The two-day review and planning meeting specifically sought to:

• review the Confined Field Trial (CFT) work plan established in Abuja in June 2008, and to update on the status of CFT applications and training needs of project partners in Nigeria, Ghana, and Burkina Faso
• review the methodology used in the first trial in Puerto Rico and evaluate the insect efficacy data and agronomic observations from the first trial
• review progress on the molecular and genetic characterisation of transformation events for the 2008 field trial and identify candidate events for the 2009 field trial
• formulate a refined trial design and protocol for the anticipated second trial.

– Click here for publication [pdf 270k]

The African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) brought together partners and stakeholders from west Africa to examine progress made regarding cowpea improvement via genetic transformation and plan for additional work. The overall objective of the meeting was to review the progress made in research, synthesise the results and focus on what needs to be done in the coming years. The meeting focussed on aspects of product development (transformation and introgression), regulatory and biosafety issues, and how to deal with the general area of Bt cowpea technology acceptance to ensure full scale utilisation of GM technology in Africa. The requisite governance structure for the project was discussed to shed light on the roles and responsibilities of partners engaged in this initiative.

– Click here for publication [pdf 499 k]

Baseline Study for Impact Assessment of High Quality Insect Resistant Cowpea in West Africa

The study, initiated by AATF and executed by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), and Purdue University aims to:

1. elicit consumer preferences, acceptability, willingness to pay and adaptability of Bt cowpea to local conditions in west Africa
2. assess the competitiveness and potential market niches for Bt cowpea
3. identify strategies for capacity building of west African seed organisations for Bt cowpea
4. assess the ex-ante economic impact of Bt cowpea at farm, country and region levels.

– Click here for publication [pdf 2133 k]

Managing Liability Associated with Genetically Modified Crops

Recent years have seen intense global debate about whether or not agricultural biotechnology—particularly genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and genetically modified crops (GM crops)—should be covered by a specially designed liability regime. This chapter examines common and statutory law theories of liability, various attempts at the national and international levels to design liability regimes for GMOs, and liability risk-mitigation measures.

A plan to apply technology in the improvement of cowpea productivity and utilisation for the benefit of farmers and consumers in Africa: Proceedings of a Cowpea Stakeholders Workshop. 10–12 February, Accra, Ghana

Contents: Executive summary; Notes to the workshop; Summary of plenary presentations; Report of task force deliberations; Reports of Task Forces; Annexes



Click here for proceedings

Report of Small Group Meeting (SGM) on "Constraints to Cowpea Production and Utilization in Sub-Saharan Africa", held at AATF headquarters, Nairobi, Kenya, 10–11 July 2003.

- Click here for booklet [pdf]