Category: 2021

KEY LESSONS FROM NIGERIA’S ENVIRONMENTAL APPROVAL OF TELA MAIZE

In October this year (2021), Africa recorded a milestone in crop biotech development when the Federal Government of Nigeria granted environmental approval for evaluation and open cultivation of TELA Maize, a new maize variety genetically modified to tolerate moderate drought and resist the fall armyworm and stem borer. This development places Nigeria one step closer […]

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Extension services key for agricultural transformation in Africa

[Munyonyo, November 17, 2021]: Scientists, agriculture extension providers, policy makers and other stakeholders across the globe met on the sidelines of the African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (AFAAS) Agricultural Extension Week held in Uganda to share experiences on sustainable partnerships for commercialisation and deployment of agricultural technologies in Africa. The AATF side event discussed […]

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AATF and AFAAS to enhance technology adoption and utilisation in Africa

[Munyonyo, November 16, 2021]: Today, AATF and African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (AFAAS) have announced a five-year partnership agreement aimed at enhancing the utilization and adoption of productivity-enhancing technologies; value-adding processes and, loss-reducing practices among smallholder farmers in Africa. The agreement will establish a long-term relationship for purposes of carrying out complementary research, innovation, […]

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Agricultural biotechnology forum established in Rwanda

The African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) and the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB) have today launched the country’s Chapter of the open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB) to enhance awareness and knowledge sharing on innovative agricultural technologies in the country. Established by AATF in 2006 as a platform for stakeholder interactions on […]

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TELA Maize variety, a win- win for Nigerian farmers

[Abuja, Nigeria: October 25, 2021] The newly released TELA Maize variety in Nigeria will expand farmers options to either grow GM TELA varieties or conventional Drought TEGO varieties or their local open-pollinated varieties just like farmers in another part of the world, the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), Ahmadu Bello University has said. ’’The choice […]

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Nigeria deregulates TELA Maize, allows for open cultivation in the country

The government of Nigeria has granted environmental approval for evaluation and open cultivation of TELA Maize, a new maize variety developed by researchers at the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria that resists fall armyworm, stem borers, and tolerate moderate drought. The government decision was contained in a certificate issued to IAR […]

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Women key in improving rural development and food security

[Nairobi, October 15, 2021]:  The theme for the 2021 International Day of Rural Women, “Rural Women Cultivating Good Food for All”, highlights the essential role, that rural women and girls play in the global food systems. The Day is strategically held before World Food Day, in order to recognise the role played by rural women in food production […]

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Stakeholders intensify call for increased domestic rice production

A cross section of stakeholders including policy makers, scientists and farmers at the 2021 annual review meeting of the NEWEST Rice project of the AATF has called for increase domestic production of rice on the African continent to meet the ever-increasing demand. Dr Kayode Sanni, AATF Rice Project Manager said in an opening address to […]

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Africa cannot afford post-harvest losses; needs policies and technologies to strengthen food security

African experts have expressed the need for national governments and regional bodies to adopt effective policies and technology-driven interventions to reduce post-harvest losses stifling food security in the region. This was the concluding call by a panel of experts who spoke at the AATF third webinar of 2021 with the theme ‘Accelerating Access to Post-Harvest […]

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Biotechnology key to Africa’s quest to safeguard the right to food

Africa’s food security challenges keep escalating due to rapid population growth and the disproportionate adverse impacts of climate change on its agricultural and food systems. According to the African Development Bank, falling commodity prices for a broad range of natural resources coupled with increased food demand and changing consumption habits driven by demographic factors such […]

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