This archive report was first published on 15 June 2020.
Unlocking Africa's Agricultural Potential Through Innovation ¶
As the world grapples with the challenges of food security, Africa's agricultural sector has emerged as a crucial player in the continent's economic growth. According to Dr. Denis Kyetere, Executive Director of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), innovation is key to unlocking Africa's agricultural potential.
Speaking on the occasion of AATF's 17th anniversary, Dr. Kyetere highlighted the importance of technology in enhancing farm productivity. He noted that while more advocacy and policy initiatives continue to be pursued, there is a pressing need to deliver technology solutions to farmers, including biotechnology.
At the heart of AATF's efforts is building a balance in portfolio for products accessed and developed through conventional and biotech approaches. This, Dr. Kyetere explained, provides more options for farmers to adjust the ways they protect crops and manage their fields for better output.
Available studies show that farmers cannot engage in the same age-old practices and expect different results. Change is of essence now and going forward. Dr. Kyetere believes in leveraging on technology to help farmers defy bottlenecks that stifle productivity at the farm leading to hunger, poverty, diseases, and deaths.
Increased uptake and change of attitudes on various agricultural technologies is key. Dr. Kyetere recognises the difficult conditions that the whole world and especially farmers are working under given the Covid-19 pandemic. His prayers go to those affected as he encourages all of us to make it our personal mission to keep the pandemic at bay.
As AATF marks its 17th anniversary, Dr. Kyetere is encouraged by progress being made by African governments towards commercial approval and cultivation of biotech products. These are indications that governments in Africa are moving forward, even if slower and more cautiously, regarding availing a variety of technologies to farmers.
Dr. Kyetere congratulates governments in Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa for making bold decisions and is optimistic that more African governments will follow. He notes that AATF has engaged with over 9.4 million people across Africa during the last two years alone, with 1.7 million farmers benefiting from products and technologies out of their various partnerships.
Dr. Kyetere continues to train smallholder farmers on seed-based technologies and mechanisation, reaching 740,000 during the last two years. He is building the capacity of those involved in the deployment value chain, including seed companies, to enhance quality and timely seed production.
Dr. Kyetere celebrates with Nigerian farmers the government's decision last year to commercialize the first genetically modified cowpea in the world. The insect-resistant cowpea known as Pod Borer Resistant and registered as SAMPEA 20-T was developed through a partnership coordinated by AATF and brings together international and local private and public sector players.
Its approval is a reflection of AATF's determination to improve the lives of smallholder farmers despite resource and geographical constraints. Nigerian farmers stand to gain at least 20 per cent more grain yield and on savings from import of insecticides.
Dr. Kyetere notes that farmers in different parts of the continent now have access to improved certified maize seeds that address moderate drought, insect infestation, and weed control. The DroughtTEGO and TELA maize seeds have given farmers yield increases of between 33 and 54 percent in addition to better incomes and livelihoods.
Dr. Kyetere also highlights the importance of performance trials, citing the entry of new rice hybrids into national performance trials signaling possible release. These new rice hybrids have recorded yields of more than 10 per cent compared to existing commercial varieties.
Through AATF's Cassava Mechanisation and Agroprocessing Project (CAMAP), farmers have recorded reduced drudgery from cassava farming, increased efficiency, and a 200 per cent increase in yields per hectare from the usual 7-9 tonnes to over 25 tonnes.
Dr. Kyetere notes that there is more that can be done to accelerate access and use of these technologies if the intended purpose is to be realized. He has therefore been rallying institutions, governments, and communities to champion the creation of functional policy and regulatory environments for adoption of innovations that will have real impact for farmers.
Going forward, there's need for decisive policy actions towards uptake of biotechnology devoid of negative perceptions. The clamour for food security requires concerted action from every country and every farmer.
— Dr. Denis Kyetere, Executive Director, African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF)
