Agricultural Biotechnology

Quality seeds, improved varieties: The economics of crop genetic improvement and farmer uptake

Crop genetic improvement has long been a cornerstone of global efforts to enhance agricultural productivity, improve food security, and foster economic development. This chapter explores evidence on the contribution of crop improvement to productivity, nutrition, environment, and poverty outcomes, before assessing evolutions in policy research and important areas for future research. Book link: https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174108

Effect of terminal heat stress on stay-green and senescence process could explain genetic variation in grain yield and nutritional profile in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Wheat is a staple food crop for the majority of the world’s population. Heat stress affects reproductive development, seed-set and seed weight, eventually reducing yield and total biomass in wheat. Stay-green contributes to seed weight by allowing more assimilate partitioning to grain. Conversely, senescence is essential for the recycling of nutrients to developing grain. We have studied a set of 26 high-yielding wheat genotypes to study the effect of terminal heat stress on the stay-green and senescence process to explain genetic variation and trade-off associated between grain yield and grain nutrients under field conditions. Our results revealed that heat stress accelerated the senescence process and significantly reduced average grain filling duration by 8 days. The negative effect of heat stress on spikelet fertility and seed weight resulted in reduced grain yield (25%). On the contrary, a positive influence of heat was observed on grain protein (6–21%), grain minerals, and reduced C:N ratio. Interestingly, genotype (HTWYT42) with a longer stay-green period, showed higher yield under heat stress, whereas genotype (HTWYT43) showed early onset but a slower pace of senescence accumulating more grain protein, minerals and lower C:N ratio under heat stress. This study demonstrates a strong trade-off between grain yield and nutrition. However, maintaining an optimum balance between stay-green and a slower rate of senescence could be crucial to minimizing this trade-off, and achieving both higher yield and improve grain nutrition. Furthermore, understanding the mechanisms underlying slower senescence in source tissues could be essential for developing wheat genotypes with enhanced grain nutrient content.

How do policy environments influence technology adoption? Insights from Nigeria’s pod borer resistant (PBR) cowpea experience

Policymakers are increasingly considering the promise of modern biotechnology, including genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to help solve development problems in health, agriculture, and other fields (Zambrano et al., 2022). However, debates persist around health and environmental implications (National Academies of Sciences, 2016; Raman, 2017; Smyth et al., 2021). The regulation of GMOs varies globally, with some countries implementing outright bans or imposing stringent controls (Sarkar et al., 2021; Yali, 2022). A recent study examines the Nigerian policy environment for Pod Borer Resistant (PBR) cowpea, which has been genetically engineered to resist the legume pod borer (Maruca vitrata) [Mockshell et al., (unpublished)]. Legume pod borers significantly reduce cowpea yield and quality, with losses of up to 80% reported (Andam et al., 2024; Mockshell et al., 2024). This policy note summarizes the findings of the paper, providing insights to guide policy development around the adoption of biotech food crops in Nigeria and other countries in Africa South of the Sahara (SSA). The primary research question is: Is there an enabling policy environment for PBR cowpea and what factors contribute to it?

Delivering genetic innovations to farmers: Challenges and opportunities for accelerated varietal turnover

Maize Seed Marketing Workshop. Delivering genetic innovations to farmers: Challenges and opportunities for accelerated varietal turnover

The workshop focused on solutions to increase the adoption of new crop varieties, particularly in the context of maize. It explored how different stakeholders—from seed companies and agro-dealers to farmers and policymakers—can collaborate to increase varietal turnover in the agricultural sector. The event brought together experts and professionals from various sectors involved in seed production, distribution, and research, to address critical challenges and explore opportunities. During the workshop, experts presented findings from research in which various solutions to increase varietal turnover were tested. This served as a basis for discussions, which covered topics including product life cycle management, seed marketing, farmer preferences, and the role of gender in agricultural innovations. The forum, held on November 21, 2024, at Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi, provided a platform for stakeholders to share insights, discuss solutions, and seek alignment on strategies to improve production and adoption of new seed varieties. The event was designed to foster collaboration between sector players, providing an opportunity for constructive dialogue on enhancing seed productivity while ensuring sustainability and food security.

Assessing the development impacts of bio-innovations: The case of genetically modified maize and cassava in Tanzania

Tanzania’s agriculture is characterized by low productivity due to unpredictable rainfall and the prevalence of pests and diseases. Genetically modified (GM) maize offering protection against drought and insects are being developed. Likewise, GM varieties resistant to cassava brown streak disease were developed. Building on prior crop-based analyses, we use the Rural Investment and Policy Analysis (RIAPA) CGE model to assess the impacts of the adoption of those GM crops. GM maize and cassava have positive effects on the economy, the Agri-Food System (AFS), and poverty. Given its stronger linkages in the AFS, the effects of the GM maize are stronger, especially in higher adoption and high yield scenarios. Likewise, the effects on the poorest and rural households are greater. The high variation across scenarios, and the significant effect of the high adoption/high yield scenarios, suggests a high return to investments and policies that realize these adoption rates and yield potential. JEL Codes: O10, O30, O55

Best practices for acceptability of GM crops field trials conclusions: Lessons for Africa

The ability to transfer information about the performance, safety, and environmental impacts of a genetically modified (GM) crop from confined field trials (CFTs) conducted in one location to another is increasingly gaining importance in biosafety regulatory assessment and decision-making. The CFT process can be expensive, time-consuming, and logistically challenging. Data transportability can help overcome these challenges by allowing the use of data obtained from CFTs conducted in one country to inform regulatory decision-making in another country. Applicability of transported CFT data would be particularly beneficial to the public sector product developers and small enterprises that develop innovative GM events but cannot afford to replicate redundant CFTs, as well as regulatory authorities seeking to improve the deployment of limited resources. This review investigates case studies where transported CFT data have successfully been applied in biosafety assessment and decision-making, with an outlook of how African countries could benefit from a similar approach.

Demand-side and supply-side factors for accelerating varietal turnover in smallholder soybean farms

The rapid growth of soybean cultivation in the world augurs well for achieving SDG2 of promoting sustainable agriculture, ending hunger, achieving food security, and improving nutrition. India started promoting soybean cultivation in the 1970s to combat dietary protein deficiencies and augment smallholders’ incomes. However, soybean yield remains low and plateaued at one ton per hectare for the past three decades. This paper leverages a large primary dataset and explores the speed of soybean varietal change by applying survival functions and analyzing determinants of varietal turnover time employing a dynamic framework and harnessing duration analysis. The results show that adopting leading soybean varieties has reached saturation and that policy intervention can have an immediate impact. The weighted average age of soybean varieties in farmers’ fields is relatively high at 16 years, implying a slower varietal change rate. The lack of improved varieties with desirable traits, poor information flow, and growers’ preference for traits beyond yield-hamper faster varietal substitution. Further, analysis indicates regional variations in driving the speed of varietal replacement. The findings have significant implications for spurring soybean yields through investments in varietal development, leveraging modern molecular methods for long juvenility and photo-insensitivity, disseminating information, and institutional changes enabling the private sector participation in crop breeding.

Sustainable food and farming: When public perceptions depart from science

This chapter examines four important food production innovations that have been favored by scientists but opposed by influential swathes of the public: Green Revolution farming, industrial agriculture, the use of synthetic chemicals versus organic farming, and genetically engineered crops (GMOs). While three of the four innovations enjoy widespread use despite civil society opposition, GMOs do not. This chapter explains why: except for GMOs, public misgivings did not find political expression until after farmers had experienced the benefits from these innovations, making them impossible to take away. However, activists raised strong objections early with respect to GMOs, before the seeds were in wide use, and therefore most farmers never had a chance to enjoy and defend the benefits. Genome editing, a more recent crop science breakthrough, met early legal resistance in Europe, but broad popular resistance is unlikely to follow, so widespread deployment in farming is likely.