DroughtTEGO: Drought tolerant and high yield maize varieties

Boost yields, and income with advanced maize.

TEGO is an improved varieties maize technology developed to bolster drought resilience and improve grain output in maize cultivation. Developed through collaborative research efforts, TEGO integrates cutting-edge genetic traits, advanced breeding techniques, and climate-smart agricultural practices to address the pressing challenges posed by erratic rainfall patterns and water scarcity in agricultural landscapes.

This technology is TAAT1 validated.

9•7

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

Adults 18 and over: Positive high

Under 18: Positive medium

Women: Positive medium

Climate adaptability: Highly adaptable

Farmer climate change readiness: Significant improvement

Biodiversity: No impact on biodiversity

Problem

Erratic Rainfall Patterns and Water Scarcity: The variability in precipitation poses a significant challenge to agricultural productivity, as crops like maize require sufficient water for optimal growth and development.
Challenges Associated with Drought Resilience: Traditional maize varieties often lack sufficient resilience to withstand prolonged drought conditions, resulting in decreased yields and economic losses for farmers.
Limited Access to Improved Varieties: Farmers in Sub-Saharan African countries face challenges in accessing improved maize varieties due to limited investments in the seed production sector.
Low Productivity in Maize Farming: Conventional maize varieties may not be well-suited for the diverse climatic and soil conditions found in Sub-Saharan Africa, leading to low productivity in maize farming.
Food and Nutritional Insecurity: Limited access to improved maize varieties can contribute to food and nutritional insecurity in the region, affecting both the quantity and quality of harvested grain.

Solution

TEGO, improved maize varieties with enhanced drought tolerance
Breeding of maize hybrids with high yield (20-35% yield increase) potential under drought stress conditions
Promotion of sustainable agricultural practices, including conservation agriculture and integrated soil fertility management
Provision of training and extension services on climate-smart agricultural practices
Empowerment of smallholder farmers through access to improved maize varieties and knowledge resources
These varieties are specifically developed to perform well in diverse climatic and soil conditions.

Key points to design your program

DroughtTEGO® maize varieties are gaining traction in Kenya, with 26% of farmers using them and awareness reaching 61%. The most popular variety, WE1101, is valued for its high yields and drought tolerance. Adoption rates are highest in Kakamega (65%), showing the impact of local promotion like demonstrations and farmer-to-farmer sharing. With 89% of farmers willing to adopt this technology in the future, it has strong potential to improve food security and resilience, making it a great fit for programs targeting drought-prone areas.

DroughtTEGO® aligns with several Sustainable Development Goals by increasing farmers’ incomes through higher yields (SDG 1), enhancing food security through improved maize production (SDG 2), and mitigating climate change impacts with drought-tolerant traits (SDG 13)

Integrating DroughtTEGO® maize varieties with complementary technologies from the Maize Toolkit TAAT e-catalog can enhance productivity and resilience. Those technologies include GrainMate: Grain Moisture Meter which is an affordable device that enables farmers to accurately measure the moisture content of their maize, reducing post-harvest losses and ensuring grain quality during storage and Aflasafe: Aflatoxin Biocontrol Solution which reduces aflatoxin contamination in maize, improving food safety and marketability while protecting farmer livelihoods.

The technology has been introduced in Burundi, DR Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda under the Enabling Sustainable Regional Agricultural Extension (ENSURE) project funded by AfDB.

Cost: $$$ 0.8—1.2 USD/kg

Seed selling cost

ROI: $$$ 20—35 %

Yield increased

IP

Trademark

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
Ethiopia	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Kenya	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Mozambique	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Nigeria	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
South Africa	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Tanzania	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Uganda	–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 1: no poverty

Goal 2: zero hunger

Goal 8: decent work and economic growth

Goal 13: climate action

Selection: Choose the appropriate DroughtTEGO variety based on local climate and soil conditions.
Planting: Follow standard maize planting practices, ensuring optimal soil and fertilizer management.
Nutrient Optimization: In low-fertility soils, supplement with inorganic fertilizers to enhance nutrient uptake.
Complementary Practices: Consider legume intercropping, manure application, and mulching for added nutrients and water retention.