Facilitating Access to and Uptake of Appropriate Technologies by Smallholder Farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa

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1 Facilitating Access to and Uptake of Appropriate Technologies by Smallholder Farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa Dr. Denis T. Kyetere Executive Director African Agricultural Technology Foundation Global Food Security Challenges Conference August 7 8, 2015 Milano, Italy

2 Agriculture - Backbone of African Economies Growth in agriculture is 11x more effective in reducing poverty in SSA than growth in other sectors IFAD More than 70% of Africa s poor depend on agriculture for livelihoods Any meaningful effort to secure Africa s future must address low agricultural production

3 Underperformance.. Low productivity results from a mix of challenges Solutions will equally depend on a mix of interventions Technological & Non- Technological Technological Interventions (examples) Improved varieties Better agronomic practices Better post-harvest management Mechanization Soil nutrients mgmt. Non -Technological Interventions (examples) Enabling policies Efficient and adequate markets Good infrastructure Sufficient government support Strong ag finance systems Adequate Funding Capable institutions (seed etc) Working extension services Appropriate Technologies and Policies

4 Good News - Africa s Agriculture has Great Potential 1. Africa s agricultural productivity can only go up with anual growth strong in a number of countries (IFPRI 2012) 2. Africa has untapped resources land; underutilized technologies 3. The PEOPLE they offer real potential 1. Growing population & middle class market attraction to businesses 2. Energy and resilience of scientists & farmers of Africa 4. Right partners working together with African farmers to provide them with practical technological solutions

5 Technology - Changing the lives of smallholders Monica Akinyi, Kisumu District, Kenya From harvesting 40 kg from her half acre plot, her yield became 450 kg (about five 90 kg bags) the first season she planted StrigAway seeds, then 900 kg (about 10 bags) the next season. Things are now looking up, all her school-age children are now in school.

6 Mechanised Technology Enhances Yields Cassava Mechanisation & Agroprocessing Yields up from av of 9 tons per ha to above 25 tons per ha Increased income - US$62 to US$92 per ton Increased production efficiency & reduction in labour drudgery

7 Technology Offers Business Opportunity Ngila Kimotho, Manager, Dryland Seeds Company Farmers in this region trust me to sell them seeds that will produce good yield. I believe the DroughtTEGO hybrid will maintain their trust in me.

8 Pest Management Technologies Cowpeas & Maruca Insect damage in the field and in storage- losses up to 80% Technology Bt cowpea with resistance to insect pests Bananas & Bacterial Wilt Annual loss of over US$ 200 million in Uganda Technology Banana varieties with resistance to BXW disease Maize and Stem Borers Stem borers reduce maize yields (Kenya upto USD90M) Technology Bt insect-pest protected maize with resistance to stem borers;

9 Climate Change & Soil Management Technologies Maize & Drought Increased drought incidences in Africa causing crop failure, hunger, and poverty Technology Water conserving & insect protected conventional & transgenic maize Low Yielding Rice/Rice in Stressful Conditions Low yields, nitrogen deficiency, drought and high salinity in many rice growing areas of Africa contribute to low productivity Technology Transgenic high yielding NEWEST rice varieties

10 Better Yielding Seed Technologies & Systems Rice & Low Yields Rice consumption rate higher than yields per unit area Technology Hybrid rice through enhanced breeding of improved genetics; 2- line hybrid rice technology Quality seed availability Reliable access to, and supply of improved seed needed by farmers in SSA Intervention (Seeds2B) Business model to link public & private seed owners with seed companies in SSA

11 Non-Technological Interventions - Enabling Environment. The best technologies will not see light of day if the environment is not right AATF & partners undertake enabling initiatives to help and inform Policy & decision-making - OFAB; regulatory advisory services Strengthening seed sector access to new technologies & capacity strengthening Monitoring trends - IP policy & legislation; value chain analysis; R&D priorities; seed systems evolution

12 Brokering technology solutions - AATF AATF is about farmers in Africa and providing them with practical technology solutions At AATF we believe that through Harnessing PPP s Access to and use of appropriate technologies Contribution to capacity strengthening, building experience, knowledge and education Creating enabling environment (IP, Regulatory, Awareness, Seeds systems management, Market linkages, etc) We can contribute to realizing the full potential of African agriculture

13 Where we work 13 Countries 10 Projects 9 Crops 48 Staff Senegal Burkina Faso Ghana Zambia Nigeria Uganda Ethiopia Kenya Tanzania Malawi Zimbabwe Mozambique 80 Partners South Africa

14 Partnership Network and Structure Extension Service providers NGOs CBOs Agro dealers Seed Companies NARs

15 Conclusion Smallholder farmers deserve the best agricultural technology available to mitigate lowest farm productivity Science & technology can & must play a vital role in agricultural development make a difference in SSA Partnerships and an enabling environment are critical

16 AATF Investors African Country Governments Technology donors Private and public Various partners in-kind support

17 A Happy Juliana