Biotechnology is critical in addressing food and nutrition insecurity in Africa. The success stories of TELA maize and Pod Borer Resistant (PBR) cowpea illustrate how biotechnology in agriculture can help address farming challenges brought about by the impact of climate change, pest and diseases that have hampered productivity in Africa, a meeting heard.
Speaking during the second Rwanda National Seed Congress in Kigali, Rwanda, Dr. Canisius Kanangire, Executive Director, AATF, noted that the use of biotechnology will help Africa to produce more foods for its ever-growing population that is expected to reach 11 billion people by 2025.
“Efforts to reduce hunger and malnutrition are hindered by low crop productivity, soil degradation, emerging pests and diseases, climate change, and inefficient policy environments, “said Dr. Kanangire.
He pointed out that crops like Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) TELA maize, Bt cotton, and PBR cowpea, which are genetically modified to protect against certain pests, reduce the need for chemical pesticides that are harmful to the environment and human health, thus offering solutions to food production challenges.
“To control and manage a devastating Maruca pest on cowpea production in Nigeria, we set up a Private-Public-Partnership that helped to develop a transgenic cowpea variety that is resistant to Maruca vitrata, an insect pest that causes up to 90 percent yield loss in cases of severe infestation for use in three countries of Nigeria, Ghana and Burkina Faso,” he stated.
PBR Cowpea was introduced in Nigeria in 2019, and to date, 126 tons of Bt cowpea seed have been produced and supplied to over 63,000 farmers by seed companies in the country.
Dr. Kanangire further noted that in response to climate change and the damage and loss to stemborer and Fall Army Worm, AATF and its partners developed a transgenic drought-tolerant and insect-protected maize varieties known as TELA maize to enhance food security in Sub-Saharan Africa.
“Since 2016, a cumulative total of 288 tons of TELA certified seed has been sold to smallholder farmers in South Africa, benefiting over 28,000 farmers,” he said, adding that TELA hybrids were successfully launched in Nigeria in June 2024 and already over 2,000 farmers have planted TELA seed for the first time in the country.
“For sustainable commercialisation of biotech products, stewardship must be effectively implemented to maintain the integrity of the products,” he emphasized.
Other notable examples of products developed using biotechnology include herbicide-tolerant crops such as Roundup Ready soybeans and maize modified to tolerate specific herbicides, allowing farmers to use effective weed control methods without harming these crops; and nutrient-enhanced crops such as Golden Rice developed to address nutrient deficiencies, helping to combat vitamin A deficiency.
