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The role of biotechnology in animal agriculture to address poverty in Africa: Opportunities and challenges
 The current debate on agricultural biotechnology is, at best, confusing – even to the better informed sections of the public. A complex set of issues, all intertwined, combine to complicate the debate. These include, ethical, moral, socio-economic, political, philosophical and scientific points of view being expressed. While champions provide fascinating arguments illuminating how biotechnology could save the world from poverty and hunger, opponents deride it as the doomsday devil of agriculture. The rest of the public remain sandwiched between the two camps either engaged enough to take a semi-informed stand or indifferent to the discussions. Africa is emerging as one of the frontlines in the battle for acceptance (or otherwise) of agricultural biotechnology. For Africa, the debate is occurring at a crucial time. The local policy makers who will ultimately decide on the future of biotechnology, including genetically modified foods, are being pushed and pulled in both directions. Only a few countries, namely Burkina Faso, Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe are involved in some form of biotechnology research or (at least for South Africa) commercial use, especially in crop agriculture. A few of these countries have introduced regulations to govern transgenic agriculture. – Click here for publication [pdf 2,300k]
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Intellectual Property/Innovation Management Handbook now Online
 A new and unique resource in intellectual property and innovation management has been launched: the Online version of the Handbook of Best Practices. Speaking at the Global Forum for Health Research in Beijing, Anatole Krat-tiger who led the effort said: “Thanks to the foresight of and support from the Rockefeller Foundation, MIHR and PIPRA [the publishers] were able to capitalize on the Web 2.0. The Online version of the resource gives us the ability to weave new connections and pursue new directions. The global IP revolution, increasingly led by the public sector, is just beginning. It amplifies the important contribution of sound IP management and how the public sector can put intellectual property to work for a better, healthier, and more equitable world.” – Click here for press release
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Baseline Study of Striga Control using IR Maize in Western Kenya
 The report presents the results of a baseline study undertaken to assess the status of Striga damage, the general livelihoods and livelihood strategies of the rural poor in western Kenya. A stratified random sampling method led to the selection of 8 districts, 16 sub-locations, 32 villages and 800 households. A combination of techniques for data collection was used, including literature review, GPS recordings, focus group discussions and interview of individual households. The study revealed that households are small in size and dependency ratio is high. There were about 26% of households headed by females. The level of education is low for the heads of households and all members of farm families. Households are endowed with a multitude of assets for their livelihoods. Maize is the major food crop and a source of cash income. Farmers grow both local and improved (hybrid) maize varieties, but the productivity is low. – Click here for draft report [pdf 336 kb]
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The African Agricultural Technology Foundation approach to IP management – chapter in Handbook of Best Practices
 For smallholder farmers in Africa, yields of major staple crops (maize, sorghum, millet, cassava, cowpea, bananas/plantains) have remained stagnant or even declined in the past 40 years. Numerous biotic and abiotic stresses have contributed to this dire trend. Local research efforts to overcome these stresses have been hampered by declining support for agricultural research, limited access to elite genetic material and other technologies protected by IP rights, and the absence of commercial interest in these crops from private owners of agricultural technologies. – Click here for book chapter [pdf 290 kb]
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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.
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Empowering African Farmers to Eradicate Striga from Maize Croplands
 This booklet calls for a comprehensive campaign to eradicate Striga from Africa's maize croplands. Striga is a parasitic weed preying upon cereal crops that has infested 2.5 million hectares of maize. This biological invasion results in economic losses of over US $1 billion per year and is a leading cause of food insecurity and rural stagnation. For decades, Africa's small-scale farmers were powerless to control this menacing plant parasite but recent technological breakthroughs are now available to reverse this situation.
- Click here for booklet [pdf 920 kb]
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A strategy for industrialisation of cassava in Africa: Proceedings of a small group meeting, 14–18 November 2005, Ibadan, Nigeria
 The current high cost of cassava production and low quality of cassava products in Africa stems from inefficient traditional production and processing methods, which severely limit the ability of the continent to enter local and export industrial markets and effectively compete with corn starch in global markets. For cassava to play a role in the economic growth of cassava producing countries in Africa, an integrated ap-proach combining large investments in industries using cassava as a raw material (for example food, feed, ethanol and starch) and small and medium scale investments by entrepreneurs in production, processing and delivery of high quality cassava products to the larger industries as well as adoption of labour saving devices in cassava produc-tion is considered essential. Indeed, a survey conducted by the African Agricultural Technology Foundation during the 2004 Triennial Symposium of the International So-ciety for Tropical Root Crops-Africa Branch (ISTRC-AB) revealed a consensus among African cassava experts that the single most important intervention to increase the competitiveness of the cassava industry was the adoption of mechanisation in cassava production. - Click here for booklet [pdf 1,000 kb]
Ua Kayongo Hybrid Maize: The Striga Killer
 Contents: Mobilising Kenyan farmers; Striga threatens farmers in Kenya;
Know your enemy!; The first line of defense; Conventional Striga management; Introducing Ua Kayongo: the Striga killer; Five easy steps to establish Ua Kayongo; Other benefits from planting Ua Kayongo; Questions and answers on Ua Kayongo
– Click here for booklet [pdf 1,073 kb]
Launch of STRIGAWAY® (IR-maize) technology for Striga control in Africa
 Contents: Background,Striga in Africa, Issues discussed by the participants, Institutional roles, Prioritising the countries, Country specific work plans, Variety recommendation, Available varieties, List of participants
- Click here for proceedings [pdf]
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Mycotoxin Control in food grains: Proceedings of a Small Group Meeting. 22-24 June 2004, Nairobi, Kenya
 Contents:
Executive summary; Opening; Introduction and welcome;
General objectives and procedures of the workshop; Presentations
Possible interventions; Task Force work; Closing remarks;
Way forward; Annexes
Click here for proceedings
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
New Approaches to Controlling Striga Infestation
 Reprint from the November-December 2004 issue of Farmer's Journal describing approaches to Striga control.
- Click here for reprint [pdf]
Intellectual Property Resources for International Development in Agriculture
 A December 2003 publication in Plant Physiology describes a number of organizations that have begun to address new approaches to inform researchers about the intellectual property landscape impacting agricultural biotechnology and to design strategies that will improve access to intellectual property, particularly for humanitarian purposes.
- Click here for reprint [pdf]
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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]
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Report of Small Group Meeting (SGM) on "Improved Production of Bananas and Plantains in sub-Saharan Africa". THEME: Agricultural Technology Interventions for Increasing the Production of Bananas and Plantains in sub-Saharan Africa
- Click here for booklet [pdf]
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