AATF and the Commission of the African Union sign MoU
The African Union (AU) Commission and the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will see them work together to raise agricultural productivity in Africa through technology access, development, delivery and uptake. AATF and the Commission of the African Union (AU) sign MoU
The African Agricultural Technology (AATF) and the Commission of the African Union (AU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Monday, 23 January 2012 Denis Kyetere to Head the African Agricultural Technology Foundation
Dr Denis Tumwesigye Kyetere has been appointed the Executive Director at the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF). Dr Kyetere will assume office on 1 January 2012. Ghana OFAB Chapter launched
Ms Sherry Ayittey, Minister of Environment, Science and Technology pledged to ensure government sets aside one per cent of GDP in 2012 budget to support science and technology when she launched the OFAB Ghana Chapter. In memory of Robert L Harness – member of AATF Board of Trustees
Robert L Harness joined the AATF Board of Trustees in April 2010, bringing to the AATF valuable experience in biotechnology policy, product regulatory approval and public acceptance. AATF Receives US$ 1 Million Boost for Agricultural Technology in Africa
The African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) has received a US$1 million support package from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to facilitate the organisation’s operations, which seek to boost agricultural output through greater use of science and technology. Bio-Control Technology to Help Fight Aflatoxin
African Agricultural Technologies Foundation (AATF) and International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) have launched a bio-control project in Kenya dubbed Aflasafe to control the devastating aflatoxin problem that is exposing the lives of over five billions of people at risk of chronic exposure to aflatoxin through contaminated foods. U.S. Announces Support for the Africa-led Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa
The United States announced on 10 June 2011 that it is committing $12 million for aflatoxin control in Africa. The announcement was made during the tenth annual Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum in Lusaka, Zambia. The funds will support the objective of the African-led Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa (PACA). Kenya approves genetically modified crops
REUTERS: Kenya has become the fourth country in Africa to open up to genetically modified (GM) crops after approving laws to allow their production and importation. Kenya set to give green light to GM crops
Cotton that uses genes from Bacillus thuringiensis to fight pests is likely to be the first crop approved under Kenya's new rules for genetically modified organisms. Imports of GM maize opposed
The imports of genetically modified maize has been sharply criticised by an environmental group. Ghana biosafety bill passed into law
The Ghana Biosafety Bill was passed into law by its Parliament on 21 June 2011. Nigeria Passes Biosafety Bill
The Nigerian Senate enacted the Biosafety Bill into law on June 1, 2011, after several years of stakeholders' discussion and debate. Kenya, Nigeria launch a bio-control project to fight aflatoxin
The largest economies in East and West Africa, Kenya and Nigeria respectively, are beneficiaries to an innovative project that utilises biological tools to fight aflatoxin in maize and other strategic staples. Ministers, researchers identify benefits of biotechnology, canvass passage of Biosafety Bill
Stakeholders in agricultural biotechnology in Nigeria met on 16 May at the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) Umudike, Abia State, calling for an urgent passage of the biosafety bill expected to regulate the practice of biotechnology in the country. IITA names Director General Designate
Dr. Nteranya E. Sanginga will assume office on 1 November as the next Director General (DG) of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). Fighting Africa’s food deficit
AATF Legal Counsel, Alhaji Tejan-Cole, explains what his organization is doing to help farmers in Africa increase productivity, profitability and sustainability to reverse the continent’s food deficit. African countries urged to speed up the passage of biosafety legislations
African countries have been urged to speed up with their biosafety legislations to allow capacity building in modern biotechnology application Kenya to start planting biotech crops
The Kenya Government says it will publish biotechnology guidelines in two months, setting the country on course to join developing countries planting genetically modified crops. Developments in Agricultural Biotechnology in Sub-Saharan Africa
A number of crops with a variety of traits are being developed by public-private partnerships in sub-Saharan Africa. Study on drought-resistant maize seeds gets underway
The government of Zanzibar has said that a research project on better maize seeds being conducted by scientists from five African countries will help to overcome drought and food shortages in the respective countries. New study documents spread of aflatoxins in Kenya
International and Kenyan experts are meeting on 13 January 2011 with government officials, donors, and various food and health-related organizations to share results from a recent research on the prevalence of aflatoxin contamination in maize. Exceptional Leadership Opportunity in Africa
AATF seeks to recruit from nationals of countries in Sub-Saharan Africa a visionary and passionate leader with experience in building and managing successful public-private partnerships for the benefit of smallholder farming in Africa Africa 'can feed itself in a generation'
'It is the responsibility of an African president to modernise the economy and that means essentially starting with the modernisation of agriculture,' Professor Juma. New laws key in war on hunger: Kibaki
Africa urgently needs strategies and programmes to increase the capacity of small-scale farmers to boost their productivity and enter the dynamic national, regional and international markets - President Kibaki Biotechnology: Africa Must Take Decisive Action
As the population of the African continent increases, agricultural production and the ability to feed the ever-increasing populations are not only challenged by local conditions on the African continent, but globally by the economic recession, high food and fuel prices, climate change and related disasters. New cure for aflatoxin maize still miles away from farmers
Kenyan maize farmers may soon find their labour more rewarding following reports that experts have found a way of preventing aflatoxin contamination. Uganda: Sweet genes arm banana crops
Scientists in Uganda have developed GM bananas that show promising resistance to the deadly banana Xanthomonas wilt (BXW) disease. Kenya: 'Good' mould to the rescue
A deadly fungus that has blighted thousands of tonnes of maize in Kenya could be defeated by introducing a less dangerous cousin to crops while still in the field, say scientists. Making Kenyan maize safe from deadly aflatoxins
Although the situation is grim, it is not hopeless! Scientists have developed a cost-effective, safe, and natural method to prevent aflatoxin formation in maize while in the field. Biosafety law translated in local languages of Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso has translated the National Biosafety Law into the three most commonly spoken languages (Mooré, Jula and Gulmacema) in the cotton growing areas. Kenya launches National Biosafety Authority Board
Kenya's Minister for Higher Education, Science and Technology William Ruto launched the National Biosafety Authority (NBA) Board on 13 May 2010. 'Green Revolution' by Africa's small farmers
A 'green revolution' led by Africa's small farmers, and harnessing the latest technologies and innovations, is vital if the continent is to reduce extreme poverty and hunger by 2015. Tanzania: Shifting towards drought resistant agriculture
Tanzania is poised for a scientific revolution to defeat one of its worst weather vagaries - drought. Drought tolerant maize will profit African farmers
A new study shows that the development, deployment, and cultivation of drought tolerant maize varieties can significantly profit Sub-Saharan Africa's maize farmers and consumers. China to cement grand African research plans
The Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which includes 49 African countries, plans to implement several large-scale science and technology projects across Africa in the next three years. Research to improve sorghum's nutritional levels
A Sh1.3 billion project intends to increase the appeal of the grain, largely considered as the staple food for the poor. WIPO scheme to give patents to poorest
The World Intellectual Property Organization is preparing a scheme in which corporations would give free access to IP to the poorest developing countries. Kenya: Lack of rules hinders Use of biotech seeds
The potential of biotechnology to increase production can be applied to a wide range of food and non-food commodities, yet rules to guide carrying out of performance field tests have not beenreleased by National Biosafety Authority (NBA). African leaders dissolve Nepad
African leaders have adopted a resolution to dissolve the New Partnership for Africa Development (NEPAD) and replace it by a new agency. African Policymakers Urged to Speed Seed to Farmers
Abuja — African seed producers and researchers have called on policymakers to boost production of improved seed varieties and ensure that they are released to farmers more quickly. Food security in East Africa 'within reach'
East Africa will face both crop gains and losses as a result of climate change, but food security is an achievable goal if new farming technologies are embraced, says a study. Food: Is Monsanto the answer or the problem?
As Monsanto steps up its humanitarian efforts, the company faces a host of hurdles, not the least of which is its own image. Mock planting of first GM maize
She is no economist, and 65-year old Nduku Katunge’s rapport with hunger is anything but a
projection. As she plants maize at a research site in Kiboko near Makindu, Katunge, a widowed mother of seven, is wondering whether she will eat tonight, and whether she will be able to pay this month’s rent of KSh 300. Food crisis forces changes on GM crops
If we are able to take advantage of the new technologies that are becoming available, using molecular biology tools, or using biotechnology tools and products, Africa should be able to achieve a green – Daniel Mataruka Drought-tolerant crops will save us
For the first time in human history, we have solutions in hand that can help these farmers cope with the effects of drought – Daniel Mataruka Vatican, food experts say biotechnology will improve African farming
African farmers should be able to use new biotechnology, including genetically modified organisms, to help lift their continent out of poverty, Vatican officials and agricultural experts said. Africa 'resistant to GMOs because of relationship with EU'
Europe's cautious approach to genetically modified crops is having a negative effect on agriculture in Africa, according to a group of farmers. Drought-hardy maize ready for field trials
Researchers at the University of Cape Town in South Africa have developed a new kind of genetically modified (GM) maize that is designed for drought resistance. Nigeria National Seed Council calls for improved seed supply system
Chief Olasunkanmi Shobowale, the Executive Director of the Nigerian National Agricultural Seeds Council , has called for the establishment of improved seed supply system. Point of view - Activism, Mendacity, and Pathological Science
Consumers are increasingly being exposed to what chemistry Nobel laureate Irving Langmuir dubbed “pathological science,†the “science of things that aren’t so.†Hunger: Africa can get out of the trap
Africa needs economic and agricultural revolutions greater than the one observed in Asia. Weeds are farmers' enemy number one
One huge hunger-maker lurks largely unnoticed ... maybe it's because weeds are not very spectacular - FAO weed expert Ricardo Labrada-Romero. Farming is Continent's Lifeline, Clinton Says
For millions of Africans, farming is a lifeline, says US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Agrochemical body says, GMOs won’t drive us out
Richard Shikuku, chief executive officer of the Agrochemicals Association of Kenya (AAK), has attempted to reassure Kenyan pesticide and fertilizer makers that genetically modified (GM) crop adoption will not mean a loss of business Banana Blight Puts Livelihoods at Risk
The bacterial disease banana Xanthomonas wilt (BXW) is a huge threat to East African banana production, specialists says. In search of new maize variety
Like virtually all Kenyans at this time, Dr James Gethi is disappointed that three seasons in a row have been very dry in almost all maize growing areas. Agriculture ministry avails 10 acres for maize project
The Uganda Government has given 10 acres of land to the African Agricultural Technology Foundation for the Water Efficient Maize for Africa project. New maize variety to counter drought
Farmers in drought-stricken regions in Uganda could soon sigh with relief with the stage set for confined field trials for drought-tolerant maize varieties. Role of Genetically Modified Crops in Africa
Genetically modified (GM) crops conjure up varying emotions worldwide. Nevertheless, their acreage is increasing, reaching 125 million hectares in 2008. Tanzania forum to facilitate local debate on agricultural biotechnology
One more step towards bringing the debate on agricultural biotechnology closer to the people with the launch of the OFAB in Tanzania. GM maize for local (Kenya) trials by 2010
Kenya will soon start confined field trials of drought-tolerant transgenic maize variety in a project spearheaded by KARI. Nigeria approves N40m for cowpea research
Nigeria has approved N40 million for the 1st phase of research into pest-resistance cowpea crops in Nigeria. Partnerships Newsletter - Issue 2
The second issue of Partnerships, a quarterly newsletter of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF). 90 million Nigerians are food vulnerable
About 90 million Nigerians are in a condition of food vulnerability, Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources, Dr. Sayyid Abba-Ruma, has said. OFAB Nigeria Chapter launched
The Nigerian Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Bako Zaku said $500 billion was realised from the sale of biotechnology products yearly worldwide. He said this on 9 April in Abuja at the launch of OFAB Nigeria chapter. African scientists to their governments: adopt modern agricultural technologies
Kenyan Agriculture Secretary Wilson Songa has cautioned African policy makers and stakeholders to stop thinking that Africa can produce enough food through organic technology alone. Cowpea growers profit from improved varieties
Farmers in Nigeria and Niger have seen their profits increase by about 55 percent thanks to new cowpea varieties developed by IITA and its national partners in Nigeria. Uganda to start biotech cotton trials
Uganda's National Agriculture Research Organization (NARO) will soon begin field trials of genetically modified cotton. Ghana to undertake field trials on GM crops
Ghana will soon begin field trials with genetically modified crops, which, when successful, will help enhance agricultural modernisation and productivity. Read our Partnerships newsletter
Partnerships is a new quarterly newsletter of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF). Dr Daniel Fungai Mataruka joins AATF
Dr Daniel Fungai Mataruka has joined the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) as the Executive Director. Kenyan president signs Biosafety Bill into law
Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki signed into law a national Biosafety Act on February 12. U.S.-African Partnership Developing Drought-Tolerant Maize
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. Leading experts to discuss Bt cowpea
The Project Advisory Committee for the Maruca-Resistant Cowpea Project has identified three areas for which additional input and guidance is desired ... AATF uniquely positioned to address crucial needs in Africa
AATF uniquely positioned to address crucial needs in Africa AATF and Arcadia Biosciences sign agreement
AATF has signed an agreement with US-based agricultural technology company Arcadia Biosciences to develop improved varieties of African rice. Mali approves biosafety law
The National Assembly of Mali passed a national biosafety law on 13 November 2008. Kenya launches biotechnology awareness strategy
Kenya has launched a national biotechnology awareness strategy (BioAWARE-Kenya AATF announces changes in top management
The African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) has announced changes in its top management Nigeria: 'GM Food Good for Nigeria'
At a recent Conference on the introduction of GM crops in Nigeria, the Minister of Science and Technology Chief (Mrs.) Grace Ekpiwhre almost shouted blue murder about the looming food crises in Sub-Saharan Africa Kenya begins field trials of GM maize
After several years of research, Kenya has finally started field trials of genetically modified maize. The Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) began planting the maize modified to resist stem borers, which cause 20 per cent crop loss to farmers every year. Men, women, children flee food crisis in Niger
Scores of men, women and children from Niger are fleeing south into Nigeria to escape crop failure and imminent famine, according to Nigerian immigration officials. Better technology for African farmers
Resource-poor African farmers are being given the chance to grow high-yielding crops, thanks to an initiative by the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), which links small-scale producers up with technological solutions for agriculture. The foundation is a public-private partnership that aims to boost incomes and food security for the rural poor in sub-Saharan Africa by overcoming the high costs and restrictions imposed by intellectual property rights, which act as barriers to African farmers |
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