The IITA
CGIAR
No. 2348
3–7 October 2016
aflasafe KE01TM launched in Kenya; private sector asked to invest in the technology Good news for maize farmers in Kenya and indeed Africa! The biocontrol product aflasafe KE01™, an innovative, safe, and effective technology for controlling aflatoxin contamination, was launched on 4 October at a ceremony at the Kenyan Agricultural Livestock and Research Organization (KALRO).
Speaking at the event, Kireger said he considered this a very important development for the Kenyan people, especially the farming community. He noted that aflatoxins are a major challenge to maize production in the country and its efforts to secure food supplies and improve the health and well-being of its people. “The aflasafe technology could not have come at a more opportune time. Climate change and the accompanying extreme weather conditions, from drought to too much rain, are not only threats to food security but they also create favorable conditions for the mold that produces aflatoxin and increase in aflatoxin contamination,” he said.
Kireger said that the adoption of this biocontrol technology with other management practices by farmers will reduce aflatoxin contamination by over The opening program of the ATTC in Nairobi, Kenya. 70% in maize and groundnut, increase crop value by at least 5%, and improve aflasafe KE01TM has proven effective representatives from the farming community the health of children and women. in reducing aflatoxin contamination from within and outside the country. “High levels of aflatoxin in maize—far by 70–80% in trials in farmers’ fields The launch paves the way for the above acceptable levels—have forced across various parts of the country. production and distribution of aflasafe regulators to remove maize grain The technology was launched by Eliud Kireger, KE01TM and was followed by a business and prevent it from entering the food/ KALRO Director General, at a ceremony meeting to entice the private sector to feed chain leading to food insecurity attended by policy makers, researchers, invest in the technology to ensure its and increase in food prices. aflasafe development partners, nongovernmental sustainable production and distribution KE01TM is a safe and effective solution organizations, private sector partners, and to the farming community. to this challenge. Continued on page 2
Mozambique hosts IITA top brass for meeting, visit of new facilities
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embers of the IITA R4D/P4D Directorate were at the new IITAMozambique office in Nampula for a three-day meeting and station visit, which was held 18–21 September. The delegation was led by Ylva Hillbur, DDGR4D, and Kenton Dashiell, DDG-P4D, and comprised the regional directors, unit heads, and other members of the R4D directorate. At the IITA-Mozambique station, the delegation was given a tour of the new facilities by Steve Boahen, Country Steve Boahen briefing R4D and P4D delegates about the IITA-Mozambique facilities.
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Representative for Mozambique and Deputy Regional Director for Southern Africa. He also presented to the group plans for future expansion of the station. Among other things, the group was shown the new Mycotoxin Laboratory where numerous activities on aflatoxin control are being undertaken and the new Seed Storage Facility that will be equipped with refrigeration and humidity control systems. Furthermore, IITA Nampula staff had the opportunity to participate in a short workshop on Project Proposal Development facilitated by Kristina Roing de Nowina, Head of the newly created Project Development and IITA delegation being shown the state-of-the-art Mycotoxin Lab by Boahen. Administration Unit. Structure with staff and also for a hubs. It was also an opportunity for The R4D/P4D directorate meeting monitoring and control visit. He Sholola to familiarize himself with the coincided with a visit to the station by emphasized the essence of the new financial and administrative operating the Director of Finance, Omoshalewa organizational structure to make procedures at the station and suggest Sholola. He was in Nampula to discuss IITA operate efficiently, enhance ways to further enhance the related the Refreshed IITA Organizational decentralization, and strengthen the operations in the station.
aflasafe KE01TM launched in Kenya; private sector asked to invest in the technology Cont’d from page 1
end of the year and start production so farmers can have the product for the 2017 cropping season. This is the second plant in Africa; the first is at IITA Headquarters in Ibadan, Nigeria. It is our wish to see this product widely distributed to all the major maizegrowing regions in the country to make sure all the maize is safe for the people of Kenya,” said Leena Tripathi, IITA aflasafe KE01TM was registered by Country Coordinator, also speaking at KALRO, on behalf of the partners, with the event. the Pest Control Products Board (PCPB) on 29 June 2015. IITA and KALRO are The launch and subsequent business also constructing a modular plant to meeting were organized under the manufacture the product at KALRO Aflasafe Technology Transfer and Katumani. Early this month, Kireger and Commercialization (ATTC) project led IITA Director General Nteranya Sanginga by IITA. The project is designed to signed a Technology Transfer and carefully but efficiently identify strategic Licensing Agreement on aflasafe KE01TM. options for partnership with private companies or government entities, “We anticipate completing the execute those partnerships, and help construction of the modular plant to ensure that aflasafe products reach manufacture aflasafe KE01TM at the millions of farmers. The technology was first developed by the United States Department of Agriculture–Agriculture Research Services (USDA–ARS). KALRO and IITA partnered with USDA–ARS and many other international and national partners to adapt and improve the technology to Kenya using locally sourced strains of the atoxigenic fungus.
VIPs checking out the product and addressing the media.
IITA Bulletin 2348
Launching of aflasafe KE01™.
“This business meeting is the starting point of the commercialization of the product in Kenya to benefit farmers. We look forward to partnering with both private and public sectors to ensure the production and wide distribution of the product in the country,” said Abdou Konlambigue, ATTC Managing Director. This 5-year project funded jointly by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Gates Foundation covers 11 countries where aflasafe is or may soon be a nationally registered product: Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, The Gambia, Uganda, and Zambia. page 2
IITA’s Genetic Resources Center trains partners
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wo training sessions aimed to upgrade the capacity of national agricultural research systems (NARS), Genebank technicians, students, and lecturers to do laboratory experiments have been concluded by IITA’s Genetic Resources Center in collaboration with the Capacity Development Office in Ibadan. The first training on Genebank Management for National Agricultural Research Systems in sub-Saharan Africa was held 26-30 September, and the second training on plant in vitro culture/conservation was held on 3-7 October. Areas covered during the training on Genebank conservation and management systems included characterization and conservation of clonally propagated crops like cassava, yam, and banana, in vitro conservation, tissue culture, record keeping/data management, access/ distribution of seeds, international and local policies that affect distribution of
Participant receiving his certificate from Dr Abberton.
Abigael of GRC leading the hands-on training session.
seeds, molecular characterizations, DNA fingerprinting, seed utilization, and networking among genebank systems in Africa. “The objective of the course was to develop the capacity and skills of participants in genebank management to enable them to manage their genebank systems effectively in their countries. It also aims at building the capacity of national agricultural research organizations on genebank management practices to ensure adequate seed conservation and distribution systems,” said Michael Abberton, who facilitated the training. During the training on plant in vitro culture/conservation, participants learned the use of in vitro culture tools, mainly for conservation of clonally or vegetatively propagated crops, multiplication, and somatic embryogenesis.
“Part of our duties is to serve as a training and capacity development platform for the NARs in Africa, especially in areas that can help improveand reach the goal of having a more productive agricultural system,” Badara Gueye, Plant Tissue Culture and Conservation Specialist, highlighted during the training. Gueye also encouraged the participants to share the knowledge from the training with their counterparts back home. “After this hands-on training, IITA will be very much glad to have you transfer your acquired knowledge to your respective laboratories and Universities in your countries. That is how we can promote knowledge in the localities that we cannot reach directly,” Gueye said. The participants, from Benin, Côte D’Ivoire Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Sudan, and Togo, were issued certificates at the end of the training courses.
Announcements
GAP (GFAR-facilitated “Gender in Agriculture Partnership”) webinar, 4 October, on three ongoing initiatives to mainstream sex-disaggregated data and gender indicators in national agricultural censuses and surveys, and in agricultural development projects. The discussion will focus on (a) conceptual and methodological issues, (b) capacity building in statistical and agricultural research institutions, and (c) how to ensure that policy makers and planners receive and act on these data to improve gender equality in agriculture. Participation is free. Check out the full announcement post (including details on how to participate in this webinar here.
IITA 50th Anniversary Kick-off Event: Lecture by IFAD President Kanayo Nwanze, IITA, Ibadan, Nigeria, 19 October. First Regional Cocoa Symposium, IITA, Ibadan, Nigeria, 8–10 November. More details available here.
Marketplace Event, Humidtropics, IITA, Ibadan, Nigeria, 15–17 November. P4D (Partnerships for Delivery) Week, IITA, Ibadan, Nigeria, 21–25 November.
7th International Nitrogen Initiative Conference, Melbourne, Australia, 4–8 December. More details available here.
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Welcome! Béla Teeken, a Dutch national, has impacts
joined IITA, Ibadan as a gender postdoctoral fellow. He is interested in how biophysical environment, l o c a l institutions, and culture shape and determine local agricultural innovations and practices and how such innovations and practices relate to those of formal scientific research. Teeken worked shortly on grassroots innovations at the NGO “Sristi” in India, before pursuing his PhD research at Wageningen University. He has an interdisciplinary background with an MSc in rural development sociology and another in agronomy/plant physiology, both from Wageningen University. His PhD combined these disciplines and covered field research in the Togo Hills in Ghana and Togo. Within the NEXTGEN Cassava project Teeken will study gender dynamics and intra-household decision making within the cultivation and processing of cassava in West Africa to develop more accurate breeding strategies for cassava through connecting cassava farmers, processors, and consumers’ preferences, and socioeconomic contexts to genetic, agronomic, and food science data. He can be reached on ext. 2290 or by email at b.teeken@cgiar.org.
Alexander Nimo Wiredu is an
Agricultural Economist from Ghana with expertise and interest in development program impact evaluation. Wiredu applies his expertise in assessing the
of agricultural interventions on agricultural technology adoption, p r o d u c t i v i t y, incomes, poverty, and food security of actors in agricultural commodity systems. He holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics, an MPhil in Agricultural Economics, and a BSc in Agriculture (Major: Agricultural Economics). Wiredu started his career in 2004 as a research assistant with the University of Ghana. He later joined the Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (SARI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) of Ghana (2008) as the head of the socioeconomic program. During this period Wiredu worked with various CGIAR centers and the University of Hohenheim in Germany as a collaborator and also on shortterm consultancies. In September 2016 he joined IITA as the M&E Specialist of the USAID SEMEAR project at the Nampula Station in Mozambique. He can be reached on Skype via nanayawnimowiredu or on telephone numbers +258 26216381 and +258846770383. His email address is n.wiredu@cgiar.org.
George Piacentini has joined IITA-
Ibadan as the new Head Teacher of the International School. George is a Scottish/ British citizen with an Italian surname. He has been a
teacher and school leader for 28 years. He holds a B.Ed in Primary Education, a Diploma in Catholic Education, and he is a certified Principal from the Principal’s Training Center. He has taught in many schools and has been a school leader in the UK, Qatar, Ethiopia, Venezuela, Tanzania, Singapore, Finland, and Iraq. Although he has spent many years working in primary and middle school science his heart lies in the arts especially art, music, acting, and dance. He likes traveling, reading, cinema, and singing in a rock and roll band. He is newly married to Dr Eylem Piacentini and they are delighted to start their married life here at IITA. He resides at Guildway 3 and can be contacted at g.piacentini@cgiar. org with telephone extension number 2756.
Arden Gonzales-Iballar has joined the
International School of IITA as the new Grade 1 teacher. She is Filipino. She has had over nine years’ experience teaching v a r i o u s grade levels in different international and private schools in the Philippines. She has an MA in Special Education and she has published a book on teaching reading for the primary years. She is married to Grant Iballar. She enjoys traveling, watching movies, and cooking with her spouse. She lives in Apartment 3A on the IITA Campus and she can be reached at a.c.gonzales@ cgiar.org.
Got a story to share? Please email it with photos and captions every Wednesday to Katherine Lopez (k.lopez@cgiar.org), Jeffrey T. Oliver (j.oliver@cgiar.org), Catherine Njuguna (c.njuguna@cgiar.org), or Adaobi Umeokoro (a.umeokoro@cgiar.org).
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