Expresses worry over slow adoption of new technologies

By Gabriel Ewepu – Abuja

The African Agriculture Technology Foundation, AATF, has disclosed that its technology initiatives will boost food production in Nigeria and other African countries.

This was contained in a report released by the Foundation, which highlighted current projects and special initiatives to tackle age-long agricultural problems in Africa including Drought tolerant and insect resistant maize, NEWEST Rice project, Pod Borer Resistant Cowpea, and Hybrid rice: Breeding by design.

According to AATF agricultural technology remains paramount and plays a central role in Africa’s ongoing development, which agriculture can be a catalyst for the transformation of the economies of Sub-Saharan Africa, but it must be made resilient to current and emerging challenges.

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It also added that farmers must have access to technologies that allow them to increase their output in a sustainable and resilient manner.

The report reads in part, “Drought tolerant and insect resistant maize; the impact of climate change on Africa’s staple crops could be enormous. If nothing is done, the yield of rain-fed maize could decline by 25 per cent by 2050.

“AATF’s Water Efficient Maize for Africa, WEMA, Project is developing transgenic maize hybrids that are well adapted to moderate drought conditions and resistant to the stem borer insect.

“The product has undergone highly successful commercialization, with 38 seed companies licensing WEMA for testing or sale. Nearly 4, 000 tones of seed have been sold to farmers for cultivation in less than five years, meaning an estimated 2.4 million people have benefited from WEMA products to date.

“NEWEST Rice project; Rice has become a priority crop of strategic importance for food security in most African countries where the consumption continues to rise at a rate of 6-12 per cent, which is higher than the rate of increase of production (3.4%) leading to rice deficit of over 12 million metric tonnes per year. Insufficient rice production (mostly caused by low yield) affects the well-being of over 20 million smallholder farmers.

“AATF is working with partners to mitigate the effect of these sol nutrients imbalances by developing rice varieties that are Nitrogen-use Efficient, Water-use Efficient, and Salt Tolerant (NEWEST Rice). The NEWEST Rice outperformed appropriate control lines by an average of 40 per cent more than controls under combined limited nitrogen and drought conditions in the field.

“Pod Borer Resistant Cowpea; Cowpea is one of the most important legume food crops in Sub-Saharan Africa where it constitutes the major protein source for low-income people in both rural and urban centres.

“Maruca vitrata, a pod-borer is considered one of the most destructive insect pests of cowpea causing up to 80 per cent direct yield losses. The pod-borer resistant cowpea project, coordinated by AATF, and implemented in Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Nigeria, has developed cowpea lines that are highly resistant to M. vitrata, using modern gene technology.

“PBR-Cowpea raised grain yields by 15-20 per cent under moderate infestation of Maruca, and by more than 100 per cent under severe infestation and normal farmer agronomic practices.

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“Hybrid rice: breeding by design; Africa rice crops have historically been uncompetitive with imports from the global market, as low productivity increases their production costs. Local farmers are often been unable to meet domestic demand.

“AATF is working with partners who are developing new rice breeds that can dramatically increase the yields of African rice crops, from three tonnes per hectare to up to 10 tonnes per hectare, thus improving the livelihoods of farmers and reducing Sub-Saharan Africa’s dependence on imports.”

The Foundation said higher-yielding and adaptable crop varieties have the potential to not only improve food security but also accelerate and transform African agriculture and economies.

“However, the slow adoption of new technologies, from improved seeds through to mechanization, has delayed realization of benefits of these technologies by smallholders who make up to 8 per cent of Sub-Saharan African farms”, the report said.

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