AATF Facilitating Access and Delivery of Proprietary technologies for smallholder farmers in Africa

Dr. Jacob MignounaActing Executive Director ,

AATFApril 2011

Source: FAOSTAT (2001)

Cereal yields, 1961-2001 Cereal yields, 1961-2001 (MT/ha)(MT/ha)

1961 1971 1981 1991 20010

2

4

6

ChinaChina

Sub Saharan Africa

South Asia

African Agriculture: Under-Performing

Yields are stationary or declining

Yet population has continued to increase

Production per capita is declining

Food Production per Capita:

Africa vs. rest of World

The Reasons

• Low farm productivity:– Poor quality soils/lack of access to

fertilizers– Inadequate irrigation– Absence of appropriate technology– Poor infrastructure – Pests and diseases– Lack of access to credit– The HIV/AIDS Pandemic– etc

Need for Advanced Agricultural Technologies

• African governments and institutions have recognised Africa’s need to access new and better agricultural technologies (PRSP’s, NEPAD)

• Agricultural science & technology can improve food security and reduce poverty in SSA

• Unfortunately some of these technologies are proprietary

• Challenge – Cost & IP management

Why AATF?

– Effective mechanisms to negotiate the access and transfer - on humanitarian grounds

– Partnerships to manage the development & deployment of these technologies

– Therefore AATF’s creation

Vision - Prosperous farmers and a food secure Africa

Mission - Access and deliver proprietary agricultural technologies for sustainable use by smallholder farmers in SSA

AATF Vision & Mission

AATF Strategic Thrusts

• Negotiating access to and ensuring stewardship of proprietary technologies that enhance the productivity of agriculture in Africa

• Managing partnerships for project formulation, product development and deployment to introduce innovative agricultural technologies to African farming systems

• Managing information and knowledge to support technology identification, product development and deployment, and a conducive policy environment

AATF Partners• African Countries’ Governments

• Regional and National Institutions/Agencies (AU/NEPAD/ECA/FARA/SROs/NARs)

• Agricultural Producers/Consumers

• International Institutions/Agencies (CGIAR/ARIs)

• Local/International NGOs

• Industry IP holders (Monsanto; DowAgro; Pioneer/DuPont; Syngenta; BASF)

• African trade and agribusiness organizations;

AATF Investors

• Rockefeller Foundation

• US Agency for International Development

• UK Dept for International Development

• Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

• Howard Buffet Foundation

Legal Status• Incorporated in UK January 2003 and

in Kenya in April 2003

• Registered as charity under the laws of England & Wales in January 2005

• Granted host country status by Government of Kenya in June 2005

• Granted tax-exempt status in the US in May 2006

• Effective mechanisms to negotiate the access and transfer of proprietary technologies

1. cry1Ab license obtained from Monsanto and sub-licensed to CSIRO, IITA

2. pflp license obtained from Academia Sinica

3. NUE and SAL genes being negotiated with Arcadia Biosciences

4. Drought tolerance technology – Monsanto & CIMMYT

• Appropriate partnerships to manage the development & deployment of these technologies until they reach farmers - Cowpea

Does the AATF ‘Idea’ Work?

IPProvider

AATFGene

Introgression

F F F F F F

Transfor-mation

Seed Multiplicationand Distribution

LicensingNegotiations

Regulatory Compliance

Field testingConsumer acceptanceSeed distribution systemsInsect resistance managementProduct stewardship

NGICA

Monsanto CSIRO-Australia

IITANARS

NGOs, Seed Co., CBO

KirkhouseTrust

HOW AATF CONDUCTS BUSINESS

Approach to Technology Transfer

Criteria for technology selection– Targeted priority agricultural problems (SRO’s etc)– Accessible, transferable, adaptable & proven technologies

Focus• Food and high value crops produced by smallholder farmers in

SSA

AATF Role - • ‘Responsible party’ & Stewardship – ensuring technologies are

appropriately and responsibly used across the value chain Note: Smallholder defined as

Scope of activities• Across Full Value Chain

Implementation• Through PPP

Area of Operation• SSA

Working Across Value Chain

• Steps in the value chain– Technology identification

and access– Research &

Development• Proof of concept• Field testing

– Input production– Input delivery– Use of inputs– Surplus marketing

• AATF Roles– IP management– Regulatory compliance– R&D management– Monitoring and

facilitation– Communication– Stewardship– Impact assessment– Partnership Management

AATF Project Specific Activities

• Technology licensing and regulatory approval

• Freedom to operate (FTO) assessments

• Licensing for regional distribution

• Liability protection

• Product Development and testing

• Stewardship & Commercialisation

• Partnerships Management

• Communication and public awareness

15. Exit StrategyAATF ProjectLadder

Phase 0

Busin

ess

Plan

Prepa

ratio

n

Produ

ct

Deplo

ymen

t

Produ

ct

Devel

opm

ent

0. Problem-Solution Intelligence Gathering

14. Wide Scale Product Deployment

13. Planning Deployment Expansion

11. Pilot Product Deployment

12. Impact Assessment

10. Baseline Study

3. Scientific/Technical/Legal Review

4. Feasibility Assessment5. Project Business Plan Development

6. Board Recommendation

7. Product Development

8. Risk Management Strategy Development

9. Communication Strategy Development

1. Product Idea Identification

2. Product Concept Note Development

Product Ideas

Go/No GoDecision

Go/No GoDecision

Go/No GoDecision

Ag

ricultu

ral Inn

ovatio

n P

latform

Pro

du

ct D

evel

op

men

tan

d D

eplo

ymen

t

Proof of Concept DeploymentProduct Devt. IIProduct Devt. I

Efficacy testing

Elite event selection

Agronomic trials

Protocol optimization

Event generation

Molecular characterization

Trait integration

Variety development

Field production

Market access

Seed production

Seed Sales

En

ablin

g F

un

ctio

ns

R&D Management and Coordination

Product Profiling and Impact Assessment

Communication and Issue Management

Regulatory Science and Management of Regulatory Affairs

IP Management, Licensing and Technology Stewardship

Product Development and Deployment

AATF MAIN ACTIVITIESAATF ROLE

Year 1-5AATF ROLE

Year 6-10

0. Problem-solution intelligence gathering

1. Product Concept identification

2.Concept Note development

3. Scientific/technical/legal review LEADER LEADER

4. Feasibility assessment

5. Project business plan development

6. Board recommendation

7. Product development CGIAR ARI NARSPRIVATE SECTOR FOLLOWER FOLLOWER

8. Risk management strategy developmentPRIVATE SECTOR CO-LEADER CO-LEADER

9. Communication strategy development NGO LEADER LEADER

10. Baseline study CGIAR ARI NARS FOLLOWER FOLLOWER

11. Product deploymentPRIVATE SECTOR NGO CO-LEADER CO-LEADER

12. Impact assessment CGIAR ARI NARS FOLLOWER FOLLOWER

13. Planning expansion ARI NARSPRIVATE SECTOR LEADER LEADER

14. Wide scale deploymentPRIVATE SECTOR CO-LEADER CO-LEADER

15. Exit strategy LEADER LEADER

KNOWN PLAYERS IN THIS FIELD

Strategic Positioning

AATFFundingAgencies

TechnologyLicensors

License Technology/Know-how Support in Kind

1 2 3 4Contracts

ResearchInstitute

ResearchInstitute

Production &DistributionCompany

NGO/PrivateStockistsPartners

Basic/Strategic/AdaptiveResearch

RegulatoryApprovals

Production &Distribution

Demonstration& Market

Development

Farmers

Activities

How AATF Operates

Sub-license

Priority Areas for AATF• Impact of climate change on agriculture

• Pest Management

• Soil Management

• Nutrient enhancement in foods

• Improved breeding Methods

• Mechanization

Current AATF Activities

1. Striga control in smallholder maize field

2. Insect-resistant cowpea

3. Improvement of banana for resistance against banana bacterial wilt

4. Biological Control of Aflatoxin

5. Drought-tolerance in maize

6. Improving Rice Productivity in Nitrogen-Deficient and Saline Environments of Sub-Saharan Africa

AATF PROJECTS

• In Kenya, Striga infests 200,000 ha (2.4m ha in SSA; loss of over US$1b)

• Yield losses range from 20 – 80% but can reach 100%

• Intensive mono-cropping and declining soil fertility aggravate the situation

• If addressed, this will lead to an extra 300,000mt of maize (3.3M bags)

• AATF has spent about KSh.190M

Striga Control in African Maize Fields

Photo courtesy of CIMMYT

Twin technology: herbicide resistance and seed coating with herbicide

Product: Seed of herbicide-resistant maize coated with an herbicide for control of Striga

Progress & Developments

• Four (4) hybrids and 2 OPV released for certified seed production– Commercialised in Kenya; – 1 OPV released in Tanzania– NPTs underway in Uganda

• In 2010, about 30 tons of certified seed will be made available to farmers

• Over 60,000 farmers trained on use

• Over 40 agro-dealers trained in handling and use

• Ongoing awareness & education on threat posed by striga & control options

Developing high quality Maruca-resistant cowpea varieties

Constraint: Maruca Pod BorerProduct: Maruca-Resistant Cowpea

Figure 7. Pod damage by M. vitrata

Developing high quality Maruca-resistant cowpea varieties

Problem• Insect damage in the field and in storage• Losses can be up to 80%.• Frequent insecticide sprays required – health hazard• Nigeria alone Revenue loss at 400kg/ha-35.52 billion naira (USD 233m)

Technological Intervention Host plant resistance is a low-cost and environmentally friendly control measure for the farmer

ProductHigh yielding cowpea varieties with increased resistance to insect pests - Bt-Cowpea(Marucca- Resistant Cowpea)

IPProvider

AATF GeneIntrogression

F F F F F F

Transfor-mation

Seed Multiplicationand Distribution

LicensingNegotiations

Regulatory Compliance

Field testingConsumer acceptanceSeed distribution systemsInsect resistance managementProduct stewardship

PPPs in the Maruca-resistant Cowpea Project

NGICA

Monsanto CSIRO-Australia

IITANARS

NGOs, Seed Co., CBO

KirkhouseTrust

Progress & Developments Product development on going at CSIRO- Australia

Confined Field Trials - Puerto Rico & Nigeria

Expected Benefits• Availability of Maruca-Resistan cowpeas will

contribute significantly to

– (1) increased production and incomes– – (2) improved nutrition

– (3) enhanced soil fertility

– (4) increase storability,

– (5) Improved human & environmental health (decreased pesticide use).

Resistance to Banana Bacterial Wilt for East African Highland Bananas

Constraint:banana bacterial wilt (BBW) disease caused by the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum (Xcm)

Development of a BBW-Resistant Banana

IPProvider

AATFLab/FieldTesting

F F F F F F

Transfor-mation

Propagule Multiplicationand Distribution

Regulatory Compliance

Consumer acceptancePropagule distribution systemsProduct stewardship

IITA

AcademiaSinica

IITA, NARO

IITAIRAZNARS

NGOs, Seed Co., CBO

LicensingNegotiations

Improving Rice Productivity in Saline Environments of Sub-Saharan Africa

Constraint: Low productivity of upland rice under low soil nitrogen and irrigated rice constrained by saline environments

NUE –ST-WUE Rice project Partners

• AATF

• PIPPRA

• Arcadia Biosciences• NARS- Ghana

– Uganda– Nigeria

Progress & Developments• Product Development on-going:

– Upland ST: 1st transgenic events generated transferred to the green house in October 2009

– Lowland (NUE & ST) events were transferred from tissue culture to the soil in the greenhouse in Jan 2010.

• CFT sites identified & prepared

• Project to include Water Use Efficiency (WUE)

• Africa drought-prone

• Maize is the most widely grown staple crop in Africa – affected by drought

• In 2003 WFP spent $0.57b on food emergency due to drought in Africa

• Risk of drought prevents investment in BMP

• Yield stability is key to unlock the value of basic inputs for Africa GR

Recorded droughts between 1971 and 2000, and the number of people affected

Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA)

Drought Stress in Maize, Kenya

Source: James Gethi, 2009

WEMA Partners

• The African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) leading the project.

• CIMMYT and Monsanto providing germplasm, breeding, and biotechnology.

• National Ag. Research System (NARS) testing products and bringing WEMA to farmers

• Kenya• Uganda• Mozambique• Tanzania• South Africa

• The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Howard G. Buffett Foundation providing R&D funding.

Progress & Developments

• Partnership established– Contracts signed, teams assembled, workplans

developed and initiated

• Breeding programs underway

• Field trials initiated– Sites identified for development of irrigated

regulated drought testing– Training workshops conducted– DT trials planted in South Africa with Monsanto’s

lead commercial event– CIMMYT and Monsanto African adapted inbreds

undergoing trait integration

Expected Benefits & Outputs• Improved yield stability under moderate drought

• The conventionally bred seed available to small-scale farmers in SSA royalty-free in the next 3–4 years.

• More reliable harvests for small scale farmers– Reduced risk of crop failure during moderate drought – Adoption of improved farming practices

• Increased maize yields by 20–35% over current varieties under moderate drought

• Additional 2 million MT maize during drought years to feed about 14 to 21 M people

Challenges & Lessons• Accessing technology

– Negotiation for best arrangement

– Confidentiality arrangements

• Establishing effective partnerships

– Managing expectations within overall goals of project

• Challenging regulatory environment

– Regulatory frameworks to support activities

• Communicating biotechnology– Acceptable communication practices

• Seed Deployment systems

• Quality control, production capacity & micro-credit

• Funding – Core and project funding

FONDATION AFRICAINE POUR LES TECHNOLOGIES AGRICOLES