17 results
Mitigating Africa’s worst pest threat to food security by revolutionizing crop protection with a biological and sustainable weed control alternative. The Toothpick Project introduces an innovative biocontrol technology utilizing a specific strain of host-specific fungus, Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. strigae, to combat Striga (witchweed), Africa's most severe pest threatening food security. Approximately 50 million hectares of croplands (around 40 million farms) in sub-Saharan Africa are infested with Striga, causing over $9 billion in crop losses annually. Striga plants produce over 50,000 seeds per season, easily spreading through wind, human and animal traffic, and farming tools, adding to the soil seed bank. This selective biological herbicide “Kichawi Kill”, applied by farmers as a seed coating, aims to restore crop yields by targeting Striga without harming maize. This game-changing agri-tech provides a safe, effective, and affordable alternative to traditional chemical herbicides.
Easy-to-use solution for food traceability Fairfood offers advanced tracking solutions through Trace technology, enabling agricultural and food-related companies to transparently showcase the exact origins of their products. This technology empowers companies to openly provide evidence supporting claims of product sustainability, facilitating transparency and accountability. Whether through public disclosure or inclusion on product packaging, Trace technology enhances trust by giving consumers verifiable insights into the journey and sustainability practices associated with the products they choose.
Unleash Prosperity with Our Drought-Tolerant White Grain Sorghum Hybrid This groundbreaking technology in high-yielding white grain sorghum hybrids represents an innovative response to critical challenges in sorghum cultivation. Developed in the context of a growing need for high-quality, abundant sorghum production, this exceptional variety delivers significantly increased yields compared to traditional methods. Its advantage lies not only in its capacity to produce more but also in its adaptability to changing environmental conditions, including enhanced resistance to water stress. This technology redefines the standard for sorghum cultivation by providing a versatile and reliable solution for farmers, ensuring plentiful and quality harvests across diverse climatic contexts.
Control the moisture content of grains and reduce post-harvest losses. The lack of precise moisture content measurement increases the risk of mold growth, insect infestation, and aflatoxin contamination during storage, resulting in significant losses for farmers and aggregators, up to 30% of the produced grains. In sub-Saharan Africa, farmers face challenges due to the unavailability and high cost of moisture meters. Consequently, they rely on traditional, subjective methods like biting and tossing kernels, which can lead to inaccurate measurements. Poultry farmers using high-moisture grains experience reduced egg productivity and increased bird mortality. The introduction of affordable and accessible grain moisture meter technology is crucial to address these issues and improve overall grain quality management.
Reduce pesticide and herbicide losses with IITA's herbicide calculator Widespread abuse of pesticides (including herbicides) is common due to poorly calibrated spray tanks. Farmers overdose or underdose when applying pesticides. The IITA Herbicide Calculator helps farmers and spray service providers to correctly estimate the amount of herbicide to add to backpack sprayers, and promotes herbicide efficacy.
Smarter Fertilizer, Stronger Crops: Maximize Growth with Minimal Input "Micro-dosing of Fertilizers in Precision Agriculture," holds significant importance for small-scale millet and sorghum farmers. These farmers often face challenges related to inadequate fertilizer use, leading to soil fertility decline and increased risk of crop failure. Micro-dosing offers a crucial solution by allowing precise and efficient application of small fertilizer quantities at the base of each plant. This approach minimizes risk, reduces input costs, and results in improved crop establishment, nutrient absorption, and water utilization. By utilizing this technology, farmers can enhance yields, protect the environment by reducing nutrient loss, and ultimately promote sustainable and profitable agricultural practices.
Harvest More, Feed Better, Farm Smarter The technology of "Dual-purpose Varieties for Crop and Livestock Integration" holds paramount importance, particularly in African drylands. The productivity of natural pastures and rangelands in these regions is diminishing due to overgrazing, soil degradation, and the impact of climate change. In the face of increasing livestock numbers, there is a growing need for crop residues that can be utilized as animal feeds. Traditional millet and sorghum varieties have proven inadequate as they lack the desired grain-to-stover ratio for both human and animal nutrition. Additionally, they possess higher lignin content, which reduces digestibility, and may contain tannin, leading to a bitter taste.
Strong Crops, Healthy People The technology "Millet and Sorghum Varieties for Better Nutrition and Stress Resistance" addresses the pressing issue of low millet and sorghum yields in Africa, resulting in food insecurity and malnutrition. It offers new, high-yielding, bio-fortified varieties that can withstand drought, heat, and pests. These innovations not only enhance food production but also improve taste, cooking qualities, and potential for value addition and marketing, with applications spanning from food and feed to brewing and biofuels. This technology is crucial for sustainable agricultural development and climate resilience in the region.
CBT: Nurturing Crops, Conserving Soil, and Cultivating Resilience In dryland farming, having enough water is a big challenge. Changes in rain due to climate change can risk our food supply. To improve crop growth and strength in Africa’s dry areas, it’s important to catch as much rainwater as possible and reduce water running off the surface. The Contour Bunding Technique (CBT) uses small walls placed carefully along the curves of the field to create small water collection areas. These walls stop the water from running off, help catch more rain, store more water, allow water to sink deep into the ground, and prevent soil from washing away and ditches from forming. This is a simple but professional way to explain the concept.
Enhance crop productivity, reduce labour costs, and increase incomes with Hello Tractor - the digital platform revolutionizing agricultural mechanization in Sub-Saharan Africa. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the rental of mechanized agricultural equipment like sensors, robots, and tractors to farmers by service companies and private owners is increasing. However, small-scale producers face challenges in accessing these technologies due to information gaps, high costs, and operational risks. Phone applications and data systems offer solutions by enabling contractors to make informed decisions, increase cost-effectiveness, and accelerate business growth. Hello Tractor, a power equipment sharing application, exemplifies this innovation. It connects tractor owners and smallholder farmers, facilitating collaborative consumption through a marketplace where farmers can request and pay for services via SMS and mobile wallets. Data supports various functions, including credit scoring, market intelligence, risk management, and flexible loan repayment structures tailored to crop production seasons and cash flows.
Striga defended for farmers' empowerment The Striga control technology, is designed to help African farmers effectively manage the troublesome plant called Striga, or witchweed. This plant attaches itself to the roots of crops like sorghum and millet, causing them to grow weak and unhealthy. This often leads to significant losses in the harvest. Since Striga seeds can remain in the soil for a very long time, traditional methods of removal aren't effective. This technology offers innovative strategies to efficiently control Striga and improve soil health. This empowers farmers to grow healthier crops, ensuring a more reliable source of food.
Protect crops using natural pest allies for sustainable pest control in Africa The biological control of insect pests with natural enemies is a crucial agricultural innovation, especially in regions like the Sahel in Africa. In the Sahel, the millet head miner and the invasive Fall Armyworm are major threats to food security, causing significant crop losses. This technology leverages natural enemies to combat these pests, reducing the need for chemical pesticides, ensuring sustainable food production, and helping farmers protect their yields. It's an environmentally friendly and cost-effective approach that contributes to food security and the well-being of farming communities.
Powered Crop Residue Processing for Livestock Feed Enhancement Traditional manual methods limit the utilization of millet and sorghum stem residues for livestock. The mobile processor developed by ICRISAT and partners addresses this issue. It is self-powered, cost-effective, easily transportable, and operated by just two people. This technology enhances resource efficiency, integrating crop and livestock enterprises. It also benefits soil fertility through improved manure production. The machinery is particularly suited for drylands in Sub-Saharan Africa, where feed biomass is scarce due to low rainfall. It can process a variety of materials and is adaptable to different seasons.
Make farming easier with planting and fertilizing machines In small farms where millet and sorghum are grown, many tasks like preparing the land, planting seeds, and adding fertilizer are done by hand. This means farmers have to work hard and sometimes spend money on animals or services to help. Sometimes, there isn't much time to plant because of not enough or unpredictable rain. Doing important things like putting seeds in the ground and adding fertilizer, when done by hand, takes a lot of time. All these things make it difficult to make farming more efficient and grow more food. Using machines to do these tasks is really important. It saves money on labor, lets farmers do things at the right time, makes the crops grow better, and helps make more money. This is really helpful for making sure there's enough food for everyone.
Low cost storage technologies for grain Large post-harvest losses of bean occurs across Sub-Sahara Africa because of improper storage techniques resulting in pest infestation that threatens the food security and livelihoods of farmers. As a result, farmers may opt to sell their produce immediately after harvest when market prices are at their lowest as a risk avoidance strategy. Grain storage pests such as weevils (bruchids) can be controlled by physical, chemical and biological methods. Some of the physical methods include use of hermitic storage bags and containers. The hermetic storage technology for grains avoids grain damage using sealed bags that prevents movement of air and moisture. The bags preserve the quality of grains and obstruct the entry of insects and microbial organisms through depletion of oxygen levels and accumulation of carbon dioxide. These conditions prevent damage by insects like weevils, moths and mites, curb development of fungi like aflatoxin that contaminate the grain, and maintain the taste and color characteristics of food. Hermitic bags allow for storage of grain without the need to apply chemicals.
Aflatoxin-safe fields and crops for safer food in Africa Aflasafe® technology plays a pivotal role in addressing the critical issue of aflatoxin contamination in Africa. Aflatoxins, produced by the fungus Aspergillus flavus, are highly toxic and cancer-causing poisons that infest staple crops, animal feeds, and processed foods, posing a severe health threat. Aflasafe®, a biocontrol solution developed in Africa, offers a cost-effective and natural alternative to chemical interventions. By reducing aflatoxin levels in food, Aflasafe® not only safeguards human and livestock health but also mitigates economic impacts, making food safer for consumption and trade, improving overall health, and preserving farm animal well-being. This innovative technology stands as a key strategy to combat the silent aflatoxin pandemic, which is responsible for 30% of liver cancer cases in Africa and weakens individuals against other diseases while also stunting children's growth.
Produce a premium wheat, sorghum and millet flour close to production areas The technology of Flour Milling and Blending Systems is crucial for enhancing the value of wheat produced by farmers and traders. It allows the grinding of wheat into flour, enabling its storage for several months and utilization in various food products such as bread, biscuits, cakes, porridges, and pasta. By transitioning from manual to advanced milling and blending systems, these technologies facilitate the production of high-quality wheat flour that meets consumer preferences. The implementation of these systems, available in various sizes from local and international manufacturers, enables the creation of premium flour closer to the production areas. This not only reduces transportation costs but also extends the shelf life of the flour, ensuring better access to local and national markets. Empowering rural communities with milling and blending capabilities promotes increased output, adds value to local products, and enhances the competitiveness of African wheat producers, thereby enabling them to better compete with imported products.