Source:
America.gov
By Nancy Pontius, Special Correspondent
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