Presented as part of the "Moving Africa Towards a Knowledge Based Bio-economy" seminar on how agricultural innovation and in particular biosciences in areas such as breeding, agro-processing and value addition can contribute to economic growth and sustainable development in Sub-Saharan Africa. Key questions of the seminar:
How the millions of resource-poor smallholder farmers, so vital for food production and economic growth, can benefit from the prospects of a new bio-economy?
How countries in Sub-Saharan Africa can develop programmes, institutional capabilities and bioscience innovation structures able to adapt and use technologies and know-how based on their own priorities and needs?
How can Sweden assist countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to move Towards a Knowledge Based Bio-economy?
- Three expected outputs of the meeting are: a regional action plan and roadmap, priority themes and partners for South-South cooperation, and regional themes addressing food security and nutrition constraints in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Biotechnologies can help increase crop production but adoption by smallholders faces challenges including understanding local contexts and barriers like risk. Ensuring technologies are profitable and have support systems may aid adoption.
- Physical technologies can speed biotechnology development and adoption, but non-biological factors also influence whether farmers benefit from new varieties.
Case studies of south-south collaboration in agricultural biotechnologies: L...ExternalEvents
Case studies of south-south collaboration in agricultural biotechnologies: Lessons learned presentation by "Sachin Chaturvedi, Research and Information System for Developing Countries, New Delhi, India
"
The document summarizes a conference on new directions for smallholder agriculture. It discusses trends in agriculture including rising productivity and the shift from craft to industry. It examines farming systems in different regions, noting challenges for small farmers like lack of access to credit and markets. The document calls for science and technologies tailored for smallholders, and roles for both the private sector in investment and supply chains, and public sector in knowledge and cooperatives. It concludes with recommendations like increased investment in agriculture and research, and strengthened institutions and entrepreneurship.
Case studies of public-private partnerships in agricultural biotechnologies:...ExternalEvents
Case studies of public-private partnerships in agricultural biotechnologies: Lessons learned presentation by Denis Murphy, University of South Wales, Cardiff, United Kingdom
Parallel Session A - Presentation by Jeremy OuedraogoOECD Environment
Emerging Technologies – risk, trust and public engagement in Africa.
GM crops have been introduced in four African countries - South Africa, Egypt, Burkina Faso, and Sudan. Several other countries are conducting field trials of GM varieties of crops like rice, maize, and cassava. Public perception and trust of GM crops varies between countries and stakeholders. Countries have adopted different approaches like moratoriums, commercial releases, or biosafety frameworks. Burkina Faso involved stakeholders early in the process and the cotton farmers' union decided which constraints to address. However, communication gaps remain and capacity building is needed regarding biotechnology in Africa.
Improving Food Safety in Africa
Brad Flett - Agricultural Research Council - Grain Crops Institute, Potchefstroom, RSA. President of the African Society of Mycotoxicology
Roundtable of aflatoxin experts on
“Building a multi-stakeholder approach to mitigate aflatoxin contamination of food and feed”
Brussels, Monday 25th January 2016
Jose Falck Zepeda presentation on biotechnology and developing countries Geor...Jose Falck Zepeda
In my presentation I describe the foundation frameworks for improving crop production in developing countries firmly based on the successes, failures and issues identified during the Green Revolution. I describe the status of Genetically Modified Biotechnology in developed and developing countries,describe the regulatory activities that examine environmental/biodiversity and food/feed safety, as GM bio-technologies are the only regulated biotechnologies globally with a few exceptions. I describe our experiences and issues related to socioeconomic assessments of potential and actual impacts of GM crops in Uganda, Philippines, Colombia and Honduras. I summarize some lessons and conclusions learned in this process.
Presented as part of the "Moving Africa Towards a Knowledge Based Bio-economy" seminar on how agricultural innovation and in particular biosciences in areas such as breeding, agro-processing and value addition can contribute to economic growth and sustainable development in Sub-Saharan Africa. Key questions of the seminar:
How the millions of resource-poor smallholder farmers, so vital for food production and economic growth, can benefit from the prospects of a new bio-economy?
How countries in Sub-Saharan Africa can develop programmes, institutional capabilities and bioscience innovation structures able to adapt and use technologies and know-how based on their own priorities and needs?
How can Sweden assist countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to move Towards a Knowledge Based Bio-economy?
- Three expected outputs of the meeting are: a regional action plan and roadmap, priority themes and partners for South-South cooperation, and regional themes addressing food security and nutrition constraints in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Biotechnologies can help increase crop production but adoption by smallholders faces challenges including understanding local contexts and barriers like risk. Ensuring technologies are profitable and have support systems may aid adoption.
- Physical technologies can speed biotechnology development and adoption, but non-biological factors also influence whether farmers benefit from new varieties.
Case studies of south-south collaboration in agricultural biotechnologies: L...ExternalEvents
Case studies of south-south collaboration in agricultural biotechnologies: Lessons learned presentation by "Sachin Chaturvedi, Research and Information System for Developing Countries, New Delhi, India
"
The document summarizes a conference on new directions for smallholder agriculture. It discusses trends in agriculture including rising productivity and the shift from craft to industry. It examines farming systems in different regions, noting challenges for small farmers like lack of access to credit and markets. The document calls for science and technologies tailored for smallholders, and roles for both the private sector in investment and supply chains, and public sector in knowledge and cooperatives. It concludes with recommendations like increased investment in agriculture and research, and strengthened institutions and entrepreneurship.
Case studies of public-private partnerships in agricultural biotechnologies:...ExternalEvents
Case studies of public-private partnerships in agricultural biotechnologies: Lessons learned presentation by Denis Murphy, University of South Wales, Cardiff, United Kingdom
Parallel Session A - Presentation by Jeremy OuedraogoOECD Environment
Emerging Technologies – risk, trust and public engagement in Africa.
GM crops have been introduced in four African countries - South Africa, Egypt, Burkina Faso, and Sudan. Several other countries are conducting field trials of GM varieties of crops like rice, maize, and cassava. Public perception and trust of GM crops varies between countries and stakeholders. Countries have adopted different approaches like moratoriums, commercial releases, or biosafety frameworks. Burkina Faso involved stakeholders early in the process and the cotton farmers' union decided which constraints to address. However, communication gaps remain and capacity building is needed regarding biotechnology in Africa.
Improving Food Safety in Africa
Brad Flett - Agricultural Research Council - Grain Crops Institute, Potchefstroom, RSA. President of the African Society of Mycotoxicology
Roundtable of aflatoxin experts on
“Building a multi-stakeholder approach to mitigate aflatoxin contamination of food and feed”
Brussels, Monday 25th January 2016
Jose Falck Zepeda presentation on biotechnology and developing countries Geor...Jose Falck Zepeda
In my presentation I describe the foundation frameworks for improving crop production in developing countries firmly based on the successes, failures and issues identified during the Green Revolution. I describe the status of Genetically Modified Biotechnology in developed and developing countries,describe the regulatory activities that examine environmental/biodiversity and food/feed safety, as GM bio-technologies are the only regulated biotechnologies globally with a few exceptions. I describe our experiences and issues related to socioeconomic assessments of potential and actual impacts of GM crops in Uganda, Philippines, Colombia and Honduras. I summarize some lessons and conclusions learned in this process.
GFAR Webinar on Farmers’ Rights: Achieving Complementarity Between the Inform...Francois Stepman
This document provides information about an upcoming webinar on achieving complementarity between informal and formal seed systems. It includes:
- The presenters and moderators of the webinar
- The framing and program for the webinar, which will include presentations on farmers' rights, examples of complementarity between seed systems, and identification of partnerships.
- Next steps after the webinar like publishing a blog and report.
The webinar aims to facilitate an exchange of information on complementarity between informal farmer-led seed systems and formal commercial seed systems, identify challenges, and motivate collaboration between participants from different roles to better realize farmers' rights to crop genetic resources.
Jose falck zepeda presentation georgetown university april 2015 finalJose Falck Zepeda
This document summarizes a presentation given by José Falck Zepeda at Georgetown University in April 2015 on biotechnology and developing countries. The presentation discusses the challenges of feeding a growing global population, constraints to increasing agricultural productivity, lessons learned from the Green Revolution, biotechnology as a tool for development, and socioeconomic assessments of genetically modified crops. It provides background on biosafety regulations for genetically engineered organisms and reviews literature on the economic impacts of transgenic crops in developing countries.
The 1st Ever All Africa Congress on Biotechnology was held in Nairobi, Kenya from September 22-26, 2008 with over 400 delegates from 39 countries discussing harnessing biotechnology for food security and development in Africa. [2] Key outcomes included the Nairobi Declaration supporting Africa's adoption of agricultural biotechnology, and recommendations to establish regional biotechnology programs and an African Biotechnology Trust Fund to coordinate efforts. [3] Future plans outlined convening another congress in 2-3 years and strengthening the Agricultural Biotechnology Network in Africa to advance biotechnology on the continent.
Integrated pest management and the future of farmingKTN
If you're involved in the Plants and Crops sector, give this webinar a watch.
In June 2020, industry, academia, farmers, growers, government and funders involved in the Plants and Crops sector came together to discuss Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and the future of farming.
Here's what to expect:
• Scene-setting presentations including an overview of IPM approaches
• Thoughts on the current agricultural landscape in the UK, how IPM is being used and future opportunities
• A discussion around opportunities (e.g. funding) to support future work in this area
• An interactive session to gather audience input on challenges and opportunities for IPM
This event was hosted with the Institute for Sustainable Food at the University of Sheffield and the Transforming Food Production team of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.
Find out more here: https://ktn-uk.co.uk/events/integrated-pest-management-and-the-future-of-farming
Jose Falck-Zepeda presentation at the 6th Sympsium Zamorano University Graduates at the University of Florida Gainesville, August 4 2018. This is a recopilation of a experiencies accumulated over a policy research career on agriculture, biotechnology, science technology and innovation, regulations, governance, economic impact and GM biotechnologies.
Falck zepeda 2020 iowa state university webinar final 10 27 2020Jose Falck Zepeda
Presentation made by Jose Falck Zepeda at Iowa State University's “Agricultural, Food, and Trade Policy” (ECON 460/550)” webinar October 28, 2020. This presentation discusses biotechnology, genetic modifications, gene editing, science and technology, innovation and economic and trade issues related to developing countries. These are related to policy, regulatory and enabling environment issues.
ICRISAT communication resources catalogue updated in April 2020ICRISAT
A comprehensive resources catalogue of ICRISAT updated in April 2020 :Please contact Dr Geetika Sareen, Senior Manager, Communications and Knowledge Management, Strategic Marketing and Communication (s.geetika@cgiar.org)
The African Orphan Crops Consortium (AOCC) on 3rd December 2013, launched the African Plant Breeding Academy to help improve the livelihoods of Africa’s smallholder farmers and their families, reduce hunger and boost Africa’s food supply.
Nelson Opoku and Vivian Hoffmann
WEBINAR
Catalyzing the Use of Aflatoxin Control Technologies in Kenya and Ghana
NOV 26, 2019 - 09:00 AM TO 11:00 AM EST
Innovative funding toinclude agri business in ARDFrancois Stepman
This document summarizes discussions from an open space meeting on agro-finance research and learning. It outlines key points on the importance of science, technology and innovation for African agriculture. Private sector partnerships and innovative funding mechanisms were discussed as ways to scale agricultural innovations. Barriers to linking research and the private sector included limited business skills and mistrust. Examples of equity funds, value chain funds, and national research funds from Uganda, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Senegal were provided as models for encouraging use of research results. German, Dutch and Rabobank Foundation funding programs supporting food security were also mentioned.
Pesticide risk management through farmer field schools in the Senegal and Nig...FAO
http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/214049/icode/
Field schools that train farmers in alternative methods of pest control have succeeded in nearly eliminating the use of toxic pesticides by a community of cotton growers in Mali, according to a new FAO study published today by the London-based Royal Society. This presentation shows how new tools and farmer training implemented by FAO and its partners could revolutionize pesticide management in West Africa.
Investing in agri-biotechnology: Research for EntrepreneurshipGCARD Conferences
This document discusses investing in agricultural biotechnology. It begins by looking at the types of agri-biotechnology products different countries include, such as genetically modified crops, biofertilizers, and tissue culture. It then discusses why investing in agri-biotechnology is important to meet growing global food demands and challenges facing agriculture. Specifically, it notes the needs to increase yields while dealing with a declining farmer population, environmental degradation, and climate change. The document advocates a "research for entrepreneurship" model to develop new agri-biotechnology products and link scientific discovery to commercial opportunities. It also outlines some of the key enablers necessary for successful agri-biotechnology development and investment, including supportive policies, funding,
Andrew Emmott, Twin&Twin Trading, Senior Associate (Nuts), London, UK.
Roundtable of aflatoxin experts on
“Building a multi-stakeholder approach to mitigate aflatoxin contamination of food and feed”
Brussels, Monday 25th January 2016
IFPRI Policy Seminar "Aflatoxins: Finding Solutions for Improved Food Safety" held at IFPRI on November 5, 2013. Presentation by Andrew Emmott, Twin & Twin Trading.
Presentation from day 2 of: "Policy setting for improved linkages between agriculture, trade and tourism: Strengthening the local agrifood sector and promoting healthy food in agritourism" Workshop organised by the Government of Vanuatu and CTA in collaboration with IICA and PIPSO, Port-Vila, Vanuatu, 25-27 May 2016
GFAR Webinar on Farmers’ Rights: Achieving Complementarity Between the Inform...Francois Stepman
This document provides information about an upcoming webinar on achieving complementarity between informal and formal seed systems. It includes:
- The presenters and moderators of the webinar
- The framing and program for the webinar, which will include presentations on farmers' rights, examples of complementarity between seed systems, and identification of partnerships.
- Next steps after the webinar like publishing a blog and report.
The webinar aims to facilitate an exchange of information on complementarity between informal farmer-led seed systems and formal commercial seed systems, identify challenges, and motivate collaboration between participants from different roles to better realize farmers' rights to crop genetic resources.
Jose falck zepeda presentation georgetown university april 2015 finalJose Falck Zepeda
This document summarizes a presentation given by José Falck Zepeda at Georgetown University in April 2015 on biotechnology and developing countries. The presentation discusses the challenges of feeding a growing global population, constraints to increasing agricultural productivity, lessons learned from the Green Revolution, biotechnology as a tool for development, and socioeconomic assessments of genetically modified crops. It provides background on biosafety regulations for genetically engineered organisms and reviews literature on the economic impacts of transgenic crops in developing countries.
The 1st Ever All Africa Congress on Biotechnology was held in Nairobi, Kenya from September 22-26, 2008 with over 400 delegates from 39 countries discussing harnessing biotechnology for food security and development in Africa. [2] Key outcomes included the Nairobi Declaration supporting Africa's adoption of agricultural biotechnology, and recommendations to establish regional biotechnology programs and an African Biotechnology Trust Fund to coordinate efforts. [3] Future plans outlined convening another congress in 2-3 years and strengthening the Agricultural Biotechnology Network in Africa to advance biotechnology on the continent.
Integrated pest management and the future of farmingKTN
If you're involved in the Plants and Crops sector, give this webinar a watch.
In June 2020, industry, academia, farmers, growers, government and funders involved in the Plants and Crops sector came together to discuss Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and the future of farming.
Here's what to expect:
• Scene-setting presentations including an overview of IPM approaches
• Thoughts on the current agricultural landscape in the UK, how IPM is being used and future opportunities
• A discussion around opportunities (e.g. funding) to support future work in this area
• An interactive session to gather audience input on challenges and opportunities for IPM
This event was hosted with the Institute for Sustainable Food at the University of Sheffield and the Transforming Food Production team of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.
Find out more here: https://ktn-uk.co.uk/events/integrated-pest-management-and-the-future-of-farming
Jose Falck-Zepeda presentation at the 6th Sympsium Zamorano University Graduates at the University of Florida Gainesville, August 4 2018. This is a recopilation of a experiencies accumulated over a policy research career on agriculture, biotechnology, science technology and innovation, regulations, governance, economic impact and GM biotechnologies.
Falck zepeda 2020 iowa state university webinar final 10 27 2020Jose Falck Zepeda
Presentation made by Jose Falck Zepeda at Iowa State University's “Agricultural, Food, and Trade Policy” (ECON 460/550)” webinar October 28, 2020. This presentation discusses biotechnology, genetic modifications, gene editing, science and technology, innovation and economic and trade issues related to developing countries. These are related to policy, regulatory and enabling environment issues.
ICRISAT communication resources catalogue updated in April 2020ICRISAT
A comprehensive resources catalogue of ICRISAT updated in April 2020 :Please contact Dr Geetika Sareen, Senior Manager, Communications and Knowledge Management, Strategic Marketing and Communication (s.geetika@cgiar.org)
The African Orphan Crops Consortium (AOCC) on 3rd December 2013, launched the African Plant Breeding Academy to help improve the livelihoods of Africa’s smallholder farmers and their families, reduce hunger and boost Africa’s food supply.
Nelson Opoku and Vivian Hoffmann
WEBINAR
Catalyzing the Use of Aflatoxin Control Technologies in Kenya and Ghana
NOV 26, 2019 - 09:00 AM TO 11:00 AM EST
Innovative funding toinclude agri business in ARDFrancois Stepman
This document summarizes discussions from an open space meeting on agro-finance research and learning. It outlines key points on the importance of science, technology and innovation for African agriculture. Private sector partnerships and innovative funding mechanisms were discussed as ways to scale agricultural innovations. Barriers to linking research and the private sector included limited business skills and mistrust. Examples of equity funds, value chain funds, and national research funds from Uganda, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Senegal were provided as models for encouraging use of research results. German, Dutch and Rabobank Foundation funding programs supporting food security were also mentioned.
Pesticide risk management through farmer field schools in the Senegal and Nig...FAO
http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/214049/icode/
Field schools that train farmers in alternative methods of pest control have succeeded in nearly eliminating the use of toxic pesticides by a community of cotton growers in Mali, according to a new FAO study published today by the London-based Royal Society. This presentation shows how new tools and farmer training implemented by FAO and its partners could revolutionize pesticide management in West Africa.
Investing in agri-biotechnology: Research for EntrepreneurshipGCARD Conferences
This document discusses investing in agricultural biotechnology. It begins by looking at the types of agri-biotechnology products different countries include, such as genetically modified crops, biofertilizers, and tissue culture. It then discusses why investing in agri-biotechnology is important to meet growing global food demands and challenges facing agriculture. Specifically, it notes the needs to increase yields while dealing with a declining farmer population, environmental degradation, and climate change. The document advocates a "research for entrepreneurship" model to develop new agri-biotechnology products and link scientific discovery to commercial opportunities. It also outlines some of the key enablers necessary for successful agri-biotechnology development and investment, including supportive policies, funding,
Andrew Emmott, Twin&Twin Trading, Senior Associate (Nuts), London, UK.
Roundtable of aflatoxin experts on
“Building a multi-stakeholder approach to mitigate aflatoxin contamination of food and feed”
Brussels, Monday 25th January 2016
IFPRI Policy Seminar "Aflatoxins: Finding Solutions for Improved Food Safety" held at IFPRI on November 5, 2013. Presentation by Andrew Emmott, Twin & Twin Trading.
Presentation from day 2 of: "Policy setting for improved linkages between agriculture, trade and tourism: Strengthening the local agrifood sector and promoting healthy food in agritourism" Workshop organised by the Government of Vanuatu and CTA in collaboration with IICA and PIPSO, Port-Vila, Vanuatu, 25-27 May 2016
The document discusses a position as Superintendent and Port Chaplain at Aberdeen Seafarers Centre in Aberdeen Harbour. It includes two brief additional lines about another view and a big wave.
The document describes the eBusiness Lab at the Department of Applied Informatics in Management and Economy at the Technological Educational Institution of Messolongi in Greece. The lab focuses on e-economy and e-business research areas like internet technologies, e-commerce, web mining, and more. It provides consultancy services and has experience with several European Commission funded projects. The lab is directed by Professor Spiros Sirmakessis.
The document provides a storyboard of pictures showing the last scene of a thriller movie in 3 frames, with the third frame indicating that the storyboard depicted the last scene of the thriller film.
Este documento describe tres tipos principales de enlaces químicos: enlaces iónicos, covalentes y metálicos. Los enlaces iónicos involucran la transferencia completa de electrones entre un átomo electropositivo y uno electronegativo, formando iones con cargas opuestas. Los enlaces covalentes ocurren cuando los átomos comparten electrones para alcanzar la configuración electrónica más estable. Los enlaces metálicos mantienen unidos los átomos metálicos a través de una nube de electrones que rode
This document outlines an African position on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in agriculture. It acknowledges that GMOs could help increase food production but also recognizes safety concerns. The document discusses the polarized debate around GMOs and the need for African countries to develop consensus. It also summarizes ongoing African Union initiatives to provide guidance on biosafety and biotechnology issues, including the work of the High Level African Panel on Biotechnology and the development of an African Strategy on Biosafety.
The document discusses an African position on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in agriculture. It summarizes various initiatives by African organizations like the African Union, Southern African Development Community, and Economic Community of West African States to develop policies and guidelines around GMOs. The key recommendations are to improve information sharing on biotechnology across African countries, enhance public awareness and participation, and promote a precautionary approach to GMO approvals that ensures safety.
Regional initiatives to promote biosciences innovation: The BioInnovate Progr...ILRI
The Bio-Innovate Program is a regional initiative established in 2010 to promote biosciences innovations in Eastern Africa. It focuses on strengthening agriculture, developing innovative waste treatment technologies, and enhancing policy. The program comprises 9 projects across 6 countries involving 57 institutions. It has developed an integrated wastewater treatment system using anaerobic digesters, aerobic digesters, and constructed wetlands to produce biogas and biofertilizers. This system has been piloted successfully at industries in Ethiopia, Uganda, and Tanzania. Going forward, the Bio-Innovate Program aims to scale up promising innovations and deepen private sector partnerships.
Key note address first ofab consultative meeting november 2010Wachoro
This document discusses the history of biotechnology and its potential benefits for agricultural development in Sub-Saharan Africa. It notes that biotech crops have led to economic gains of $51.9 billion globally from reduced costs and increased yields. While some African countries like South Africa, Burkina Faso, and Egypt have begun growing biotech crops, African agriculture remains threatened by low productivity, drought, and climate change. The document advocates for policies and strategies to develop biotechnology in Africa and ensure its benefits, including by learning from others' experiences.
Bioresources Innovations Network for Eastern African Development ILRI
The Bio-Innovate Program is a 5-year, $10.7 million program funded by Sida to promote bioscience innovation in eastern Africa. It focuses on improving crop productivity, climate change adaptation, waste management and value addition. Through competitive grants, it supports multi-country, multi-institutional projects in these areas. Its goals are to strengthen bioscience innovation systems in the region to address challenges like food security and environmental sustainability.
Prospects for bioresources innovations development in eastern AfricaILRI
This document discusses the prospects for bioresources innovations development in eastern Africa. It summarizes that bioscience research has high potential for increasing crop productivity, environmental gains, and human health benefits. Capacity building efforts are paying off through advanced research partnerships. Governments are also responding by increasing funding for science and technology. However, moving research and development into innovations requires further efforts like market analysis, public-private cooperation, and addressing regulatory issues. Ensuring policy coherence across regulatory frameworks and innovation policies also presents a challenge.
Policy innovations and opportunities for Africa’s BioeconomyAKADEMIYA2063
This document summarizes a presentation on policy innovations and opportunities for Africa's bioeconomy. It defines bioeconomy as the production and use of biomass through innovation and processing biomaterials. It outlines continental and regional frameworks supporting bioeconomy development in Africa. Opportunities created include sustainable production, climate resilience, new value chains, and jobs. Key enabling factors are governance, research and innovation, infrastructure, and finance. The document examines experiences in Ghana, Namibia, South Africa, and Uganda and recommends identifying priority sectors, strengthening R&D and markets, regulating sustainability, and providing advisory boards to guide bioeconomy development.
The document discusses the role of the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) in building capacity for science, technology, and innovation (STI) in Africa, particularly for agricultural biotechnology. It makes three key points:
1) STI is essential for economic growth but Africa faces a shortage of agricultural specialists, indicating a need to build capacity in biotechnology. Biotechnology can help address food insecurity challenges through crops like drought-resistant maize varieties.
2) ACBF supports STI capacity building through research, training centers of excellence, and case studies on successes like drought-resistant maize in Zimbabwe.
3) Effectively developing STI in Africa requires evidence-based agricultural policies,
Biosafety policies and food security issues in Africa can be enhanced through several measures:
1) Widespread adoption of improved seeds, fertilizers, crop protection chemicals, irrigation equipment and farmer training to boost agricultural productivity.
2) Establishing well-functioning markets, infrastructure, and policies to incentivize investment and enable trade.
3) Developing proactive, science-based biosafety regulations and addressing capacity issues to facilitate adoption of genetically modified crops, which modeling shows could provide large economic benefits for countries like Mali, Burkina Faso, and Ghana.
4) Addressing challenges including limited regulatory expertise, complex decision-making processes, and lack of funding for long-term regulatory
Diran Makinde presented on biosafety policies and food security issues in Africa. He discussed how Africa spends $30-50 billion annually importing food that could be used for infrastructure and development. Key threats to African food security include low soil fertility, poor crop management, pests and diseases. Transforming African agriculture will require improved seeds, fertilizers, markets, policy reforms and building regulatory capacity for crops improved through biotechnology. Challenges include balancing risks and benefits, building human and institutional capacity, and operationalizing complex regulatory frameworks. Sustainable adoption of biotech crops in Africa requires appropriate regulation, research, extension services, and addressing unfair trade issues.
The Role and Contribution of Plant Breeding and Plant Biotechnology to Sustai...Francois Stepman
Dr. Denis T. Kyetere
Executive Director
AFRICAN AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY FOUNDATION (AATF)
30 - 31 August 2018. Gent-Zwijnaarde, Belgium. IPBO conference 2018: “Scientific innovation for a sustainable development of African agriculture”
B4FA 2013 Ghana: Seed trade environment in Ghana - Daniel Otungeb4fa
Presentation at the March 2013 dialogue workshop of the Biosciences for Farming in Africa media fellowship programme in Accra, Ghana.
Please see www.sti4d.com/b4fa for more information
This document discusses policy options for regulating stacked trait biotech crops in Ethiopia. It provides background on Ethiopia's Ministry of Innovation and Technology, science and technology policy, and biotechnology sector. Gene stacking technology combines two or more genes of interest in a single plant to provide multiple traits. Regulatory approaches for gene stacking differ globally, with the US/Canada requiring no additional approval for hybrid stacks of approved events, while the EU requires separate approval. For Ethiopia, gene stacking could help address multiple agricultural stresses at once and overcome challenges like drought, pests and low soil fertility. The recommendations are to consider a less expensive regulatory system and build capacity for evaluating and developing stacked trait crops.
The document discusses the Agri-Business Incubator (ABI) at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). ICRISAT conducts agricultural research and development to improve food security and reduce poverty in semi-arid tropical regions. The ABI aims to stimulate technology development and transfer between ICRISAT researchers and entrepreneurs to commercialize ICRISAT technologies and provide business support services. The ABI will provide infrastructure and business incubation services to startup companies working on technologies in crops important to ICRISAT's mission like sorghum, groundnuts, and chickpeas.
Why Informal Seed Sector is Important in Food SecuritySeeds
This document discusses the importance of the informal seed sector in food security in Eastern and Southern Africa. It provides background on seed systems in Africa, including informal seed supply systems, integrated community-based systems, and formal commercial systems. The informal sector provides 80-100% of seeds for most crops but receives little government support. The document also discusses the status and economic value of seed industries in Africa and opportunities available through international treaties and agreements to strengthen support for the informal seed sector.
Role of ICTs in African Agriculture and how Africa-EU partnership can enhance...Francois Stepman
2 July 2017. Rome, Italy. Making Sustainable Agriculture a future for youth in Africa. This conference was hosted by the AU Commission, the European Commission and the Estonian Presidency of the EU at the FAO premises.
Presentation by Dr Yemi Akinbamijo, Executive Director of FARA.
Sorghum and millet technology innovation system for eastern AfricaILRI
Sorghum and millet have the potential to address food security and improve livelihoods in Eastern Africa, but constraints like erratic rainfall limit productivity. Value addition to products opens business opportunities. There are both public and private actors involved in value addition, and research institutions have developed knowledge, but human and infrastructure resources are limited. Investments are low and policies lack standards. The study found potential to use sorghum and millet in industrial products like animal feeds but awareness and policies need to encourage adoption to boost food security and livelihoods. Facilities, market research, and incentives are required to realize opportunities from value addition.
Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Poverty Reduction: Policy and Capacity Ch...LINKInnovationStudies
The 2008 World Development Report recognised that development through agricultural innovation would be central to reducing poverty in the poorest countries. However, contemporary notions of innovation and innovation capacity, characterised by networks or systems to mobilise knowledge and use it in new ways, not only call into question the main policy instrument for agricultural innovation — research — but also challenge accepted ways of working across the whole agricultural development architecture, particularly arrangements associated with technology transfer. To paraphrase a large debate, often agricultural development does not need agricultural extension services to transfer “modern” technology. Rather, assistance is needed to help farmers to better embed in flexible networks that link them both to market opportunities and sources of information on practices, standards and preferences and sources in inputs, including credit, so that they can make the most of these changing opportunities. This presentation outlines some points for policymakers to consider.
Small ruminant keepers’ knowledge, attitudes and practices towards peste des ...ILRI
Presentation by Guy Ilboudo, Abel Sènabgè Biguezoton, Cheick Abou Kounta Sidibé, Modou Moustapha Lo, Zoë Campbell and Michel Dione at the 6th Peste des Petits Ruminants Global Research and Expertise Networks (PPR-GREN) annual meeting, Bengaluru, India, 28–30 November 2023.
Small ruminant keepers’ knowledge, attitudes and practices towards peste des ...ILRI
Poster by Guy Ilboudo, Abel Sènabgè Biguezoton, Cheick Abou Kounta Sidibé, Modou Moustapha Lo, Zoë Campbell and Michel Dione presented at the 6th Peste des Petits Ruminants Global Research and Expertise Networks (PPR-GREN) annual meeting, Bengaluru, India, 29 November 2023.
A training, certification and marketing scheme for informal dairy vendors in ...ILRI
Presentation by Silvia Alonso, Jef L. Leroy, Emmanuel Muunda, Moira Donahue Angel, Emily Kilonzi, Giordano Palloni, Gideon Kiarie, Paula Dominguez-Salas and Delia Grace at the Micronutrient Forum 6th Global Conference, The Hague, Netherlands, 16 October 2023.
Milk safety and child nutrition impacts of the MoreMilk training, certificati...ILRI
Poster by Silvia Alonso, Emmanuel Muunda, Moira Donahue Angel, Emily Kilonzi, Giordano Palloni, Gideon Kiarie, Paula Dominguez-Salas, Delia Grace and Jef L. Leroy presented at the Micronutrient Forum 6th Global Conference, The Hague, Netherlands, 16 October 2023.
Preventing the next pandemic: a 12-slide primer on emerging zoonotic diseasesILRI
The document discusses the benefits of exercise for mental health. Regular physical activity can help reduce anxiety and depression and improve mood and cognitive functioning. Exercise causes chemical changes in the brain that may help boost feelings of calmness, happiness and focus.
Preventing preventable diseases: a 12-slide primer on foodborne diseaseILRI
The document discusses the benefits of exercise for mental health. Regular physical activity can help reduce anxiety and depression and improve mood and cognitive functioning. Exercise causes chemical changes in the brain that may help protect against mental illness and improve symptoms for those who already suffer from conditions like anxiety and depression.
Preventing a post-antibiotic era: a 12-slide primer on antimicrobial resistanceILRI
The document discusses the benefits of exercise for mental health. Regular physical activity can help reduce anxiety and depression and improve mood and cognitive functioning. Exercise boosts blood flow, releases endorphins, and promotes changes in the brain which help enhance one's emotional well-being and mental clarity.
Food safety research in low- and middle-income countriesILRI
Presentation by Hung Nguyen-Viet at the first technical meeting to launch the Food Safety Working Group under the One Health Partnership framework, Hanoi, Vietnam, 28 September 2023
The Food Safety Working Group (FSWG) in Vietnam was created in 2015 at the request of the Deputy Prime Minister to address food safety issues in the country. It brings together government agencies, ministries, and development partners to facilitate joint policy dialogue and improve food safety. Over eight years of operations led by different organizations, the FSWG has contributed to various initiatives. However, it faces challenges of diminished government participation over time and dependence on active members. Going forward, it will strengthen its operations by integrating under Vietnam's One Health Partnership framework to better engage stakeholders and achieve policy impacts.
Reservoirs of pathogenic Leptospira species in UgandaILRI
Presentation by Lordrick Alinaitwe, Martin Wainaina, Salome Dürr, Clovice Kankya, Velma Kivali, James Bugeza, Martin Richter, Kristina Roesel, Annie Cook and Anne Mayer-Scholl at the University of Bern Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences Symposium, Bern, Switzerland, 29 June 2023.
Assessing meat microbiological safety and associated handling practices in bu...ILRI
Presentation by Patricia Koech, Winnie Ogutu, Linnet Ochieng, Delia Grace, George Gitao, Lily Bebora, Max Korir, Florence Mutua and Arshnee Moodley at the 8th All Africa Conference on Animal Agriculture, Gaborone, Botswana, 26–29 September 2023.
Ecological factors associated with abundance and distribution of mosquito vec...ILRI
Poster by Max Korir, Joel Lutomiah and Bernard Bett presented the 8th All Africa Conference on Animal Agriculture, Gaborone, Botswana, 26–29 September 2023.
Practices and drivers of antibiotic use in Kenyan smallholder dairy farmsILRI
Poster by Lydiah Kisoo, Dishon M. Muloi, Walter Oguta, Daisy Ronoh, Lynn Kirwa, James Akoko, Eric Fèvre, Arshnee Moodley and Lillian Wambua presented at Tropentag 2023, Berlin, Germany, 20–22 September 2023.
Essentials of Automations: Exploring Attributes & Automation ParametersSafe Software
Building automations in FME Flow can save time, money, and help businesses scale by eliminating data silos and providing data to stakeholders in real-time. One essential component to orchestrating complex automations is the use of attributes & automation parameters (both formerly known as “keys”). In fact, it’s unlikely you’ll ever build an Automation without using these components, but what exactly are they?
Attributes & automation parameters enable the automation author to pass data values from one automation component to the next. During this webinar, our FME Flow Specialists will cover leveraging the three types of these output attributes & parameters in FME Flow: Event, Custom, and Automation. As a bonus, they’ll also be making use of the Split-Merge Block functionality.
You’ll leave this webinar with a better understanding of how to maximize the potential of automations by making use of attributes & automation parameters, with the ultimate goal of setting your enterprise integration workflows up on autopilot.
Session 1 - Intro to Robotic Process Automation.pdfUiPathCommunity
👉 Check out our full 'Africa Series - Automation Student Developers (EN)' page to register for the full program:
https://bit.ly/Automation_Student_Kickstart
In this session, we shall introduce you to the world of automation, the UiPath Platform, and guide you on how to install and setup UiPath Studio on your Windows PC.
📕 Detailed agenda:
What is RPA? Benefits of RPA?
RPA Applications
The UiPath End-to-End Automation Platform
UiPath Studio CE Installation and Setup
💻 Extra training through UiPath Academy:
Introduction to Automation
UiPath Business Automation Platform
Explore automation development with UiPath Studio
👉 Register here for our upcoming Session 2 on June 20: Introduction to UiPath Studio Fundamentals: https://community.uipath.com/events/details/uipath-lagos-presents-session-2-introduction-to-uipath-studio-fundamentals/
High performance Serverless Java on AWS- GoTo Amsterdam 2024Vadym Kazulkin
Java is for many years one of the most popular programming languages, but it used to have hard times in the Serverless community. Java is known for its high cold start times and high memory footprint, comparing to other programming languages like Node.js and Python. In this talk I'll look at the general best practices and techniques we can use to decrease memory consumption, cold start times for Java Serverless development on AWS including GraalVM (Native Image) and AWS own offering SnapStart based on Firecracker microVM snapshot and restore and CRaC (Coordinated Restore at Checkpoint) runtime hooks. I'll also provide a lot of benchmarking on Lambda functions trying out various deployment package sizes, Lambda memory settings, Java compilation options and HTTP (a)synchronous clients and measure their impact on cold and warm start times.
Northern Engraving | Modern Metal Trim, Nameplates and Appliance PanelsNorthern Engraving
What began over 115 years ago as a supplier of precision gauges to the automotive industry has evolved into being an industry leader in the manufacture of product branding, automotive cockpit trim and decorative appliance trim. Value-added services include in-house Design, Engineering, Program Management, Test Lab and Tool Shops.
What is an RPA CoE? Session 1 – CoE VisionDianaGray10
In the first session, we will review the organization's vision and how this has an impact on the COE Structure.
Topics covered:
• The role of a steering committee
• How do the organization’s priorities determine CoE Structure?
Speaker:
Chris Bolin, Senior Intelligent Automation Architect Anika Systems
"$10 thousand per minute of downtime: architecture, queues, streaming and fin...Fwdays
Direct losses from downtime in 1 minute = $5-$10 thousand dollars. Reputation is priceless.
As part of the talk, we will consider the architectural strategies necessary for the development of highly loaded fintech solutions. We will focus on using queues and streaming to efficiently work and manage large amounts of data in real-time and to minimize latency.
We will focus special attention on the architectural patterns used in the design of the fintech system, microservices and event-driven architecture, which ensure scalability, fault tolerance, and consistency of the entire system.
Skybuffer SAM4U tool for SAP license adoptionTatiana Kojar
Manage and optimize your license adoption and consumption with SAM4U, an SAP free customer software asset management tool.
SAM4U, an SAP complimentary software asset management tool for customers, delivers a detailed and well-structured overview of license inventory and usage with a user-friendly interface. We offer a hosted, cost-effective, and performance-optimized SAM4U setup in the Skybuffer Cloud environment. You retain ownership of the system and data, while we manage the ABAP 7.58 infrastructure, ensuring fixed Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and exceptional services through the SAP Fiori interface.
zkStudyClub - LatticeFold: A Lattice-based Folding Scheme and its Application...Alex Pruden
Folding is a recent technique for building efficient recursive SNARKs. Several elegant folding protocols have been proposed, such as Nova, Supernova, Hypernova, Protostar, and others. However, all of them rely on an additively homomorphic commitment scheme based on discrete log, and are therefore not post-quantum secure. In this work we present LatticeFold, the first lattice-based folding protocol based on the Module SIS problem. This folding protocol naturally leads to an efficient recursive lattice-based SNARK and an efficient PCD scheme. LatticeFold supports folding low-degree relations, such as R1CS, as well as high-degree relations, such as CCS. The key challenge is to construct a secure folding protocol that works with the Ajtai commitment scheme. The difficulty, is ensuring that extracted witnesses are low norm through many rounds of folding. We present a novel technique using the sumcheck protocol to ensure that extracted witnesses are always low norm no matter how many rounds of folding are used. Our evaluation of the final proof system suggests that it is as performant as Hypernova, while providing post-quantum security.
Paper Link: https://eprint.iacr.org/2024/257
5th LF Energy Power Grid Model Meet-up SlidesDanBrown980551
5th Power Grid Model Meet-up
It is with great pleasure that we extend to you an invitation to the 5th Power Grid Model Meet-up, scheduled for 6th June 2024. This event will adopt a hybrid format, allowing participants to join us either through an online Mircosoft Teams session or in person at TU/e located at Den Dolech 2, Eindhoven, Netherlands. The meet-up will be hosted by Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), a research university specializing in engineering science & technology.
Power Grid Model
The global energy transition is placing new and unprecedented demands on Distribution System Operators (DSOs). Alongside upgrades to grid capacity, processes such as digitization, capacity optimization, and congestion management are becoming vital for delivering reliable services.
Power Grid Model is an open source project from Linux Foundation Energy and provides a calculation engine that is increasingly essential for DSOs. It offers a standards-based foundation enabling real-time power systems analysis, simulations of electrical power grids, and sophisticated what-if analysis. In addition, it enables in-depth studies and analysis of the electrical power grid’s behavior and performance. This comprehensive model incorporates essential factors such as power generation capacity, electrical losses, voltage levels, power flows, and system stability.
Power Grid Model is currently being applied in a wide variety of use cases, including grid planning, expansion, reliability, and congestion studies. It can also help in analyzing the impact of renewable energy integration, assessing the effects of disturbances or faults, and developing strategies for grid control and optimization.
What to expect
For the upcoming meetup we are organizing, we have an exciting lineup of activities planned:
-Insightful presentations covering two practical applications of the Power Grid Model.
-An update on the latest advancements in Power Grid -Model technology during the first and second quarters of 2024.
-An interactive brainstorming session to discuss and propose new feature requests.
-An opportunity to connect with fellow Power Grid Model enthusiasts and users.
LF Energy Webinar: Carbon Data Specifications: Mechanisms to Improve Data Acc...DanBrown980551
This LF Energy webinar took place June 20, 2024. It featured:
-Alex Thornton, LF Energy
-Hallie Cramer, Google
-Daniel Roesler, UtilityAPI
-Henry Richardson, WattTime
In response to the urgency and scale required to effectively address climate change, open source solutions offer significant potential for driving innovation and progress. Currently, there is a growing demand for standardization and interoperability in energy data and modeling. Open source standards and specifications within the energy sector can also alleviate challenges associated with data fragmentation, transparency, and accessibility. At the same time, it is crucial to consider privacy and security concerns throughout the development of open source platforms.
This webinar will delve into the motivations behind establishing LF Energy’s Carbon Data Specification Consortium. It will provide an overview of the draft specifications and the ongoing progress made by the respective working groups.
Three primary specifications will be discussed:
-Discovery and client registration, emphasizing transparent processes and secure and private access
-Customer data, centering around customer tariffs, bills, energy usage, and full consumption disclosure
-Power systems data, focusing on grid data, inclusive of transmission and distribution networks, generation, intergrid power flows, and market settlement data
Monitoring and Managing Anomaly Detection on OpenShift.pdfTosin Akinosho
Monitoring and Managing Anomaly Detection on OpenShift
Overview
Dive into the world of anomaly detection on edge devices with our comprehensive hands-on tutorial. This SlideShare presentation will guide you through the entire process, from data collection and model training to edge deployment and real-time monitoring. Perfect for those looking to implement robust anomaly detection systems on resource-constrained IoT/edge devices.
Key Topics Covered
1. Introduction to Anomaly Detection
- Understand the fundamentals of anomaly detection and its importance in identifying unusual behavior or failures in systems.
2. Understanding Edge (IoT)
- Learn about edge computing and IoT, and how they enable real-time data processing and decision-making at the source.
3. What is ArgoCD?
- Discover ArgoCD, a declarative, GitOps continuous delivery tool for Kubernetes, and its role in deploying applications on edge devices.
4. Deployment Using ArgoCD for Edge Devices
- Step-by-step guide on deploying anomaly detection models on edge devices using ArgoCD.
5. Introduction to Apache Kafka and S3
- Explore Apache Kafka for real-time data streaming and Amazon S3 for scalable storage solutions.
6. Viewing Kafka Messages in the Data Lake
- Learn how to view and analyze Kafka messages stored in a data lake for better insights.
7. What is Prometheus?
- Get to know Prometheus, an open-source monitoring and alerting toolkit, and its application in monitoring edge devices.
8. Monitoring Application Metrics with Prometheus
- Detailed instructions on setting up Prometheus to monitor the performance and health of your anomaly detection system.
9. What is Camel K?
- Introduction to Camel K, a lightweight integration framework built on Apache Camel, designed for Kubernetes.
10. Configuring Camel K Integrations for Data Pipelines
- Learn how to configure Camel K for seamless data pipeline integrations in your anomaly detection workflow.
11. What is a Jupyter Notebook?
- Overview of Jupyter Notebooks, an open-source web application for creating and sharing documents with live code, equations, visualizations, and narrative text.
12. Jupyter Notebooks with Code Examples
- Hands-on examples and code snippets in Jupyter Notebooks to help you implement and test anomaly detection models.
For the full video of this presentation, please visit: https://www.edge-ai-vision.com/2024/06/temporal-event-neural-networks-a-more-efficient-alternative-to-the-transformer-a-presentation-from-brainchip/
Chris Jones, Director of Product Management at BrainChip , presents the “Temporal Event Neural Networks: A More Efficient Alternative to the Transformer” tutorial at the May 2024 Embedded Vision Summit.
The expansion of AI services necessitates enhanced computational capabilities on edge devices. Temporal Event Neural Networks (TENNs), developed by BrainChip, represent a novel and highly efficient state-space network. TENNs demonstrate exceptional proficiency in handling multi-dimensional streaming data, facilitating advancements in object detection, action recognition, speech enhancement and language model/sequence generation. Through the utilization of polynomial-based continuous convolutions, TENNs streamline models, expedite training processes and significantly diminish memory requirements, achieving notable reductions of up to 50x in parameters and 5,000x in energy consumption compared to prevailing methodologies like transformers.
Integration with BrainChip’s Akida neuromorphic hardware IP further enhances TENNs’ capabilities, enabling the realization of highly capable, portable and passively cooled edge devices. This presentation delves into the technical innovations underlying TENNs, presents real-world benchmarks, and elucidates how this cutting-edge approach is positioned to revolutionize edge AI across diverse applications.
How information systems are built or acquired puts information, which is what they should be about, in a secondary place. Our language adapted accordingly, and we no longer talk about information systems but applications. Applications evolved in a way to break data into diverse fragments, tightly coupled with applications and expensive to integrate. The result is technical debt, which is re-paid by taking even bigger "loans", resulting in an ever-increasing technical debt. Software engineering and procurement practices work in sync with market forces to maintain this trend. This talk demonstrates how natural this situation is. The question is: can something be done to reverse the trend?
Taking AI to the Next Level in Manufacturing.pdfssuserfac0301
Read Taking AI to the Next Level in Manufacturing to gain insights on AI adoption in the manufacturing industry, such as:
1. How quickly AI is being implemented in manufacturing.
2. Which barriers stand in the way of AI adoption.
3. How data quality and governance form the backbone of AI.
4. Organizational processes and structures that may inhibit effective AI adoption.
6. Ideas and approaches to help build your organization's AI strategy.
Applying and integrating bioscience innovation for socio-economic development
1. E Jane Morris
African Centre for Gene
Technologies and Department of
Biochemistry University of Pretoria
APPLYING AND
INTEGRATING
First Bio-Innovate Regional
BIOSCIENCE
Scientific Conference INNOVATION FOR
United Nations Conference SOCIO-ECONOMIC
Centre (UNCC-ECA) DEVELOPMENT
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
25-27 February 2013
2. What is bioscience innovation?
Transferand application of knowledge, R&D
and information (OECD)
The innovative application of biotechnology to
create products or services
Can involve adoption, refinement and
modification of existing technologies – not
necessarily new cutting edge technologies
3. Bioscience innovation towards
a bioeconomy
Africa and the world need to move towards a
sustainable bioeconomy
So – what do we mean by a bioeconomy?
A world where biotechnology contributes to a
significant share of economic output (OECD)
Sustainable production and conversion of
biomass, for a range of food, health, fibre and
industrial products and energy, where renewable
biomass encompasses any biological material to
be used as raw material (EU)
4. Why does Africa need a bio-
economy?
The current trajectory of economic development
is ecologically unsustainable
Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the regions where
natural services are most threatened by human
impacts
To be sustainable, the development of a bio-
economy should focus not only on new uses of
biomass, but also on increased biomass
production and on its more efficient use, including
use of waste products. Africa has huge potential
here!
5. What about a Bioeconomy
strategy?
EU Bio-economy Strategy focuses on the potential for
conversion of agricultural biomass into food, feed, bio-
based products and bioenergy
US Bio-economy Blueprint focuses on new drugs and
diagnostics for improved human health, higher-
yielding food crops, biofuels and bio-based chemical
intermediates
China sees the bio-economy as a means to tackle
certain economic and societal challenges rather than
an end goal.
AFRICA???
6. IS AFRICA MAKING ANY
PROGRESS TOWARDS THE
DEVELOPMENT OF A BIO-
ECONOMY?
7. African case study – Striga
tolerant cereals
21m ha infested across Africa, major crop losses
BASF developed herbicide tolerant maize that
would kill Striga
Technology deployed through AATF
Limited uptake
Uptake hampered by limited seed availability,
lack of training for farmers
Need for brochures in local languages –
provided by NGOs
8. African case study – banana
tissue culture
Disease results in low yields and shortened life of
plants
Tissue culture bananas provide disease free
planting material
Concerted efforts to enhance uptake and
improve distribution of plantlets
Technology uptake low (eg 5% in Kenya)
Uptake hampered by high costs of production,
lack of access to credit by farmers, the need for
agricultural inputs, and knowledge of the
required agronomic practices
Need for disease resistant plants
9. African case study – microbial
fermentation in South Africa
Technology to produce the amino acid lysine
developed in South Africa
1996 - $70M investment in fermentation plant to
produce 11 000 tonnes per annum
Technologically successful though a steep
learning curve
1998 – management buyout
Plant suboptimal in size, tried to diversify into
other less commoditized amino acids
2009 – acquired by a Canadian company,
moved to yeast production
10. African case study – value
addition through agroprocessing
Various initiatives to add value to agricultural
products across Africa
Eg Cassava in Nigeria, cashew nuts in Kenya,
liquorice in South Africa, edible oils in East Africa
Governments and private sector have all
recognized the potential for growth. Market-led,
private sector involvement is key for success.
Needs to be a strong linkage between producers
and processors
Technological, market, institutional and
infrastructural issues must all be addressed
11. Challenges and hurdles (1)
Access to finance, markets and business
advisory services
Support for business plan development
Seed funding and venture capital
Lack of purchasing power in local markets
Transport costs and difficulty of access to markets
in the developed world
Time and cost of product development
Lack of critical mass (expertise, facilities, money)
Leads to lack of competitiveness
12. Challenges and hurdles (2)
Intellectual property
Weak protection of IPRs in much of Africa
Difficulty of accessing IP to ensure Freedom to
Operate
High cost of patenting
Liability and redress concerns
Protection of indigenous knowledge
Policy and regulatory hurdles
Policies and legislation do not support innovation
Lack of regulations for biological products
13. Challenges and hurdles (3)
Funding for R&D
Lack of government support for research,
development and innovation
Reliance on donor organizations
Lack of modern equipment, and/or funds to run
and maintain equipment
Lack of pilot plant facilities
Technical skills and know-how
Lack of technological readiness hampers
innovation
14. SOME SOLUTIONS
Public-private partnerships
Eg WEMA, Syngenta Foundation projects
Bioincubators
Need to be developed throughout the continent
Regional African collaborations
CORAF/WECARD, ASARECA etc
Sustained donor-funded programmes
Eg Bio-Innovate!!
Technology licensing
Eg P57 in South Africa
15. FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES
Improved crops,
Animal vaccines and diagnostics
Medicinal products derived from the continent’s
biodiversity
Biofuels,
Biological fertilizers
Biological control agents
Plant and animal diagnostics
Biological waste treatment
Nutraceuticals
Cosmeceuticals
16. THE WAY FORWARD
Innovators must focus on areas where Africa has a
real competitive advantage
Increase investment in market research and
technology benchmarking
Increase global competitiveness through investment
climate reforms
Increase investment in skills development
Lobby for strong political leadership to remove
generic roadblocks
Strive for an integrated approach to development of
the bioinnovation value chain
Build on synergies through collaboration
Brach (2010) suggested that two thirds of variation in economic development can be explained by a country’s technological readiness
: the public sector has limited ability to market its research outputs, while the private sector will not engage in activities where the market is insufficient to ensure profitability. Ferroni and Castle (2011) cite specific examples of PPPs involving the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture, such as the development of semi-dwarf Eragrostistef, the staple food of Ethiopia; rust resistant wheat; micronutrient enhanced crops through the CGIAR HarvestPlus Challenge Program including vitamin A enhanced sweet potato (Uganda and Mozambique), maize (Zambia) and cassava (Nigeria); and iron rich pearl millet (India) and bean (Rwanda).The African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), headquartered in Kenya, specifically has a mandate to facilitate and promote PPPs. One of their flagship projects is the Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) project, a partnership between Monsanto, BASF, the CGIAR International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), and the national agricultural research systems in participating countries. Funding is provided by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Howard G Buffet Foundation. This complex project demonstrates the potential of multi-partner PPPs to deliver value above and beyond what could be possible through any one organization
the cost of doing business in Africa is 20–40% above that for other developing regionsAfrican tertiary graduates are weak in problem solving, business understanding, computer use and communication skillsStrong leadership by Africa’s politicians is required to remove generic roadblocks such as customs barriers to regional trade; to establish systems to ensure that farmers have access to modern agricultural inputs; to promote African-based integrated value chains; and above all to promote a change of mind-set regarding the importance of science, technology and innovation.