David Wafula PBS-Kenya

1. Current Status of Agricultural Biotechnology in AfricaAFDB/IFPRI WORKSHOP ON BIOTECHNOLOGY AND AFRICAN AGRICULTURE: OPPORTUNITIES AND ISSUESTUNIS, TUNISIA, 14 APRIL, 2011 David Wafula PBS-Kenya

2. Presentation outline • Role of agriculture in Africa & challenges • The contribution of agricultural biotech • Agribiotech global status and trends • Biotech opportunities for Africa • Status-commercialization and CFTs • Issues and concerns • Future prospects

3. Role of Agriculture in Africa • What is the role of agriculture in Africa? • Contributing ~ 70% GDP • Contributes significantly in terms of livelihoods, • Employment, trade, export earnings e.t.c

4. Challenges of African Agriculture Drought Flood Inputs Infrastructure Technology Markets Diseases, pests, weeds, post harvest losses HIV/AIDS Policy choices

5. Consequences? • Reduced productivity and competitiveness • Food and nutrition insecurity (dependency on food aid)

6. Yield of cereals (ton/ha) Central Challenge for SSA Increase agricultural productivity

7. Food aid Situation in the Region Sub-Saharan Africa-most vulnerable region in the world in terms of dependency on emergency food aid In 2007 SSA accounted for 67% of global emergency food aid deliveries

8. Real need to improve agriculture sectorDifferent Options Indigenous knowledge Organic farming Plant breeding Some tools in agriculture Irrigation Biotechnology Sustainable resource management Conservation FARMING Integrated pest management Note: Biotechnology provides COMPLEMENTARY tools and will not replace traditional agriculture

9. Agricultural Biotechnology Global Status in 2010

10. Accumulated Global Area of Biotech Crops,1996/10 Biotech Crops Surge Over 1 Billion Hectares in 2010 M Acres 2965 1200 1 Billion Hectares = USA land area 1000 2471 1976 800 600 1482 500 Million Hectares 10 years 5 years 400 988 494 200 0 0 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Source: Clive James, 2011

11. SUMMARY– 2010 HIGHLIGHTS • 29 countries planted biotech crops • Of the 29 countries, 19 were developing, 10 industrial • 15.4 million biotech farmers – 90% or 14.4 million small and resource-challenged farmers • 148 million hectares up from 134 million hectares in 2009 • 8 European countries planted biotech crops up from 6 in 2009

12. Top 10 Biotech Crop Adopting Nations 2010

13. M Acres 80 198 Soybean 70 173 Maize 60 148 Cotton 50 124 Canola 40 99 30 74 20 49 10 25 0 0 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Global Area of Biotech Crops, 1996 to 2010: By Crop (Million Hectares, Million Acres) Source: Clive James, 2010

14. Biotechnology opportunities for Africa What is the place of biotechnology in contributing to productivity and food security in Africa? • Pests and diseases • Drought & other climate change related challenges • Poor nutrition

15. Status of Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa

16. Status of Biotechnology in Africa • Biotech crops commercialized • South Africa- maize, cotton, soybean • Egypt- maize • Burkina Faso - cotton Egypt Kenya Burkina Faso Nigeria Uganda Zimbabwe South Africa None Field Trials Commercial

17. South Africa Area under biotech crops • 76.9 % of total area under maize is biotech • Over 95% of cotton is biotech • 85% of soyabean is biotech BENEFITS Maize • Income↑ of US$ 35/ha • 60% savings on insectides and labour Cotton • No of sprays reduced from 10 to 4 in a season • Savings on labour costs and reduced exposure to chemicals

18. Bt cotton in Burkina Faso • Cotton accounts for 60% of the export earnings • Pest control accounts for 50-70% of production costs • Bt cotton introduced - 4,500 farmers planted in 2009 on 115 hectares of land • In 2010-80, 000 farmers adopted and area under Bt cotton increased to 260, 000 hectares (65% adoption rate) BENEFITS in 2010 • Bt cotton-yield increase of 20% • 50% reduction insectides sprays ( from 8 sprays 2-4 sprays in a season) • Yield increase and savings on labour and insectides resulted to net gain of US$ 66 per hectare compared to conventional cotton

19. Cotton – A success story - Africa A Bt farmer’s cotton

20. Some ongoing biotech R&D activities in Africa Source: ISAAA AfriCenter, 2009

21. Some ongoing biotech R&D activities in Africa Source: ISAAA AfriCenter, 2009

22. Some ongoing biotech R&D activities in Africa Source: ISAAA AfriCenter, 2009

23. Issues and Concerns

24. Concerns and issues associated with GMOs Rapid diffusion of GMOs has triggered numerous concerns and fears. Africa reluctant to adopt GM crops for various reasons • Safety of GM crops to human health and the environment • Ethical and socio-economic considerations Trade related impacts and access to export markets

25. GMOs and Trade. What is the Magnitude of risk ?

26. Nature of Exports from Africa • Exports from Africa to EU do not constitute a significant proportion of products such as cottonseed, cake, oil or maize • Exports are predominantly traditional commodities- tea, coffee, cocoa, pyrethrum, stobacco, horticulture etc. • Adoption of GM cotton, sorghum, maize, cassava in Africa will not jeopardize exports

27. The Future of Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa

28. Challenges for the Future • Establishing functional biosafety systems • Improved Communication with Society about the attributes, benefits and biosafety measures for biotech crops

29. Three requirements for growth of Biotech/GM crops in Africa Political will and support governments and lead institutions Biotech crops that address Africa’s priorities Credible communication strategies- to enhance public awareness and acceptance

30. The need to see innovations in biotechnology as an opportunity, not as a threat THANK YOU