B4FA Week in Review – 27 September 2018

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B4FA Week in Review – 27 September 2018

September 27th, 2018 / B4FA.org

The Maize Lethal Necrosis Disease (MLND) Screening Facility in Naivasha, Kenya, recently released 15 disease-resistant hybrid maize varieties to Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Researchers found and – through molecular marker assisted breeding – transferred resistant genes into 30 maize varieties adapted for Africa, a process that took three years, in contrast to seven years with conventional breeding. According to an article published in the Daily Nation, “MLND resistant varieties will cushion farmers against massive losses attributed to the disease not just in Kenya, but all over Africa with the exception of Southern Africa. According to the 2014 Survey on MLND by Kalro about 78,000 hectares of maize crop were affected by MLND leading to a loss of more than 11 million bags.” It’s hoped that the hybrid varieties will ultimately eradicate the disease in these areas.

Writing for Cornell’s Alliance for Science blog, B4FA Fellow Lominda Afedraru reports that the prime minister of Uganda’s traditional Buganda Kingdom has visited a government research facility in Namulonge recently and subsequently gave approval and support for agricultural biotechnology innovations. “Prime Minister Charles Peter Mayiga was fascinated to see products bred using modern biotechnology in the biosciences laboratory at the National Crop Resources Research Institute (NaCCRI) as a team of prominent scientists explained to him the processes of conventional and modern plant breeding,” she writes.

After witnessing demonstrations of such innovations as diagnosing plant diseases using DNA, breeding cassava directly from plant cells and using genetic engineering to producing disease-free planting materials, the prime minister is reported to have said, “I am so amazed by the level of advanced application of science in the laboratories used to breed plants free from pests and diseases. This can increase yields in farmer fields, which we may export to cause change in the country’s economy.”

Meanwhile, a coalition called 50 x 2030 initiative – comprising the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, various national governments and other organizations – has pledged to alleviate hunger by helping 50 developing countries gather crucial data with the goal of increasing agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale farmers. Using surveys, the program will collect accurate and up-to-date information until 2030 on such factors as livestock holdings, crop yields, seed varieties, income and technological capacity of farms. This will provide governments with information on how to shape policies and help determine the value of agricultural investments. Participating countries will likely include 30 from sub-Saharan Africa, 10 from Asia, and 10 from Latin America and the Caribbean. The data, which will be shared widely, will also help monitor progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

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Headlines

Kenya: Hybrid maize resists lethal necrosis
Daily Nation

Uganda’s traditional leader praises ag biotechnology
Cornell Alliance for Science, by B4FA Fellow Lominda Afedraru

Can big data help small farmers and reduce hunger in the world’s poorest countries?
European Scientist

Why gene editing is the next food revolution
National Geographic

Ghana: UCC develops high yielding drought and disease resilient cowpea varieties
Ghana News Agency

AgBio news

Gene-editing used to determine gene functions for wheat grain traits
ISAAA

Researchers find “hotspot” regions in the wheat genome for high zinc content, new study shows
CIMMYT

Worldview: The obstacles facing a green revolution in Africa
The Daily Free Press

GMO advancement isn’t dependent on ‘big ag’ to succeed
AG Daily

Gene-edited cassava could help millions of farmers
Alliance for Science