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https://e-catalogs.taat-africa.org/gov/technologies/pac-501-high-yielding-and-drought-tolerant-white-grain-sorghum-hybrid
Unleash Prosperity with Our Drought-Tolerant White Grain Sorghum Hybrid
The high-yielding white grain sorghum hybrid, PAC 501, is a breakthrough technology offering significantly improved productivity. With an early maturity cycle of 95-100 days, it yields between 4 and 4.5 tons per hectare, which is higher than the average compared to conventional varieties that typically produce 2 tons per hectare. In optimal conditions, it can reach a potential yield of 11 tons per hectare. PAC 501 is drought-tolerant, providing reliable yields even under moisture stress, making it an ideal choice for regions with unpredictable rainfall. This variety is also nutritionally valuable, featuring high fiber and carbohydrate content, and is well-suited for human consumption and use in breweries. PAC 501 is currently used in countries such as Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, and across Southern Africa, reshaping sorghum cultivation by increasing resilience and productivity in diverse environmental conditions.
This technology is pre-validated.
Adults 18 and over: Positive high
Increases economic opportunities through higher crop yields, providing more reliable income from farming and commercial activities such as brewing.
The poor: Positive high
Improves resilience to drought and ensures higher yields even in challenging conditions, helping alleviate food insecurity in low-income areas.
Under 18: Positive medium
Enhances food security by providing nutritious grains with high fiber and carbohydrate content, promoting better nutrition and health.
Women: Positive high
Supports women farmers by offering a drought-tolerant crop that ensures stable yields, improving food production and income generation for families.
Climate adaptability: Highly adaptable
PAC 501 is drought-tolerant, helping farmers maintain productivity in regions with unpredictable or limited rainfall.
Farmer climate change readiness: Significant improvement
PAC 501 prepares farmers to better handle climate variability, making their farming practices more resilient.
Carbon footprint: Much less carbon released
By reducing the need for intensive inputs like irrigation, PAC 501 can help lower the carbon footprint of sorghum farming.
Water use: Much less water used
It reduces the need for excessive irrigation, making it efficient in water-scarce areas.
Low national sorghum productivity: Low yields from conventional varieties can constrain grain production and limit the contribution of sorghum to food security.
Exposure to drought: Rainfall variability and moisture stress can reduce harvests in sorghum-producing regions, particularly in dryland farming systems.
Unstable grain supply: Climate-related production losses can create fluctuations in grain availability for households, traders, and food-processing industries.
Limited access to improved varieties: Insufficient availability and distribution of high-yielding seed can slow productivity improvements across sorghum-growing areas.
Seasonal production constraints: Longer-maturing varieties may be more exposed to unfavourable seasonal conditions, increasing the risk of crop losses.
Challenges in climate-resilient agricultural planning: Without productive varieties adapted to local moisture conditions, agricultural programmes may struggle to improve sorghum yields while reducing climate-related production risks.
Improve sorghum productivity: Promote PAC 501 as an improved hybrid option to help address low sorghum yields in suitable agroecological zones.
Strengthen drought resilience: Encourage the use of drought-tolerant varieties in areas where moisture stress and irregular rainfall constrain production.
Support seasonal production planning: The 95 to 100-day maturity period can inform planting calendars and extension recommendations adapted to local growing conditions.
Improve access to improved seed: Support quality seed production and distribution through qualified seed companies and other authorized suppliers.
Strengthen agronomic extension: Provide guidance on recommended sowing rates, spacing, fertilizer use, and crop management to help farmers achieve the hybrid's yield potential.
Support grain value chains: Promote suitable production and market linkages for white sorghum grain used in food and brewing, strengthening opportunities for farmers and grain buyers.
The technology's enhanced sorghum yields play a vital role in poverty alleviation by bolstering farmers' income and livelihoods. It also addresses food insecurity by increasing food availability and access to nutritious crops. These improved yields positively impact community health by providing a stable food source rich in essential nutrients. Additionally, the technology's drought tolerance feature fosters climate resilience in agriculture. Enhanced cultivation practices further contribute to land resource conservation and biodiversity by optimizing land use and reducing pressure on natural habitats.
To integrate this technology into your project and outline the necessary activities and prerequisites, follow these steps:
Considering that the High Yielding White Grain Sorghum Hybrid typically incurs a total cost of 28 USD/hectare (average cost of seeds for a farmer), it is recommended to associate the seed with other inputs such as crop protection and fertilizers for optimal results. Estimate the required quantity of seeds for your project based on an estimated total input cost of 250 USD/hectare for an average sorghum smallholder farmer.
Ensure adequate training and post-training support by engaging a team of trainers, and develop communication materials such as flyers, videos, and radio broadcasts to promote the technology.
Collaboration with private seed companies, cooperatives, seed growers, and farmers is crucial for the successful implementation of the technology.
average gross income
Scaling Readiness describes how complete a technology's development is and its ability to be scaled. It produces a score that measures a technology's readiness along two axes: the level of maturity of the idea itself, and the level to which the technology has been used so far.
Each axis goes from 0 to 9 where 9 is the “ready-to-scale” status. For each technology profile in the e-catalogs we have documented the scaling readiness status from evidence given by the technology providers. The e-catalogs only showcase technologies for which the scaling readiness score is at least 8 for maturity of the idea and 7 for the level of use.
The graph below represents visually the scaling readiness status for this technology, you can see the label of each level by hovering your mouse cursor on the number.
Read more about scaling readiness ›
Uncontrolled environment: validated
Common use by intended users, in the real world
| Maturity of the idea | Level of use | |||||||||
| 9 | ||||||||||
| 8 | ||||||||||
| 7 | ||||||||||
| 6 | ||||||||||
| 5 | ||||||||||
| 4 | ||||||||||
| 3 | ||||||||||
| 2 | ||||||||||
| 1 | ||||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | ||
| Project | Countries | Beneficiaries | Budget (USD) & duration | Key figures |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
SEPAREF Strengthening Emergency Preparedness and Response to Food Crisis |
|
|
10.56 million 2022–2025 |
|
Figures in italic are from project plans and may change during implementation.
| Country | Testing ongoing | Tested | Adopted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cameroon | –No ongoing testing | Tested | –Not adopted |
| Côte d'Ivoire | –No ongoing testing | Tested | –Not adopted |
| Egypt | –No ongoing testing | Tested | –Not adopted |
| Ghana | –No ongoing testing | Tested | Adopted |
| Malawi | –No ongoing testing | Tested | Adopted |
| Niger | –No ongoing testing | Tested | –Not adopted |
| South Africa | –No ongoing testing | Tested | –Not adopted |
| Tanzania, United Republic | –No ongoing testing | Tested | Adopted |
| The Republic of the Sudan | –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.
| 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.
It improves food security by significantly increasing crop yields and providing a reliable source of nutrition, even in drought-prone areas.
The high nutritional value of PAC 501 contributes to improved human health and well-being.
It contributes to climate resilience by providing a crop option that is adaptable in drought-prone regions.
Sowing in Rainy Season:
Characteristics:
Maturity:
Yield:
Last updated on Oct 21, 2026
This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones.
PAC 501: High yielding and drought tolerant white grain sorghum hybrid
https://e-catalogs.taat-africa.org/gov/technologies/pac-501-high-yielding-and-drought-tolerant-white-grain-sorghum-hybrid
Last updated on 21 October 2026, printed on Oct 23, 2026
Enquiries e-catalogs@taat.africa
