31 results
An economically sustainable integrated cassava seed system! The cassava seed sector has long been dominated by informal practices—non-certified stem reuse, low yields, and high disease prevalence. The BASICS model addresses this by creating a viable commercial seed system for cassava, opening up investment and revenue streams in seed production, distribution, diagnostics, and digital tools. The model has been tested and refined in Nigeria with strong market demand and regulatory support, providing a scalable framework for agribusiness expansion in cassava-producing countries.
Building stronger cassava seed businesses for African seed entrepreneurs and farmers. CSAM aims to address these challenges by creating structured associations of cassava seed entrepreneurs, allowing them to collaborate and collectively benefit from economies of scale. Through these associations, entrepreneurs can access certification, financial resources, training, and policy advocacy. This model reduces inefficiencies, enhances seed quality, and strengthens market linkages, promoting a more robust and sustainable seed sector. CSAM has been successfully implemented in Nigeria and Tanzania and is being scaled up in Rwanda and Kenya. With over 2,700 seed entrepreneurs benefiting from this model, CSAM represents a major shift toward a more professional and sustainable cassava seed sector. It offers a platform for both entrepreneurs and investors to engage in an industry poised for growth and improvement.
Transforming Cassava Farming Through Entrepreneurial Innovation! Cassava is a key staple crop in Sub-Saharan Africa, critical for both food security and income generation. Yet, the traditional cassava seed system has been fragmented and unsustainable, primarily relying on informal farmer-to-farmer sharing and ad hoc free distributions from governments and NGOs. This system has contributed to the widespread use of low-quality, disease-prone seeds, significantly limiting productivity and the adoption of improved varieties. The Cassava Seed Entrepreneur (CSE) Business Model presents a scalable, market-driven solution to modernize the cassava seed system. It empowers rural men, women, and youth by transforming them into certified seed entrepreneurs, enabling them to produce and distribute high-quality, certified cassava planting materials. The model integrates training, digital tools, and strategic partnerships to ensure a consistent supply of clean seeds. As a result, it not only boosts cassava yields but also creates new business opportunities and enhances rural livelihoods, providing an attractive investment opportunity for the private sector.
Build an efficient seed system! SeedTracker is a business-friendly digital tool that helps seed companies and entrepreneurs manage, certify, and market high-quality seed. It improves traceability, inventory tracking, and connects producers with buyers—all through a secure and easy-to-use digital platform.
Improved cassava varieties crucial for enhancing food security, increasing farmer incomes, and reducing poverty in Africa. The technology is a market-driven cassava breeding system that develops improved varieties based on market needs, such as for fresh consumption, processing, or biofortification. It involves stakeholder input, standard breeding methods, and regulatory collaboration for variety release. Adoption is promoted through trials, launch events, and media campaigns, aligning breeding with market demand to boost cassava productivity and value chain performance.
Low-cost hygienic drying technology for high-quality products The Solar Bubble Dryer (ISD) is a mobile, solar-powered drying system designed to efficiently dry freshly harvested cassava roots, reducing post-harvest losses and improving product quality. It utilizes solar energy for both thermal collection to speed up drying and electricity to power a blower for air circulation, making it independent from the power grid. The system is mobile, allowing farmers to dry produce near the harvest site, minimizing transportation costs and spoilage risks. With a drying capacity of 90-145 kg per cycle, the technology boosts food security, supports women’s empowerment, reduces carbon footprints, and promotes sustainable practices. It has a 10-year lifespan, an initial cost of $1,800, and offers a return on investment ranging from 7% to 180%. The technology contributes to multiple SDGs, including those related to hunger, gender equality, clean energy, economic growth, and climate action.
MahuWévi, the solution for aquaculture that sustainably feeds The MahuWévi is an advanced oxygenation system designed for sustainable fish farming in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly for tilapia. It provides efficient, low-cost oxygen enrichment, ensuring high dissolved oxygen levels through short, regular micro-injections, while operating with minimal energy use. This technology reduces water demand by 50%, lowers nitrogen and phosphorus runoff, and enhances water recycling for crop irrigation, supporting a circular economy. Adaptable to various users, MahuWévi boosts profitability (with an ROI of 30%) and aligns with key SDGs by promoting food security, environmental sustainability, and economic opportunities for youth and women in aquaculture.
With QualiSani, no more toxic compounds such as Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in your smoked fish and grilled meat, and reduction of cancer risk for consumers. Traditional methods of grilling and smoking food, particularly in African countries, have long been associated with health risks due to the formation of harmful compounds such as Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). These carcinogenic substances are produced when food is exposed to smoke and high temperatures, and their presence in grilled and smoked products has raised significant public health concerns. Studies conducted in Benin country have revealed alarming levels of PAHs in smoked and grilled meats and fish, often exceeding international safety standards. This contamination is linked to the direct exposure of food to smoke, the type of fuel used (often wood), and the inefficient design of traditional processing equipment. The accumulation of PAHs not only poses a cancer risk to consumers but also hampers the marketability of these products in regions with stricter food safety regulations. Addressing this challenge requires innovations in food processing technologies that can reduce or eliminate the formation of PAHs while maintaining or improving the efficiency and productivity of the smoking and grilling process. The development of improved equipment, such as QualiSani, represents a significant step towards safer food processing practices. These advancements aim to protect consumers' health, enhance the quality of grilled and smoked products, and support the sustainable development of small to medium-sized food processing enterprises.
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.
GeoAgro-MiSR is a tech tool that uses satellite data to help farmers manage water and fertilizer use for crops like wheat, barley, maize, and potato. It addresses the problem of inefficient resource use, aiming to improve crop yields, reduce input costs, and minimize environmental pollution from overuse of nitrates. The tool offers a free app for farmers to analyze field data and make smart farming decisions. This leads to more sustainable and profitable farming practices.
Solar-Powered, Cost-Effective, and Ecologically Smart BioFertilizer for Thriving Crops and Sustainable Agriculture To address challenges like climate-induced land degradation and the limited adoption of traditional composting, ABC Grower emerges as an innovative solution. With efficient and cost-effective fertilization, precise formulation for improved efficiency, solar-powered production, and economic valorization of weeds, ABC Grower aligns with the agroecological transition in West Africa, offering a sustainable response to evolving agricultural needs.
Unleashing the Power of High-Yielding Orange Maize Across Africa! The new maize variety, born out of agricultural innovation, has been developed to address specific challenges faced in maize cultivation in Africa. Engineered with features such as early maturity, increased resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, and adaptation to the African climate, this variety aims to enhance maize yields and production sustainability. By incorporating modern farming practices, it provides a promising solution to improve food security in the region and promote agriculture resilient to environmental changes.
Efficient Threshing for Productive Farms Mechanized Threshing Operations is a technology that efficiently separates seeds or grain from harvested plants. It addresses the labor-intensive process of manual threshing, particularly performed by women. Mechanized threshers use small petrol engines to process seeds and grain rapidly, offering a significant improvement in efficiency.
Weed Management for Optimal Yield The "Mechanical and Chemical Weed Management" technology is a game-changer for bean farmers, especially in regions like Sub-Saharan Africa. Weeds can cause major losses in bean crops, and this technology offers a more efficient and cost-effective solution compared to manual weeding. By using herbicides and mechanical weeders, farmers can save time, increase their yield, and ultimately improve their income. This innovation is a powerful tool in ensuring food security and economic stability for bean farmers in various African countries.
Smart Irrigation, Bountiful Harvests Furrow Irrigated Raised Bed Wheat Production is an efficient cultivation technique that optimizes water use in wheat farming. By creating raised beds and controlled furrows, this method reduces water consumption, improves soil moisture, and enhances crop productivity. It addresses the challenge of limited freshwater supply for agriculture, making it a crucial practice for dryland wheat cultivation in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Boosting Crops, Nourishing Communities In agriculture, the introduction of seed inoculation with elite rhizobium strains has emerged as a pivotal development. This technology effectively addresses the nitrogen limitations often constraining legume productivity, offering small-scale farmers in Africa a cost-effective means to boost legume production, which is vital for their food, nutrition, and income. By harnessing biological nitrogen fixation, this innovation helps bridge the nutrient gap and plays a significant role in enhancing agricultural sustainability and livelihoods.
Growing Prosperity: Climbing Beans for Food Security & Income Growth Climbing Bean with High Yield and N Fixation Technology improved bean varieties in Eastern and Southern Africa, by increasing yields compared to bush types beans, contributing to food security and higher incomes for farmers. These improved climbing bean varieties are resistant to common pests and diseases, reducing the need for chemical interventions. They can withstand various environmental stresses, enhancing their adaptability to different conditions. The technology promotes higher biological nitrogen fixation in climbing beans, reducing the cost for farmers and enabling cultivation in nitrogen-depleted soils. The adoption of these climbing bean varieties by small-scale farmers in Africa not only addresses hunger and malnutrition but also significantly improves their livelihoods.
Yellow-fleshed cassava rich in vitamin A Low level of vitamin and mineral in the common varieties of cassava grown by farmers leads to widespread malnutrition and hidden hunger, and numerable desease in the African continent. Therefore, it comes to raise the provitamin A in the conventional cassava throught breeding technics by parking the Golden cassava’s roots with beta-carotenoid for the color caracteristic, these to be convert after ingestion into vitamin A by enzymes as per the need in the body.
Unlocking Maize's Full Potential Pre-emergence herbicides for maize crops are a crucial innovation for agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa. High weed encroachment poses a significant threat to crop yields by depleting soil nutrients and water. These herbicides, applied before or at planting, prevent weed development during the critical early growth stages of maize, ensuring higher grain yields, better fertilizer efficiency, and increased resilience to drought. Their adoption is vital for improving food security and agricultural sustainability in the region.
NERICA: Higher Yields, Resilience, and Profitability for African Farmers. NERICA varieties mark a pivotal shift in African agriculture. Bred by crossing native landraces with Asian rice, they deliver higher yields and robust resistance to pests and diseases compared to conventional varieties. Their innate resilience to nutrient and water limitations makes them a strategic asset for enhancing farmers' productivity and profitability while reducing reliance on staple food imports. With lowland NERICA tailored for valleys and floodplains with sporadic water stress, and upland NERICA ideal for hilltops and elevated plateaus facing more frequent challenges, this technology is reshaping farming landscapes across Sub-Saharan Africa. It empowers farmers with a reliable, high-yielding resource that not only boosts food security but also drives economic stability in the region.
Empowering Cassava Farmers: More Yield, Less Labor, Better Quality Mechanized cassava planting and harvesting technology plays a crucial role in addressing the challenges faced by cassava farmers in Africa. With the goal of increasing yields and economic benefits, mechanization offers a faster, more efficient, and cost-effective alternative to manual planting and harvesting. By significantly reducing labor requirements and minimizing root damage, this technology contributes to improving cassava production and the competitiveness of African cassava farmers in the global market.
Transforming Cassava, Mobile Processing for Sustainable Agriculture The Mobile Cassava Processing Plant (MCPP) addresses challenges in cassava commercialization by providing an alternative to immobile processing factories. The MCPP, developed by the TAAT Cassava Compact, is a six-wheel truck with modern processing machinery, an electricity generator, and a loader crane. It facilitates on-site processing of cassava into shelf-stable products, reducing postharvest losses and transportation costs.
Low-cost fodder system for livestock The "Cut-and-Carry Fodder Systems" technology offers a transformative method for feeding animals by collecting and providing feed directly to confined livestock, an approach known as zero grazing. This system stands as an efficient alternative to traditional grazing, reducing feed wastage and maximizing the use of available vegetation resources. While it demands more labor and local vegetation, it brings several crucial advantages: Enhanced Feed Management, maximizing Crop Residues, improved Farm, asset Management and adaptability in Grazing Methods. In essence, the "Cut-and-Carry Fodder Systems" technology not only provides a more efficient way of feeding livestock but also offers the opportunity for faster growth, better resource utilization, and improved management of farm assets, contributing to increased productivity and profitability in livestock farming.
From Catch to Cuisine: Enhancing Fish Quality and Sustainability Fish processing is a vital component of the agricultural sector, ensuring the preservation and value addition of fish products. It plays a crucial role in extending the shelf life, improving taste, and enhancing the nutritional value of fish. Common methods like solar tent dryers and smoking kilns offer cost-effective ways to preserve fish, reducing the need for refrigeration, and enabling the creation of various value-added fish products, ranging from fillets to fish powder, which contribute to food quality and market appeal.
Advanced approach for quick, convenient, and delicious bean "Pre-Cooked Beans for Consumer Convenience" is a food processing technology designed to address the long cooking time, high energy, and water requirements associated with whole dried common beans, which are a major staple food in eastern and southern Africa. This technology involves pre-cooking the beans and then preserving them through methods like canning or freezing. This significantly reduces preparation time and fuel use, making it more appealing to urban and middle-class consumers. It also opens up new commercial opportunities, benefiting both consumers and farmers. The technology is particularly advantageous for women homemakers and canteen caterers, as it frees up time for other activities. The process involves sorting, washing, blanching, soaking, sterilization, and drying of the beans before packaging. The technology can be applied in various agroecologies and is available in several countries in Africa.
Load more…