Margaret Karembu COUNTRY WORKSHOP The Knowledge Lab on Climate Resilient Food Systems: An analytical support facility to achieve the SDGs Co-Organized by IFPRI and AGRA FEB 7, 2019 - 08:30 AM TO 05:55 PM EAT

1. The Knowledge Lab on Climate Resilient Food Systems: An analytical support facility
to achieve the SDGs
Margaret Karembu, Ph.D.
Director, ISAAA AfriCenter
mkarembu@isaaa.org
7th February, 2019
The Potential of Bio-innovation

2. Africa Population 1.216 Billion
Of these…
233 Million in sub-Saharan Africa
are Hungry/Undernourished
Food, Do we have Enough?
Crop production must increase by >70% to
feed 2.5 Billion people by 2050

3. Yet, we have Innovations that can
make a real Difference…

4. Genome Editing
Drones for Agriculture
Nanotechnology
Robotics for Agriculture
Emerging Technologies: It’s a
fast-moving world

5. Agricultural Biotechnology
In 2017:
67 countries adopted biotech crops
24 planted
43 imported

6. Numerous Benefits

7. Climate-Smart Agriculture
Biotech crops:
Drought-tolerant
Salt-tolerant
Disease-resistant
Insect-resistant
Water-use efficient
Engineered Nitrogen symbiosis
Nutrition-enhanced (Biofortification) Photo credit: geneticliteracyproject

8. Biotech crops and traits in the pipeline
β-carotene-enriched
Fusarium wilt, sigatoka and
bunchy top-R and β-carotene-
enriched Insect resistant
Mosaic and brown streak-R
Delayed ripening
Drought-T and yield enhancement
Less Gluten

9. More diverse offerings to consumers in 2017
Canada, Gen 1 and 2
Innate potatoes, 40 has.
USA, Arctic apples, 101 has
Costa Rica, Pink
Pineapple, 25 has
Bangladesh, Bt eggplant,
2,400 hectares
HarvXtra Low Lignin Alfalfa,
80,000 has (USA),
3,000 has (Canada
Canada, AquaBounty Salmon
4.5 tons

10. Non-browning mushrooms:
knock out of ppo gene, in the
market
Altered starch composition:
deletion of wax gene
High oil yield: gene knock
out
Reduced lignin:
Gene knock-out
Northern blight resistance:
allele replacement Reduced black spot: knock-
out ppo5 to reduce
Biotech Products Developed through New Breeding
Techniques

11. How has Agri-biotech Impacted Women?
Time-labor saving in weeding and spraying
Protection from harmful chemicals
including their children
Better quality environment
healthier foods
Facilitated women into gaining advanced
skills and releasing time to grow additional family food crops

12. Levelofdevelopment
Level of Functionality
Degree of Functionality:
Twists and Turns (Ref F.Nangayo 2017)
Long
Tedious
Painful
Many
extraneous
factors!
SEC
L&R
Co-existence
EU FACTOR

13. Information
Epicenter
(5 people;
$350K Annual budget)
Europe Node
Highly Networked World
Myths and misinformation diffuse fast!
Africa Node
Example: The Seralini Study…
“A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its
shoes.”― Mark Twain (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910)
TODAY?
5 seconds…half of the world

14. Creating:
Fear
Anxiety
Outrage
Mistrust
Communication Challenge in Post-truth Era
>>Mass media sensationalism
RISK PERCEPTION VS
REAL RISKS

15. Conclusion
WII-FM (Shared values!)
ISAAA’s global knowledge sharing
initiative on Agri-biotech applications
Has constructed a GMO Approval
Database to document global regulatory
approvals of biotech crops in real time
Collaboration – African Women for
Biosciences (AWfB)
Partnership in expanding global database with
Emerging Technologies regulatory approvals?

16. Subscribe to…
A monthly e-newsletter (with >2,000 readers in
Africa & beyond)
Summarizes biosciences developments in Africa
Provide ag-biotech experts to write opinion pieces
Provide ag-biotech experts to feature in research mini-
documentaries
Support ONE section to share Climate-Smart
Technologies MONTHLY

17. Thank you!
Invites you to
subscribe for
Crop Biotech
Updates at:
www.isaaa.org/subscribe/ke