BIOTECH Breeders Focus on Maize Using Fertilizer …...self-sufficiency in food production. Probably...

February / March 2010 1

Vol. 9 February - March 2010 Kshs. 100 Tshs. 2000 Ushs. 3000

AFRICA’S LEADING PUBLICATION ON SCIENCE INNOVATION AND DEVELOPMENT

By Peter Wamboga-MugiryaKAMPALA- Uganda is conducting confined field trials with the world’s first genetically-modified bananas, enriched with Vitamin A and Iron micro-nutrients, to fight malnutrition rampant among ba-nana consumers in this small but rapidly-populating East African country.

Top private hospitals in Nairobi will face stiff competition in quality and cost of treatment if Kenyatta

National Hospital - with its vast experience and skills as the national referral and teach-ing hospital- turns its private wing into a fully fledged private hospital managed by the much awaited Kenyatta Hospital Enter-prise Services.

“ We have proposed to register a com-mercial enterprise- Kenyatta Hospital Enter-prise Services- as an umbrella commercial arm of the hospital and The Private Wing will be one of the areas to be put under its management,” the chief executive officer Dr Muchemi told those who attended the

BIOTECH

Special Focus

on Maize Production

in Africa

Breeders Focus on Maize Using Fertilizer More Efficiently

KNH to Run New High Quality Private Hospital

Kenya and South Africa still have the continent’s best national agricultural research institutions and their collaborative efforts

could help push the famine ridden region into the much awaited era of self-sufficiency in food production. Probably due to socio-economic history, South Africa’s Agricultural Research Council leads with its high tech skills aimed at large scale maize farmers while the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute is particularly ahead in helping meet the unique needs of small scale farmers.

Shortage of maize in much of Sub Sahara Africa, including Kenya, is equated with famine or food short-age.

While farmers in Africa use an aver-age of nine kilograms of fertilizer per hectare le those in South Asia use at least 11 times more or 100 kilograms. Even worse only half of the small amount used is taken up by the plants as the rest is leached deep into the soil where the roots can not recover it.

Thus it was no mere coincidence

when the executive director of the KARI Dr Ephraim Mukisira formally launched the $19.5 million Improved Maize for African Soils (IMAS) project during a recent ceremony, in Nairobi, Kenya, that included media briefing.

“We cannot develop if we do not

want to address problems as they come and are static in the way we do busi-ness; There has to be a turning point when there is demand for innovation based on what we know,” Dr Mukisira said during the launch at Serena Hotel

Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) and South Africa’s Agricultural Research Council (ARC) Team Up with CIMMYT and Pioneer Hi-Bred Working on Maize that use Fertilizer more Efficiently

Uganda: GM Bananas with Vitamin A, Iron in

Field Trials

Those closely monitoring the evolution of Africa’s new green revolution of-ten say that it begins with Malawi, where the top

policy maker, President Bingu wa Muth-arika, practically appreciates the need for science-led development especially when it comes to agriculture. Few lead-ers in Africa have paid so much close attention to issues of food production as Malawi’s head of state.

President Mutharika strongly approved a new drought tolerant maize variety, ZM 309,local;ly referred to as ‘msungabanja’ (that which takes care of the family), and was to be immediately included in the national farm input subsidy program tar-geting drought prone areas. The approval was on 3 September 2009.

The president hosted Prof Wilfred Mwangi CIMMYT’s project leader of Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) and Peter Setimela a top maize breeder at the State House in Lilongwe where he was briefed the R&D activi-ties by the center that pushed the once famine ridden Asian nations into the era

of Green Revolution. The CIMMYT officials presented

the President with a 10-tons of ZM 309 seed to be grown on over 400 hectares in Balaka, Chikwawa, Nsanje, and Karonga.

“We at CIMMYT commend Malawi’s leadership for implementing innovative agricultural policies that have made the country a great example for improving

national food security in Africa and we will work with the government of Ma-lawi to help farmers cope with climate change by using drought tolerant maize technology, Prof Mwangi said.”

ZM 309 was developed through CIMMYT’s collaborative research efforts with Malawi’s Ministry of Ag-riculture and Food Security, Chitedze Research Station and SeedCo Malawi.

President Bingu wa Mutharika Goes for CIMMYT’s Drought Tolerant Maize

Dr Ephraim Mukisira, Director KARI, one of Africa’s leading national

agricultural research institutes.

President Mutharika receives DTMA seeds from Prof. Mwangi of CIMMYT at the country’s State House.

Dr Shadrack Moephuli President, Chief Executive Officer of South

Africa’s Agricultural Research Council

Like the US and South Asian coun-tries, Africa can sustain its economic growth by aggresively acquiring and

improving agricultural technology including better seeds, appropriate crop management, mechanization and other basic inputs like infrastructure, markets and fertilizer, says the Executive Director of African Agricul-tural Technology Foundation, Dr. Daniel Mataruka P.7.

Cont’d on page 2

Cont’d on page 2

Cont’d on page 12

Why Malawi is Ahead in Food Production

February / March 20102

Scientists at the National Agri-Research Laboratories Insti-tute (NARLI) at Kawanda—north of Kampala—developed the bananas using biotechnol-ogy-based tools.

Planting of the new nutri-tionally-enhanced sukari ndizi [apple banana], M9 (hybrid) and nakinyika varieties [dessert and cooking bananas respec-tively] took place on January 25, 2010 at NARL’s Confined Field Trial (CFT) site.

Vitamin A and Iron defi-ciency are major public health problems common in Uganda especially among women and children. In early 1990s, over 40 percent of children under five in eastern Uganda had iron deficiency anemia. In 1998 iron deficiency anae-mia (IDA) was recognized in approximately 50 percent pregnant women and about 30% of maternal deaths were attributable to IDA. There is no existing strategy to allevi-ate IDA in Uganda, and this biotech approach becomes the first official agro-based attempt.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) is the main financier of the bio-

fortification project, says the Principal Investigator (PI), Prof. Wilberforce Tushem-ereirwe.

“This is one of the compo-nents under BMGF’s Grand Challenges in Global Health Programme No. 9, that prom-ises to reduce significantly iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) and night blindness. Program No. 9 is the Fund’s support to developing countries, in-cluding Africa, to undertake bio-fortification of their staple crops, to enrich them and raise benefits to consumers,” Tush-emereirwe told ScienceAfric during the transfer of the en-riched plantlets from the Bio-safety Level II greenhouse to

the confined field trials site.Dr. Geoffrey Arinaitwe, a

molecular biologists and trial manager of the CFT, has been instrumental in developing the three biofortified banana vari-eties via genetic modification and enhancement . He said that they had also developed some lines with combined genes that shall be planted at end of Feb. 2010.

Mr Gilbert Gumisiriza, the Biosafety Desk Officer at UNCST and Henry Richard Kimera, Member of the NBC observed the planting, while Mr Arthur Makara, CEO of a local pro-biotech NGO—the Science Foundation for Livelihoods and Development

(Scifode)—witnessed the de-velopments.

This is the second geneti-cally-enhanced banana to be planted in a CFT in Uganda after an anti-black sigatoka [fungal infection] bananas was developed in 2004 by Dr Ari-naitwe in Belgium and plant-ed in a CFT also at NARL, Kawanda, in 2007.BANANA FACT FILE—Uganda:

2• nd largest banana producer in the world after IndiaProduces over 10 million •metric tonnes annually [nearly equal to total world banana exports of 12m met-ric tonnes];All bananas consumed lo-•cally—world’s highest per capita banana consumption of 250 kg/person/per year;Bananas occupy 67 percent •of all cropped land; 1994: Vitamin A deficiency •[leads to night blindness] was identified in 31 out of 36 Uganda’s banana-growing districts; 1999: It was found that more •than 50 percent of children consumed inadequate Vit. A (Bachou and Labadarios, 2002). Consumption was largely bananas.

recent launching of KNH’s 2nd Strategic Plan that ends in 2012.

“We therefore shall be able to identify and commercialize excess capacity of the hospital, outsource non core activities while ensuring value for money and maintaining high standard of care,” Dr Muchemi added.

Dr Muchemi said that we are aware that the socio economic dif-ferences among our clients allow them an opportunity to seek health care services according to their abil-ity to pay. It is in this context that we established the Private Wing to provide servicers to those who seek quality private health care services at competitive fees. The user fees charged has been more focused on specific specialization explained.

Those at the launch included the minister for medical services Prof Anyang Nyong’o and Prof Julius Meme, who on arrival, received standing ovation for his pioneering efforts to practically improve facili-ties and services at the hospital. Still all top doctors in the city’s lead-ing private hospitals acquired and sharpened their skills at KHN.

A monitoring and evaluation mechanism has been put in place.

There are many reasons w h y e m e r g i n g efforts by the Kenya Agricultural Research

Institute to control sleeping sickness in Kenya’s Lambwe Valley, Nyanza province, will not only be closely watched but deserve all the available resources needed to do a job that should have been done at least four decades back or soon after independence.

Apart from Zanzibar, few African governments have made credible efforts to control tsetse flies that carry the trypanosome parasites causing nagana in livestock and sleeping sickness in humans. It is another typical example of what haunts people in countries where researchers and officials seem to be experts at explaining why “things can not be done.”

According to World Health Organization, sleeping sickness threatens 70 million people in 36 African countries where its transmission remains possible. Still, in 1998 it was estimated that apart from the 40,000 reported cases, up to 500,000 others remained undetected or undiagnosed. The human trypanosome parasites also

cross the placenta into the foetus thus a mother to child infection.

However, medical historians could be well placed to remind Af r i can gove rnmen t s and researchers that at the beginning of the last century sleeping sickness, which is confined to sub-Saharan Africa and transmitted by tsetse flies, killed one out of every four people living around Lake Victoria. The epidemic could re-emerge if half hearted national and regional efforts to control the disease persist.

Researchers in Africa have over the last three decades come up

with much publicized innovations designed to control the tsetse fly. All sorts of tsetse traps have been developed using color and odors from various animals including buffaloes, cattle, lizards and others. But the disease seems is becoming even a bigger threat.

Sleeping sickness had almost disappeared by the mid 1960s or soon after independence of most African states. However, according to World Health Organization in 2005, major outbreaks occurred in Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan where prevalence rate reached 50 percent

in some villages. No country in sub-Saharan

Africa is safe and there are cases reported annually in 18 countries including Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Malawi, Uganda, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Even in nations reporting zero cases/minimal, ability to continuously monitor and detect the disease raises many questions.

However, there are endless surprises when it comes to reproduction or life cycle of the vectors or tsetse flies. These insects are among the most vulnerable or weakest disease vectors known to man.

Although the problem may not be as simple as it may look, tsetse flies have low reproductive capacity, infrequent mating and in its life cycle the eggs and the three larval stages are within the adult female while pupa is buried underground for up to 40 days,” says a leading biomedical expert Dr Francis McOdimba currently with the Aga Khan University

Medical School in Nairobi.In one severe epidemic which

ended in 1906, the disease killed a million people in Uganda and Congo basin, Dr McOdimba says in his 300 page, doctorate thesis on ‘Epidemiology of Vector-borne Diseases in Cattle from SE Uganda.’

There are two forms of parasites causing sleeping sickness in Africa. One common in west and central Africa,Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, while the other T.b.rhodesiense causes less than 10 percent of the disease and is found in eastern and southern Africa.

The parasites end up in the central nervous system and kills if untreated. However, even the drugs used in the treatment need much improvement including reduction of toxicity. The four major drugs are outdated. Suramin was discovered in 1921, pentamidine 1941, melarsoprol 1949 and eflornithine was developed in 1990 and is only effective against Trypanosoma brucei gambiense.

They are availed free through WHO partnership with supplies from Sanofi-aventis and Bayer AG.

Is Africa Unwilling to Eradicate Sleeping Sickness?- Disease in 36 African Countries - 0.5m People infected - Parasite Crosses Placenta to Newborn - Killed

1million in Uganda and Congo Basin - Drugs Outdated, Dangerous

Young banana plants at NARLI greenhouse

Uganda: GM Bananas with Vitamin A, Iron in Field TrialsFrom page 2

From page 2

KNH to Run New High Quality Private

Hospital



Africa is losing its biodiversity at an alarming rate. It has the second highest rate of forest loss

while leads the world with for-est fires. The continent has been losing least 4 million hectares of forests annually according to Kenya’s minister for forestry and wildlife, Dr Noah Wekesa.

It is upon African experts to develop reliable baseline data and evidence based research needed for conservation and forest plantations in degraded areas, Dr Wekesa told top for-estry experts from 25 African countries during the official opening of the African Forest Research Network (AFORNET) conference held in Nairobi from 15th to 16th February 2010.

He congratulated the African Academy of Sciences (AAS), for its flagship programme AFOR-NET funded by the Swedish government, for helping Africa acquire skills needed to deal with various aspects of for-estry apart from working closely with Kenya Forestry Research Institute(KEFRI). The theme of the conference was “For-est Research-led Sustainable Natural Resource Management and Wealth Creation in Africa”. Dr Wekesa’s speech was read by his permanent secretary, Mr Mohammed Mwachai.

Experts at the conference included researchers, directors of forestry research institutions, permanent secretaries, former ministers and deans of forestry faculties in most of the conti-nent’s universities, attained their Masters and PhD degrees who over the last two decades with grants from AFORNET

AFORNET coordinator and acting executive director AAS Prof Iba Kone said that the net-work has over the years awarded 216 grants to young scientists to undertake postgraduate studies

in forestry and related fields.“ AFRONET has been fund-

ed by the Swedish International Development Agency(SIDA) and we awarded 223 research grants to senior forestry sci-entists in Africa to conduct research”, he added.

Sweden’s ambassador to Kenya Mrs Ann Dismorr said that although the country was phasing out its support, AFOR-NET had matured and has been scientifically successful pan-African initiative in building capacity in forestry research. The ambassador said that “half of Sweden is covered by forest which, are viewed as important natural resource for food, fibre and fuel. “From the beginning of

the 90s Sweden has supported forestry research and capacity building and from 1998, the funds have been allocated to AFORNET in an agreement with AAS in Nairobi, Kenya,” she added.

The AAS secretary general Dr S. Arungu-Olende, who rep-resented the Prof Mohammed Hassan the president of AAS, thanked the government and people of Sweden fo the sup-port their had given Africa in the field of forestry.

Former Minister for Science and Technology in Senegal and a leading member of the coun-tyry’s Academy of Sciences, Prof Yaye Kene Gassama, asked the experts to come up with

innovative ways to support AFORNET after the phasing out of SIDA funding because it has done an excellent job over the years in improving Africa’s capacity to deal with various forestry issues.

During a question and answer session PS Mwachai said that the government is in the process of protecting and rehabilitating all the major water towers in the country and not just Mau as is be-ing highlighted by mass media.

“It is the mass media that has decided to focus only on politics of what goes on in Mau, yet we are doing our work all over the country and even more work is going on in Mau where beacons are being placed to help with demarcation”. he said.

The discussions which in-cluded special a dialogue ses-sion on policy and science also had heads of forestry research institutes and university dons exchanging views on achieve-ments, lessons learnt and future strategy for AFORNET.

During the closing Dr Alice A Kaudia told the participants that “government policies that are guided by science contribute to sustainable development there-fore AFORNET’s inclusion of science-policy interface dia-logue session as part of delibera-tions is highly appreciated.”

Dr Kaudia said that Africa continues to face enormous en-vironmental challenges and a lot still needs to be done. “In July 2009 Kenya government through the ministry of environment and mineral resources embarked on developing national strategy for combating climate change with details on actions needed to ad-dress climate change challenges through adaptation, mitigation, capacity building and technology transfer. The strategy has been published with the support from governments of Sweden and Denmark,” she added.

Prof Yaye K. Gassama, Senegal’s Former Minister

for Science and Technology

Dr Ben Chikamai, KEFRI Director, moderated the

policy session

Dr. Alice Kaudia, Environment Secretary in Kenya’s Ministry of Environment and Mineral

resources,

Sweden’s Ambassador Ann Dismorr said “Half of my

country is forest”.

AAS Programme Excelled in Training of Forestry Experts

BRIEFS Compiled By Lizzy Awuor

More seed breeding Seed companies in Africa need to improve breeding activities needed to help the continent develop more productive maize varieties. Africa produces up to 44 mil-lion tons of maize annually South Africa producing 11 million tons or a quarter. However, the continent imports - includ-ing food aid- reaches 4 million tons.

Knowledge centresThe Arid Land Information Network ALIN has established a network of com-munity Knowledge Centres CKCs known as Maarifa centres. ALIN currently runs such telecentres in Maragat, Kyuso and Mwingi as well as one each in Tanzania and Uganda. The centres are designed to promote documentation of local knowl-edge and provide access to e- govern-ment and e-education services as well as support skill building among youths in rural areas.

E.A. gets broadbandMalawi, Tanzania and Mozambique are set benefit from higher speed communications at lower rates. The region is the only one not fully connected to the world’s broad-band infrastructure, and has the lowest number of telephone and Internet users, as well as high tariffs.

Well adapted maizeIn Cameroon, several varieties of hybrid maize have been developed by researchers at the Institute of Agricultural Research for Development IRAD. The varieties are adapted to the different agro-ecological zones and yields range from 8 and 19 tons per hectare with fertilizer.

Biosafety lawEthiopian Parliament finally approved the much awaited Biosafety Bill. The Legislation, drafted y the Federal Envi-ronment Protection Authority FEPA, has regulations to protect biological diversity, human and animal health. The transit, import and production of genetically modified organisms should only be done with FEPA’s written permission.

Killer fish diseaseA killer disease, Epizootic Ulcerative Syndrome EUS caused by the fungus Aphanomyces invadans, is decimating fish stocks in the Zambezi River Valley according to FAO’s Global Information and Early Warning System GIEWS.

African forests have at least five plant vari-eties with proteins that are up to 3,000

sweeter than sugar and nutri-tional, medicinal and economic implications are unlimited with a kilo of these products fetching up to $6,200.

As the world marks 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity, there is need for African to take an innovative look at the region’s unique botanical and zoological surprises.

Tanzania’s Prof Keto Mshi-geni, the editor of the journal Dis-covery and Innovation by African

Academy of Sciences says that “one of the botanical surprises in Africa’s forest ecosystem, is Thaumatococcus danielli, a boun-tiful under forest canopy plant, producing exceptionally sweet berries and even the sweetening bio-compound is a protein, thau-matin.” It is the world’s sweetest natural compound with variants that are 3000 times sweeter than sugar.

“In Ghana villagers use it to sweeten their porridge,” Prof Wil-liam Oduro, a forestry expert from Ghana, told ScienceAfrica during the recent conference by the Af-rican Forest Research Network

(AFORNET) held in Nairobi. The Genetic Research Institute

in Bunso, Ghana has developed tissue culture techniques for rapid multiplication of the plant that produces thaumatin, Prof Oduro said.

Such efforts allay fears that re-searchers, governments, business community, experts in universi-ties and research institutions are not taking sustainable practical steps to “tame” the sweet plants with untapped socio-economic advantage, in a manner that help ensure conservation.

In Ghana, where it is locally known as “ego” there is crude

production of thaumatin which fetches up to $6,200 per kilo in the international markets. The extraction process of thaumatin has been patented although some patents have been placed in the public domain and the extraction methods freely available online.

Other naturally sweet protein from African plants have names like monellin, pentadin, brazzein and miraculin. Brazzein protein is up to 2,000 times sweeter than sugar and comes from the fruit of the African plant Pentadiplandra brazzeana.

Monellin, found in the fruit of Dioscoreophyllum cumminsii is

grown in West Africa. Miraculin is a sweet protein from Richadella dul-cifica a West African shrub. Penta-din is a sweet protein extracted from the African plant Pentadiplandra brazzeana it is said to be 500 times sweeter than sugar.

Even more scientists say that on molecular basis some of Af-rica’s sweet proteins are up to 100,000 sweeter than sugar. Prof Iba Kone the coordinator African Forestry Research Network told ScienceAfrica that the continent has lost some of these sweet plants and there is increased need for conservation if Africa is gain from its unique biodiversity.

INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF BIODIVERSITY- AFRICA’S WONDERS

African Plants that are 3,000 Times Sweeter Than Sugar


Four of the world’s last known remaining eight northern white rhinos were relocated from captivity back to the wild, thanks to

the collaborative efforts of a consortium of conservation organisations.

Kenyan Forestry and Wildlife Minister Dr Noah Wekesa who received the two male and two female rhinos at Ol Pejeta Ranch, described the subspecies relocation as “a homecoming by one of the rhinos that initially came from Sudan.”

He called on the international commu-nity help Sudan get any remaining north-ern white rhinos in its wild for breeding in Kenya. The successful relocation marked a second attempt by Kenya to introduce new species of rhinos, after the introduction of 70 southern white rhinos whose numbers have grown to 326.

The four were flown from a zoo in the Czech Republic to Kenya, after failing to reproduce since 1985. Two other northern white rhinos remained behind while two others are in San Diego in the US.

The aim of the project is to reintroduce the northern white rhinos back to Southern Sudan, Congo and Cameroon, said Mr. Patrick Omondi, the head of species con-servation and management at the Kenya Wildlife Service.

“That Kenya was chosen for this delicate process is an endorsement of our conservation efforts. KWS will strive to ensure that the northern white rhinos are successfully bred and introduced back to their original range. That is our com-mitment to the world,” he added. Rhino experts believe that releasing the rhinos

into their natural habitat in the wild mi-ght help them reproduce and survive as a subspecies.

”Northern white rhinos are the world’s rarest large mammal” said Dr Rob Brett, Africa regional director, Fauna and Flora International and member of the IUCN African Rhino Specialist group.

The rhinos were moved from Dvůr Králové Zoo in the Czech Republic to the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Laikipia, Kenya within the ‚Last Chance to Survive‘ project.

“They are listed as critically endan-gered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and are thought to be extinct in the wild. Moving them now is a last bid effort to save them and their gene pool from total extinction.”

“The Ol Pejeta Conservancy is im-mensely proud to have received the endorsement of the IUCN African Rhino Specialist Group in hosting these animals, giving them a chance to breed at the elev-enth hour,” said Richard Vigne, chief ex-ecutive officer, Ol Pejeta Conservancy.

“If we are successful, the preservation of their unique locally adapted genetic traits may allow their natural range to be re-stocked in the coming years,” Mr Vigne said.

Conservationists believe that providing the four rhinos with a natural habitat and secure African setting will significantly increase their chances of breeding suc-cessfully. To date, captive breeding of northern white rhino in zoos has had limited success. The long-term aim of the translocation is to establish a viable breed-ing group of locally adapted white rhinos

for reintroduction back into secure areas of their original range in eastern Africa. The time frame of such a reintroduction could well be in the region of 20 years or more.

“Together with our partners, we plan to provide the remaining individuals with breeding potential their last chance of normal and regular reproduction in a secure location in the wild,” said Dana Holečková, Director of Dvůr Králové Zoo.

“The cause for the move is to induce normal social and territorial behaviour that is essential for the rhinos to breed routinely.” The reintroduction initiative is being carried out through a partnership of conservation organisations, including Fauna & Flora International, the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Dvůr Králové Zoo, the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Back to Africa and the Kenya Wildlife Service.

The rhinos were accompanied by experts, including their Zoo keeper Jan Zdarek and veterinarian Dr Jiri Vahala, from Dvůr Králové Zoo, rhino veterinar-ian Dr Pete Morkel, an expert veterinar-ian dedicated to rhino translocation, and ‘rhino whisperer’ Berry White. The rhinos were translocated by road from Dvůr Králové to Prague airport, from where they were flown to Nairobi and driven out to Ol Pejeta Conservancy.

They were received by the Kenyan minister who was accompanied by the Kenya Wildlife Service officials including Dr. Joachim Kagiri, the Deputy Director in charge of Community and Wildlife Service as well as Mr. Omondi.

The minister said the number of black

rhinos in Kenya dropped from 20,000 in 1973 to barely 285 when Kenya Wildlife Service was formed in 1989. This num-ber has since grown to 609 black rhinos and 326 southern white rhinos that were introduced from South Africa.

The minister called on the international community to sustain the ban on trade in ivory and rhino horns. He faulted Tanzania for coming up with a proposal on the sale of ivory without consulting its neighbour Kenya, yet it has shared elephant populations in the Masai Mara-Serengeti, Tsavo West-Mkomazi and Amboseli-Kilimanjaro.

“By Tanzania going that route yet we have shared ecosystems, Kenya is likely to lose more rhinos and elephants to poach-ers,” Dr Wekesa said.

Kenya’s position on ivory and rhino horn trade has not changed given that it has had to invest so heavily in wildlife protec-tion, including the death of its rangers in the course of duty.

Mr. Omondi noted that poaching was on the increase in Africa, with South Af-rica losing 150 rhinos while Zimbabwe lost 100 rhinos to poachers.

He added that in 2009 Kenya has lost 214 elephants to poachers compared to 47 in 2007, an alarming trend he attributed to the CITES-approved one-off sale ex-periment of ivory by four southern African countries in 2007.

“Our experience has shown that trade in ivory and rhino horns stimulates illegal killings and that is the basis for Kenya’s position on elephant ivory trade at the forthcoming CITES meeting in Doha,” he said.

World’s Rarest Rhinos Returned to Kenya

T I T L E O F T H E P R O -1. GRAMME

ATPS in collaboration with Biotechnology Trust Africa, (BTA) has launched a program on Strengthening National IP Policy and legal framework in Eastern and Southern Africa: Traditional Knowledge (TK) Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) and effective IP systems. This project is funded under the auspices of the ATPS Phase VI strategic Plan 2008 – 2012.

BACKGROUND2. A major persuasion against

classical Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) regimes is that they are based on Western paradigm of property ownership and are therefore alien and impractical in cultural historical and institu-tional context of most develop-ing countries – more particularly to the traditional and indigenous communities within the devel-oping countries. Based on the needs assessment by BTA in 2002, most countries in Eastern and Southern Africa are willing to take the road that leads to an effective sui generis system with intent to integrate protection of their traditional knowledge and

associated innovations in agri-culture environment and health. Furthermore, to address out-standing equity issues relating to access, utilization and sharing of benefits arising from exploita-tion of traditional knowledge and local genetic resources.

There are many international agreements such as TRIPS, WIPO, CBD. Inter-governmen-tal committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic resources (IGC), International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources Food and Agriculture (IT-PGRFA) and others. However, there is lack of policy coherence in translating the agreements at National levels. The challenge here is to match the agreements to local national issues such as national food security, poverty alleviation, economic develop-ment, biodiversity and health.

RATIONALE3. The current IP regimes do not recognize TK and collective ownership by communities.There is complexity in the cur-rent regimes and inadequate awareness.There is unavailability of TK

documentation for patent ex-aminers.Costs of current regimes are prohibitive.There is lack of policy coherence in translating the International agreements at national levels.

OBJECTIVES4. The goal of the IPR programme is to improve policy and legal framework development for TK ABS and effective IP systems in Eastern and Southern Africa.The purpose is to promote stake-holder participation in policy and legal framework development for TK ABS and effective IP systems.

Specific objectives(i) To enhance knowledge sharing

and collaboration by establishing both a regional and national IP networks.

(ii) To generate disseminate and maintain an interactive data base and body of knowledge on the IP policy environment.

(iii) To promote awareness on TK, ABS and effective IP Systems at the grassroots levels to en-courage the integration of their concerns to national IP policy

making process.

5. PROJECT ACTIVITIESObjective (i)Establishment of the regional steering committees and network in IPR (R)Establishment of the national steering committee and network in IP (N)

Objective (ii) Establishment of current status of existing IP, gaps that are existing, incoherencies with the international treaties (R)Inventorisation of key stakehold-ers in IP (TK, ABS and effective IP) (N).Development of both successful and unsuccessful case studies in areas of TK and ABS (N).Communication strategy for the program detailing the necessary publications websites and other strategies for the dissemination of the information (R & N) (This includes policy briefs, Newslet-ter booklets etc).

Objective (iii)Creation of awareness through capacity building at various Institutions identified as stake-

holders and training of TOTs (R & N).Creation of awareness at the grass-roots’ levels by TOTs from the Institutions that were trained (N)

Other ActivitiesRegional conferenceRegional Round tables for policy makersNational Round tables for policy makersNetwork activities with connec-tivity to programme website.

The countries to implement the programme are Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Tanzania and Uganda. In Kenya the National Steering Committee is chaired by Prof Tom Ogada and coordinated by Mr Ken-neth W. Aduda while members of the committee include Prof Francis B. Mwaura, Dr Evans Sikinyi, Jo-seph Mbeva and Otula Owuor.Program Contacts: Dr. Kevin Ura-ma, Executive Director, ATPS, [email protected]. Joseph Wekundah, Executive Director, BTA: [email protected]

Strengthening Africa’s Intellectual Property Policy and Legal FrameworkIntellectual Property Program - Strengthening National IP Policy and Legal Framework in Eastern and Southern Africa: Traditional

Knowledge (TK) Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) and Effective IP Systems, 2009 – 2012



The Editorial Team

Editor: Otula Owuor

Consulting Editors: James Njoroge Wachai

Uganda Editor:Esther Nakkazi

Associate Editors: Daniel OtungeDick Agudah

Revise Editor: Naftali Mungai

Marketing & Advertising: Lucas Oluoch

Operation & Co-ordination: Leo Ogwago

Florence Choka

Layout Design: James Chunguli

Contributors: Prof. Shaukat Abdulrazak, Dr. Kevin Urama, Felix Mbole, Clementine Osodo, Henry Neondo, Esther Nakkazi,

Elijah Bizibu, Lizzy Awuor, Lawrence Mbae and George

Achia

www.scienceafrica.com, Email:[email protected]

Science may not seem to be linked to Ke-nya’s shameful and evil dumping of tens

of thousands of litres of “excess” milk worsened by food –meaning maize- importation scandals at a time when the country is emerg-ing from a severe famine that forced leaders to shout loudest for help from donors.

Africans leaders and activists often say that the world has ex-cess food especially if the West stopped hoarding or sitting on mountains of subsidized grains, dairy products, poultry and beef. And what is missing is fair dis-tribution at a price that the poor could afford.

However, it looks like the West excels at handling their “excess” food. They do not dump them while large sections of their own people remain malnourished and hungry. What has happened in Kenya- the dairy industry creat-

ing streams with dumped milk- proves that it is easy to blame others before being subjected to similar situations. The tragic action has occurred in a region where the World Health Organi-zation says that at least a third of the population is malnourished.

Instead of whispering unprint-able words it would help if donors remind Kenyan politicians about the evils of dumping “excess” milk three months after pleading for prompt food aid to avert mass starvation.

After a drought that killed livestock and even some people in arid parts of the Kenya, the country was alerted- by meteo-rological department- that there was going to be plenty of rainfall which is normally associated with increased food production and this includes milk.

So why is Kenya dumping milk? The quick answers, not to be confused with practical solu-

tions, are as expected unlimited. But what is being ignored is that the country - which thrives on imported modernity, written and unwritten colonial laws and policies that stifle competition and innovation from its own “natives-” does not practically recognize the crucial role of sci-ence, technology and innovation in sustainable generation prod-ucts and services needed to meet basic human needs.

In other words Kenya’s dairy industry has been addicted to importing excess dairy products, machines, related equipment and materials. Like other industries in Africa, it has never had plans to practically cope with increased milk production. Even more few in the milk industry are for example seeking ways of work-ing closely with Kenya Industrial Research Development Institute to help solve technological limi-tations that hinder capacity to

process so called “excess milk.”Even more the industry was

quick to increase prices but extremely unwilling to reduce to what it was in before several prolonged drought episodes. The country needs more milk, butter, cheese and other milk products that can easily find markets internally and the neighbouring to help curb widespread malnu-trition.

However, the problem of side-lining science, technology and innovation is not confined to milk industry. The country which also seems addicted to food imports does not for example seem will-ing to allocate research even one shilling from every packet of maize sold. However, there were alarming talks of building another bulk grain handling facility – for at least $50m- for more maize imports.

Yet, the country which is set to destroy at least 30,000 bags

of maize with Aflatoxins, loses much grain before and after har-vest. These could be solved through increased R&D activities resulting in improved storage fa-cilities or high shelf life for maize grains and flour.

The country definitely needs to focus on better food storage, processing, preservation and value addition in terms of new products and not only flour for “Ugali.” It is not just maize. One needs to visit any Africa’s rural markets and see mind-boggling waste of food- vegetable, fruits, fish, spices, tubers and other grains.

The markets themselves are filthy and an eyesore because local authorities simply collect money and offer zero service. In short Kenyan experts and policy makers need to do the right things “instead of wasting time, resources and causing suffering with excellent explanations”.

Invest in Science to Avert Food Import Losses and Dumping of Milk

By AYOKI ONYANGO

Kenyans could be con-suming dangerous herbal medicines as the practitioners take

advantage of regulatory weak-nesses in the health care system to get away with what experts say is “silent murders.”

Complicating the matter is the fact that herbalists operate under the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and this makes the Pharmacy and Poisons Board helpless in its attempts to regulate herbal medicine practice in Kenya.

The Government must there-fore ensure that all herbal medi-cines in the country are subjected to tests that will determine or ascertain their safety, efficacy, efficiency and above all how they work and what they treat or cure. It is for this reason that the Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya PSK, Kenya Association of Pharmaceutical Industry KAPI and Kenya Medical Association KAM are up in arms that some-thing must be done urgently to save the situation.

“We are calling for placing of herbal medicine practitioners, their firms/companies and drugs under Ministry of Medical Ser-vices to regulate them because the health of citizens supersedes and must be guaranteed by the Government, says Dr. Moses

Mwangi, the current chairman of KAPI.

“Alternatively, an independent body should be set up to regulate herbal medicines and practitio-ners after thorough tests have been done on their products,” adds Dr Mwangi.

Investigations also reveal that some herbal medicine practitio-ners crash the real or modern medicines, convert them into one huge tablet, repackage or label them as herbal products and

release them to the market. This is quite dangerous since some of these drugs are for prescriptions. And people rush to buy them without knowing the dangers linked to them.

If one travels by public means upcountry agents working for herbalists enter into the bus and start convincing passengers that they have medicines that can treat all sorts of diseases and one tube containing some powders, for example, is said to be treating

ten diseases. The diseases they claim to

cure include even HIV/ AIDS. Other diseases they claim to cure are cancer, asthma, diabetes, typhoid, malaria, hepatitis, low libido, polio, measles, yellow fever, pneumonia, meningitis, hypertension, epilepsy, STD, especially syphilis, infertility and low libido.

In the absence of any exist-ing strict regulation or control, herbal medicines are openly be-ing abused.

“It is for this reason that we want the media or any other forms of publicity or advertisements not be used to promote herbal medi-cines until regulatory mechanism is put in place or until the law is enacted to regulate herbal medicine practice in Kenya”, says Dr. Mwangi, who is also the Regional Manager of Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi-Aventis Group.

According to Dr Dominic Karanja Ngugi, the chair of PSK, Parliament must now move fast to debate the proposed bill that seeks to regulate and license alternative health care practice in Kenya. The delay in debating and passing of the bill to become law is like giving some unscrupulous herbalists ample time to continue harming unsuspecting members of the public, adds Dr. Karanja.

Email [email protected]

Dangers Posed by Herbal MedicinesPERSPECTIVES


Preliminary findings of a two-year research project aimed at understanding how radio is being used

to communicate agricultural bio-technology in Africa offer important lessons for optimising opportuni-ties for enhancing knowledge and understanding of the highly controversial subject. The partner-ship project, which is facilitated by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA Africenter) with funding from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) started in 2008 and uses a case study of Burkina Faso and Kenya to compare radio-use trends and identify knowledge gaps and information needs by stakeholders in the agricultural sector.

The two countries have recorded increased activity and growth in research, development and policy formulation in this area of modern biotechnology. In 2008, Burkina Faso for the first time planted ap-proximately 8,500 hectares of Bt cotton for seed production and initial commercialization, becoming the 2nd country in Africa to grow commer-cial biotech cotton after South Africa and Egypt. In 2008, the number of African countries increased from one in 2007 - South Africa - to three with the entry of Burkina Faso (cot-ton) and Egypt (maize).

The following year, Kenya ap-proved a piece of legislation – the Biosafety Act to govern research and utilisation of modern biotech-nology. The country has also been conducting research into application of biotechnology in various crops including maize, cotton, sweetpo-tato and cassava while successes have been recorded with tissue-cultured banana, another form of biotechnology that has been widely adopted by farmers.

While various national and in-ternational fora have acknowledged the importance of mass media (and more specifically radio) in shaping perceptions and informing decision-making processes, very little has been done to gauge dimensions of coverage and the whole spectrum of content generation, delivery and utility with respect to agricultural biotechnology. Given the diversity of interests and growing influence of radio due to convergence with new information technologies, this study seeks to give empirical insights on how to use radio to promote accu-rate reporting and understanding of newly emerging scientific innova-tions like agricultural biotechnology among farmers in food insecure developing countries.

The study employs a combina-tion of applied and action research methodologies to answer the follow-

ing research questions:How is radio being used in com-1. municating agricultural biotech-nology in Africa? How does radio compare with 2. other media and other means of communication in influencing public opinion about biotech-nology?What are stakeholders’ biotech 3. information needs, expectations, and how is radio currently meet-ing those needs? What institutional arrangements 4. can be undertaken to increase effectiveness of radio as an interactive development com-munication tool for enhancing impartial communication about agricultural biotechnology? What are the possibilities of 5. influencing policy on radio-mediated biotechnology com-munication interventions?

Various activities have been planned including; a situational analysis to review and analyse past research on radio usage and content analysis of programmes, a rapid as-sessment survey of radio audiences to complement the literature review and a knowledge-attitude-practices (KAP) survey. This would be fol-lowed by a cross-sectional survey and focus group discussions to document media consumption and communication behaviour among various stakeholders. A three-month information campaign has been incorporated to gauge degree of exposure with observed behavioural and/or attitudinal changes.

Finally, policy dialogues and sharing of research results will be done to inform evidence-based policy recommendations to key bio-technology actors on contributions of radio to audience’s knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) thus enhancing its usage with respect to communicating balanced perspec-tives on biotechnology.

During the first year of imple-

mentation, various activities have been conducted yielding results that are already contributing to new knowledge in this area.

A desk study and rapid assess-•ment of radio programmes on agricultural biotechnology in the two countries indicated that listening patterns are dictated by the schedules of a station and their individual presenters even for a highly technical subject as bio-technology. Most stations seem to be coming up with programmes of higher standards than in the past, and they are now interested in seeking the opinions of audiences they serve. It is also common to find interactive programmes which provide the opportunity for instant feedback through the phone-in system, and short-message-service (SMS) facility. Radio comedy shows have also become a common feature on the radio menu along with game show programmes offering cash and other prizes. These results have implications to radio station own-ers on changing trends in listener-ship and style of presentation that will determine how programs on agricultural biotechnology could be packaged. Findings indicate that some •families of rural households have more than one radio and even their children now own radio sets with absolute control. They also own mobile phones, some of which enable them to listen to radio. This is unlike previous studies that have largely found stereotype in radio ownership and male dominance in control of what program to listen to in the rural areas. An implication for this finding is the importance of the youth as an entry to reaching out to family members on a tech-nical subject such as biotechnol-ogy if programs are well-targeted in the stations they listen to.

Getting radio scripts to analyse •fro content was a major chal-lenge and even accessing those available proved very difficult. A policy implication on this finding is on the need for a policy that enforces storage of materials that have already been aired and in public domain to facilitate related research activities. Majority of the radio producers •reported interest and willing-ness to produce agricultural biotechnology programs if they had in-depth knowledge on the subject. Implications of this finding is that there is a lot of capacity that needs to be devel-oped both at the radio producers levels and “experts” level to build the knowledge and confi-dence if a vibrant information campaign on biotechnology is to be achieved. The radio capacity assessment •shows less understanding of biotechnology in Kenya than in Burkina Faso and this could be one of the reasons that held back producers especially in Kenya from airing programmes on the subject. There is a wide knowledge gap that needs to be addressed in Kenya.There seem to be few experts •in the field of biotechnology willing to participate in radio programs/shows. The experts cited language limitation where the vernacular programmes are difficult for them because of the scientific terminologies. Being a relatively new subject, certain terms are yet to be developed in any of these languages. This finding implies a real need to develop a Glossary of common terminologies that radio produc-ers and experts could use to facilitate their participation in radio programs. In Kenya, the results indicate •wide knowledge gaps and height-

ened anxiety about biotechnol-ogy, but also a high desire to learn. Most of the farmers indi-cated an interest in the potential that agricultural biotechnology holds in increasing yields citing the example of tissue cultured bananas that has been widely ad-opted. In Burkina Faso, most re-spondents said they did not have any anxieties about GM products although this was contradicted in the Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) where more worries were expressed. Exposure visits and more products would ease the tension.Most respondents in the FGDs in •Burkina Faso felt their local radio stations were biased in favour of agri-biotech/GM and felt that extension officers were more trust-worthy to present the pros and cons than the radio. This was the opposite in Kenya where the radio was more trusted. More concerns on our preliminary findings relate to low knowledge level among extension officers and policy mak-ers who are charged with training farmers and decision-making respectively. This study has policy implications on radio content gen-eration and validation.

Gender-related issues are ap-•parent in radio ownership, con-trol and access which may impact on listening behaviour. Although men are the fam-ily heads, women are often the managers of the farms in Kenya while men tend to retain control of farming activities in Burkina Faso, especially with cash crops like cotton. Ownership of radio revealed that 82% of the males had absolute ownership com-pared to 60% of the females. In areas without electricity and where the radio is powered by batteries, females had 56% absolute control over what program to listen to compared to 80% for males.

Conclusion: In view of the current low usage of radio to communicate about agricultural biotechnology in both countries, there is a need to re-think and devise innovative approaches that would harness the full potential of radio’s advantage of language flexibility and national reach. This would however require building the necessary capacities through training of broadcasters and developing simplified factsheets with terminologies to be used by experts, extension workers and policy makers for full application of the research findings ensuring both the pros and cons of agricultural biotechnology are communicated accurately and in a balanced manner in Kenya and Burkina Faso.

SCIENCE COMMUNICATION

Assessing Utility of Radio in Communicating Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa: Case Studies of Burkina Faso and Kenya

Authors: Margaret Karembu, Peter Oriare, Faith Nguthi, Mary Myers; Cyr Payim Ditalamane Hebie , Heidi Schaeffe, Toepista Nabusoba Project Partners’ Institutions: ISAAA Africenter; University of Nairobi’s School of Journalism and Mass Communications; Development Communication

Consultant, UK; Reseau des communicateurs ouest Africain en Biotechnologie (Burkina Faso); Universite Polytechnbique de Bobo Dioulasso (Burkina Faso); 6Rhythm Communications, Canada; Kenya Broadcasting Corporation

Dr. Margaret Karembu, Director, ISAAA Africenter and Principal Investigator, Radio for Communicating Agri-biotech in Africa and Edith Adera of International Development Research Center (IDRC)

which funded the project


Up to 265 million Africans are food insecure and mal-nourished yet in Africa we are not

willing to embrace new agricul-tural technologies. The blind op-position to modern biotechnology is one worrying trend that needs to be nipped in the bud. The West developed because of modern-izing its agricultural sector and I recently asked the Europeans through their Parliament to stop setting agenda for Africa as far as biotechnology adoption or non-adoption was concerned.

Europeans produced enough food for themselves and for export and that was why they did not care about the benefits of modern biotechnology. Africans should ask why the same Europeans were not opposed to medical biotech-nology.

There are many medicines reg-istered in the European Union that are biotech based because treatment of diseases that are common in their countries is more important than availability of food which they take for granted due to oversupply.

Africa’s agricultural sector has myriad problems such as drought, poor soils, poor seeds and inad-equate use of fertilizers and these challenges can be met by availing smarter technologies especially modern biotechnology.

Water Efficient Maize for Afri-ca, WEMA, is aimed at addressing

impacts of drought which is com-mon in most African countries. Drought has haunted African agriculture for centuries and it is high time we tamed it.

Journalists need to differentiate or identify propaganda being ped-dled against modern biotechnol-ogy because transgenic crops are probably the safest if rigorous and stringent regulatory processes they go through is to go by. Modern ag-ricultural biotechnology has been put under microscope more than any other breeding technology.

In West Africa Maruca pod borer causes 70% cowpea loss and biotechnology has given the answer according to the ongoing AATF’s Bt. Cowpea project. Let us not be afraid of molecular science of biotechnology. We are in the age of gene revolution and we must not miss it as we missed the green revolution in the sixties and seventies.

The contribution of agriculture to development and economic growth of the USA and South East Asia were enormous. In USA, iimprovements in agricultural technology in the late 20th cen-tury were the source of economic growth.

These comprised improve-ments in seeds, crop management and widespread mechanisation of farms. Efficiency (outputs com-pared to inputs), meant that larger proportion of the population was released to engaged in non-farm

occupations that further catalysed economic growth and develop-ment. Agricultural exports grew dramatically in the last half of the 20th century.

Between 1950 and 1960, ag-riculture played a central role in economic transformation of South East Asian countries thanks to the Green Revolution. Before the Green Revolution interven-tion, lead by the Nobel laureate, the late Dr. Norman Borlaug, the region had similar conditions as in Africa today.

It was characterized by stagnant yield of cereal grains, infertile soils, poor infrastructure, high population growth rates, and fear of imminent mass starvation. The agricultural revolution involved breeding of higher yielding vari-eties of cereals, use of pesticides, provision of credit facilities to purchase farm inputs (fertilizers, seeds, pesticides, mechanization. CIMMYT and International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) worked closely to breed the best yielding varieties.

Governments were helped and

encouraged to improve rural in-frastructure. Water and irrigation systems were diffused to farmers. In Indian, for example, before the development of the Rice Technology Package under the Green Revolution, local variety yields were less than 2t/ha but jumped to 5t/ha without fertilizer and 10t/ha with adequate fertilizer application.

Now India is a major exporter of rice, with 4.5 million tons exported in the year 2006. The impact of the Rice Technology Package has been remarkable. Rural income increased tremen-dously with the GDP rising by almost 200% from 1960 to date. Rice exports also meant that much of the foreign exchange was freed up for expansion of other non-agricultural sectors. In turn agricultural labor flowed to other sectors due to expansion of the economy.

Africa does not need to reinvent the wheel to improve its agricultural sector. It needs to expand irrigation (currently only 4% of arable land is irrigated), adopt and use better seed varieties, fix rural infrastructure, provide credit facilities to farmers so that they can afford inputs like fertilizer, pesticides, betters seeds, among others.

The media can help in urging governments to come up with appropriate policies. Malawi has managed in less than five years to move from a food deficit county

to a food surplus one because of better policies and political will. The media should drum up support for policies supporting adoption of the new technologies, such as biotechnology. With right policies and political will, Africa can be the breadbasket of the world through the Gene Revolution.

Organic farming cannot make Africa food secure and some of the organic matter used in Africa have insufficient nutrients.

Farm size in Africa should not be a major issue because even in Japan the average farmer has 1.2 ha, yet their productivity is extremely high. What is needed is increased technology adoption and that was why AATF was formed to secure access to patented technolo-gies on behalf of SSA.

AATF is non-profit organisation facilitating and promoting public-private partnerships for access and delivery of appropriate proprietary agricultural technologies for use by resource-limited smallholder farmers in SSA. Some of AATF’s projects include WEMA, Bt. Cow-pea, Striga tolerant maize, rice and transgenic banana among others.

In conclusion he said even the Europeans eat the GM foods when they visit the US. This is the GENE REVOLUTION era, yet 265 million people are poor and food insecure in SSA. Let’s present them with alternative choices like other people around the world.

Counterfeiting of farm inputs such as seeds and chemicals has continu-

ously exposed farmers to crop failure leading to food insecurity while exposing consumers to diseases or much worse deformities.

The agribusiness commu-nity has been grappling with serious counterfeit problems, since most of the products or seedlings are packaged in an easy to copy package making it harder for farmers to have quality assurance and an easy target for unscrupulous busi-ness people.

“The spread of counterfeit

goods has become a global problem and the range of goods subject to infringement has increased significantly leading to not only heavy losses locally, but interna-tionally as well,” says Farm-chem’s Managing Director Charles Mulinge.

According to a study by Counterfeiting Intelligence Bureau (CIB) of the Interna-tional Chamber of Commerce (ICC) counterfeit goods make up 5 to 7% of World Trade, however, these figures cannot be substantiated.

“To stay ahead of coun-terfeiters, Farmchem has in-vested over a million shillings in a new all weather packaging

that is easy to open, reseal and has a longer shelf life,” states Farmchem’s MD Charles Mul-inge. “With the old package, unscrupulous business people found it easy to copy and brand the package as if it were Farm-chem’s and resale the same to unsuspecting farmers,” contin-ues Mr. Mulinge.

According to Capital Mar-kets Authority, grim statistics indicate that Kenyan manu-facturers incur an annual net loss of over Ksh.30 billion, while the government loses Ksh. 6 billion in potential profits and tax revenue due to counterfeit trade.

Over the years, Kenya has increased measures to crack

down on counterfeit goods and the enactment of the anti-counterfeit bill by parliament, will ensure that there is a deterrent to people out to reap where they did not sow.

According to Mr. Mulinge, “Counterfeiting is a problem that can no longer be ignored or allowed to continue. If we are to curb the current financial crunch affecting everyone, this should be ad-dressed immediately.”

With the new packaging, farmers can now be guaran-teed safety of their seeds and fertilizers for a longer period of time while maintaining the quality.

Africa Needs New Agricultural Technologiesto Overcome Food Insecurity

- 265m People food insecureEdited Version of Speech by Dr Daniel Mataruka Executive Director, African Agricultural Technology Foundation during the Recent Training

Workshop held in Nairobi, Kenya for East African Science Journalists.

Farmchem to Fight Counterfeits with New Packaging

Charles Mulinge, Farmchem Ltd MD (left) explaining to Assistant Minister for Agriculture;

Gideon Ndambuki the benefits of the new packs during the launch.

February / March 2010 7February / March 2010

Cont’d on page 10


Maize is a major staple food crop in SSA – more than half of the popu-lation depends on

it as a main food source. But it is severely affected by fre-quent droughts. Climate change will only worsen the situation. Drought tolerant technology is relevant because Africa is a drought prone continent. In the past 10 years, three out of every four global drought events have occurred in Africa.

WEMA, Water Efficient Maize for Africa, is a public-private partnership to develop and deploy royalty-free African drought-tolerant hybrid maize varieties with the aim of increas-ing yield stability, and protecting and promoting farmers’ invest-ment in best management prac-tices (BMP) such as the use of fertilizers and improved seeds.

WEMA project will combine the use of conventional breeding with advanced biotechnology including the use of marker as-

sisted selection (breeding) to improve the efficiency and speed of conventional breeding, and also the use of transgenic tech-nology (genetic enhancement). Farmers will have the options of choosing conventional drought tolerant (DT) hybrids and trans-genic drought tolerant hybrids with different levels of drought tolerance.

The transgenic hybrids will contain a gene (cspB gene, from Bacillus subtilis) which was discovered to confer drought tolerance in maize by Mon-santo and BASF. The gene has been patented but Monsanto is willing to donate it to WEMA project royalty-free for African farmers.

WEMA PartnershipNational Agricultural Re-

search Systems in Kenya, Mo-zambique, South Africa, Tanza-nia, and Uganda; International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT); Monsanto; and AATF (leading the project)

are the partners. The partners will bring to the project their comparative best technologies and/ or expertise. The project is being financed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Howard Buffet Foundation for an initial five-year product development phase.

Expected Project OutputsUnder moderate drought con-

dition, WEMA DT maize hybrids are expected to increase grain yields by 20–35% over the cur-rent maize varieties. This will translate into additional 2 mil-lion metric tons of maize during drought years to feed about 14 to 21 million people.

Major AchievementsTo begin with the WEMA

Partnership has been built. Con-fined field trial (CFT) sites have been identified and developed in areas where there is a corridor of drought stress for at least 3 to 4 months per year in partner coun-tries. Mock trials using conven-tional drought tolerant varieties

were planted in Kenya and Tan-zania in 2009 to test the efficiency of the installed irrigation systems and to acquire skills in managing drought stress trials. A trial using first generation transgenic DT hybrids has been planted by the Agricultural Research Council, South Africa in November 2009. Regulatory permit applications to conduct genetically enhanced drought tolerant trial in 2010 are awaiting approval in four partner countries.

Regulatory policy to allow for large scale open-field testing with farmers after successfully conducting confined field trials and showing promising results could be a challenge.

ConclusionWEMA project is in progress.

It is hoped that conventional WEMA hybrids would be avail-able for National Performance Testing (NPT) by 2013, and genetically enhanced WEMA hybrids would be available for NPT by 2017.

Drought is the ma-jor most impor-tant limiting fac-tor facing maize farmers in Kenya

and other African nations where it is the main staple food crop. The world’s severest droughts have mostly occurred in Africa and WEMA partnership was formed to address effects of drought in the most appropriate way, especially for the millions of small scale farmers.

Although is often branded an indigenous o native food crop, it originated from South America.

It has become the main source of food for over 300million peo-ple in Africa including Kenya where the crop is often severely affected by drought. However, things could get worse with the emerging climate change.

In Kenya two thirds of the land is arid and semi-arid. The nation, like many others in Af-rica, heavily depends on rain-fed agriculture despite. The situ-ation is worsened by frequent episodes of severe drought re-sulting in widespread hunger.

Thus farming is increasingly becoming a risky business for

both small scale and large scale famers. The widespread food insecurity, hunger and even pov-erty in Kenya is often equated with poor maize yields.

The African Technology Foundation (AATF) headed by Dr Daniel Mataruka is leading a major public-private partnership behind Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA). The unique partnership aims to develop drought-tolerant African maize using conventional breeding, marker-assisted breeding, and biotechnology.

The Water Efficient Maize for Africa Project

KARI, in close co l l abora t ing with various, is involvement in research and de-

velopment activities designed to finally result in the awaited Water Efficient Maize for Africa –WEMA. The institute has a wealth of knowledge and expertise considered one of the best in the African region when it comes to research and development focusing on vari-ous aspects of maize.

The rich history of KARI’s maize research is reflected by the fact that it already has an infrastructure or network of at least eight national agricul-tural research centres that are involved in R&D activities focusing on various aspects of maize.

These include Mtwapa at the coastal region focusing on maize varieties for coastal low-land ecology and heat tolerance. In Embu R&D focuses on Chilo partellus and breeding mid-altitude transition ecology.

There is Katumani in the Eastern region famous for breeding for dry mid-altitude transition ecology. It focuses on drought tolerance, water harvesting, technologies, post harvest pests including weevils, the Large Grain Borer and ap-plied biotechnology.

The centre at Kabete, near Nairobi, focuses on post-har-vest storage, pesticides and biotechnology. The KARI cen-tre at Muguga in Central region focuses on maize steak virus (MSV) and other foliar diseases and breeds for mid-altitude transition ecology.

The national research centre in Kitale, Rift Valley region conducts R&D on acidic soils while breeding for varieties that thrive and yield best in highland ecology. The centre at Kibos in Nyanza region breed against striga while the one in Kakamega,Western region, breeds for wet mid-altitude ecology and foliar diseases including rusts.

KARI’s Centres Focusing on Maize

Why Water Efficient Maize is Needed- The WEMA Project


Cont’d on page 11

Don’t miss the

next insert on

Maizewith a special focus

on seed companies



Drought is a ma-jor constraint to maize production in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). For

instance, half of maize area in Eastern and Southern Africa is affected by drought while in West and Central Africa drought affects about 35% of maize area. These figures show that drought is the major agricultural con-straint that cripples livelihoods of millions of people often trap-ping them in perpetual poverty.

Drought is a major economic and social burden that slows eco-nomic growth and makes escape from poverty enormously diffi-cult. Thus Africa urgently needs improved technologies, such as drought-tolerant maize varieties to reduce the grinding economic burden of drought.

The Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) project, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the How-ard G. Buffet Foundation focuses on development and dissemina-tion of drought tolerant maize in sub-Saharan Africa.Objectives of DTMA include:

Optimized pipeline for new • sources of drought tolerance - Identify new DT sources and develop molecular markers for DT genes of major effectNew tools and methodologies • for drought tolerance breed-ing - Develop and invest in technology-assisted tools for faster, cost effective precise breeding progress for DT suited to smallholder conditionsFocused and effective product • development - Develop DT hy-brids and OPVs adapted to the

main drought-affected agro-ecologies and small farmer production conditions in Sub-Sahara Africa.Involvement of breeders from • NARS and seed companies - Enhance the success of pub-lic NARS and private sector breeders for improving and selecting their own maize va-rieties for DT performance and acceptance under smallholder farmers’ conditionsVariety testing and release - • Improve and accelerate variety testing and release of new DT varieties by NARSs, seed com-panies and regulatory agencies.Scale up seed production - • Increase the capacity of local seed companies to disseminate DT maize varieties to a greater number of farmers in SSA.Advocacy and promotion - In-• form policy makers and farmer support groups about new DT varieties; support interventions which increase smallholder farmers’ access and use of ap-propriate DT maize varieties.Impact assessment and tar-• geting – Inform investors of the most effective DT maize research and distribution strat-egies for greatest impact on poverty reduction of small-holder farmers in drought zones of Africa.Project management and • communication - Effectively implement & review project objectives with appropriate stakeholder representation; keep stakeholders, the public and policymakers informed about project progress.

The DTMA project is built upon a strong history of partnerships and

achievements. It is implemented in agreement with and priorities set by NARS and sub-regional organizations like ASARECA/ECAMAW, CORAF/WECA-MAN, SADC and AATF.

The project’s vision of success within 10 years, include develop-ing maize germplasm with 1 t/ha yield increase under drought, increase maize productivity under smallholder conditions by 20-30%, reach 30-40 million people in SSA and add US$160-200 mil-lion of grain annually in drought-affected areas.

To realize the vision however, CIMMYT its partners, will need to broaden the genetic basis for drought tolerance (DT);develop or use tools which accelerate breeding progress; overcome bot-tlenecks to give a greater number of farmers in drought prone areas access to DT maize; and target and assess impact.

New tools and methodologies for drought tolerance breeding have been developed and real-ized. They include 42 ha expand-ed in drought phenotyping sites in Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria and Zimbabwe; lab and greenhouse facilities upgraded in Eastern, Southern and Western Africa, for more effective screening for adaptive traits by CIMMYT, IITA and NARS breeders; and phenotypic data made accessible on a joint platform: MaizeFinder, Fieldbook & IMIS.

In terms of involvement and capacity building of breeders from NARS and seed companies, the following has been achieved: 39 NARS & private sector breeders trained through formal courses; 106 NARS & private sector

breeders trained; 16 NARS breed-ing projects on maize technically backstopped by DTMA scientists; 13 PhD and 19 MSc students technically backstopped; and 5 best breeder awards.

The project has in the last three years tested and released 52 DT varieties. In Eastern Africa, Ethiopia had 4, Kenya 5, Uganda 3 and Tanzania 7 thus a regional total of 19 DT varieties. In South-ern Africa, with a regional total of 22 DT varieties Malawi had 4, Mozambique 2, Zambia 5 and Zimbabwe leads with 11. In West Africa Benin had 6, Ghana 2, Mali 2, Nigeria 1 making a regional total of 11 DT varieties.

To scale up seed production, 28 small and emerging seed entrepreneurs have been trained in know-how relevant to SSA maize seed business environment and 44 seed companies and com-munity based seed entrepreneurs backstopped by DTMA scientists through phone, email and visits.

The project also has a well laid out communication and advocacy strategies to galvanize stakehold-ers’ support and ensure efficient diffusion of the resultant innova-tions in the 13 DTMA countries. Details of communication activi-ties and relevant information ma-terials are on the DTMA website http://dtma.cimmyt.org/

WEMA is built on DTMA in the sense that adapted germplasm from DTMA is the one used for trait integration in WEMA and double haploid generation. DTMA germplasm will also be complemented with speed and power of marker-assisted breeding (MAB) and transgenic technology.

Apart from Kenya the countries involved in the project include South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Mozambique. AATF leads with its efforts in helping develop and make drought-tolerant maize available royalty free to smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa.

However, the national regulatory authorizes in the five nations will assess the safety and real benefits of WEMA maize varieties based on the requirements. The first conventional varieties developed by WEMA could be available after six to seven years of research and development, while genetically modified (GM) drought-tolerant maize hybrids will ready within a decade.

There are various players from both public and private sector. AATF works with International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT). The latter provides high-yielding maize varieties adapt-ed to local conditions and expertise in conventional breeding and testing for drought tolerance.

Life Sciences giant Monsanto, avails proprietary germplasm, ad-vanced breeding tools and drought-tolerance transgenes developed in collaboration with BASF. The national agricultural research sys-tems in the five WEMA countries are at the core of the project. Their expertise and technological prowess may determine the fate - success or failure- of the project in eastern and southern Africa.. AATF will con-tribute its leadership, experience in public-private partnership manage-ment, technology stewardship and project management expertise.

The varieties developed through the project will be distributed to Af-rican seed companies through AATF without royalty and made available to smallholder farmers as part of their seed business. The national ag-ricultural research systems, farmers’ groups, and seed companies partici-pating in the project will contribute their expertise in field testing, seed multiplication, and distribution.

The project will involve local institutions, both public and private, and in the process expand their ca-pacity and experience in crop breed-ing, biotechnology, and biosafety.

Partner institutions• African Agricultural Technology

Foundation (AATF)• National agricultural research sys-

tems in Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda

• International Maize and Wheat Im-provement Center (CIMMYT)

• Monsanto Funding Partners• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation• Howard G. Buffett Foundation

By Prof. Wilfred Mwangi: DTMA Project Manager and Anne Wangalachi: Corporate Communications Officer, CIMMYT

CIMMYT

The Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) Project


From page 10

This comes at a time when Farmchem launched a new campaign termed “Faidika na Farmchem” which aims at encouraging farmers to treat farming as a lifestyle and reap the benefits by using correct manage-ment systems and materials for their farm inputs.

Farmchem is a locally owned Kenyan •company, founded in 1978 by the late Dr.S.K Mulinge whose vision was to provide quality agricultural inputs to the farming communityFarmchem is a leading provider of •

seedlings, fertilizer and farm chemicals in East Africa region.Farmchem also repackages and sales •seedlings, fertilizers, fungicides and herbicides in East Africa region.Farmchem has invested in new packag-•ing to aid in fighting counterfeits.Farmchem has been in existence for the •last 30 years.The company is as parent company to •SeedLinks, which has been in operation for two years now.

“Like many sub-Saharan African coun-tries, Kenya must optimize the use of its

soils for agriculture to increase food secu-rity, and do this while facing the climate change, escalating input costs, and a dete-riorating natural resource base,” said KARI director, Dr. Ephraim Mukisira. “The IMAS project will apply scientific innovations to provide long-term solutions for African farmers, developing maize varieties suited to Kenya’s diverse farming ecologies.”

In 2008, the number of African countries planting biotech crops increased from one in 2007, South Africa to three with the entry of Burkina Faso (cotton) and Egypt (maize).

From page 7

Farmchem to Fight Counterfeits with New Packaging


Maize research at the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute did not just emerge with the current

increased media focus that is linked to new skills in direct genetic modification. The institute has rich history – extending into the colonial era- of efforts to improve maize production in the county.

When for example some of the colonial era maize breeders left the country or retired, it was openly said that the country would have no more breeding experiments resulting in improved varieties. However, the breeding work going on at the institute has improved fast and experts at KARI nowadays include those with skills in modern biotechnology including gene t ic makers . However, before examining these latest developments one needs to review the history of maize development or improvement and why the crop is important to Kenya.

Maize is at the core of Kenya’s agriculture which is the backbone of the country’s economy contributing 24-30% Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and providing 70% of rural employment. Maize is the major food crop with over 80% of rural and urban population depending on it as their major source of calories.

The per capita consumption is estimated at 125 kg annually and area under production is 1.4 – 1.6m hectares. Maize was introduced into East Africa through Pemba Islands about 1643 and was being grown in Tanzania in 1668. Two centuries later 1880’s, maize was common in Kenya and today the lack of maize in Kenya is synonymous to lack of food.

The elevation of maize in Kenya from the status of a mere garden vegetable to that of a leading staple food was influenced by among other reasons including the appeal of maize as a food crop, influence of expatriate farmers, effect of natural disasters that favored the cultivation of maize, the effect of world wars because better prices were offered to maize farmers at that time

Maize as a food crop was very attractive compared to sorghum and millet because it was a more palatable, easier to handle at har-vest and was less demanding to

grow and was more certain crop. Maize gradually became the most important commercial crop in Ke-nya by 1930’s and at this time there was also great interest in maize research. This interest was aimed at serving the wet areas of the Rift Valley and associated highlands.

A breeding program was set in Njoro in 1927 and later in Kitale in 1955. Maize acreage increased very rapidly between 1920 and 1930 and started showing a steady increase about 1950. By the year 2000, the total maize area in Kenya had increased by 30 times.

Constraints Biotic constraints include pests

and diseases. According to Cra-mer, 1967, pests and diseases account for 35% of the total yield losses in maize. However, more recent studies show that the inci-dences of pests and diseases has been increasing in recent years and insects alone account for 35% yield losses in Kenya Maize streak virus, stem borers and stor-age pests are the most important. Another constraint to maize pro-duction in Kenya are the abiotic constraints that include low soil fertility and drought. Then a sec-ondary contribution to low maize production and policy issues, that include poor infrastructure, and poor market prices of maize.

The current production levels of maize differ from farm to farm and also depend on the ecology. The total maize productivity in Kenya has been increasing be-cause more and more farmers are planting improved maize variet-ies. More farmers are planting improved maize varieties and the development of improved varieties has been responsible for more production per unit area. The potential yields range from 3.3 tons/ha for the lowlands and 6.7 tons per ha in the highlands. However a big yield gap exists between the farmers’ yields and research yields. This gap varies depending on the ecology and the difference could be as big as 4.7 tons per hectare. The differ-ence between farmers’ yields and research yields are due to stresses experienced on farms by small-holder resource poor farmers.

Improvements For the last for and half decades

maize variety improvement in Ke-nya focused on high yielding vari-

Variety Type Year Released Grain yield Yield over KSM(t/ha) %

KSM OPV - 3.00 100Ec573 OPV - 2.00 67KSII OPV 1961 3.37 112H611 VCH 1963 4.50 150H621 DCH 1964 4.05 135K631 TWC 1964 4.45 148H622* DCH 1965 5.22 174H623 TWC 1965 4.45 148H612C VCH 1966 5.88 196H611C VCH 1971 5.85 195H613C VCH 1972 5.96 198H614C VCH 1976 6.30 210H625* DCH 1991 6.9 230H612D VCH 1986 6.43 214H613D VCH 1986 6.03 201H614D VCH 1986 6.60 220H626* DCH 1989 7.20 240EH93271 VCH 1996 7.19 240

KARI’s Rich History of Maize Research, Development

Table: Commercial Maize Varieties released from Kitale breeding program since 1961.

Source: Ligeyo et al 1999KEY: KSM-Kitale station maize; OPV-Open pollinated variety; VCH-Varietal cross hybrid; DCH-Double cross hybrid; TWC-three way cross hybrid; *Variety still under commercial production to date (1997).

eties derived from two populations, KSII and EC573. The county’s breeding programme, spearheaded by the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, has produced the popular hybrid in the 600 series and in the 500 series in Kenya. Several open pollinated varieties (OPVs ) have also been developed out of this project. The initial hybrids devel-oped showed 25% more yields than the initial collection of Kitale maize local collections. New hybrids developed steadily showed better yields than older hybrids (Table). The indication was that with every year of maize breeding in Kenya progress was made towards devel-oping novel high yielding hybrids, which were eventually released to the farmer.

Maize demands has tripled in the last four decades; from 1.11 million tons at the time indepen-dence to the current 3.4m tons while the population has increased almost seven fold and yield per hectare has not even doubled.

The use of fertilizers and Manures

Most Kenyan soils are deficient in nitrogen and phosphorus. Re-search on fertilizer has shown that late and medium maturing hybrids show significant response to nitro-gen and phosphorus up to 60Kg of nitrogen per hectare. However,

increases of up to 120 Kg of Ni-trogen per hectare do not give any significant yield increase.

Results indicate that recently released hybrids show better re-sponses to fertilizers than old hybrids. Consequently H626 showed better response to fertilizer than H625. However the adop-tion rates of fertilizers in Kenya is low because of its cost although the government and donors have doubled efforts to reduce cost. Researchers have also looked into other methods of improving soil fertility by introducing legumes and (or) rotations and the use of manures has been considered. Experiments carried out in several sites in Kenya show that manures could substitute fertilizers.

There are various factors limiting maize production. Maize Streak Virus causes yield losses of up to 100 percent in Central Kenya and around the lake region. Research targets MSV resistance that does not compromise yield levels in improved varieties. The incidences of MSV in the most popular varieties is currently branded as completely susceptible-(or 5.0). However, an improved disease resistant level of 2.5 (mild reactions to streak) has been attained in the newly developed hybrids without compromising yield levels.

Maize demands has tripled in the last four decades; from 1.11 million tons at the time independence to the current 3.4m tons while the population has increased almost seven fold and yield per hectare has not even doubled.



What is IMAS?Improved Maize for African Soils, in short, IMAS is a broad alliance led by the Interna-tional Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) that will improve food security and livelihoods in sub-Saharan Africa by creat-ing and sharing new maize varieties that use fertilizer more efficiently and help smallholder farmers get higher yields, even where soils are poor and little commercial fertilizer is used. Who are the partners?The International Maize and Wheat Improve-ment Center (CIMMYT) will work with the project’s other partners—the DuPont Business, Pioneer Hi-Bred; the Kenya Ag-ricultural Research Institute (KARI) and the South African Agricultural Research Council (ARC)— who will provide significant in-kind contributions including staff, infrastruc-ture, seed, traits, technology, training, and know-how. IMAS is funded with USD 19.5 million in grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and USAID.

Why is nitrogen use efficiency impor-tant to small-scale farmers?Nitrogen is one of the most important nutri-ents for plants. However, most of the soils in sub-Saharan Africa are nitrogen-deficient, while commercial nitrogen fertilizer is ex-pensive to most smallholder farmers who apply far less than the amounts needed to produce vigorous crops. Of that, often less than half is captured by the crop; the rest is

leached deep into the soil where plants can-not recover it or is otherwise lost. So nitrogen use efficient maize will help these farmers spend less on commercial nitrogen fertilizer and get more grain yield.

How will the maize be developed?There have already been excellent gains in nitrogen use efficiency or NUE using tra-ditional breeding methods. IMAS partners will use those methods, as well as cutting-edge biotechnology tools such as molecular markers—DNA “signposts” for traits of interest—and transgenic approaches to de-velop varieties that ultimately yield 30-50% more than currently available varieties, with the same amount of nitrogen fertilizer applied or when grown on poorer soils.

When will farmers access these varieties?In four years or less, African farmers should have access to IMAS varieties developed using conventional breeding that offer a 20% yield advantage over current variet-ies. Improved varieties developed using DNA marker techniques are expected to be introduced within seven to nine years, and those containing transgenic traits are expected to be available in approximately 10 years, pending product performance and regulatory approvals by national regulatory and scientific authorities, according to the established laws and regulatory procedures in each country.

Why Kenya and South Africa? Why not others?Kenya and South Africa were chosen as IMAS research partners because of the advanced stage of biosafety regulations and strong na-tional program capacities in both countries. In addition, in both nations maize is a key food crop (annual per capita consumption is around 100 kg) grown by resource-poor farmers on low-fertility soils and with little or no fertilizer. CIMMYT has strong breeding activities in Kenya and Zimbabwe, with the bulk of nitrogen-use-efficient germplasm so far originating from the CIMMYT-Zimbabwe program; hence, non-transgenic project approaches will also be implemented in Zimbabwe.

What does ‘royalty-free’ mean?The varieties developed through IMAS will be made available royalty-free to seed com-panies that sell to the region’s smallholder farmers, meaning that the seed will become available to farmers at the same cost as other types of improved maize seed. Pioneer Hi-Bred will donate advanced breeding, biotechnology, and expertise to improve the nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of maize varieties adapted to African conditions.

What will be some benefits of IMAS? IMAS is all about giving farmers choice -

providing smallholder farmers in Kenya and South Africa with the tools to make the best choices for their cropping systems. Specifi-cally, IMAS will help farmers to reduce the risk associated with maize farming – through developing and availing maize varieties that are better at capturing the small amount of fertilizer that African farmers can afford, and that use the nitrogen they take up more efficiently to produce grain. Farmers will produce much more grain using the same amount of fertilizer, improve their food security, and as a result diversify their crop production to provide a more diversified diet and nutrition.

What will be the effect of these new nitrogen-use-efficient varieties on the soils?The new varieties will provide a harvest for farmers who cannot afford fertilizer, and respond much better than current varieties to what little fertilizer farmers are able to apply, without mining soils.

Will farmers still be able to choose open-pollinated varieties?Absolutely. Farmers will be able to choose whatever seed they prefer, whether saved seeds, open pollinated varieties or hybrid seeds carried by their preferred seed com-pany. No farmer will be forced to grow any particular variety.

NAIROBI, Kenya

At a briefing for journal-ists, a group of public and private agricul-ture organizations an-

nounced an alliance that will improve food security and liveli-hoods in sub-Saharan Africa by creating and sharing new maize varieties that use fertilizer more efficiently and help smallholder farmers get higher yields, even where soils are poor and a little commercial fertilizer is used.

The collaboration, known as Improved Maize for African Soils (IMAS), will be led by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and funded with USD 19.5 million in grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and USAID. The project’s other partners—the DuPont Business, Pioneer Hi-Bred; the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI); and the South African Agricultural Research Council (ARC)—are also providing significant in-kind contributions including staff, infrastructure, seed, traits, technol-ogy, training, and know-how.

Maize yields of smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa are a fraction of those in the devel-oped world, due mainly to poor soils and farmers’ limited access to fertilizer or improved maize seed. Nitrogen is one of the most important nutrients for plants. If applied as fertilizer or provided through organic sources such as manure or legumes, it makes crops yield more.

Studies show that farmers in South Asia apply 100 kilograms of fertilizer per hectare, but in Africa it is an average of 9 kilograms. Often less than half is captured by the crop; the rest is leached deep into the soil where plants cannot recover it.

“As a farmer, if all your fertil-izer were used by the crop and none lost in the soil, you could save money by purchasing less fertilizer or—better yet for Africa farmers—produce much more grain using the same amount of fertilizer,” says Gary Atlin, CIMMYT maize breeder and lead-er of IMAS. “The IMAS project will develop maize varieties that are better at capturing the small

amount of fertilizer that African farmers can afford, and that use the nitrogen they take up more efficiently to produce grain.”

IMAS participants will use conventional breeding and cutting-edge biotechnology tools such as molecular markers—DNA “sign-posts” for traits of interest—and transgenic approaches to develop varieties that ultimately yield 30-50% more than currently available varieties, with the same amount of nitrogen fertilizer applied when grown on poor soils. The varieties developed will be made available royalty-free to seed companies that sell to the region’s smallholder farmers, meaning that the seed will become available to farmers at the same cost as other types of improved maize seed.

“IMAS is an excellent example of how innovative public-private partnerships can work to improve food availability, livelihoods, and lives in areas facing chronic food insecurity,” said Marc Albertsen, Pioneer research director. “Pioneer has a rich pipeline of nitrogen ef-ficiency genes. By applying these genes and our Accelerated Yield

Technology resources to the IMAS effort, we will help ensure the development of improved maize lines for those who have the most to gain from using new technolo-gies: the smallholder farmers.”

In four years or less, African farmers should have access to IMAS varieties developed us-ing conventional breeding that offer a 20% yield advantage over current varieties. Improved varieties developed using DNA marker techniques are expected to be introduced within seven to nine years, and those containing transgenic traits are expected to be available in approximately 10 years, pending product perfor-mance and regulatory approvals by national regulatory and scien-tific authorities, according to the established laws and regulatory procedures in each country.

“African maize farmers must deal with drought, weeds, and pests,” said Dr. Wilfred Mwangi, Associate Director of CIMMYT’s Global Maize Program, which is based in Nairobi, “but their problems start with degraded, nutrient-starved soils and their

inability to purchase enough ni-trogen fertilizer.”

“Like many sub-Saharan Af-rican countries, Kenya must op-timize the use of its soils for agriculture to increase food secu-rity, and do this while facing the climate change, escalating input costs, and a deteriorating natural resource base,” said KARI direc-tor, Dr. Ephraim Mukisira. “The IMAS project will apply scientific innovations to provide long-term solutions for African farmers, developing maize varieties suited to Kenya’s diverse farming ecolo-gies.”

Generating, developing, and applying new knowledge, science, and technology for agriculture is a strategic objective of the ARC. “The ARC is committed to ensure that maize varieties of benefit to resource-poor farmers are devel-oped using the latest technologies available through the IMAS global partnership,” said Dr. Shadrack Moephuli, President and Chief Executive Officer of the ARC.

(Source CIMMYT Press Release)

New Maize Varieties to Use Fertilizer More Efficiently

Improved Maize for African Soils (IMAS)Frequently Asked Questions



in Nairobi hotel.“ IMAS is being launched

at a time when local or small scale farmers and the public are increasingly appreciating the services and products derived from scientific research and de-velopment activities going on at KARI and ARC,” Dr Mukisira said.

There is no winter and our soils hardly rest because in farmers seek to grow maize dur-ing both long and short rain sea-sons. This is worsened by poor agronomic practices therefore we can not ignore the issue of soil health including improved availability of nutrients,” he added.

Those present included Dr Shadrack Moephuli, President and chief executive officer of the Republic of South Africa’s ARC; Dr Marianne Banziger, deputy director in charge of research at the International Maize and Wheat Improve-ment Center CIMMYT); Dr Wilfred Mwangi, associate director global maize program (CIMMYT); Dr Llord Le Page, senior manager, technology ac-ceptance and sustainable devel-opment, Pioneer Hi-Bred; and Dr Margaret Karembu, director Africenter, International Service for Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) who was the moderator.

According to Dr Mukisira KARI has a talented pool of highly specialized agricultural research scientists- at least 170 PhDs - including experts in various fields of biotechnology. Thee areleading conventional plant breeders like Dr J.A.W Ochieng, Dr Jane Ininda who now works for Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), and many others who give the institute a competitive edge.

A maize variety developed by Dr Ininda - while still at KARI-

is already being multiplied by a seed company whose officials recently visited KARI and had 80 kg seed of the variety. Thus KARI has the capacity to handle R&D leading to maize varieties developed using both conven-tional and modern biotechnol-ogy methods, Dr Mukisira told ScienceAfrica.

However, KARI is involved in more hands-on maize R&D activities designed to improve maize productivity. Apart from IMAS, researchers at the institute are working on Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA); In-sect Resistant Maize for Africa (IRMA), and Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA).

According to Dr Mukisi-ra these R&D activities in-volve close collaboration with CIMMYT, African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) and the private sector with lead-ing agricultural biotechnology firms. In the emerging New Green Revolution KARI’s ef-forts to increase maize yields include conventional breed-ing activities, marker assisted breeding and targeted gene transfers to improve the yields of local maize varieties.

With the passage of Biosafety Act we are could transpar-

ently shuttle gene constructs that revolutionize maize production and initiate relevant agronomic practices that result in increased production witnesses in South Africa and nations in Europe, Asia, North and South America. Dr Mukisira said.

He told ScienceAfrica that the passage of the Biosafety Act involved team work with others players like the African Biotech-nology Trust (BTA), African Biotechnology Stakeholders Forum (ABSF), AHARVEST, the National Council of Science

and Technology (NCST) and others while Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) has always performed its regu-latory role leaving no room for shortcuts in the handling of services and products of gene science. Still institutions like KARI have internal regulatory mechanisms based on strong professional ethics, he added..

“ The Biosafety Act makes it easy for KARI to collaborate with ARC in South Africa which has had Biosafety regulations that facilitate responsible re-search activities. Much efforts is being made in the African region towards self sufficiency in food production and there is an urgent need to build capac-ity in some of our nations,” he added.

Dr Mukisira said that KARI, CIMMYT, ARC and private sectors players like Pioneer Hi-Bred are increasingly con-solidating their efforts and scientific capacity towards the realization of the new Green Revolution that is urgently needed in Africa.

According to Dr Shadrack Moephuli, the president and chief executive officer of Ag-ricultural Research Council (ARC) in the Republic of South

Africa, GM food has been eaten for nearly a decade and the county has an independent and efficient regulatory system. “ Only 13 percent of South Af-rica is arable and less than 10 percent of this is used for maize with the soil being rocky, acidic and has been tilled for many years however, the country has excess maize- at least 3 million tons- that is ready for export af-ter last year’s bumper harvest of 12 million tons,” Dr Moephuli said.

He said that ARC has little experience working with small scale farmers but is keen to use all appropriate technologies and develop partnerships that increase agricultural produc-tivity it means ARC aims to develop new maize cultivars and continuously build more capacity targeting the increas-ing numbers of small holders who need seeds that help them overcome or cope with various limitation and IMAS is such an innovation.

Dr Marianne Bazinger of CIMMYT said that the center has been involved in conven-tional breeding for that maize that use nitrogen more effi-ciently while increasing yields by up to 30 percent for the last 15 years and the GMO trait from Pioneer Hi-Bred will triple up or increase nitrogen use ef-ficiency.

Dr Lloyd De Page said that the firm is keen on sustainable agricultural activities that lead to socio-economic development of African countries and has experience working in Africa. and is ready to help train local experts to handle its accelerated yield technologies needed iden-tify nature’s genes that improve fertilizer uptakein Africa chal-lenges in food production are intertwined with various factors including infrastructure

Top Researchers Focus on Improved Maize for African Soils

Dr Margaret Karembu Director ISAAA

Dr Marianne Banziger Deputy Director General,

Research, CIMMYT

Dr Lloyd Le Page Pioneer Hi-Bred

Maize demands has tripled in the last four decades; from 1.11 million tons at the time independence to the current 3.4m tons while the population has increased almost seven fold and yield per hectare has not even doubled.



The Best Analysis of Science, Technology and Innovation in Africa Tel: 020-2053532 / 2473370


Empirical results of a focus group discussion carried out with stakeholders in Kenya in 2009 as part of a multi-lateral project on

socialization of science and technology in developing and emerging countries find that the systems remain largely unchanged. The main constraint to socialization of science in Africa remains the lack of collaboration amongst the quadruple helix. Delegates at the focus group ascribed this lack of col-laboration amongst the quadruple helix in Africa to a number of factors, including:

Lack of institutional/policy framework for collaboration,

Low incentives for multi-disciplinarity and trans-disciplinary research,

Donor driven research agenda due to dependency on external donors for STR research funding,

Low investments by nat ional governments to invest in science, technology and innovation programs and scientific equipment,

Perceived superiority of Western Science and Western Scientists,

Perceived and real demand for international experts by Government and Private Sector Actors,

Focus by African Politicians on short-term value addition,

Multiple Ministries and Government Parastatals handling various aspects of the innovation system each with different agenda,

D i ff i cu l t i e s o f dea l ing wi th uncertainty,

Colonial structures and curricula still being maintained in most higher education establishments,

Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) is still based on foreign criteria, e.g. publications in international journals;

Insufficient legal frameworks for Intellectual Property Rights, and other knowledge appropriation strategies, etc,

Low quality of science leading to false or failed predictions and lack of trust in African science by stakeholders, and

Lack of systemic, holistic and interdisciplinary approaches in African science, etc.

The results of the focus group also under-scored the fact that current pedagogies and incentive structures in African universities are discipline based and hence precludes systems thinking, collaboration and re-sponsible innovation which are necessary conditions for economic progress as well as social and environmental sustainability.

How Can Higher Education for

Sustainable Development in Africa be Achieved?

From the foregoing, it is evident that to achieve higher education for sustainable development in Africa, there is the need for a complete re-engineering of the edu-cation system in Africa, staring from the Primary to the Tertiary levels. As aptly noted by (Mamdani, 1996), Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) “does not simply involve an ‘adoption’ of institutional rhetoric on Sustainable Development, or development of new structures and projects in universities. It requires a deeper engage-ment with the remaining institutional lega-cies of colonialism (and neo colonialism) in Africa (Mamdani, 1996). It requires that we think of how we can root African universities in African soil (ibid). This was again emphasized by Moja, (2004): “…there is a need to transform African systems of Higher Education to make sure that Higher Education will contribute to economic development within a globalised economy” (Moja, 2004, p. 22).

This paper makes the same clarion call for the socialization of African Science as the sene qua non for sustainable development and the sustainability of higher education in Africa. This will require a reform of curri-cula, teaching & learning methods, research and development, stakeholder engagement & systems of knowledge sharing, science dissemination and communication, sci-ence valorization, incentive structures and reward systems (such as RAE), and staff promotion schemes to make them relevant to Africa’s development agenda. I argue that by socializing African science, i.e. making Africa’s Higher Education relevant for social, economic and environmental sustainability, and embedding the science curricular in African’s realities, Higher Education in African will contribute more effectively to national income growth, so-cial cohesion and efficient use of Africa’s rich natural capital. Collaboration amongst the quadruple helix will also not only gen-erate new innovations for development but will also facilitate the sustainability of

higher education in Africa. Private Sector and Public Funding for Higher Education will also increase as a demand led process in exchange for the new relevant technolo-gies and responsible innovations that will be espoused by the collaboration platforms and networks generated.

The paper therefore makes six key recom-mendations focusing mainly on what the Higher Education sector needs to do, and provision of favourable policy environ-ments for innovation cultures to flourish:

Pedagogical Reforms to move from disciplinary science to trans-disciplinary science;

Structural Reforms to move from current models of science & technology knowledge transfer to providing collaborative platforms for responsible innovation, such as Centers of Excellence, Innovation Incubation Centers, etc;

Mindset Reforms: to move from sector based approaches in teaching and learning (silo thinking) to integrated holistic approaches in knowledge generation and knowledge circulation (systems thinking);

Governance Reforms to move from knowledge hierarchies to participatory governance and full socialization of scientific and technological research

Incentive Structures Reforms: to move from “publish or perish” to a more inclusive impact based incentives and reward systems including publications, but also societal relevance / local impacts, co-patents and co-publications, private sector citation index, proximity to specialized knowledge centers, relevance to national policy simulations and formulations, etc., and

Policy Environment Reform: to provide favorable policy environments and legislative frameworks to enable cultures of innovation to thrive and flourish at national, regional and global levels.

These recommendations are discussed briefly below:

Pedagogical Reforms - From Discipli-narily to Trans-Disciplinarily: Trans-disciplinarity is the principle of integrating forms of research comprising a family of methods for relating scientific knowledge and extra-scientific experience and practice in problem-solving. It is a form of joint problem solving among Science, Tech-nology and Society. Unlike disciplinary sciences which examine, at most, one and the same level of reality, and in most cases, concerns fragments of one level of reality; trans-disciplinarily espouses collaboration amongst different knowledge communities and utilizes extra-scientific experiences and tacit knowledge in its approaches. This is also distinct from inter-disciplinarity and multi-disciplinarity. Both multidiscipli-narity and inter-disciplinarity approaches overflows disciplinary boundaries while the goal remains limited to the framework of disciplinary research. The core differences between disciplinary science and trans-disciplinary science are shown in Table 1:

Table 1: Differences between Disciplin-ary and Trans-Disciplinary Approaches (below)

Trans-disciplinarity therefore provides a useful model for addressing current global challenges, including climate change, poverty, and global financial crisis which are mutually exacerbating. There is now growing consensus amongst social and en-vironmental scientists that these complete global challenges can only be effectively addressed through effective partnerships amongst different science disciplines, and amongst the quadruple helix.

Knowledge Structures Reforms - From Science and Technology Transfer to Re-sponsible Innovation

The Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary defines technology as (i) applied science, (ii) a technical method of achiev-ing a practical purpose, or (iii) a totality of

Higher Education for Sustainable Development in Africa (HESDA)

EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT

Disciplinary Sciences Trans-disciplinary Sciences

Simplicity Complexity

Singularity assumptions Heterogeneity assumptions

Insulated boundary conditions Hybrid conditions

Linearity assumptions Non-linearity assumptions

Unity assumptions and results Unifying approaches and multiple scenarios

Building consensus in results Seeking agreement on scenarios

Fragmented models Coherent models

Universality Dialogue at multiple scales

Partial equilibrium conditions Multiple and Dynamic equilibrium conditions

THIRD and last part of a keynote paper by Dr Kevin Urama, the Executive Director, African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) and the President of African Society for Ecological Economics (ASEE). It was presented during the 12th General Conference of the Association of African Universities, Abuja,

Nigeria. Dr Urama’s Email: [email protected]

PART THREE

Cont’d on page 8


the means employed to provide objects necessary for human sus-tenance and comfort.

Banjo, (1988) therefore defines technology as ‘the application of knowledge, including the skills necessary to deploy principles, procedures, and processes that can be used to modify, manipulate and otherwise produce changes in the specific features of the physical world to serve human or social purposes” (cited in Urama 2003). In other words, technology can be defined simply as knowledge used to solve problems (Urama, 2003).

On the other hands, the concept of Responsible Innovation pertains to the introduction of new prod-ucts, processes and services and to organizational and societal renew-al, i.e. the valorization (use / ap-plication of the results of science and technology for development). Innovation is therefore neither scientific research, nor technol-ogy, but rather the application of knowledge in development. The knowledge might be acquired through learning, research or indigenous experiences, but until it is applied in the production of goods or services it cannot be considered an innovation. It is therefore necessary to build national system of innovation as the bedrock for development of nations.

A National System of Innovation (NSI) is a system of intercon-nected institutions to create, store and transfer the knowledge, skills and artifacts which define new technologies (Metcalfe, 1995). It comprises the national institu-tions, their incentive structures and their competencies, that determine the rate and direction of technological learning (or the volume and composition of change generating activities in a country (Patel and Pavitt, 1994). It has to be stressed here that NSIs are heterogeneous for different countries. Countries differ in the way in which knowledge flows are structured and in the relative importance of the different types of institutions, actors or linkages for their respective production and consumption systems. Each country must therefore chart its own sustainable development trajectories taking into account the peculiarities of its own NSI.

Mindset Reforms: - From Silo Thinking to Systems Thinking

Systems thinking is the process of estimating or inferring how local policies, actions, or changes influence the state of the neigh-boring universe. Development challenges are seen as parts of an overall system, rather than react-ing to present outcomes or events and potentially contributing to further development of undesired effects or new problems, popu-larly referred to as externalities.

Systems thinking framework is based on the belief that the com-ponent parts of a system can best be understood in the context of relationships with each other and with other systems, rather than in isolation. In many ways, systems thinking espouse the principles of collaboration which breeds innovation.

Governance Reforms: From knowledge hierarchies to par-ticipatory governance and Full Socialization of Science & Tech-nology

The whole aspects of scientific practice, scientific mediation, scientific communication, evalu-ation of science, innovation in science, science governance, gender representation, and sci-entific cognition are now under serious processes of socialization in the developed countries. The paper therefore recommends that measures should be put in place to ensure that African science is fully embedded in African soci-eties. The socialization process should take into consideration the different knowledge communities (both tacit and codified), amongst science disciplines, faculties and institutions, and amongst all ac-tors in the value chain at national, regional, continental, and global scales. Details on the principles of socialization of science can be found in an ongoing process for the development of a Manifesto for Science and Technology in Africa (see http: //www.ste-dev.eu), for details.

Incentive Structures Reform:

From “Publish or Perish” to a more Inclusive Performance Incentives Systems

This recommendation regards a reform of the Research Assess-ment Exercises to move away from the current paradigms of “Publish or Perish” to a more Inclusive Performance Incentives to favour problem solving, inno-vation and socialization of science in Africa. The paper recommends an inclusive weighting system comprising:

Quantity and quality of scientific publications; relevance to development policy. This can be measured by Policy impact indicators, Number of policy briefings produced, and Public sector citation index.

N u m b e r a n d q u a l i t y o f collaborative activities and innovations generated. This can be measured by: Public sector citation index; Number of joint research activities; Joint innovations, etc; Co-patents and Co-publications; Private sector citation analysis; Firm surveys index; Number of specialized knowledge centers working with the university, etc.

Societal Relevance. This can be measured by Societal panel re-

ports, and Stakeholder analyses.

While the proposed RAE sys-tem may appear arduous, it is expected that once the system is put in place, the added value of using a more inclusive system will override the initial costs of developing the new system. Some countries in the developed world espousing responsible innova-tion are already using different aspects of the proposed system. For example, the Responsible In-novation (MVI) program of the Netherlands NWO program now requires research projects to be evaluated by a Society Panel as well as a scientific Panel, to ensure both science and social relevance of funded programs.

It is now an established empiri-cal fact that research cooperation correlates with improved innova-tive performance in most sectors (cf: Silicon Valley in California (near Stanford University and the University of California); Biotechnology Clusters in the Boston area (near the Massachu-setts Institute of Technology) and Communications Clusters (near Princeton University). The same relationships exist in Germany, Norway, Finland, etc. In fact, the European Commission now proactively award research grants to encourage trans-disciplinary studies and collaboration amongst the quadruple helix across conti-nents.

Evaluation of cooperative re-search programs in the EU find that it leads to behavioural ad-ditionalities, e.g. increased com-petencies and skills that lead to innovative capacity, networking capabilities and ability to identify and adapt useful technology. In addition, inter-faculty and student exchanges can address the huge gaps in expertise and inertia for collaboration and innovation in some regions.

Policy Reforms: - to create enabling policy environments for:

-Increased enrollment in Universities,

-Tr i l a t e ra l un ive r s i ty -i n d u s t r y - g o v e r n m e n t partnership / collaboration,

-Bilateral collaboration between university students, faculties and universities

-Performance based inclusive incentive systems,

-Long-term investment in trans-disciplinary science and innovation studies,

-Participatory governance and socialization of S&T in African countries,

-Change in mindset: to enhance personal commitment of both teacher and

l ea rners to address ing Sustainable Development

Principle,

-Pedagogica l /Paradigm shift: to mainstream trans-d isc ip l inar i ty, sys tems thinking and innovation,

-Stakeholder engagement in knowledge generation, valorization and RAE,

-Build effective “contractual” student loan programs,

- I n v e s t i n r e s e a r c h infrastructure and existing faculties,

Identify and support existing centers of excellence and knowledge networks, and celebrate African Science and Scientists,

Invest in entrepreneurship incubation programs and / or small business innovation research grants, and

Skills re-orientation and re-tooling - at the disciplinary levels to integrate

Sustainable Development concerns.

Conclusions

To make higher education relevant for social, economic and environ-mental sustainability in Africa, a complete re-engineering (social-ization) of our knowledge systems (curriculum design, teaching & learning methods, research and development, stakeholder engage-

ment & systems of knowledge sharing, dissemination, valoriza-tion, incentive structures includ-ing research assessment exercises (RAEs) and promotion criteria) are urgently required.

The recommendations hinge around six interrelated aspects of our knowledge systems need-ing urgent reforms: the current pedagogy, knowledge diffusion structures, mindsets of the actors, institutional governance struc-tures, and policy frameworks.

It advocates for re-design of cur-ricula to mainstream sustainable development principles includ-ing trans-disciplinarity, systems thinking and innovation; expan-sion of RAE systems to include societal relevance, innovation indicators, policy relevance, etc; reform of institutional gover-nance structures and teaching and learning methods to mainstream participatory democracy, stake-holder engagement, participatory learning and full socialization of science in Africa; change in mind-sets to move from doing different things to doing things differently, learning to learn rather than teach-ing codified knowledge as the superstructure for development. At the policy level, it recommends investments in tans-disciplinary entrepreneurship incubation cen-ters and knowledge networks to foster innovation and systems thinking; establishment of student loan programs.

14

Upcoming ConferencesESEA’s 3rd Scientifc Conference: climate change and natural resource use in Eastern Africa 19 - 21 May 2010. Kenyatta University, Kenya. A wide range of climate change topics with the aim of increasing awareness of vulnerabilities, impacts and targeted adaptation measures that can be applicable in the region.

International Camel Symposium: linking camel sci-ence and development for sustainable livelihoods 7 - 10 June 2010. Garissa, Kenya. Brings together for the first time camel pastoralists, camel research-ers and development actors.

African Agriculture Science Week, FARA General Assembly 19 - 24 July 2010. Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The theme “African Agricultural Innovation in a Changing Global Environment”.

5th All Africa Conference on Animal Agriculture: commercialization of livestock agriculture in Africa: challenges and opportunities 25 - 28 October 2010. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Conference to provide an opportunity for African scientists and the broader stakeholder groups in the livestock sector to discuss the potential role of ani-mal agriculture to improve the livelihoods of African people.

From page 7


Accord ing to Dr Carlos Sere, the di-rector general of the International Livestock Research

Institute (ILRI) Africa’s complex development problems cannot be solved in isolation. It is more so for those focusing on various aspects of poverty alleviation, es-pecially improvement of livestock and crops.

Dr Sere strongly believes that there is need for integrated systems approach and there is no big bang solution and various disciplines have to be integrated with the local knowledge. In other words how we get proven knowledge, or information and technological packages to be utilized by local communities, hands-on develop-ments groups including NGOs on the ground?

Dr Sere told ScienceAfrica, during special interview in his office at ILRI headquarters on the outskirts of Nairobi, that there is need for holistic approach. “It is more than just research because there is need to recognize the vari-ous factors and not one solution will work in one area. There are crucial issues linked to energy, water, markets, knowledge base, price, transport, communication, tariffs and others.”

Linking high tech lab work to socio-economic development is not easy for experts in various sci-entific disciplines. However, Dr Sere who joined ILRI as director general in January 2002, is well versed with development issues having served as director of the regional office of Canada’s Inter-national Development Research Centre for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Still Dr Sere, with over 20 years in agricultural research fo-cusing on livestock, has engaged policymakers in the design and use of research products and holds a PhD in agricultural economics.

For many people in Africa the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) emerged in the 70s as a high tech research in-stitute transplanted in the Africa to conduct what seemed to be “mysterious” research activities linked to genetic sciences and biological molecules that were hardly mentioned even in local universities.

The researchers were looking for vaccines against single celled or protozoan parasites that cause diseases in livestock at a time when the science of immunization was still associated with viruses and some bacteria. However, ILRI has a global mandate for livestock research in developing countries and is best placed to focus and exploit the livestock as asserts for the better to better their lives.

Still because of too much em-phasis on a few cereals - rice, wheat and maize- as the basis of food security, there is a constant need to remind the world that the fight against poverty starts with the most readily available resources. For the poor in the developing world it begins with farm animals. One-third of the world’s popula-tion – or over 2 billion people- depend on animals.

In Kenya, it is the nomadic communities’ goat, sheep and cat-tle that serve as the major source of protein for the urban population. According to Dr Sere ILRI in-creasingly focuses on livestock not as ends in themselves but as assets of the poor—as agents of change and means to better lives.

However, in Kenya and other neighbouring nations there seems to be a rush to discard indigenous livestock and acquire breeds from the West and other parts of the world because of the assumption that local breeds are not just least productive but incapable of being improved; hence totally no good. There seems to be minimal efforts to improve and protect indigenous livestock and visit to rural areas easily show that even tradition skills to select and improve these breed are vanishing.

Indeed among residents of Nai-robi city, there seemed to be mini-mal sympathy for the Maasai when they lost most of their livestock during the just ended drought. The most common utterance was “one grade cow –meaning European breeds- is better than a thousand Maasai cows being grazed along highways and within city estates.

However, many may not re-member the emergence of the mad-cow disease which was linked to feeding the highly” productive” European cattle with sheep brains, intestines- matumbo- and other feeds that had slowly turned them into carnivorous

creatures. In other words Kenya and other African nations do not have to blindly copy the livestock breeding and feeding cultures in developed nations while taking minimal care of their own.

In o ther words any credible research work highlighting the benefits or advantages of local breeds needs maximum attention and widespread distribution and publicity targeting both herders and policy makers. Those in top policy need to give in-creased attention to any important and innova-tive work designed to improve indigenous or local livestock.

According to ILRI cattle and other ru-minants in Africa are efficient food produc-ers. They eat grass and shrubs instead of grain. They forage for food along roadsides and consume the stalks of harvested maize and the wastes of the vegetable garden. They transform materials of the bio-logical scrap-yard into quality protein, fat and micronutrients. These are essential for human health and develop-ment.

This escapes policy makers and profession-als including even vet scientists, especially in Kenya where the trend is to have farms with

exotic breeds while frowning at local ones. Indeed it said that local range chicken was once branded Shenzi – unproductive, but liter-ally “silly”- types. However, ILRI provides facilities for research into local poultry

In short there is plenty to be learnt and revived in the much maligned livestock sector re-search. The Kenya government, for example, - and it is not alone in Africa- seems to have minimized but not lost its capacity to deal with various aspects of livestock problems after towing the line set by some international donors who once pushed things towards privatization of vet services by dangling a few coins.

This seems to make the govern-ment wash its hands off livestock sector until the emergence of Rift Valley Fever and bird flu when the country seemed to lack adequate number of experts to promptly

handle or help cope with the crisis in various parts of the country.

In other words privatization should not stop authorities from giving increased support in terms of policies, funds and resources to livestock research. The Kenya Try-panosomiasis Research Institute was downgraded as an independent and specialised livestock research centre whose work and facilities could have incorporated other aspects of livestock research.

However, the work going on at ILRI goes far beyond the bor-ders of Kenya and has unlimited potential in helping millions of ordinary people in developing nations sustain their livestock sec-tor in the years to come. The next instalment will begin to examine the ongoing research and develop-ment activities work at ILRI while the last one will summarize its achievements and challenges in the four years.

Su

bsc

rip

tio

n F

orm

Subscription FormTo subscribe to ScienceAfrica, kindly fill in your details below:Cut along the dotted line and send to the address provided.

Cheques payable to:ScienceAfricaP.O. Box 57458 - 00200Nairobi, Kenya

Subscription Enquiries to:The Circulation ManagerTel: +254 (020) 2053532Email: [email protected]

Subscription Rates:Kenya Kshs. 1,200/- East Africa $70/- Rest of Africa $90/- Rest of the World $170/-

Name/Organisation:

Postal Address:

Town/City:

Country:

Email:

Tel:

Number of Copies:

Authorising Officer’s Name: Sign:

Amount:

September/O

ctober 20081

sOver 300 biotechnol-

ogy experts from all

regions of Africa and

other continents arrive in

Nairobi to discuss the con-

tinent’s advances in various

fields of biotechnology.

These include genetics,

molecular biology, policies,

b io informat ics , e th ics ,

r e gu l a t i o n , g enomi c s ,

indigenous knowledge and

biotechnology tools.

The one week congress

beginning September on 22,

2008 is organized by African

Biotechnology Stakeholders

Forum and A

frican Union in

collaboration with various

organization in biotechnology

network.

The experts work in national

and international research

institutions, universities,

regulatory authorities, farming

comm

unities, government

min is t r ies , the p r iva te

sector, media and N

GO

s.

According to prof N

orah

Olem

bo, director of ABSF the

congress will help A

fricans

know exactly w

here they are

in terms of the biotechnology

advancements.

The congress has attracted

160 abstracts on biotech

research and development.

First Biotech Congress Comes to Nairobi

“African children

are still dying from

measles when an

effective vaccine

exists.” Dr Tom

Egwang, Executive

Director African

Academy of

Sciences

Quotable

Why is A

frica full of bad

news w

hen it comes

to basic human needs?

Generally it m

ay seem

difficult to tell the world that A

frican

scientists are working hard to solve its

problems.

The current food crisis, disease

epidemics, high fuel costs, decaying

infrastructure, poor housing and low returns

from trade in raw

materials should w

arn

African leaders and scientists to revisit

the notion of science-led development in

a very frank manner.

How

ever, the policy makers, m

any of

them “form

er” experts in various science

fields seem addicted to giving science and

technology a raw deal.

They have no money for science even

when researchers revive indigenous rice

facing extinction into the productive New

Rice For Africa (N

ERICA) w

ith varieties

that require no irrigation. Yet the continent

is not poor. It has lots of money. N

early a

third of the countries have oil - the black

gold they all dreamt about- generating

billions of dollars.

Still there could be adequate funding if

just one percent of the price of a kilogram

of rice or maize w

as faithfully put into

R&D

kitty.

However, five decades after independence

few A

frican nations including African

Union have their ow

n national or regional

awards for innovations.

African Scientists’ Time to Wake Up

“Monty Jones and his team

turned

the wild or native African rice on

the path to extinction into New Rice

for Africa with varieties that need

no irrigation. It is a major indicator

of untapped scientific prowess that

deserve sustainable funding but

African governments assum

e it is

the duty of donors”

The International Centre for

Insect Physiology and Ecology

collaborating with various

African universities has

trained close to 300 Doctor

of Philosophy level insect

scientists and 170 Master of

Science graduates.

This has been done

under its African Regional

Postgraduate Programm

e in

Insect Science initiated 25

years ago and is marking its

Silver Jubilee.

A further 250 postgraduate

students have trained at ICIPE

through Desertion Research Internship

Programm

e where they spend half of their

time at the centre.

The information is contained in

a statement by Prof Christian

Borgemeister, ICIPE director

general and chairman of

ARPPIS academic board.

The statement is carried in

special newsletter focusing

on the Silver Jubilee.

“The vision of the

programm

e has always been

the training of young African

scientists to take regional and

international leadership in insect

science,” says Prof Borgemeister.

ICIPE: 300 PhDs in Insect Science

Food Security Attainable

BR

I EF

S Vol. 2 Septem

ber 15 - October 15 2008

Kshs. 100 Tshs. 2000 U

shs. 3000

AFR

ICA

’S LE

AD

ING

PU

BLIC

ATION

ON

SC

IEN

CE

INNOVATIO

N AND DEVELOPM

ENT

The inauguration of the $500,000

maize drought research site at K

iboko,

Kenya coincided w

ith farmers field

day. Agriculture assistant m

inister Gideon

Ndam

buki said that the facility will help farm

ers

grow drought resistant crops.

Those present included executive director

KA

RI Dr. E. A

. Mukisira and D

r. Alpha D

ialo,

regional director International Maize and W

heat

Improvem

ent Centre with Spanish acronym

CIMM

YT. P.13

Cont’d on page 3

Cont’d on page 3

New

Rice for Africa (N

ERIC

A)

Prof. Norah O

lembo

Executive Director ABSF

Senegal’s President Abdoulaye Wade

has harsh words for African experts

Home G

rown

Industrialization

Starts There are credible indica-

tors that Kenya Industrial

Research and D

evelop-

ment Institute is quietly

and effectively putting the

country on the path to what

has eluded Kenya and other

African nations for over

four decades. Hom

e grown

industrialization that could

enable Kenya prosper and

attain its Vision 2030. P2

By Clementine O

sodo

Death of

Lake Chad -

NASA Satelite

Pictures 1972

and 2007

P.20

IUCN at 60

As International U

nion for

Conservation and N

ature

marks 60th anniversary,

the Director G

eneral, Julia

Maron-Lefevre w

as Nairobi

which has becom

e regional

headquarter for Eastern and

Southern Africa, headed by D

r.

John Mugabe P.16

Malaria Vaccine

Africa m

ust set aside money

for malaria vaccines now. The

region needs to curb deaths

and illness that occur despite

availability of effective drugs

and vaccines. P.8

Two decades ago highly

toxic waste from

Europe

was dum

ped in Koko, N

i-

geria. It showed the global

need to ban cross border

movem

ent of hazardous

wastes. P.20

Lethal Waste

Rainfall

Drought in 10 Eastern A

fri-

ca countries is to end as near

normal seasonal rainfall is

predicted. P.18

Also See P.5 and P.9

The Best Analysis of Well Researched Science and Technology Activities in Africa.

September/O

ctober 20081

sOver 300 biotechnol-

ogy experts from all

regions of Africa and

other continents arrive in

Nairobi to discuss the con-

tinent’s advances in various

fields of biotechnology.

These include genetics,

molecular biology, policies,

b io informat ics , e th ics ,

r e gu l a t i o n , g enomi c s ,

indigenous knowledge and

biotechnology tools.

The one week congress

beginning September on 22,

2008 is organized by African

Biotechnology Stakeholders

Forum and A

frican Union in

collaboration with various

organization in biotechnology

network.

The experts work in national

and international research

institutions, universities,

regulatory authorities, farming

comm

unities, government

min is t r ies , the p r iva te

sector, media and N

GO

s.

According to prof N

orah

Olem

bo, director of ABSF the

congress will help A

fricans

know exactly w

here they are

in terms of the biotechnology

advancements.

The congress has attracted

160 abstracts on biotech

research and development.

First Biotech Congress Comes to Nairobi

“African children

are still dying from

measles when an

effective vaccine

exists.” Dr Tom

Egwang, Executive

Director African

Academy of

Sciences

Quotable

Why is A

frica full of bad

news w

hen it comes

to basic human needs?

Generally it m

ay seem

difficult to tell the world that A

frican

scientists are working hard to solve its

problems.

The current food crisis, disease

epidemics, high fuel costs, decaying

infrastructure, poor housing and low returns

from trade in raw

materials should w

arn

African leaders and scientists to revisit

the notion of science-led development in

a very frank manner.

How

ever, the policy makers, m

any of

them “form

er” experts in various science

fields seem addicted to giving science and

technology a raw deal.

They have no money for science even

when researchers revive indigenous rice

facing extinction into the productive New

Rice For Africa (N

ERICA) w

ith varieties

that require no irrigation. Yet the continent

is not poor. It has lots of money. N

early a

third of the countries have oil - the black

gold they all dreamt about- generating

billions of dollars.

Still there could be adequate funding if

just one percent of the price of a kilogram

of rice or maize w

as faithfully put into

R&D

kitty.

How

ever, five decades after independence

few A

frican nations including African

Union have their ow

n national or regional

awards for innovations.

African Scientists’ Time to Wake Up

“Monty Jones and his team

turned

the wild or native African rice on

the path to extinction into New Rice

for Africa with varieties that need

no irrigation. It is a major indicator

of untapped scientific prowess that

deserve sustainable funding but

African governments assum

e it is

the duty of donors”

The International Centre for

Insect Physiology and Ecology

collaborating with various

African universities has

trained close to 300 Doctor

of Philosophy level insect

scientists and 170 Master of

Science graduates.

This has been done

under its African Regional

Postgraduate Programm

e in

Insect Science initiated 25

years ago and is marking its

Silver Jubilee.

A further 250 postgraduate

students have trained at ICIPE

through Desertion Research Internship

Programm

e where they spend half of their

time at the centre.

The information is contained in

a statement by Prof C

hristian

Borgemeister, ICIPE director

general and chairman of

ARPPIS academ

ic board.

The statement is carried in

special newsletter focusing

on the Silver Jubilee.

“The vision of the

programm

e has always been

the training of young African

scientists to take regional and

international leadership in insect

science,” says Prof Borgemeister.

ICIPE: 300 PhDs in Insect Science

Food Security Attainable

BR

I EF

S Vol. 2 Septem

ber 15 - October 15 2008

Kshs. 100 Tshs. 2000 U

shs. 3000

AFR

ICA

’S LE

AD

ING

PU

BLIC

ATIO

N O

N S

CIE

NC

EIN

NO

VATION

AN

D D

EVELOPM

ENT

The inauguration of the $500,000

maize drought research site at K

iboko,

Kenya coincided w

ith farmers field

day. Agriculture assistant m

inister Gideon

Ndam

buki said that the facility will help farm

ers

grow drought resistant crops.

Those present included executive director

KA

RI Dr. E. A

. Mukisira and D

r. Alpha D

ialo,

regional director International Maize and W

heat

Improvem

ent Centre w

ith Spanish acronym

CIMM

YT. P.13

Cont’d on page 3

Cont’d on page 3

New

Rice for Africa (N

ERIC

A)

Prof. Norah O

lembo

Executive Director ABSF

Senegal’s President Abdoulaye Wade

has harsh words for African experts

Hom

e Grow

n

Industrialization

Starts There are credible indica-

tors that Kenya Industrial

Research and D

evelop-

ment Institute is quietly

and effectively putting the

country on the path to what

has eluded Kenya and other

African nations for over

four decades. Hom

e grown

industrialization that could

enable Kenya prosper and

attain its Vision 2030. P2

By Clementine O

sodo

Death of

Lake Chad -

NA

SA Satelite

Pictures 1972

and 2007

P.20

IUC

N at 60

As International U

nion for

Conservation and N

ature

marks 60th anniversary,

the Director G

eneral, Julia

Maron-Lefevre w

as Nairobi

which has becom

e regional

headquarter for Eastern and

Southern Africa, headed by D

r.

John Mugabe P.16

Malaria Vaccine

Africa m

ust set aside money

for malaria vaccines now. The

region needs to curb deaths

and illness that occur despite

availability of effective drugs

and vaccines. P.8

Two decades ago highly

toxic waste from

Europe

was dum

ped in Koko, N

i-

geria. It showed the global

need to ban cross border

movem

ent of hazardous

wastes. P.20

Lethal Waste

Rainfall

Drought in 10 Eastern A

fri-

ca countries is to end as near

normal seasonal rainfall is

predicted. P.18

Also See P.5 and P.9

The Best A

nalysis of Well R

esearched Science and Technology Activities in A

frica.

for Twelve Issues.

International Livestock Research Institute: Achievements, Challenges

The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) initially the International Laboratory for Research on Animal Diseases (ILRAD), has Research and Development (R&D) roots that span almost four decades. ILRI, has generated and accumulated much information and knowledge needed to overcome various development problems. There are

innovations- services, products and processes- that are linked to its activities, especially in the field of molecular biology and pasture. ILRI is among the centers that are under the umbrella of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural

Research,(CGIAR). This is the first of ScienceAfrica’s three part series focusing on ILRI.

Dr. Carlos SereDirector General, ILRI


Background

We all recognize and acknowledge that the destruction of the Mau has far reaching nega-

tive consequences to our environ-ment, economy and livelihood. The Government of Kenya has made a resolve to pursue the restoration of this very important ecological landmark. Efforts are underway to peacefully and hu-manely relocate inhabitants of the forest with the view of attaining successful restoration. Debate is going on as to how the relocation and restoration exercise should be conducted and lately, whether in the first place, the Mau has something to do with droughts and drying of rivers and lakes that Kenya is experiencing.

As a patriotic Kenyan and an expert in the application of space technologies, I wish to add my voice to the on-going efforts and discussion regarding the resto-ration of the Mau. My voice is informed by a study that I have conducted that unveils strategic solutions that Government can consider taking to amicably at-tend to the Mau question and ultimately, successfully restore the forest. We all know too well that decisions made concerning such sensitive processes require back-ing of good science, knowledge and information, lest politics can easily take center stage and detour, if not deter, an otherwise noble process of national importance.

The ProblemIn its efforts to restore the Mau,

the Government should be seen by all to be above board and the pro-cess should not arouse the slightest inkling that politics is at play. The restoration process must leave no imagination that politicians are using the process to settle political scores. Neither should the process create room for politicians to cry foul that “their people” are being targeted. I know, as many Kenyans do, that restoring the Mau is a very sensitive, painful and expensive affair. It requires relentless re-solve, pursuit and determination to tackle the various facets of the problem and process. The Govern-ment has so far demonstrated this determinism.

The restoration process entails relocation and reforestation. Re-location, as has largely been so

far, calls for a humane approach. Relocations should not be force-ful. Compensation should be fair, clearly targeting deserving cases and awarded in deserved propor-tions. The Government requires a good information system that guarantees deserving cases their due right and denies rogues and imposters the chance to sneak their names into the list of those to be compensated. The reforestation phase may appear easier, but is indeed equally very challenging. In the context of the Mau, refor-estation is sensitive and requires reliable information, knowledge and sober thought. It is very ex-pensive as well. Reforestation is sensitive because, we need to get the solution right today so as to reap full benefits of our efforts fifty to a hundred years later. It will be a fatal miscalculation if we sink billions of shillings into the exercise only to realize after fifty years that no solution is in sight. For sure, at that time, the starting point will not be as is today. It most likely will have worsened, probably far beyond attempting any form of salvation.

The results for the relocation and compensation process are more direct, are easier to evaluate, and can be realized over a relative-ly short duration of time. Results of the reforestation process are indirect, are much more complex to evaluate, and are slower and run into the long term. A novice can easily tell that no settlers reside in the forest once the eviction and relocation exercises are declared successfully complete. For the reforestation process, nothing less than an elaborate holistic environ-mental audit can determine the

orientation of the outcome.

Leveraging on Modern Infor-mation Technologies

Obviously, considering the size of the Mau and the extent the for-est has been encroached, the total cost of compensation and refores-tation will run into tens, perhaps hundreds of billions of shillings. That is why we need to be extra careful in selecting options for pursuing the solution.

In my scientific wisdom, evi-denced by space technology and propelled by modern informa-tion technologies, there are three options that Government can consider taking, especially at this initial stage of the process.

All the three options call for a good understanding of when, where and how much forest has been excised. Historical and cur-rent images taken from space are good at providing reliable evidence and acreages to help us adequately understand when, where and how much forest has been excised and further derive realistic budgets for the entire restoration process.

With modern information tech-nologies, we can determine how much compensation is required, how many seedlings need to be planted, and which species of trees are most suitable to be grown where. In addition, and perhaps more importantly, we can be able to re-grow the trees more strategi-cally through prioritized targeting based on available budgets, eco-logical sensitivity and suitability of land for reforestation.

I have undertaken a thorough analysis of deforestation trends in the Mau using space images acquired in 1973, 1986, 2000 and 2009. With these images, I produced maps showing loca-tions, extents and acreages of deforested land in the Mau from 1973 to present. My analysis as-sessed deforestation trends in the entire section of Mau falling south of Londiani. I further delved into analyzing deforestation trends in seven constituencies, namely; Bel-gut, Kipkelion, Konoin, Kuresoi, Molo, Narok North and Narok South, within which this part of the Mau falls.

Deforestation Trends in the Mau from 1973 to 2009

Overall, the section of the Mau forest falling south of Londiani currently stands at 178,974 hect-ares - down from 226,064 hectares in 2000, 249,420 hectares in 1986 and 254,069 hectares in 1973. The total deforested land between 2000 and 2009 was 53,376 hectares, up from 28,828 hectares that was deforested between 1986 and 2000 and 10,635 hectares deforested between 1973 and 1986. The lo-cation, extent and trend of Mau’s deforestation from 1973 to 2009 for the entire study area and at constituency level is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.

Strategic Options for Restor-ing the Mau

The Government needs a good strategy to successfully restore the Mau. The strategy should entail a systematic, clear and well structured approach. Ideally, the strategy should first determine the location and extent of the target land for reforestation and the cost of compensation as applicable.

This should be followed by non-forceful relocation of people from the targeted land, re-settling and adequately compensating deserv-ing persons. The target land can then be re-planted with tree species identified to be ecologically suit-able within specific localities.

Local Communities Proper management and pro-

tection of planted trees can then be done continuously until maturity and beyond, and should incorpo-rate local communities such as the Ogiek. Based on the broad approach described above, this paper persuades Government to consider using one or a combina-tion of three options in its pursuit to restore the Mau.

First, the Government can consider reversing back along the historical sequence of the deforestation path. Secondly, the Government can consider using elevation as criteria for defining the restoration strategy. Lastly Government can consider using proximity to current forest as cri-teria for engaging the restoration process.

This series of articles will continue in the next edition.

Strategic Measures Government CanTake To Restore The Mau

The restoration of the Mau should be approached from a highly empirical platform. Sufficient data must be collected, reliable information must be derived, and sound ecological knowledge must be employed. We will be doing grave injustice to the restoration process if forerunners, as some cor-porate organizations have started, begin trickling into the Mau in large numbers with the good intention of planting trees but without good backing of

science. The forerunners should first wait for guidance regarding which trees are suitable to be grown where, both in terms of their ecological survival and ecosystem value. Certainly we do not wish to see a repeat of the fiasco that the eucalyptus tree and the prosopis shrub have caused on the envi-

ronment. These species were both introduced for good intentions but neglect of science resulted in extreme environmental havoc.

Mau Scientific Approaches

PART ONE

By Erick Khamala (Remote Sensing Expert) [email protected]


By Esther Nakkazie (ScienceAfrica Editor Uganda and Central Africa)

There are strong prac-tical indicators that food researchers in Africa are on the

right track and there will soon be no credible for widespread famine. First it was the NERICA –New Rice For Africa- that needs no irrigation.

It has been followed by the highly productive Rwanda Won-der beans with 15 varieties yield up to four tons per hectare within three months and improve soil fertility. The varieties released have names like CAB-Bureruka, CAB2-Gasirinda and RWV 1892-Ngwirurare, which are in light brown, maroon, and dark brown colours.

Scientists at the Institut de Sciences Agronomiques du Rwanda (ISAR) in collaboration with the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) have been engaged in breeding bean varieties that are adaptable to Rwanda and the surrounding regions for a decade

Researchers led by Augus-tine Musoni, a bean breeder at ISAR released the 15 new bean varieties that are going to help improve food security for many, especially farmers, n east and central Africa.

The climbing beans are also disease resistant, adaptable to lower elevations and warmer environments and nutrient poor soils common in the region.

“Climbing beans take three months to mature, yield 3-4 tons per hectare with a possibility to grow 2 to 3 crops per year. They also fetch good prices, making

them a steady source of food and income,” said Daphrose Gahakwa, the director ISAR.

The whole plant is use-ful- leaves, pods, fresh grains and dry grains for food, and also source of income. Most of the materials grown in the neighboring countries have been developed in Rwanda. The release of these varieties allows countries to share ma-terials, divide responsibilities and reduce the overall cost of

research, Dr. Robin Buruchara, Regional Coordinator CIAT- Africa said.

Rwandans are the highest consumers of beans per capita in the world, 50-60kgs per person annually while for the rest of Africa it is an average of 17 kilo-grams. Beans are a major source of protein for Rwandans. With declining land sizes climbing beans is comparable to having skyscrapers in cities.

“With the rising human popu-

lation in Africa, which translates to more land division and soil fertility decreases, climbing beans offer possibilities for in-tensification and are a lifeline,” says Dr. Buruchara.

A lifeline that keeps Rwandan women busy all year round: cultivating, harvesting, trading, cooking and sorting the best varieties to be released by beans breeders.

WomenAs such Rwandan women

are described as having some of the best knowledge of bean with abilities to manipulate components in varieties and to tell which ones suit some soils and seasons.

When we are breeding, we get women to select the varieties. They have traditional expertise, they will look at the seed in their hands and just say this variety can not be grown here or it can not be good, said Musoni.

Their role extends to naming the beans varieties, making the Rwanda variety naming system unique to the country. One of the varieties released, recently was CAB 2-Gasirida, a local name after a woman farmer Cansilde. While they are given local names they retain scientific ones.

(Esther Nakkazi is a freelance science reporter, researcher and trainer. She writes science articles for the regional The EastAfrican newspaper, www.theeastafrican.co.ke and is a regular contributor of HIV/AIDS news and analysis to Plus News www.plusnews.org as well as other publications around the globe.

15 New Varieties of Rwanda’s Wonder Beans -Africa Set to Overcome Famine

Augustine Musoni Africa’s Top Bean Breeder

By FELIX MBOLE

Finally the era of the much awaited bio-degradable plastic is here. Manufacturers

of plastic bags just need to add chemical additives that result in plastics that are “programmed” to become biodegradable within a given period.

Plastic bags are useful in shopping, agriculture, espe-cially horticulture. For many years farmers and growers have used plastic sheets to protect their crops and to inhibit weeds

but after the crops has been har-vested many dirty plastic had to be disposed.

In addition to additives that trigger the fragmentation pro-cess, the “oxo-biodegradables” include stabilizers, which are added to limit the unwanted fragmentation of the polymer chains whilst the plastic is still used by consumers. However, the stabilizing effect of the ad-ditives is limited.

Research studies have con-cluded that “even with some content of stabilizing additives, oxo-biodegradable” additives

loses its mechanical properties rather fast, especially when exposed to sun-light.

Different storage conditions would be required in order to prevent premature ageing and loss of mechanical properties. The “oxo-biodegradable addi-tives are typically incorporated in conventional plastics such as Polyethylene (PE), Polypro-pylene (PP), Polystyrene (PS), Polyethyleneterephtalate (PET) and sometimes also Polyvinyl-chloride (PVC) at the moment of conversion into final products.

Producers of pro-oxidant

additives use the term ‘oxo-biodegradable’ for their prod-ucts. This term suggests that the products can undergo biodegra-tion. However, main effect of oxidation is fragmentation into small particles, which remain in the environment. Therefore the term ‘oxo-fragmentation’ does better describe the typical degration process, which can occur to these products, under some specific environmental conditions.

unqualified biodegradable claims are acceptable only if they have scientific evidence

that their product will complete-ly decompose within a short period of time under customary methods of disposal.

Products made with this technology and available on the market include film applications such as shopping bags, agri-cultural mulch films and most recently certain plastic bottles. There are serious concerns amongst many plastics, com-posting and waste management experts that these products do not meet their claimed environ-mental promises.

Era of Biodegradable Plastic Bags

Cont’d on page 19


If the g loba l Rol l Back Malaria (RBM) campaign is to succeed then is need for more transparent interaction

between ministries of health in some African nations, like Kenya and the highly credible private pharmaceutical firms with products and expertise needed to ensure timely eradication or effective control of the disease still haunting much of Africa.

The Roll Back Malaria Partnership (http://www.rbm.who.int) was established in 1998 to provide a coordinated global ap-proach to fighting malaria. It comprises a wider range of partners- including malaria-endemic countries, their bilateral and mul-tilateral development partners, the private sector, non-governmental and community-based organizations, foundations, and research and academic institutions.

However, only corrupt practices, inefficiency and minimal transparency

worsened by the widespread unwilling-ness to do the right things when it comes to tendering can make even a nation like Kenya and others in Africa lack important anti-malaria drugs and nets. It looks like distribution of nets and treatment only occurs around the World Malaria Day celebrations.

However, there are highly credible global firms with expertise including delivery of genuine products and services in the developing nations. These include innovation, production and distribution of products for malaria control.

Apart from leading global pharmaceu-tical giants like Novartis coming up with what is still the most effective treatment against malaria, Coartem- Artemether Lumefantrine, other credible firms are involved in various aspects of the global campaign working towards eradication or of the disease.

For example Malaria Advocacy Work-ing Group includes Exxon Mobil, Sum-imoto Chemical, Vestergaard Fandsen and others. Even more important are those in the Procurement and Management Supply Chain Working Group.

These include Norvatis, Glaxo Smith-kline, Sumitomo Chemicals, Sanofi, DFI/BASF, Vestergaard Frandsen. The firms in Scalable Malaria Vector Control Working Group include Sygenta, Bayer Crop Sci-ence, Sumimoto Chemical, DFI/BASF, Intelligent Insect Control among others.

However, the Malaria Case Manage-ment Working Group and the Monitoring and Evaluation Reference Group do not exist despite being crucial to the success of global RBM Initiative. Such groups should ideally come from independent experts, World Health Organizations, Unicef and credible NGO’s.

One of the main corner-stones of the global Roll Back Malaria Campaign is the dis-

tribution of Long Lasting Insec-ticide Nets (LLINS) by the end of the year. The biggest challenge is in some African nations where increasingly inefficient medical services and poor infrastructure – transport and communication- seem to work against the success RBM.

However, plans by the private sector still seem to be on target. Industry Partners including Bayer Environmental Science, Bestnet, BASF, Clarke Mosquito Control, Syngenta, Sumitomo Chemical and Vestergaard Frandsen have initiated collaborative action through the Bed Net Industry (BNI).

Through meetings and discus-sions, BNI is focusing on the challenges of procuring and dis-tributing up to 250 million LLINS by this year and have developed a Global Bed Net Procurement System Action Plan providing a framework and recommenda-tions to improve the procurement system.

The Plan outlines recommen-dations to address aspects of the global procurement

architecture that challenge transparency or good governance; including building efficiency in the market, improving transpar-ency in procurement processes, promoting accountability by avoiding conflicts of interest, and assuring product integrity.

In addition, Industry Action Commitments were created, in line with the proposed Minimum Standard Procurement Principles, including strengthened compli-ance mechanisms and attention to priority areas as they apply to the industry.

The Plan emphasizes that, while a large part of the respon-sibility for improved procure-ment systems rests on industry partners, a shared responsibility by donors, governments, procure-ment agents and implementing partners is critical to improving the procurement system.

The bed net industry remains focused on the success of achiev-ing the 2010 universal bed net coverage and is committed to facilitating continued engage-ment of stakeholders needed to improve coordination, market dynamics, production capacities, quality assurance to achieve the 2010 targets.

250M Nets by End Year

Major Firms in Roll Back Malaria Campaign

MALARIA UPDATES

Corruption, Inefficiency Drive Health Officials to Unreliable Supply Sources

The deadliest malari-al parasite, Plasmo-dium falciparum, accounting for 90

per cent of deaths, generates a family of molecules - known as PfEMP1- that are inserted into the surface of the infected red blood cells.

The cells become sticky and adhere to the walls of blood vessels in tissues such as the brain. This prevents the cells being flushed through the spleen, where the parasites would be destroyed by the body’s immune system, but also restricts blood supply to vital organs.

This is according to research funded by the Wellcome Trust and published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In young children, the disease can be po-tentially fatal if untreated; older children and adults who have grown up in endemic areas are resistant to severe malaria but rarely develop the ability to rid their bodies of the parasite.

Each parasite has ‘recipes’ for around 60 different types of PfEMP1 molecule in its genes. However, the exact recipes differ from parasite to para-site, so every new infection may carry a set of molecules that the immune system has not previously encountered. This has meant that in the past, researchers have ruled out the molecules as vaccine candidates.

However there appear to be at least two main classes of PfEMP1 types within every parasite, suggesting different broad tactical approaches to infecting the host. The most efficient tactic or combination of tactics to use may depend on the host’s immunity.

Dr George Warimwe and colleagues from the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) under Wellcome Trust Research Programme and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, have shown that the parasite adapts its molecules depending on which antibod-ies it encounters in the host’s immune response. They have also found evidence to suggest that there may be a limit to the number of molecular types that are actually associated with severe disease.

“The malaria parasite is very complex, so our immune system mounts many different responses, some more effec-

tive than others and many not effective at all,” explains Dr Peter Bull from the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Pro-gramme and the University of Oxford, who led the research.

“We know that our bodies have great difficulty in com-pletely clearing infections, which begs the question: how does the parasite manage to outwit our immune response? We have shown that, as children begin to develop antibodies to parasites, the malaria parasite changes its tactics to adapt to our defenses,” he added.

The researchers studied ma-laria parasites in blood samples from 217 Kenyan children with malaria. They found that a group of genes coding for a particular class of PfEMP1 molecule called Cys-2 tended to be switched on when the children had a low immunity to the parasite. However, as im-munity develops, the parasite switches on a different set of

genes, effectively disguising it so that the immune system cannot clear the infection.

Dr Warimwe and colleagues also found an independent as-sociation between activity in Cys-2 genes and severe malaria in the children, suggesting that specific forms of the molecule may be more likely to trigger specific disease symptoms. This supports a previous study in Mali which suggested that the same class of PfEMP1 molecule was associated with cerebral malaria.

The findings could suggest a new approach to tackling ma-laria, in terms of both vaccine development and drug inter-ventions, argues Dr Bull.

“If there exists a limited class of severe disease-causing variants that naturally-exposed children learn to recognise readily, this opens up the pos-sibility of designing a vaccine against severe malaria that mimics an adult’s immune re-sponse, making the infections less dangerous. But this would still be an enormous task,” Dr Bull said.

“Similarly, if we can estab-lish what the particular class of molecules are doing, then we may be able to develop a drug to modify this function and relieve symptoms of severe disease.” he added.

(Edited version of Press Release KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme)

How Malaria Parasites Outwit Human Immune System


By AYOKI ONYANGO

Confirmed reports in-dicate that some 51 Kenyans who went to Mecca for their

annual pilgrimage were quar-antined at the Saudi Arabian international airports because they had not undergone the required vaccination before leaving Kenya mostly due to lack of timely information.

The rule requires that they carry valid certificates showing that they have been vaccinated against yellow fever. Besides yellow fever, Saudi Arabian Government now demands that those going for the annual Hajj must also get vaccinated against - Meningococcal ACYW, 135- a strain of Meningitis, swine and seasonal flu.

Kenya is an endemic zone for yellow fever as well as Saudi Arabia while this new strain of meningitis ACYW, 135 is very common in Middle East and large swathe of Africa. Yellow fever according to doc-tors is highly contagious and must be prevented before it sets in. Once the disease sets in it is over 50 percent fatal. And the best mode of prevention is through vaccination.

Those travelling to endemic zones stand high risk of getting the disease. They include sol-

diers sent to different countries for peacekeeping missions, as they usually stay in bushes and forest infested by aedes mosqui-toes, religious groups who go to different countries for worships, and the general public who travel to various parts of the world for various missions, says

Dr Moses Mwangi a vaccine, specialist and regional manager of Sanofi Pasteur.

“They can take the disease there or bring it here,” adds Dr. Mwangi,

And because of its preva-lence and seriousness, the World Health Organization says that vaccination against yellow fever must be undertaken to pre-

vent infections and the spread of the disease not only for those travelling to other countries but also for those at risk of the disease.

However, investigations re-veal that people in a hurry to travel out of the country usually buy the blank cards, fill them, rubberstamp them and actually travel without being vaccinated. Reasons include being afraid of injection and ignorance about the dangers associated with the disease.

People likely to opt for cards without vaccinations are those traveling on short notice since it takes upto ten days after the vaccination to develop immu-nity against the disease and for the certificate to become valid.

“Yellow fever affects 34 countries in Africa and the WHO latest report says it at-tacks 200 million people glob-ally every year. Without proper treatment and lack of preventive measures, some of the victims end up dying from the disease”, says Dr Mwangi.

Sanofi Pasteur has devel-oped a vaccine known as Sta-maril, which offers protection against yellow fever for 10 years, meningococcal vaccine that protects against menengi-tis ACYW 135 strain for three years and flu vaccine known as Vaxigrip, taken annually.

Pilgrims Need Vaccination Against Yellow Fever, Flu and Meningitis

By Felix Mbole

On e o f t h e major weak-nesses with m a n y t o p private and

public hospitals in Kenya is the failure to extend their services beyond their origi-nal premises inherited from the colonial era.

However, the concept of extending quality or spe-cialist services to places or communities with minimal resources is beginning to get practical attention from some of the major hospitals although much needs to be done in terms of innovative treatment packages afford-able to the target communi-ties.

Thus when Gertrude’s Donholm Clinic marked its 5th Anniversary recently, it was an indicator of innova-tive approach to extending clinical services beyond the main hospital into rela-tively poor neighbourhood with few quality healthcare facilities especially for chil-dren.

The occasion also marked the launching of “Compre-hensive Care Clinic” which was officially opened by the guest of honour Dr Paci-fica Onyancha, the Nairobi Medical Officer.

“We opened our doors on 29th November, 2004. This was due to the growing demand for quality health services and in the spirit of

bringing medical care with-in easy reach of the people of Eastlands thus I have witnessed the clinic’s trans-formation into are a centre with specialist services for children with a growing focus on preventive health,” the head of the Clinic Sister Joanne Mbwabi said.

Eastlands is one of the most crowded sections of Nairobi city that also lacks quality and specialist medical services. Activities marking the anniversary included growth monitor-ing, diabetes screening in children, nutrition assess-ment and immunization awareness.

“We visited disabled and orphan children’s centre in

Kayole and held screening activities, gave dewormers and vitamin A to the under fives”, Sister Mbwabi said. “As the Sister-in-charge of the Doonholm Clinic for the past five years, I thank our Chairman and Board of Trustees for all the encour-agement that they have so continuously given to us.”

“I also wish to thank the main hospital man-agement headed by Mr. Gordon Odundo, our Chief Executive for their stead-fast support and guidance throughout the five years”, she added.

Pioneering Efforts to Spread Quality Health Services

In agriculture, especially horticulture, Oxo-biodegradable plastic sheets can however be programmed at manufacture to degrade soon after the harvest. The degraded material can then be ploughed into the soil where it completes the biodegradation process and becomes a source of carbon for next seasons plant.

A further environmentally feasible option for the han-dling of used plastics is that of recycling. In practice, the “oxo-biodegradable” plastics are traditional plastics. The only difference is that they incorpo-rate additives which affect their chemical stability. Thus, they are identified and classified accord-ing to their chemical structure and finish together with the other plastic waste in the recycling streams. In this way, they bring their degration additives to the recycled feedstock. As a con-sequence the recycled may be destabilized, which will hinder acceptance and lead to reduced value.

Speaking during an exclusive interview with Science Africa Derrick said we now have biode-gradable plastic that is friendly to the environment and health. The company is trying to engage all plastic manufacturing and all the company wrap their products on plastics. Not forgetting the supermarkets to stimulate the process of saving the environ-ment.

Check up will be done throughout the country to moni-tor whether any counterfeit

plastic paper has been manufac-tured and strategize on the way forward to save environment.

Plastic is strong, durable, versatile, lightweight, safe and inexpensive. It is made from a by-product of oil refining which would otherwise be wasted, so nobody is importing oil to make plastic products.

However, the p rob lem identified by governments and NGOs around the world is that plastic does last rather too long if it gets into the environment and especially in the oceans.

Symphony has found the answer to this problem. Our additive put into the plastic at the extrusion stage will make the finished product “oxo-biodegradable” so that it will degrade and disappear in a short timescale, leaving no fragments, no methane and no harmful residues.

Biodegradability is not a disposal option - you can still re-use and recycle - it is low cost insurance against the accumulation of plastic waste in the environment.

There is little or no on-cost, because environmentally-responsible plastic products are made with the same machinery and workforce as ordinary plastic and there is no need to change suppliers and the droplet logo are trademarks of a range of totally degradable flexible and semi-rigid plastic products and pro-degrading additives which are sold worldwide.


Era of Biodegradable Plastic BagsFrom page 17

Eastlands is one of the most crowded

sections of Nairobi city

that also lacks quality and specialist

medical services.

“Yellow fever affects 34 countries

in Africa and the WHO latest report

says it attacks 200 million people globally every year.

Without proper treatment and

lack of preventive measures, some

of the victims end up dying from the disease”, says Dr

Mwangi.


In 2009, 14 million farmers planted 134 million hectares (330 million acres) of biotech crops in 25 countries, up from 13.3 million farmers and 125

million hectares (7 percent) in 2008. Notably, in 2009, 13 of the 14 mil-lion farmers, or 90 percent, were small and resource-poor farmers from developing countries.

In Africa Burkina Faso’s biotech cotton area soared from 8,500 hect-ares to a substantial 115,000 hectares, or from 2 percent to 29 percent of the country’s total cotton area . There was a 17 percent increase in South Africa to reach 2.1 million hectares and a 15 percent increase in Egypt to total 1,000 hectares of Bt maize.

Almost half (46 percent) of the global hectare of biotech crops were planted in developing countries, where 13 million small farmers benefitted. The top eight countries, each growing more than 1 million hectares, were: United States (64.0 million ha.), Brazil (21.4 million ha.), Argentina (21.3 million ha.), India (8.4 million ha.), Canada (8.2 million ha.), China (3.7 million ha.), Paraguay (2.2 million ha.), and South Africa (2.1 million ha.). The remaining countries included: Uru-guay, Bolivia, Philippines, Australia, Burkina Faso, Spain, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Honduras, Czech Re-public, Portugal, Romania, Poland, Costa Rica, Egypt and Slovakia.

One of the most significant ad-vances in 2009 included a landmark November decision by China issuing

biosafety certificates for biotech insect-resistant rice and phytase maize. As rice is the most important food crop globally, feeding half of humanity, and maize is the most important feed crop in the world, these biosafety clearances can have enormous implications for future biotech crop adoption in China, Asia, and around the world. The crops must complete 2 to 3 years of standard registration field trials prior to commercialization.

“With last year’s food crisis, price spikes, and hunger and malnutrition afflicting more than 1 billion people for the first time ever, there has been a global shift from efforts for just food security to food self-sufficien-cy,” said Clive James, chairman and founder of ISAAA. “With a current population of 1.3 billion, biotech crops are a critical component for China and other countries to gain self-sufficiency.”

As the largest rice producing country, China suffers significant losses from rice borer. Bt rice has the potential to increase yields up to 8 percent, decrease pesticide use by 80 percent (17 kg/ha) and generate US$4 billion in benefits annually.

“This would have a direct and ex-tensive increase on the prosperity of about 440 million Chinese who rely on rice production,” said Dr. Dafang Huang, former director at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

China is also the second largest maize producer in the world, with about 100 million farmers growing

30 million hectares of the grain. Increasing prosperity in the country is creating an increased demand for animal protein, making maize a key resource. The improved phytase maize will allow China’s 500 mil-lion pigs and 13 billion chickens and other poultry to more easily digest phosphate, improving the animal’s growth and reducing the amount of the nutrient excreted.

During 2009 there was a notice-able growth in appreciation for the essential role of agriculture by global society. In fact, the G8 recently ap-proved US$20 billion over three years “to help farmers in the poorest nations improve food production and help the poor feed themselves.”

The late Norman Borlaug, found-ing patron of ISAAA and to whom this year’s report is dedicated also recognized this need. He often stated that, “what we need is courage by the leaders of those countries where farmers still have no choice but to use older and less effective methods. The Green Revolution and now plant biotechnology are helping meet the growing demand for food produc-tion, while preserving our environ-ment for future generations.”

Eight of the 11 countr ies plant ing crops with s tacked traits were developing nations. Brazil surpassed Argentina as the second largest grower of biotech crops globally. Impressive growth of 5.6 million hectares to 21.4 million hectares, up 35 percent from 2008, was the highest absolute growth for

any country in 2009.Bt cotton in India has revolution-

ized cotton production in the country with 5.6 million farmers planting 8.4 million hectares in 2009, equivalent to a record 87 percent adoption rate. India gained US$1.8 billion from Bt cotton in 2008 alone and reduced insecticide use by half.

Biotech rice and the drought tolerant trait have been identified as the two most important drivers glob-ally for future biotech crop adoption. China’s biosafety clearance of insect-resistant rice is likely to spur faster development of biotech rice and other biotech crops in other developing countries. Meanwhile drought toler-ant maize is expected to be deployed in the United States in 2012 and sub-Saharan Africa in 2017.

Other key highlights marking the beginning of the second wave of growth in 2009 include the approval of SmartStax, a novel biotech maize containing eight different genes for insect and herbicide resistance and planting in the United States and Canada of the first Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans – the first product of a new class of technology that allows more efficient, precise gene insertion to directly impact yields.

Other smaller hectarage crops are also expected to be approved by 2015, including potatoes with pest and/or disease resistance, sugarcane with quality and agronomic traits, and disease resistant bananas. Wheat remains the last major staple crop without approved biotech traits.

GLOBAL CROP BIOTECH UPDATE

Second Wave of Biotech Growth and Development Begins Developing Countries Recognize Biotechnology as a Key to Food Self-sufficiency and Prosperity

Summary

Western Province; Nyanza Province; Rift Valley Province; ; Central Prov-ince; Nairobi Province;

Northeastern Province and most of Eastern Province will receive near normal rainfall with a slight tendency towards above normal (slightly enhanced rainfall). The en-tire Coast Province and the extreme southern areas of Eastern Provinces will receive near normal rainfall with a tendency towards below normal (slightly depressed rainfall).

March to May constitute an im-portant rainfall season over Kenya and most parts of the Eastern Africa. However, weak El Nino conditions continue to be evident over the eastern and central equatorial Pacific Ocean. The long Rains are likely to exhibit poor distribution both in space and time in some parts of the country, especially the Arid and Semi Arid Lands, and are likely to be recorded during the peak month of April. The Western highlands, Lake basin , central Rift and Central highlands including the Nairobi area, the performance is expected to be near normal in March and slightly enhanced in April and May. Northeastern districts are likely to experience slightly enhanced rainfall in April but near normal performance in March and May, while the southern districts are ex-pected to receive enhanced rainfall.

However the southern most areas are likely to experience depressed rainfall both in April and May. The performance along the coastal strip is expected to be near normal to normal in May but generally depressed in March and April.

PreparednessPlanning and preparedness for

potential impacts must be under-taken in consultation with the sec-tors concerned. Landslides are likely to experience in areas expecting slightly enhanced rainfall over West-ern, Central and parts of Rift valley Provinces. Lightning strikes be prevalent in Western Kenya especially Gusii and Kakamega. Budalangi and Kano areas are also likely to experi-ence some degree of flash flooding.

The level of water in Sondu Miriu and Tana River catchment will improve significantly during this season as these area are expected to experi-ence near normal rainfall with slight tendency to above normal during the coming March May season. Light aircrafts are advised to take utmost care in western routes and avoid flying through deep cumulus clouds, especially in the afternoon hours. Such clouds are associated with severe turbulence and lightening. The Agricultural areas of Western, Nyanza, Rift Valley, Eastern and Cen-tral Province where the rainfall is ex-pected to be near normal with tenden-cy towards above normal, the farming communities should take advantage and maximize crop yield through appropriate land use management.

Waterborne diseases associated with poor sanitation as well as flooding may emerge in areas to receive en-hanced rainfall. Health authorities are therefore expected to be on the look out and equip hospitals with necessary drugs to be able to deal with such situation as they arise. There is also need to be on the outlook for Highland Malaria in regions that are expected to receive enhanced rainfall. In areas expected to receive enhanced rainfall, the ministry of environment

and Mineral Resources should encourage residents in these areas to put in place soil conservative measures to minimize environmental degradation. People should be encouraged to plant more indigenous trees in order to increase forest cover. Details

In Kenya Western high-lands & Lake Basin rains will be enhanced from up to the second week of March 2010 and will continue into June. Central Rift Val-ley and Southeastern the seasonal rainfall onset will occur during the third to fourth week of March and continue into June. How-ever, it will cease in the third to fourth week of May in Narok and areas to the South.

In Northwestern & North Eastern Kenya the onset will be in the fourth week of March to first week of April followed by cessation in the 1st to 2nd of week of May. Central high-lands, Nairobi - onset during the 3rd to 4th week of March and cessation in the second to third week of May. The rains in the Coastal areas will start during the fourth week of March to first week of April and will continue into June.

Mild El-Nino Effect to Persist as Rains Return to Horn of Africa

Published at Kilimani Complex, 2nd Floor by ScienceAfrica P.O. Box 57458-00200, Nairobi-Kenya, Tel: 020-2053532 / 2473370

ScienceAfrica

The Leading Publication in Science,

Innovation and Development

Vol. 9 Febraury/March 2010


Green: Normal - Above NormalYellow: Normal - Below NormalGray: Below Normal


Vol. 9 February - March 2010 Kshs. 100 Tshs. 2000 Ushs. 3000


By Peter MugirwaKAMPALA- Uganda is conducting confined field trials with the world’s first genetically-modified bananas, enriched with Vitamin A and Iron micro-nutrients, to fight malnutrition rampant among ba-nana consumers in this small but rapidly-populating East African country.

Most of the top private hospitals in Nairobi will face stiff competition in quality and cost of treatment if

Kenyatta National Hospital - with its vast experience and skills as the national referral and teaching hospital- turns its private wing into a fully fledged private hospital managed by the much awaited Kenyatta Hospital En-terprise Services.

“ We have proposed to register a commer-cial enterprise- Kenyatta Hospital Enterprise Services- as an umbrella commercial arm of the hospital and The Private Wing will be one of the areas to be put under its management,” the chief executive officer Dr Muchemi told those who attended the recent launching of KNH’s 2nd Strategic Plan that ends in

BIOTECH

Researchers Breeding Maize that Use Fertilizers More Efficiently

KNH to Run New High Quality Private Hospital

Kenya and South Africa still have the continent’s best national agricultural research institutions and their collaborative efforts

could help push the famine ridden region into the much awaited era of self-sufficiency in food production. Probably due to socio-economic history, South Africa’s Agricultural Research Council leads with its high tech skills aimed at large scale maize farmers while the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute is particularly ahead in helping meet the unique needs of small scale farmers.

Shortage of maize in much of Sub Sahara Africa, including Kenya, is equated with famine or food short-age.

While farmers in Africa use an aver-age of nine kilograms of fertilizer per hectare le those in South Asia use at least 11 times more or 100 kilograms. Even worse only half of the small amount used is taken up by the plants as the rest is leached deep into the soil where the roots can not recover it.

Thus it was no mere coincidence

when the executive director of the KARI Dr Ephraim Mukisira formally launched the $19.5 million Improved Maize for African Soils (IMAS) project during a recent ceremony, in Nairobi, Kenya, that included media briefing.

“We cannot develop if we do not

want to address problems as they come and are static in the way we do busi-ness; There has to be a turning point when there is demand for innovation based on what we know,” Dr Mukisira said during the launch at Serena Hotel in Nairobi hotel.

Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) and South Africa’s Agricultural Research Council (ARC) Team Up with CIMMYT and Pioneer Hi-Bred Working on Maize that use Fertilizer more Efficiently

Uganda: GM Bananas with Vitamin A, Iron in

Confined Field Trials

Those closely monitoring the evolution of Africa’s new green revolution of-ten say that it begins with Malawi, where the top

policy maker, President Bingu wa Muth-arika, practically appreciates the need for science-led development especially when it comes to agriculture. Few lead-ers in Africa have paid so much close attention to issues of food production as Malawi’s head of state.

President Mutharika strongly approved a new drought tolerant maize variety, ZM 309,local;ly referred to as ‘msungabanja’ (that which takes care of the family), and was to be immediately included in the national farm input subsidy program tar-geting drought prone areas. The approval was on 3 September 2009.

The president hosted Prof Wilfred Mwangi CIMMYT’s project leader of Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) and Peter Setimela a top maize breeder at the State House in Lilongwe where he was briefed the R&D activi-ties by the center that pushed the once famine ridden Asian nations into the era

of Green Revolution. The CIMMYT officials presented

the President with a 10-tons of ZM 309 seed to be grown on over 400 hectares in Balaka, Chikwawa, Nsanje, and Karonga.

“We at CIMMYT commend Malawi’s leadership for implementing innovative agricultural policies that have made the country a great example for improving national food security in Africa and we will work with the government of Ma-

lawi to help farmers cope with climate change by using drought tolerant maize technology, Prof Mwangi said.”

ZM 309 was developed through CIMMYT’s collaborative research efforts with Malawi’s Ministry of Ag-riculture and Food Security, Chitedze Research Station and SeedCo Malawi.

Malawi’s President Bingu wa Mutharika Goes for CIMMYT’s Drought Tolerant Maize

Dr Ephraim Mukisira Director KARI one of Africa’s leading national

research agricultural research institute.

Dr Shadrack Moephuli President, Chief Executive Officer of South Af-

rica’s Agricultural Research Institute

Like the US and South Asian Coun-tries, Africa can sustain its economic growth by aggresively acquiring and

improving agricultural technology including better seeds, appropriate crop management, mechanization and other basic inputs like infrastructure, markets and fertilizer, says the Executive Director of African Agricul-tural Technology Foundation, Dr. Daniel Mataruka P.9.

BIOTECH Breeders Focus on Maize Using Fertilizer …...self-sufficiency in food production. Probably...

Documents

Transcript of BIOTECH Breeders Focus on Maize Using Fertilizer …...self-sufficiency in food production. Probably...