Productivity and Stress Management

Why is this Important?

Agricultural innovations that can sustainably optimise agricultural production systems will build resilience of agricultural and food security systems, address farmer needs and contribute to agricultural transformation in Africa.

Agriculture is a major component of the economies of SSA, reaching further into everyday life than in any other part of the world. More than half of the total labour force is involved in agriculture-related activities. Smallholder farms constitute approximately 80% of all farms in SSA and employ about 175 million people directly. For that reason, improvements in agricultural technology have the potential to impart broad-based economic benefits and help to sustain the economic growth that SSA has been experiencing. The World Bank estimates that agriculture and agribusiness in Africa have the potential to grow to a US$1 trillion industry by 2030, up from the current US$300 billion.

Our Contribution

We believe in the potential of agriculture as a catalyst for transformation of the economies of SSA, and the central role that agricultural technology plays in attaining the visions of the Malabo Declaration and Agenda 2063. We therefore continue with our traditional role of accessing and adapting innovative agricultural technologies to address the needs of Africa’s smallholder farmers.
With input from farmers, scientists and other stakeholders, we have put mechanisms in place to facilitate the transfer of technologies to smallholder farmers. Together, we identify appropriate agricultural technologies and products for addressing farmers’ constraints, scout for these technologies and negotiate their access.
These technologies are developed and adapted into tangible products, which will be made available to farmers through various delivery pathways including public, private and development channels.

However, Africa’s agriculture has been facing new and emergent challenges such as climate change threatening the ability of the continent to achieve food security, eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development. In addition, new pests and diseases such as fall armyworm, are exacerbating the situation. This calls for advanced agricultural techniques including conventional and biotechnological approaches for genetic improvement of crops, inputs, and equipment that can radically transform the region and sustain the growth trajectory that African countries have been experiencing.

Current Projects and Special Initiatives

WEMA
Africa is a drought-prone continent, making farming risky for millions of smallholder farmers who rely on rainfall to water their crops. Maize is the most widely grown staple crop in Africa – more than 300 million people in Africa depend on it as their main food source – but too often it is severely affected by frequent drought. Drought leads to crop failure, hunger, and poverty. Climate change will only worsen the problem...
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Striga Control
Striga (witchweed) is a parasitic weed that constrains the productivity of staples such as maize, sorghum, millet and upland rice in Sub-Saharan Africa. The weed survives by siphoning off water and nutrients from the crops for its own growth. Striga infests over 40 mill. hectares of smallholder ...
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Pod Borer Resistant Maruca (PBR) Cowpea
Improving Cowpea productivity and production in Africa
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MLN Disease
Maize Lethal Necrosis (MLN) disease has continued to wreak havoc on maize production in East Africa since it was first reported in Kenya in 2011. Since then it has been reported in other eastern Africa countries.
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TELA Maize Project
The TELA Maize Project is a public-private partnership that is working towards initiating commercialisation of transgenic drought-tolerant and insect-protected maize varieties to enhance food security in Sub-Saharan Africa. The word ‘TELA’ is derived from the Latin word TUTELA which means ‘Protection’. The TELA Maize Project builds on progress made from a decade of excellent breeding work under the Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) Project.
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