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.
1. African Orphan Crops Consortium:
African Plant Breeding Academy
Foundational Address
Dr Ibrahim Assane Mayaki CEO NEPAD Agency
December 3, 2013
NEPAD — TRANSFORMING AFRICA
2. About Us - The NEPAD Agency
NPCA (NEPAD Agency)
• A programme of the AU
• Implementation/ technical
arm of the AU
• Headquarters Midrand, South Africa
• Transformed from the
NEPAD Secretariat to
NEPAD Planning and
Coordinating Agency
(NPCA)
NEPAD — TRANSFORMING AFRICA
NPCA’s Thematic Areas
1. Agriculture and food
security
2. Climate change &
sustainable development
3. Regional integration &
infrastructure
4. Human capital
development
5. Economic & corporate
governance
6. Cross-cutting issues
3. NEPAD governing structures
• The General Assembly of the African Union
• Heads of State and Government Implementation
Committee
• Steering Committee
• NEPAD Secretariat
NEPAD — TRANSFORMING AFRICA
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4. Our Ultimate Goal….
“To spur food production through research and
scientific breakthroughs, ….mobilize Africa’s own
resources – brain power, technology, and funding
must be geared up for an indigenous effort to get
Africa moving again….”
Late Prof. Thomas Odhiambo, 1994
Founding President of the African Academy of
Sciences
NEPAD — TRANSFORMING AFRICA
5. Challenges Faced by African Farmers –
Low Productivity
Photo Credit: IITA, ICRISAT
Impacting Food and Nutritional Security
NEPAD — TRANSFORMING AFRICA
6. Comprehensive African Agric. Dev. Programme
(CAADP)
... common policy framework for accelerated
agricultural growth ...
… to attain …
(agricultural-led socio-economic growth; inclusive
development & poverty alleviation; improved food security
and strengthen environmental resilience)
6% Annual Agriculture
Productivity growth rate
10% Public Expenditure
allocation to Agriculture
(by 2008)
NEPAD — TRANSFORMING AFRICA
(by 2015)
The Ag sector annual GDP growth
rates were 3.2% and 3.0% in 200010 and 1990-2000, respectively
7. CAADP Priority Thematic Areas (Pillars)
Pillar 3: Primary Impact Area – Basic Livelihood – Food
Security
Business
Opportunities;
Industrialisation
Pillar 1: Sustainable Land and Water –
(Production and Productivity)
Financing, Markets and
Trade opportunities
Pillar 2: Infrastructure, Trade
and Market support
NEPAD — TRANSFORMING AFRICA
New knowledge/
Technologies/Approaches
Research
Gaps, Questions!!;
emerging
challenges
Pillar 4: Research &
Dissemination support
8. CAADP Implementation: Key results and lessons
29 Investment
Plans
27 Business
Meetings
Regional Investment Plans
(ECOWAS; COMESA; IGAD: SADC;
EAC & ECCAS)
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45 Countries
actively
engaging
32 Country
Compacts
9. A Decade of CAADP Implementation
• Countries engaged in CAADP-related
interventions- 45
• Signed CAADP Compacts- 30
• Dev’d national agric. & food security invest’t
plans- 26
• Regist’d more than 6% agric. growth rate- 10
• Countries with 10% or more annual budgetary
allocation-6
• Others within 5% to 10%-9
NEPAD — TRANSFORMING AFRICA
10. What is an orphan crop ?
Orphan Crops
NEPAD — TRANSFORMING AFRICA
11. Role of orphan crops in African
economy
Major staple food crops in many Africaning
countries
Particular role in Food
security, Nutrition, Income generation to
resource-poor farmers and consumers
More adapted to the extreme soil and
climatic conditions prevalent in Africa than
the major crops of the world
NEPAD — TRANSFORMING AFRICA
12. Major Challenge
Low yield in
terms of both
quality and
quantity due to
lack of genetic
improvement
Share of Africa in the world acreage and production
For selected orphan crops in 2008
Source: FAOSAT
NEPAD — TRANSFORMING AFRICA
13. Eliminating Nutrient Deficiencies
“Modifying the nutritional composition of
plant foods is an urgent worldwide health
issue as basic nutritional needs for much
of the world’s population are still unmet.”
DellaPenna, 1999
1. Enhancing health promoting substances
2. Vitamin and micronutrients fortification
3. Lower bad fats/anti-nutrients/allergens
NEPAD — TRANSFORMING AFRICA
14. Micronutrient
Deficiency
Vitamin A deficiencies affect over 400 million people worldwide (ca. 7% world
population), causing blindness, night blindness and vulnerability to disease. An
estimated 250 million pre-school children are Vitamin A deficient. Each year two
million children die and 250,000 - 500,000 go blind from lack of Vitamin A.
Iron deficiencies affect up to 1.4 billion people worldwide (ca 22% world
population), particularly women, causing anaemia and complications during
childbirth, and affecting body growth, mental and motor development.
NEPAD — TRANSFORMING AFRICA
15. Biofortified plants are improving
nutrition for many
NEPAD — TRANSFORMING AFRICA
The non-profit organization
HarvestPlus focuses on the
development of biofortified crops for
the developing world, including a
provitamin A enriched sweet potato
that is currently being grown by half a
million families. Other biofortification
projects are underway to increase
levels of
Sources: HarvestPlus; CIMMYT
protein, iron, zinc, antioxidants and
other beneficial components in food.
16. Genetic and genomics research in Nutrition Security
General considerations in priority list of Orphan Crops
i.
Boost productivity and diversify the food system in
Africa orphan crops as an important (significant)
component in attaining Nutrition Security
ii.
The intrinsic values of the commodity in Africa’s Food
chain (also culturally)
iii. Potential to contribute to expanding a stable food and
plant commodity base
iv. Other associated non-food uses (value)
v.
Diminishing or neglected in research: (could benefit
from modern techniques - marker-assisted breeding, and
whole-genome sequencing; tissue culture, etc. )
NEPAD — TRANSFORMING AFRICA
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17. Genetic and genomics research in Nutrition Security
Specific considerations
Securing Quantity and quality of the food resource base
•
•
•
•
Yields (supporting intensification agenda) and Production potential
Diversifying the Nutritional base (e.g. biofortification) in line with
food cultures and ecosystem potential
Securing long term genome stability
Protect / adapt to natural and artificial stress / changes
Other economic value factors
•
•
•
Importance to the economy (local economy and potentially
international / now and in future)
Need /contribution to securing biodiversity and resilience
Potential to expand use/value (e.g. by removing toxic substances)
NEPAD — TRANSFORMING AFRICA
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18. Required Actions (NEPAD) to promote
orphan crops
Need of coherent policies at different levels:
Environmental policies
Agricultural policies
Agricultural Research policies
For NEPAD there is a need of a strong African
ownership at:
Political level
Technical level from African research institute and
knowledge center and breeding centers
NEPAD — TRANSFORMING AFRICA
19. Our Goals
• To reduce hunger & poverty and the
associated effects for millions of Africans
• Increase agric. productivity in a sustainable
way
Connecting Farmers with Innovation
• Relevant science
• Local ownership
• Meaningful partnership
• Build scientific capacity
NEPAD — TRANSFORMING AFRICA