique sub-saharienne. Au cours des 10 dernières années, les trois quarts des sécheresses les plus sévères du globe sont survenues en Afrique. Le partenariat WEMA a été constitué pour répondre à une demande croissante des fermiers, des dirigeants et des scientifiques africains désireux de contrecarrer les effets de la sécheresse de façon économiquement viable pour les petits exploitants agricoles du continent.

Le projet WEMA

L'AATF travaillera en collaboration avec le Centre international pour l'amélioration du maïs et du blé (CIMMYT), un organisme à but non lucratif, une société privée, Monsanto, et les systèmes nationaux de recherche agronomique en Afrique de l'Est et du Sud. L'AATF apportera son leadership, son expérience unique de la gestion des partenariats public-privé, sa veille technologique et sa compétence en matière de gestion de projets. Le CIMMYT fournira des variétés de maïs à haut rendement, résistantes à la sécheresse, qui sont adaptées aux conditions africaines, et apportera son savoir-faire dans les domaines de la sélection classique et des tests de la tolérance à la sécheresse. Monsanto fournira des germoplasmes propriétaires, des outils de sélection avancés et son expertise, ainsi que des transgènes de tolérance à la sécheresse développés en collaboration avec BASF. Les variétés développées grâce au projet seront distribuées par l'AATF, libres de droits, aux semenciers africains qui les mettront à la disposition des petits paysans dans le cadre de leur activité commerciale. Les systèmes nationaux de recherche agronomique, les groupes de fermiers et les sociétés semencières participant au projet apporteront leur expérience des essais en plein champ, de la multiplication des semences et de leur distribution. Le projet impliquera les institutions locales, tant publiques que privées, et, ce faisant, accroîtra leurs compétences et leur expérience de la sélection des semences, de la biotechnologie et de la biosécurité.

Institutions partenaires

Fondation Africaine pour les Technologies Agricoles (AATF)
Systèmes nationaux de recherche agronomique au Kenya, en Afrique du Sud, en Tanzanie et en Ouganda
Centre international pour l'amélioration du maïs et du blé (CIMMYT)
Monsanto

Funding Partners

Fondation Bill & Melinda Gates
Fondation Howard G. Buffett

Other news from AATF

 

 

More information on WEMA is available on the AATF Web site.

African Agricultural Technology Foundation to develop drought-tolerant maize varieties for small-scale farmers in Africa - Long-term goal of public-private partnership is to reduce crop failure, alleviate hunger and poverty
(March 2008)
 
More information on agricultural biotechnology is available on a University of California Web site.

 

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