African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF)

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African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF)
c/o International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)
P.O. Box 30709 Nairobi 00100, Kenya

Tel: 254-20 422 3700
Fax: 254-20 422 3701

E-mail: aatf@aatf-africa.org
Website: http://www.aatf-africa.org

Description

AATF’s was created following discussions among stakeholders in industry, research and public policy organized by the Rockefeller Foundation in 2000 to examine ways in which agricultural science could make a greater impact on livelihoods in Africa. At that time, it was acknowledged that although the owners of many proprietary technologies were willing to make these available to African farmers there were significant roadblocks to such transfers.

This realization stimulated a series of consultations leading to the establishment of a design advisory committee for AATF in 2002, the appointment of an implementing director and the identification of donor funding. AATF started operations in 2003 with support from three donors: the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the Rockefeller Foundation and the US Agency for International Development (USAID). It was officially launched in June 2004 with the appointment of an executive director. AATF is incorporated in Kenya where it has a host country status agreement with the government, is registered in the UK as a charity and has a tax exemption status in the USA.

AATF seeks to:

• Link the needs of resource-poor farmers with potential technological solutions.
• Acquire technologies from providers through royalty free licenses or agreements along with associated materials and know how for use on behalf of Africa's resource-poor farmers.
• Establish partnerships with existing institutions to adapt agricultural technology to African circumstances.
• Ensure compliance with all laws associated with the use of these technologies; and,
• Promote the wide distribution of the technologies as appropriate.

AATF has received donor commitments for the first five years from DFID, USAID, and the Rockefeller Foundation which will be used to leverage additional contributions from other donors and the private sector. The precise composition of AATF’s financial resources seems largely dependent on the nature of the technologies it pursues and the pace of growth in Africa’s commercial, legal and regulatory institutions.

Successful partnerships have been developed with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre, BASF, Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), Western Seed Company, Lagrotech, Kenya Seed Company, Western Alliance for Research on Agriculture Testing and Evaluation, Monsanto of USA, Network for the Genetic Improvement of Cowpea, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Kirkhouse Trust and National Agricultural Research Systems in Africa. Others include, Academia Sinica and Institut de Recherche Agronomique et Zootechnique.

Track Record

AATF has provided herbicide and insect resistant maize seedlings which have increased maize yields in Africa. AATF is also developing high quality insect resistant cowpea varieties for use by small holder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa notably, West Africa that could increase farm gate benefits by over 50 percent.

Noting that most of the farmers’ crops are destroyed by insects and diseases, AATF is engaged in improving resistance to banana bacteria wilt disease to increase crop yields and enhance food security especially in communities where banana is a staple.

In recognition of key food and cash crops, AATF has three more projects under development. These include improving rice productivity in nitrogen deficient and saline environments of Sub Saharan Africa (SSA), reducing aflatoxin contamination in peanuts and improving cassava productivity in small holder farms in Africa.

Challenges

Looking at the AATF’s catalytic role in bringing innovative technologies to smallholder farmers, its three major challenges include;

• Negotiating access to proprietary technologies that enhance the productivity of African agriculture.
• Managing partnerships for product development and deployment to introduce innovative agricultural technologies to African farming systems; and,
• Managing knowledge and information to support technology transfer and inform policy processes.

Below is a short assessment of each of these challenges:
Regarding negotiating access to proprietary technologies that enhance the productivity of African agriculture, AATF faces three challenges. Firstly, technology identification. In this case only a fraction of proprietary agricultural technology is relevant for farming in Africa which requires AATF to access good information on production constraints facing African agriculture and contacts with a wide range of technology developers. AATF needs to develop its reputation to encourage developers of technology respond positively to its request for accessing their technologies. Additionally, managing access to and delivery of intellectual property poses a significant problem. Further, the management of an Intellectual Property (IP) portfolio of technologies that include those that offer relatively short-term delivery trajectories and those with a longer period of development poses a serious challenge to AATF.

On managing partnerships for product development and deployment, AATF will need to negotiate access to proprietary technology after investigating the feasibility of partnerships on technologies of useful products for African farmers. In addition it will need to ensure that product development is only pursued under an adequate enabling environment of laws, policies and regulations. It must, therefore, understand the requirements and concerns of different stakeholders and understand that access to a proprietary technology does not guarantee farmers willbenefit. Further, translating technologies into products useful to smallholder farming will continue presenting challenges. For instance, regulatory and biosafety compliance, including mitigation of liability is necessary.

Given its involvement in developing advanced technologies for African farmers, AATF must invest significantly in information and knowledge management. This presents the challenge of managing knowledge and information to support technology transfer and inform policy processes on two fronts namely: knowledge on accessing technologies and deploying it; and, information promoting AATF’s strategic interests to promote public understanding and the establishment of a supportive and enabling environment for agricultural technology development.

To fill these gaps, AATF needs to partner with organizations able to measure and assess the impact of the new technologies and provide information to various stakeholders.

Opportunities

Improvements in agricultural technology will increase food security and reduce poverty. A review of AATF’s mandate reveals that opportunities exist in accessing relevant information and the most appropriate technology on agricultural production constraints and priorities in Africa and national, regional and Africa-wide policies on agricultural development. AATF will require technology candidates for partnership based on an assessment of accessibility, impact on resource-poor farmers and delivery. An additional area for cooperation is access to sources of technology in both the North and South developed through both formal and informal contacts. Moreover, since the licensing of technologies is a multi-stage process, good negotiation skills are important. There is room to build capacity on this front including the ability to critically address management of liability, a determinant for a license.

There are sufficient gaps to be filled regarding product development and deployment. For instance, identification of competent partner institutions with the most appropriate entities for product development presents a chance for cooperation. A further investment niche lies in finding efficient product delivery systems in the form of improved seed, machinery or biological control innovations. Delivery mechanisms must facilitate products reaching farmers promptly. Facilitating farmers’ access to markets, intellectual property protection and risk management and facilitating regulatory compliance are other potential areas of collaboration.

AATF’s work also presents several opportunities emanating from managing knowledge and information. These include: access to generate information on specific production constraints; development of a knowledge base on developing an enabling environment for agricultural technology; interactions with relevant institutions on regulatory and IPR issues; and, periodic review of trends in key policy or regulatory areas in African agriculture.

Such areas could include a review and analysis of current biosafety regulations, seed certification requirements, plant variety protection systems or patenting of relevant agricultural technology in Africa. There is also room for participation by like-minded organizations in training of stakeholders on the performance and potential of its products and providing a clear set of messages on particular AATF products and its relation to important regulatory concerns, consumer issues and policy debates. Provision of information for evidence-based advocacy will ensure that AATF provides information about the potential and performance of its products to those concerned with biotechnology such as the African Union and NEPAD’s Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Program.