Heat and Drought Tolerant Wheat Varieties

Wheat cultivation in high temperature regions

The Heat and Drought Tolerant Wheat Varieties mature within 90 days, faster than many traditional varieties. They can withstand temperatures that are 4°C higher than normal and show 75% of their yield potential under extreme conditions of less than 200mm of moisture and heat stress. These varieties are resistant to diseases and pests like yellow stem rust and have high water use efficiency, making them suitable for regions with limited water resources. They also have good bread-making quality with 14-15% protein content. These traits make these varieties particularly suited for challenging growing conditions, such as those found in many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa.

This technology is TAAT1 validated.

7•8

Scaling readiness: idea maturity 7/9; level of use 8/9

Cost: $$$

4 - 6 tons/ha

increase in yield

100 kg/ha

Planting rate

IP

Unknown

Problem

Heat Stress: Traditional wheat varieties suffer from reduced yields when exposed to temperatures 4°C higher than normal.
Drought Conditions: Insufficient moisture levels, often less than 200mm, cause significant yield losses in conventional wheat.
Low Productivity: Farmers struggle with low yields, impacting food security and economic stability. Traditional varieties yield much less than the improved variety's 6 tons/ha.
Limited Cultivation Zones: Traditional varieties are unsuitable for regions with high temperatures and low rainfall, limiting agricultural expansion.

Solution

Heat Tolerance: These varieties can thrive in environments with temperatures 4°C higher than what traditional wheat can tolerate. This is critical for areas experiencing rising temperatures due to climate change.
Drought Resistance: They can grow with minimal water, performing well with less than 200mm of rainfall. This makes them suitable for arid and semi-arid regions where water scarcity is a major issue.
Increased Yields: Farmers can achieve up to 6 tons per hectare, which is a significant increase compared to conventional varieties. This boost in productivity helps improve food security and farmers' incomes.
Expanded Cultivation Areas: These wheat varieties are suitable for cultivation in regions that were previously not viable for wheat farming due to high temperatures and low rainfall. This expansion can help increase overall wheat production and make more land usable for agriculture.

Key points to design your business plan

For Seed Multiplier

Producing heat and drought tolerant wheat varieties enhances wheat yields despite extreme weather conditions. This enhances food security, reduces poverty, and empowers women. Additionally, it promotes climate change adaptation, reduces carbon emissions, and creates employment opportunities in rural areas.

To successfully navigate this market, you need to know where to source the seed (Burkina Faso, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, Zambia), identify efficient transportation methods, and explore suitable storage facilities.

In order to multiply seeds effectively, you need to stock up on Foundation or Registered Seed depending on your position in the seed development process. Private and cooperative enterprises must engage in technology transfer agreements with breeding centers to produce basic and certified seed for heat and drought tolerant wheat varieties, adhering to licensing schemes and national regulations.

Your potential customers are : wholesale distributors of seed to retailers, and to development projects, government agencies, and NGOs.

Building strong partnerships with wholesale distributor networks is key to the success of your business.

For Resellers

Selling heat and drought tolerant wheat varieties not only provides a valuable product but also fosters closer engagement with users while simultaneously enhancing food security, reducing poverty, and empowering women.

To successfully navigate this market, you need to know where to source heat and drought tolerant wheat varieties in bulk, identify efficient transportation methods, and explore suitable storage facilities.

Your potential customer base is: small, local retailers, development projects, producers, and producer cooperatives or associations.

For Users

Using heat and drought tolerant wheat varieties technology offers a cost-effective, sustainable solution to improving wheat yields despite extreme weather conditions,enhancing food security, reducing poverty, and creating employment opportunities in rural areas.

As key partners you need sellers of heat and drought tolerant wheat varieties. You need to estimate the profit realized with the use of the the product

Adults 18 and over: Positive high

These wheat varieties offer more reliable crop yields, securing livelihoods for adults who depend on agriculture for income, even under extreme weather conditions.

The poor: Positive medium

Poor communities, particularly in regions facing food scarcity, gain access to affordable, locally-produced wheat, reducing reliance on expensive imports and improving overall food availability.

Under 18: Positive low

The increased food production from resilient wheat varieties improves access to nutritious food, which is crucial for the growth and development of children in drought-prone regions.

Women: Positive low

Women, especially those in rural areas, benefit from improved food security and reduced household vulnerability, as they often manage household nutrition and contribute significantly to farming activities.

Climate adaptability: Highly adaptable

The Heat and Drought Tolerant Wheat Varieties reduce environmental strain by using water more efficiently, minimizing the need for irrigation, and lowering chemical inputs.

Farmer climate change readiness: Significant improvement

By adapting to extreme weather conditions, these wheat varieties enhance agricultural resilience to climate change, helping to stabilize food production in vulnerable regions.

Biodiversity: Positive impact on biodiversity

The resistance to pests and diseases decreases reliance on chemical pesticides, promoting biodiversity in agricultural ecosystems and protecting beneficial organisms.

Carbon footprint: Much less carbon released

Improved yields from these varieties can lead to less land being needed for wheat production, potentially reducing deforestation and lowering the overall carbon footprint of agricultural practices.

Environmental health: Greatly improves environmental health

Soil quality: Does not affect soil health and fertility

By reducing the need for chemical inputs, these varieties help maintain soil health and prevent degradation, fostering a more balanced ecosystem.

Water use: Much less water used

These wheat varieties require less water for growth, promoting sustainable agricultural practices and conserving vital water resources in arid regions.

Countries with a green colour: Tested & adopted
Countries with a bright green colour: Adopted
Countries with a yellow colour: Tested
Countries with a blue colour: Testing ongoing

Countries where the technology is being tested or has been tested and adopted
Country	Testing ongoing	Tested	Adopted
Burkina Faso	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Eritrea	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Ethiopia	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Kenya	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Malawi	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Mali	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Niger	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Nigeria	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Senegal	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Sudan	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Zambia	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted

This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones. Any zones shown in white are not suitable for this technology.

Agro-ecological zones where this technology can be used
AEZ	Subtropic - warm	Subtropic - cool	Tropic - warm	Tropic - cool
Arid
Semiarid		–		–
Subhumid	–	–	–	–
Humid	–	–	–	–

Source: HarvestChoice/IFPRI 2009

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that are applicable to this technology.

Goal 2: zero hunger

The introduction of drought-tolerant wheat varieties boosts food production, improving food security and nutritional quality for communities facing food scarcity.

Goal 13: climate action

The resilience of these wheat varieties to extreme weather conditions supports adaptation efforts to climate change, contributing to global climate action initiatives.

Goal 1: no poverty

Improved crop yields and income stability from these varieties contribute to poverty alleviation by enhancing the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in vulnerable regions.

Goal 5: gender equality

By empowering women farmers with reliable crop yields and improved food security, this technology supports gender equality and strengthens women’s roles in agriculture.

Heat and drought tolerant wheat varieties replace traditional wheat seed varieties.

They are cultivated on farmer fields using:

same planting density and mineral fertilizer input as other improved cultivars, following local recommendations;
good agricultural practices such as reduced or zero tillage, raised bed planting, soil fertility management, integrated pest management and efficient irrigation systems.