AATF: A Decade of Enduring Partnerships in Technology Access

and Delivery

Presentation at the AATF side event during the 6th Africa Science Week and FARA General Assembly

15-20 July 2013Accra Ghana

Dr. Denis Tumwesigye Kyetere Executive Director AATF

Changing the lives of smallholders

Mebo Chebor is the mother of three children, has a clothing business, and grows maize to support her family’s food needs. Attacked by striga, Mebo’s maize crop was yielding just half a bag of maize from her .2 acre plot. Running low on capital in her clothes business due to having to draw money to support her food expenditures, Mebo decided to try the new maize seed variety she’d heard about that could kill striga.

Planting StrigAway, Mebo’s harvest yielded 1.5 bags from a .1 acre plot, which normally would obtain only 2 kg containers. Her land is now nearly free from Striga, while neighbouring farms are heavily infested.

Mebo has reimbursed her clothing business and plans to buy at least 2 kg of maize seed in 2012. She also is calling on her neighbouring farmers to buy StrigAway.

The mother of four children, Catherine Otiende, never believed that her ¾ acre farm could feed her family and extended family. For years, it had only yielded less than two bags of maize, due to a high density of striga.

In 2011, Catherine heard about an improved maize variety that could kill the striga weed and bought five kilos. She had dramatic results and her farm is now a learning centre for other farmers who want to try the new seed.

Catherine expects to harvest eight bags of maize this season, which will be enough to feed her family and her extended family. She has also intercropped groundnut, which is supplying her with extra income, and has planted several banana stools. Already demonstrating to others, Catherine is eager to see the technology used by all farmers in the region.

Mebo Chebor, Nyanza region, Kenya

Catherine Otiende, Kisumu District, Kenya

African Agriculture Improving

• Annual growth strong in a number of countries (IFPRI 2012)– 12-15% in Angola and Liberia– 7% in Botswana, Ethiopia & Malawi– 5% in Rwanda– 4% in Ghana & Tanzania

• Fuelled largely by – increased investment in agriculture; Increased fertiliser

use; Adoption of high yielding varieties

• Poverty rates down but hunger & malnutrition still high

Need for advanced agricultural technologies

• African governments and institutions have recognised Africa’s need to access new and better agricultural technologies (PRSP’s, NEPAD)

• Agricultural science & technology can improve food security and reduce poverty in SSA

• Some of these technologies are proprietary

• Challenge – Cost & IP management

Meeting a critical need

– Effective mechanisms to negotiate the access and transfer - on humanitarian grounds (taking on business models)

– Partnerships to manage the development & deployment of these technologies

– Thus AATF’s creation

To access, develop, adapt, and deliver appropriate agriculturaltechnologies for sustainable use by smallholder farmers in SSA thru’ innovative partnerships and effective stewardship along

the entire value chain.

African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF)

Mission Why we Exist

A Prosperous and a food secure Africa

Vision What We Want to Achieve

Advancing practical solutions

African-based and –led, AATF has three unique skill sets:

1. Accessing and delivering proprietary technology - utilising expertise in IP and regulatory affairs to enable technology to reach farmers

2. Promoting information sharing and awareness – accelerating the rate at which solutions can reach farmers and agri-businesses

3. Managing complex partnerships – bringing the best of public & private sectors together for farmers

Molecule to molecule

• A constraint• How to solve

Identify

• Technology, royalty free

Broker• Testing by

African researchers and farmers

• Regulatory controls

Adapt

• Agri-businesses

• Smallholders

Deliver • Best

practices• Sustainable

use

Steward

Through partnership

Who we are

• Founded in 2003 as not-for-profit by RF, DFID,USAID

• Major investors -RF, DFID, USAID, HGBF, BMGF

• Annual budget $20 million

• Core staff of 30 - SSA operations

• Incorporated in UK January and in Kenya– Registered as charity under the laws of England & Wales

• Granted tax-exempt status in the US in May 2006

HOW AATF CONDUCTS BUSINESS

Working Across Value ChainSeeks innovative ways of creating synergies between players in

the value chain

Project-specific roles include• Technology negotiation, incensing & regulatory approval• Freedom to operate (FTO) assessments• Licensing for regional distribution• Liability protection• Product Development and testing• Commercialisation• Stewardship• Partnerships Management• Communication and public awareness

AATF Approach to Technology Transfer

Focus• Food & high value crops produced by smallholder farmers in SSA

Technological interventions criteria• SSA priority agricultural constraints • Technologies that are accessible, transferable, adaptable & proven • Achievable within reasonable time• Reasonable geographic balance

Partnership & Stewardship• AATF acts as the ‘responsible party’ ensuring technologies are

appropriately and responsibly developed and used across the value chain

Priority Areas for AATF• Impact of climate change on

agriculture

• Pest Management

• Soil Management

• Nutrient enhancement in foods

• Improved breeding Methods

• Mechanization

Enabling activities

• IP Management, Licensing and Technology Stewardship

• Regulatory Science and Management

• Communication and Issue Management

• Market linkages

• R&D Management and Coordination

1. Effective mechanism to negotiate the access and transfer of proprietary technologies

Technologies valued at approximately $110 million• 17 technologies & 2 protocols • 6 technologies developed• 3 technologies initiating uptake & up-scaling

o 1 is being grown by farmers o 2 at advanced testing stages

2. Appropriate partnerships to manage the development & deployment of technologies• 10 PPP projects across 60 plus organisations in 10 countries

Is the AATF ‘Idea’ working?

AATF Approach to Partnerships

Boundary Principle

• AATF Partnerships– Must fit Foundation vision and mission;– Focus on problem areas and/or projects;– Build on Foundation strategy– Add value– Centre on SSA farmer interests

Types of AATF Partnerships• Strategic Partnershipse.g – HCA, AU, FARA

• Operational Partnerships

e.g – Academia Sinica/banana; AFTSA

Types of Engagements

1. Alliances - MoU and/or collaborative agreements based

2. Formal - Contractual based

3. Informal (temporary) affiliations

CURRENT ACTIVITIES

Developing high quality insect-resistant cowpea varieties for use by smallholder farmers - CFTs show little to no damage

Maruca-Resistant Cowpea

Maruca-Resistant Cowpea Partners

• AATF• Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)• Council of Scientific and Industrial Research- Savannah Agriculture

Research Institute (CSIR-SARI) Ghana• Institute of Agricultural Research (IAR), Nigeria• National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), Nigeria• Institut de l’Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles (INERA), Burkina

Faso• Monsanto• Network for the Genetic Improvement of Cowpea for Africa (NGICA) • United States Agency for International Development (USAID) • Program for Biosafety Systems (PBS), USA • Kirk House Trust

Improving Banana for Resistance against BXW disease

Developing BXW resistant transgenic banana from East African germplasm, using two genes found in sweet pepper - pflp and hrap

BXW Partners

• Academia Sinica, Taiwan• The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture• The National Agricultural Research Organisation, Uganda• Public and private tissue culture laboratories in the Great Lakes

region of Africa including Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda

• AATF

Improving Rice Productivity

Developing rice varieties with Nitrogen-Use Efficency, Water-Use Efficiency, and Salt Tolerant Traits

Hybrid Rice

• Increase rice production among small scale rice producers in Africa through breeding

• Develop and expand 2-line hybrid rice technology

Rice Productivity Partners

• Arcadia • Public Intellectual Property Resource for Agriculture (PIPRA) • International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) • National Agricultural Research Organisation, Uganda• Crop Research Institute, Ghana• AATF• Hybrids East Africa Limited (HEAL)• aWhere, Inc. of the USA• National Agricultural Research Systems of Kenya, Ethiopia,

Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria and Ghana

Aflatoxins control in maize & PeanutsUsing bio-control product, Aflasafe, with holistic strategies to address aflatoxin problems in maize and peanuts

Aflatoxin Control Partners

• United States Department of Agriculture• The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture • Department of Plant Protection Senegal• Kenya Agricultural Research Institute• ACDI/VOCA in Kenya• AATF

Water Efficient Maize for AfricaDeveloping white hybrid maize varieties adapted to moderate drought conditions in SSA and insect resistant to increase yields 20-35%, through conventional, marker assisted breeding and transgenic technology

Monsanto

• World leader in MAB, gene discovery, trait development and trait licensing

CIMMYT

• World leader for breeding maize for African agro-ecological zones

AATF• Unique African

institution mandated to access and deliver proprietary technologies to smallholders African farmers

NARS

• Expertise in Field trials • Test DT maize• Capacity building opportunities

WEMA

WEMA Partnership

Striga Control in Maize FieldsApplying Striga-killing herbicide, Imazapyr, to maize seeds that are bred to be herbicide resistant, increasing yields 300% on average

Striga Control Partners(IR-Maize Seed)

• AATF• BASF• CIMMYT• Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel • Extension services – government and

non-governmental • Seed companies – Ke, Ug, Tz

• Western Seed Company• Kenya Seed Company• Freshco Seeds Ltd in Kenya• Nalweyo Seed Company• Tanseed International Ltd

Cassava Mechanisation & Agro-processing (CAMAP)

Brokering access to mechanisation and agro-processing equipment for development and use in Africa, accelerating planting, harvesting and processing

CAMAP Current Partners

• Zambia – Agricultural Research Institute– Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Zambia

• Nigeria– National Root Crops Research Institute, Nigeria– National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation,

Nigeria– Kwara State, Nigeria– Osun State, Nigeria

Seeds2B

Making seeds available at the right time, place, price and quality

Problem• Availability of quality seed varieties is constraint• Reliable access to, and supply of improved seed

needed by farmers in SSA

Intervention• business model to link available seeds from national

and international technology owners (public and private) with seed companies in Africa

Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa (OFAB)

• Established by AATF in 2006 for frank discussions on the benefits and challenges of biotechnology

• To enhance knowledge-sharing and awareness on biotechnology

• Increased appreciation of agricultural biotechnology

• Contribute to building an enabling environment for decision making

• Countries: GH, UG, NG, BF, KE, TZ

OFAB Partners

• AATF• ISAAA - Kenya• UNCST - Uganda• COSTECH - Tanzania• NABDA & ARCN - Nigeria• CSIR - Ghana• INERA – Burkina Faso• PBS

Managing Partnerships

Partnerships can be complicated in nature – Critical to identify and nurture common ground. Therefore – Coordinator should:

– Drive the process of partnership formation– Base partnership decision making on

agreements– Encourage strategic management of

partnerships– Be responsive to change - exercise

flexibility– Anticipate and resolve differences

PPP Governance Structure

• Executive Advisory Board with officials of each country and other partners

• Operations Committee – supporting Project Manager

• Functional Task Committees – Technical, Regulatory, Communications

• In-country teams to implement the project and raise awareness– Stakeholder meetings

Establishing Partnerships

Success depends on relationship envisaged 1. Clarity on partners’ capabilities, attitudes and

interests to establish partnerships that deliver

2. Complementarity of skills & shared understanding

3. Clarity of purpose - goals, roles, responsibilities

4. Relevance of partner motivation to the goals

5. Agreement on governance structure, lifespan and dispute resolution, communication & IP

6. Resources available

7. Sensitivity to institutional, political & cultural differences

General Challenges with PPP’s

• Trust Building – Skepticism PPP’s• Work cultures – public sector vs private sector• Policy environment - Young emerging

regulatory frameworks• Seed systems & related stewardship –

commercialisation challenges• Considerable time - commitment needed • The ‘virtual nature’ could affect involvement of

partners and timely execution of plans & activities

Belief in smallholder farmers in Africa

• Deserve the best agricultural technology available to mitigate lowest farm productivity

• Science and technology can and must play a vital role – make a difference in SSA

• Success depends on all working together - effective partnerships

• People in Africa can and must take the lead in providing the answers to Africa’s challenges.

Conclusion

• Billions of dollars are lost due to constraints whose solutions exist

• Small-holder farming can contribute to Poverty Eradication and Food Security– Access to appropriate agri technologies is

paramount – Effective Public-Private-Partnerships

• Agriculture is a business and part of economy

AATF STAFF FEBRUARY 2013