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.

Scaling readiness: idea maturity unknown; level of use unknown

Project adoption4

Technology integrated in the EFPP- Guinea, ENSURE- East Africa, PADCV-PTA- Democratic Republic of the Congo, and PUPSAN- Mali projects.

Project	Beneficiaries	Budget	Duration	Key figures
EFPP- Guinea Guinea Emergency Food Production Programme	35,750 farmers (at least 30% of whom are women). 1,650 livestock farms.	25.23 million	2022–2024	2,000 tons of rice seeds and 750 metric tons of corn. 4,845 tons of NPK fertilizer.
ENSURE- East Africa Enabling Environments for Sustainable Regional Agriculture Extension	3,000,000 farmers.	13.14 million	2024–2027	149,940 farmer leaders & trained farmers. 9,996 trained. 2 → 3.5 t/ha.
PADCV-PTA- Democratic Republic of the Congo Projet d’Appui au Developpement des Chaines de Valeurs en soutien au Programme de Transformation de l’Agriculture	900,000 smallholder farmers (including 450,000 women).	321 million	2024–2029	62,000 tons of certified seeds. 30,000 people trained. 5,200 hectares of irrigated rice cultivation.
PUPSAN- Mali Emergency Production and Food & Nutrition Security Project	35,274 vulnerable farmers (31.5% women and 20% young people).	7.04 million	2023–2026	1,027.14 tons of certified seed. 2,234 tons of fertilizer.

See project details ›

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: Drought-Tolerant and High-Yield Maize Varieties improves maize productivity and resilience by providing drought-tolerant, high-yielding maize hybrids developed to withstand water stress and erratic rainfall. The technology can be integrated into climate-smart agriculture, maize value chain development, food security, and smallholder resilience programs to increase yields, strengthen climate resilience, and improve farmer livelihoods. Its adoption contributes to SDGs 1 (No Poverty), 2 (Zero Hunger), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and 13 (Climate Action).

To integrate this technology into your project, plan and budget for the following activities and prerequisites:

Assess target production areas, drought risk, seed requirements, and suitable maize-growing environments.
Establish partnerships with African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), agricultural development institutes, seed multiplication companies, and other maize value chain stakeholders to support technology dissemination and scaling.
Facilitate access to certified DroughtTEGO seed and include seed procurement, delivery, and import clearance costs where applicable.
Implement training and post-training support for farmers and extension agents on the use of improved drought-tolerant maize varieties and climate-smart production practices.
Develop communication and awareness materials, including flyers, videos, radio broadcasts, and other extension tools to promote technology adoption.
Promote the participation of women and smallholder farmers in technology adoption.
Implement monitoring, learning, and inclusion activities throughout the project lifecycle.
Track key indicators such as area planted, maize yields, farmer adoption, certified seed use, and resilience to drought.

IP

Trademark

Project	Beneficiaries	Budget	Duration	Key figures
EFPP- Guinea Guinea Emergency Food Production Programme	35,750 farmers (at least 30% of whom are women). 1,650 livestock farms.	25.23 million	2022–2024	2,000 tons of rice seeds and 750 metric tons of corn. 4,845 tons of NPK fertilizer.
ENSURE- East Africa Enabling Environments for Sustainable Regional Agriculture Extension	3,000,000 farmers.	13.14 million	2024–2027	149,940 farmer leaders & trained farmers. 9,996 trained. 2 → 3.5 t/ha.
PADCV-PTA- Democratic Republic of the Congo Projet d’Appui au Developpement des Chaines de Valeurs en soutien au Programme de Transformation de l’Agriculture	900,000 smallholder farmers (including 450,000 women).	321 million	2024–2029	62,000 tons of certified seeds. 30,000 people trained. 5,200 hectares of irrigated rice cultivation.
PUPSAN- Mali Emergency Production and Food & Nutrition Security Project	35,274 vulnerable farmers (31.5% women and 20% young people).	7.04 million	2023–2026	1,027.14 tons of certified seed. 2,234 tons of fertilizer.

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.