Africa Harvest 2011 Annual Report

Africa free of hunger, poverty and malnutrition

Africa Harvest

Annual Report 2011

Women serve sorghum porridge in a school. Based on an integrated farming approach, Africa Harvest is promoting sorghum as a food crop in dry and arid areas.

Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation International (AHBFI)Nairobi • Johannesburg • Washington DC • Toronto

2012

Africa Harvest

Annual Report 2011

Citation: Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation International (AHBFI) 2012. Africa Harvest Annual Report 2011. Nairobi, Kenya: AHBFI. 52 pp.

All information in this booklet may be quoted or reproduced, provided the source is properly acknowledged, as cited above.

© 2012 Africa Harvest

ISBN 978-0-620-53853-4

For further information about Africa Harvest or additional copies of this publication, contact Africa Harvest at:

NAIROBI (HQ)3rd Floor, Whitefield Place,School Lane, WestlandsPO Box 642Village Market 00621Nairobi, KenyaTel: + 254 20 444 1113Fax: + 254 20 444 1121Email: [email protected]

JOHANNESBURG34 Forbes RoadBlairgowrie, RandburgPO Box 3655Pinegowrie 2123Gauteng, South AfricaTel: + 27 11 079 4189Email: [email protected]

WASHINGTON DCBlake BuildingFarragut Square1025 Connecticut Avenue NWSuite 1012Washington DC 20036, USATel: +1 202 828 1215Fax: +1 202 857 9799E-mail: [email protected]

Or visit the Africa Harvest website: www.africaharvest.org

Cover: Africa Harvest’s fight against poverty, hunger and malnutrition – using tissue culture banana and sorghum – has been very successful. The new strategic plan seeks to expand this success to reach 1 million in 10 countries in the next 10 years.

Editing and design: BluePencil Infodesign, Hyderabad, India (www.bluepencil.in)Printing: Pragati Offset Pvt. Ltd., Hyderabad, India (www.pragati.com)

Compiled by: Daniel Kamanga, Director, Communications Program, Africa HarvestJulia Kagunda, Independent Media Consultant

TORONTOScotia Plaza40 King Street WestSuite 3100Toronto, ON, Canada M5H 3Y2Tel: +1 416-865-6600 Fax: +1 [email protected]

Contents

Message from the Board Chairman, Dr Moctar Toure 1

Message from the CEO, Dr Florence Wambugu 2

Introducing Africa Harvest 4

Technology Deployment Program 6

Integrating Food Security and Ecosystem Management (FOSEMS) 7 A systems approach: Helping communities diversify their farm enterprises in the ASALs 9 Short cycle livestock 9 Addressing soil health 10 Water harvesting 11 Over 100 farmers trained in water harvesting 11 Stories of transformed lives and communities 11 - One man’s rehabilitated future 11 - St. Camillus Women’s Group: A special needs group’s transformation 12 Production and Marketing of Tissue Culture (TC) Bananas 15 Shifting from subsistence to commercial banana farming 16 Stories of transformed lives and communities 18 - Banana flour meets farmers’ nutritional and income needs 18 - How the adoption of a simple technology turned a farmer into a community leader 19 - Including young people in development projects 20 - Adopting drip irrigation in banana farming 21 Sorghum for Multiple Use (SMU) project in collaboration with ICRISAT 21

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Technical Program 22

Africa Biofortified Sorghum (ABS) Project 23 Biosafety and regulatory component 23 The CFT in Kenya 23 Nigeria conducts first ABS CFT 25 ABS greenhouse experimentation in Burkina Faso 26 ABS project: Building capacity of local scientists 26 Communication and Issues Management 26

Communication for Development Program 28 Africa Harvest CEO participates in UK Parliamentary Committee 29 Burkina Faso: Time to showcase Bt cotton success to West African farmers 29 Education campaigns implemented to support Bt cotton commercialization in Kenya 30 The media biotechnology engagement workshop in Uganda 32 Africa Harvest Strategic Plan 32

Finance, Administration and Business Development Program 34

Internship: Developing young talent 35

Africa Harvest: Creating opportunities for staff development 36

Africa Harvest forges new partnerships in 2011 36

Personal development through increased responsibility: A personal testimony by Wangari Kiragu 37

End of year celebrations 38

Changes in the Board: Three new members join 38

Two Board members' tenures end 38

Biographies of Board of Directors 39

Africa Harvest Management Team 42

Summary of financial performance 43

Income and funding partners 43

Income and expense indicators 44

Statement of financial position for the year ended December 31, 2011 45

Africa Harvest 2011 – Donor profile 46

Acronyms and abbreviations 47

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The year 2011 was, for Africa Harvest, similar to what Charles Dickens describes in A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair...”

It was the same for Africa Harvest and the many other development organizations. The African Development Bank (ADB) says that after an initial rebound from the 2009 world economic crisis, the continent’s economy was undermined last year by the Arab uprisings and growth fell back from 5% in 2010 to 3.4% in 2011. Problems for the world economy remain as Europe confronts its debt crisis. Commodity prices - crucial for Africa - declined from their peak due to weaker demand and increased supply, and some could fall further.

The Bank records the good news that external resources flowing to Africa peaked in 2011 following a decade of sound macroeconomic policies and sustained average annual growth of over 5%. The appetite of Asian and Latin American emerging economies for natural resources triggered a boom in international commodity prices, which underpinned resource-seeking investment in Africa.

Given the macro-economic environment Africa Harvest was operating in, the organization did extremely well when it came to the management of external and internal risks that it faced. The decision by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) not to extend funding for the Africa Biofortified Sorghum (ABS) Project required belt-tightening. However, the approval for a no-cost extension enabled internal cost-cutting to ensure resources were available to meet critical aspects of the project. This report covers the exceptional performance by the Pioneer and Africa Harvest teams in increasing and stabilizing vitamin A as well as carrying out Confined Field Trials (CFTs) in Nigeria and Kenya.

Africa Harvest also worked tirelessly to broaden its portfolio of funders. Early success in the year was encouraging as new and fruitful partnerships with Financial Transactions Reports Analysis Centre (FINTRAC) and Cooperative Housing Foundation (CHF) were formed. At the same time existing relationships with funders were renewed or continued; these include: Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), CropLife international (CLI), International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Life’s Heart and many individuals who know and continue to support the work we do.

Africa Harvest was encouraged as it entered into its 10th year of existence. The Board, Management and Staff chose to see the best of times during what was probably the worst of times. We emerged wiser in what was probably an age of foolishness. In what was probably the winter of despair, we enjoyed the spring of hope.

Message from the Board Chairman, Dr Moctar Toure

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Message from the CEO, Dr Florence Wambugu

In 2011, Africa Harvest continued to focus on its vision of being a leading contributor in making Africa free of hunger, poverty, and malnutrition. The tenacity to deliver on agreed milestones and timelines ensured Management remained focused on the core business: to apply innovative technologies and institutional approaches to improve livelihoods of rural communities – particularly of smallholder farmers – through science and technology-based sustainable models of agricultural development.

One of the major shifts in our strategy execution was the greater pursuit of an integrated food security and ecosystem management approach. During the year under review, we had the opportunity to test this approach as we implemented the Food Security and Eco-System Management for Sustainable Livelihoods in Arid and Semi Arid Lands in Kenya (FOSEM) Project funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) supported the promotion and adoption of TC bananas in over 30 districts in Central and Eastern Provinces of Kenya. Likewise FINTRAC provided funding for TC banana project in five regions of Nyeri County.

Africa Harvest in partnership with the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) started implementing The Sorghum for Multiple Use (SMU) Project, which is funded by IFAD and requires the two organizations to develop and demonstrate the new sorghum multiple-use varieties. Like all the other Africa Harvest projects, this one seeks to improve the livelihoods of the target rural population in Kenya and Tanzania by addressing food and economic security.

With regard to the ABS Project, the team in Pioneer made breakthroughs by improving and stabilizing the levels of vitamin A, while the African teams in Nigeria and Kenya conducted the first Confined Field Trials (CFTs) outside the USA. I’d like to single out Nigeria’s Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR) for conducting the first ever GM sorghum trial in Africa.

CropLife International was Africa Harvest’s first funder and we have built a special relationship for nearly a decade. It was therefore very special when Africa Harvest – together with other African biotech organizations – received the prestigious CropLife International Leafy Award given annually to the best performing program, based on activities in 90 countries.

Africa Harvest Annual Report 2011

3Message from the CEO

In Kenya, Africa Harvest, as part of the Bt Cotton Stakeholders’ Taskforce (CSHT), focused on media outreach and some of the most influential stakeholders in agricultural biotechnology, for example, District Agricultural Officers (DAOs). In Uganda, together with the Science Foundation for Livelihoods and Development (SCIFODE), Africa Harvest hosted a workshop for 30 journalists who represented a wide cross-section of major government-owned and private media houses.

Towards the end of the year, Africa Harvest – working with partners in Burkina Faso – held the African Regional Farmers Exchange Day, with the theme of Deepening Understanding and Strengthening the Capacity of Farmers for the Safe Adoption of Biotechnology. The meeting brought together a delegation of 17 farmers from Togo, Mali, Benin and three cotton-growing regions of Burkina Faso.

During the year, work on the 10-year Strategic Plan – led by Deloitte Eastern Africa – proceeded well. It was an extremely empowering process to the Board, Management and Staff of Africa Harvest. Towards the end of the period under review, Africa Harvest had better defined how to anticipate and respond to changes related to its vision, mission and goals. In particular, the Strategic Plan helped to define the goal of reaching one million farmers in 10 African countries.

Partnerships are essential in achieving Africa Harvest’s vision. Africa Harvest CEO, Dr Florence Wambugu, joins partners at a Harnessing Opportunities for Productivity Enhancement (HOPE) of Sorghum and Millet in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Project partners included the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Compatible Technologies International (CTI), Cornell University, World Food Program (WFP), the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the Alliance for a Green Revolution for Africa (AGRA), the Agricultural Research for Development (CIRAD), the East African Grains Council, the Eastern and Southern Africa Seed Alliance, the West African Seed Alliance and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

During the period under review, the tenures of Board members Ms Gisele D Almaida (Senegal) and Dr Mary Mackey (Canada) came to an end. We are grateful for their contribution. Three new Directors joined the Board: Dr Grace Malindi (Malawi), Dr Arthur Carty (Canada) and Dr Blessed Okole (South Africa). We look forward to their contribution in making Africa Harvest realise its vision.

4 Africa Harvest Annual Report 2011

Introducing Africa Harvest

Vision

To be a leading contributor in making Africa free of hunger, poverty, and malnutrition

Mission

To apply innovative technologies and institutional approaches to improve livelihoods of rural communities – particularly smallholders – through science and technology-based sustainable models of agricultural development

Strategic Goals• Reduce rural poverty and food insecurity through

improved agricultural systems by using science and technology

• Ensure that enhanced agricultural production is sustainable and dependable, has minimum negative environmental impact, and can cope with the climate change

• Improve the nutrition and health of smallholder farming families and poor consumers in Africa

• Provide equitable access to information and knowledge on improved agricultural technologies to smallholders in Africa and develop farmers’ organizations to facilitate this process

• Facilitate development of agricultural value chains by involving and empowering all relevant stakeholders from farmers to consumers

Approach

Africa Harvest pursues its mission and goals through:• Use of science and technology• Technology development and transfer• Value chain development for key agricultural

commodities• Empowerment of farmers, both men and women• Partnership with farming communities, research

institutions, and other organizations that share Africa Harvest’s mission

Values

Africa Harvest’s actions are guided by a commitment to:• Excellence• Innovation and creativity• Institutional and scientific

integrity and accountability• Gender consciousness• Diversity of opinion and approach• Service to farm families, especially smallholders• Cultural diversity• Indigenous knowledge• Environmental protection• Commitment to make an impact

5Introducing Africa Harvest

Guiding principles• Adherence to Africa Harvest’s vision and mission• Value addition to national goals of countries in

which Africa Harvest operates• Scientific and technical integrity and professional

excellence• Commitment to partnerships that strengthen

African agriculture• Programmatic approach based on developing the

whole value chain approach

• Creating and responding to market opportunities• Reaching out and empowering our stakeholders• Ensuring gender equality and benefit sharing from

our development interventions• Focus on impact and tangible results to our

beneficiaries• Mainstreaming social, human and environmental

concerns


Technology Deployment Program

7Technology Deployment Program

The Africa Harvest Technology Deployment Program’s key focus is the deployment of technologies to ensure sustainable food security, income generation and rehabilitation of the environment. Project implementation is based on the Whole Value Chain (WVC) strategy; this farm-to-plate approach puts the farmer at the centre of all efforts and involves analysis of gaps and identification of synergies and opportunities. During the period under review, the program undertook three major projects:

1. Integrating Food Security and Ecosystem Management (FOSEMS) – Donor: IFAD

2. Production and Marketing of Tissue Culture (TC) Bananas – Donors: FINTRAC & USAID

3. Sorghum for Multiple Use (SMU) project in collaboration with ICRISAT – Donor: IFAD

Integrating Food Security and Ecosystem Management (FOSEMS)

In line with the strategy of integrating food security with ecosystem management, Africa Harvest works in Kenya’s Arid and Semi-arid Lands (ASAL) to improve food production, land and water management, increase productivity and speed up the adoption of sustainable practices to mitigate the effects of climate change.

The ASAL region covers 80% of Kenya. The Eastern region of Kenya is an epicenter of the ASAL region’s drought and food insecurity. Communities here battle water shortages and drought due to unreliable and poorly distributed rains. With climate change, the situation is getting worse and rains have become more unpredictable since the 1980s. This pattern is consistent with projections that Kenya’s ASALs will experience an increase in the frequency and severity of droughts and significant decline in rainfall and river flows due to climate change.

Farmers here keep livestock and also practice agriculture for subsistence, but these activities are handicapped by erratic rains. The paradox is that when the rains fall, heavy storms cause water run-off and the low organic material covering the soils is washed off. Land degradation is also worsened by increasing population, leading to a reduction in vegetation cover, destruction of soil micro-organisms, soil crusting and enhanced soil and water erosion.

Families in these regions have also had to deal with an increase of the HIV/AIDs pandemic, leading to labor stress and perennial food shortages. More recently, spiraling food prices have contributed to food insecurity. Africa Harvest’s interventions were timely. Efforts to address farmers’ vulnerabilities include addressing nutrition-related challenges, increasing incomes, improving natural resource management and ensuring food security. The integrated approach is designed to increase the capacity of rural farmers to cope with and adapt to a greater prevalence of drought due to climate change.

The project has four objectives that include helping smallholder farmers and agro-pastoralists adopt and benefit from traditional food crops (dryland cereals like sorghum and cowpea), improve production and marketing of horticultural crops like mangoes, enhance soil fertility management, water conservation and harvesting and enhance incomes and nutrition through introduction of improved short cycle livestocks- Toggenburg goats and Kenbro chicken.

The FOSEMS project is funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) through a grant from the Italian government and is designed to improve the livelihoods of poor rural small-scale farmers in Makueni county (Mulala and Wote division) and Kitui county (Central Kitui division), within the


Eastern region of Kenya. The project started in July 2010 with rigorous community mobilization and awareness, working with partners on the ground, identifying existing groups to be strengthened and forming new farmer and community groups. Africa Harvest’s gender mainstreaming efforts include working with groups that bring together groups of persons affected as well as those living with HIV/AIDs, women, youth, and a few groups of men and women undergoing rehabilitation for alcohol abuse.

By the end of 2011, the project had made achievements on all objectives. Over 90% of the target households

(1946 out of 2000 HH) had been impacted through adoption of improved and high-yielding sorghum and cowpea technologies, and there was also improvement in soil fertility from the agro-forestry trees supplied. Moreover, there was improvement in nutrition and income generation from consumption and sale of chicken and goat products derived from Kenbro chicken and Toggenburg goats introduced to upgrade indigenous varieties/breeds. In addition, target households (organized in groups) had also enhanced water harvesting skills for household and on-farm purposes and three schools within the target areas were supplied with plastic water tanks

One of the objectives of the FOSEMS Project is to improve short-cycle livestocks in the target areas through cross-breeding with improved breeds, for nutrition and income.Dr. Florence Wambugu (second from right) hands over a hybrid goat to Cecilia Kyalo, a farmer from Wote division, Makueni County. Looking on is Dr. Rose Njeru (right).

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(10,000 L capacity) for roof water harvesting leading to improvements in sanitation standards for school children. Preparatory activities for the construction of three sand dams to assist the community in water retention, were also in high gear with environmental impact assessment conducted, and approved architectural drawings done. Construction was to be undertaken in early 2012.

A systems approach: Helping communities diversify their farm enterprises in the ASALs

The project’s target communities grow sorghum and cowpea, as traditional food crops. Africa Harvest works closely with seed suppliers (like KARI, Western Seed Company, Dryland Seed company, Kenya Seed Company) to aggressively promote high-yielding and quality-certified varieties of sorghum and cowpea. Farmers are trained in appropriate agronomics for maximum yields and to exploit the potential of these improved seed technologies. These two crops are also suitable for the community’s nutrition, are appropriate for drought areas and improve soil fertility (cowpea) by fixing nitrogen. Sorghum, for example, tolerates drought, heat and flooding and is attacked by few post-harvest pests as compared with maize.

Furthermore, farmers in the target areas are familiar with sorghum preparation while as an enterprise it has a ready market, particularly in beverage manufacturing (malting) and animal feed production. Therefore, increasing production of sorghum translates to increased farmer incomes.

Cowpea is the secondary crop that is being promoted in the project target areas. It has multiple uses as a popular vegetable (its leaves) and the grains are a source of protein. As a legume, cowpea fixes nitrogen and therefore promotes soil fertility.

Short cycle livestock

Farmers were introduced to the fast-growing, dual purpose Kenbro chicken which lay 50% more eggs per year (100 eggs) than the indigenous breeds. This breed is hardy, grows faster and requires less input. It is ready for meat by 10–14 weeks and lays eggs by 25–27 weeks. Eggs from Kenbro chicken fetch a price three times higher than those from conventional breeds.

Farmers are also encouraged to improve local breeds of goats by cross-breeding with improved dairy goats known as Toggenburgs, which have been supplied by the project to beneficiaries through groups (two goats per group – one male and one female). “Farmers say the greatest constraint in goat and chicken production had been scarcity of feed and

The project employs a systems approach by focusing on three key areas: 1) Promoting soil fertility management, 2) Supporting the production of staple and high value horticultural crops suitable for the ASAL region and 3) Linking farmers to markets for sale of surplus produce.

Although the project has been going on for only 18 months, it has reached over 20,000 people and 1,946 households have directly benefited from it. Over 10,000 people in the target districts are direct beneficiaries. The beneficiaries are organized in 56 functional groups which represent a broad spectrum of the population.



The integrated approach through which the FOSEMS project is implemented has a further benefit to beneficiaries as their capacity to diversify agricultural enterprises for improved food production, incomes, nutrition and ecosystem management is enhanced through adoption of all the four facets of the project.

water and attacks from pests and disease”, says Africa Harvest Program Manager, Mr Nehemiah Mburu. “Farmers are therefore feeding poultry on sorghum grain, resulting in improved nutrition from

It is all smiles for farmers in Mulala Division as they admire the Kenbro chicks, after 21 days of brooding them at a local distribution point (AIC Kisaani church) established by the project

the eggs and more income from their sale of both eggs and chicken. Dry cowpea leaves are also used as an ingredient in chicken feed and the remaining crop fed to milk-producing goats”. Africa Harvest has introduced the new livestock varieties and builds in sustainability by equipping farmers with livestock management. Fifteen community-based animal health workers will also be trained and equipped to decentralize extension services and enhance access by smallholder farmers by the end of the project in 2013. This will be done in partnership with the Ministry of Livestock development.

Addressing soil health

The project is witnessing improvement in soil fertility as farmers make compost using manure from the

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livestock and practice agro-forestry by planting forestry shrubs. Popular species include calliandra calothyrsus and leucena leucocephala, which are dual purpose in nature, as they are also used as fodder for goats.

Water harvesting

During the dry seasons women and children travel an average of four kilometers each day to fetch water. To overcome this challenge and as a long-term strategy of improving agricultural production, Africa Harvest is promoting on-farm water harvesting. Farmers are trained to dig terraces to harness run-off water from road surfaces. They are also trained to use roof catchments and operate “key hole-gardens”.

Stories of transformed lives and communitiesOne man’s rehabilitated futureLike most young men of his village, Antony Muia’s life is characterized by hard work. He wakes up each

In the past, farmers used crop residue as fuel but they now mix it with manure to enrich the soils

Over 100 farmers trained in on-farm water harvesting

Based on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Africa Harvest and The World Agro-forestry Centre, over 100 farmers were trained in on-farm water harvesting structures. These Trainers of Trainers (TOTs) have continued to offer extension services to other beneficiaries and the community at large. The MoU outlines the framework for collaborative agro-forestry capacity and rain-water management.

Africa Harvest asked the World Agro-Forestry Centre for technical assistance to build up the capacity of smallholder farmers in on-farm water harvesting structures. Training was organized in partnership with Ministry of Agriculture staff, to cover all project areas in Mulala, Wote and Central Kitui divisions. The training was designed to build and improve the capacity of smallholder farmers, who are group members in the FOSEMS project, from both a theoretical as well as a practical approach. The goal is to increase adoption of on-farm water structures (for example, terraces and retention ditches) by the target beneficiaries. The training was also designed to improve awareness and ensure the quality of water catchment structures as a catalyst for enhanced water management, food production and productivity at the farm level. Africa Harvest supplied beneficiary groups with terracing laying tools to assist the TOTs in executing their roles.

day at 5 a.m. to milk his two goats. By day break he is at the chicken pen collecting eggs from his 200 chicken. For breakfast, his wife prepares sorghum porridge. Now, he adds milk to his porridge and his five children will eat an egg each. After breakfast, his children go to school while Antony loads four trays of eggs on his bicycle to sell in the nearby market. His age-mates from Kikumini, a small village in the location Makueni County, are amazed at how Anthony’s life has changed in such a short time.

It was not always this way for Antony. Four years ago, his family and village-mates had given up on him after he became an alcoholic, always drunk on the local brew, karubu. Then he joined Wendano wa Kikumini (Loving one another in Kikumini) group,where he is currently the Chairman. This self-help group provides



an alternative livelihood to individuals like Anthony who due to excessive idleness and frustration, turn to alcohol.

The group was the brainchild of the Provincial Administration Area Chief and the Assistant Chief. It was in response to increased addiction to local brews and related social vices particularly among men. The group has 40 registered members, 14 women and 26 men. Makueni District Commissioner introduced the group to Africa Harvest during a sensitization visit to the local leadership.

To fight idleness, the group ensures members have something to look forward to every day. Its diversified activities ensure that there is no room for members like Antony, who have previously struggled with unemployment, to revert to drinking due to idleness. At one point or another, individually or at the group level, farmers are involved in any one of the four facets of the Africa Harvest project. If the farmer is not tending to his improved crops, he is composting manure from livestock droppings, digging terraces, harnessing run-off water as well as roof catchments for water harvesting purposes to conserve water for the household.

The group has also increased its asset base after receiving two goats (Toggenburg breed), one male

and one female. Antony and his comrades bring their indigenous goats to be crossbred with the Toggenburg breed. Benefits include faster growth rates and increased milk yield from the crossbred goats. (Nutritionally, goat milk is better than cow milk).

Group members received 61 Kenbro which were distributed among all the members, with each person receiving two birds. Since the Kenbro breed of chicken matures faster and lays 50% more eggs (100 eggs per year) than the indigenous chicken, beneficiaries have seen a significant increase in their incomes from the sale of eggs. Households with Kenbro chicks have an added opportunity to further increase their asset base and incomes from second and third generation upgraded chicken from the eggs that are incubated and hatched.

Antony’s life is no longer like that of members who stagger along the dusty roads of Kikumini village, enslaved by cheap alcoholic brews. The life of many of these villagers has been turned around. They are now making meaningful incomes and providing food for their families. The simplified crop management practices, improved varieties of drought tolerant food crops, water management and short cycle livestock have brought hope, making the village look up again.

St. Camillus Women’s Group: A special needs group’s transformationTwo things have turned around the lives of the 32 women of St. Camillus HIV/AIDs support group. The first is their sheer determination to live. The second is the all-inclusive program that addresses their need for nutritious food and income. Many testify that they are the product of hard work and an extended hand of mercy.

The group was formed to help change perceptions and minimize the stigma attached to HIV/AIDS.

“This project has given us a big lift especially on matters of household food security. We no longer go hungry since we have enough sorghum to feed our families on, in the form of either ugali or uji. We are grateful to Africa Harvest and IFAD for thinking about us and we wish them the best”.

Anthony Muia Kamende, Vice Chairman of Wendano wa Kikumini , Wote Division

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Tim Eller, who has funded LIFE’s Heart project under Africa Harvest, accompanied by Wangari Kiragu of Africa Harvest, visited Wote district in Makueni county where integration of food system and management of eco-system is being practiced.

They also supported those infected as well as the affected. Group members contributed whatever little money they could to assist community members get home-based care while helping others access medical attention and medication by taking them to clinics. Members complemented the group’s income through income generating activities such as production of food crops for sale and the rearing of indigenous poultry breeds.

However, with prevailing food insecurity and high food prices, members were constrained by many challenges including insufficient money to buy food for the sick and limited income to finance their medical needs. One day, all this changed when a member attended a chief’s baraza in the Mulala market center where Africa Harvest staff were exploring the possibility of a community project.

Today, group members have been trained on the range of basket crops suited for the area, how to improve soil

fertility, water harvesting and management, poultry and goat management. The training has improved the knowledge base and skills of beneficiaries.

The women farmers quickly learnt about and planted the early-maturing, heat and drought tolerant sorghum, pigeon peas, millet and cowpeas, ensuring a consistent harvest. In addition, through newly acquired knowledge on good agronomy (proper land preparation, planting, spacing, weeding, disease and pest control, post-harvest handling and marketing) and use of improved seed, they increased production per acre from 200kg to 800kg per acre of sorghum – a 400% improvement. Cowpea yielded multiple benefits including promoting soil fertility, providing the much needed protein. The tender leaves are a popular vegetable and a rich source of vitamins and minerals.

The group was also supplied with three Toggenburgs (high breed milk goats) to assist them improve

Women in Kitui receive one day old Kenbro chicks. They also received initial feed and training on how to attend to the chicks.



indigenous breeds through cross-breeding. The male is 100% pure-bred buck and the females are 75% cross-breed. The women received training in good goat-husbandry; they now have improved housing for their animals and manage livestock pests and diseases better.

“Partnering with Africa Harvest has done us proud. Since we started growing of sorghum and cowpeas, we are assured of a harvest at the end of each season. We have food in our stores, our children and members are consuming eggs, chicken and goat milk. Our soil is improving and we have an income base. We are contributing to development of our community”.

Woman farmer and member of the St. Camillus Women’s Group.

St. Camillus group generates additional income from fees charged to other communities members (non-group members) who bring their indigenous does to be served by the pure buck.

Beneficiaries of this service (upgrading of local does) are drawn from 10 villages lying within the larger Mulala division. Toggenburg dairy goats produce more milk than the local goats and members of the

St. Camillus group are able to consume milk from the lactating goats, further improving their nutrition. Goat milk also contains more minerals, proteins and digestive enzymes than cow milk and is considered a good boost for the immune systems of those infected by HIV/AIDS. Recognizing that dairy goat rearing is less labor intensive, members, particularly those living with HIV-AIDS are able to contribute to taking care of the goats, thereby building their self-confidence, their standing in society and further helping in fighting social stigma.

St. Camillus Women’s Group members receiving goats

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Dr Florence Wambugu (second from left) joins farmers to inspect a sorghum harvest.

Production and Marketing of Tissue Culture (TC) Bananas

In the 1990s, banana production in Kenya reduced by nearly 50% due to pests, diseases and poor agronomic practices. To arrest the situation, the KARI – in conjunction with other players – introduced and started distributing TC banana seedlings. Technology helps in the propagation, multiplication and clean planting of plantlets in a bid to provide farmers with disease-free seedlings to re-establish their banana orchards.

Among the early supporters were the Rockefeller Foundation, Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and DuPont, through its company, Pioneer. In recent years, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and the USAID

have supported different aspects of TC banana in Kenya.

The TC banana technology holds the promise of transforming banana into a reliable household food security crop and income earner for cash strapped smallholder farmers. AGRA supported the promotion and adoption of TC bananas in over 30 districts in the Central and Eastern Provinces of Kenya during the period under review. Likewise, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through its horticulture program; the Kenya Horticultural Competitiveness Project (KHCP), provided funding for the TC banana project in five regions of Nyeri County, in Central Kenya. These are: Mathira, Tetu, Othaya, Mukurwe-ini and Nyeri municipalities. Africa Harvest has distributed over 20,000 banana plantlets to 1,000 farmers under this (USAID) —



program in its first one year. This banana crop is expected to give about 600 Metric Tons of produce during the first harvest, which is expected by August 2012.“We set the bar quite high. Our goal was to ensure that each of the 4,000 farmers planted at least 25 TC bananas by the end of the project life. Our experience confirms that this goal will be easily achieved”, says Wangari Kiragu, the Project Manager.

Africa Harvest teams traversed the villages, mobilizing and helping the formation of groups. By conducting farmer field days and through demonstrations, farmers were trained on how to establish and manage TC banana orchards. So far, six mega demonstrations have been established with 100 bananas each and 30 mini demos of 25 bananas each. Africa Harvest field officers helped build the capacity of the mobilized farmers to establish their own banana orchards and carry out the necessary crop husbandry to ensure optimal productivity. Peer learning was especially useful during exchange tours where newly recruited farmers visited successful farmers.

Nyeri’s one year success in numbers• 25 farmer groups registered • 600 small scale farmers benefited• 15% of beneficiary households

are headed by women• 5% of beneficiaries are the youth• 21,523 TC bananas planted• 40 acres (16 ha): The increase in acreage

of bananas planted in Nyeri county

Mr. Wang’ombe,one of the “champion farmers” in his banana orchard in Nyeri County.

Shifting from subsistence to commercial banana farming

A baseline survey was carried out in Nyeri before the project inception. It revealed a big gap between supply and demand; farmers were producing more than the market could absorb. One of the project goals was therefore to improve market links to consequently unlock greater value. Farmers were linked to markets through marketing agents ensuring that they got more money, by bulking their fruit. The study found out that compared to farm gate prices, the farmers received 100% more money per unit once they assembled their fruit in one collection center. Fruit collection and marketing sites serve one or two groups of farmers; the sites can only be set up in locations where a marketable and regular volume of bananas is produced. Bulking large volume of bananas in one site removes unnecessary labor cost and delays that arise from hunting of bananas in the different fields by the marketing agents. In turn, he is able to pass on some of the saved money to the farmer because of which farmers earn more. The sites are carefully selected to ensure that they are along major roads for easy access to both farmers and produce buyers.

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Francis Ndambiri (left), one of the most successful TC banana farmers in Kirinyaga County, shows Wangari Kiragu of Africa Harvest, the banana hardening nursery they have started as a group. His farmer group, Murindi Fresh Growers, bought one fourth of an acre of land from the sales of bananas. They are planning to build a banana collection centre.

A monitoring trip done by the Project Manager, Wangari Kiragu (extreme left) and Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Anthony Aseta (right). In the middle is Liz Nduna, a young farmer growing TC bananas.



The income of the participating farmers is set to increase by 25% by the end of the project. To help the farmers gain even more value from their produce, Africa Harvest plans to link them to micro-credit organizations so they can make required investments and improve their farms.

To ensure continuity and sustainability of produce and income when the project period ends, one hardening nursery has been established with a second one set to be established in the coming year. These nurseries are run by young entrepreneurs who are in it for money and hence run them professionally.

Stories of transformed lives and communitiesBanana flour meets farmers’ nutritional and income needsThe Mabanda Kulima Women’s Group was started in 1989 as a social group. In October 2009, the group made a drastic turn and started “thinking business” after listening to a radio talkshow on Inooro FM, a local radio station. The show featured the importance

87%: The volume of banana

traded, compared to other fruits

Banana is arguably the most important fruit in Kenya. Unfortunately, yields are frequently affected by high incidences of disease. The TC banana technology is reducing this challenge. TC bananas also grow faster, fruiting over two months earlier compared with conventional bananas. They also have a higher market value.

A banana collection centre where bananas are bulked and weighed. A collection centre is strategically situated to make it accessible for both the farmers and buyers.

After weighing the bananas are loaded into trucks. Africa Harvest plays a critical role in linking farmers with the right markets to ensure that farmers are not exploited by brokers.

of the banana and its nutritional value for those suffering from diabetes, high blood pressure and the HIV-AIDS. This group decided to focus on banana flour processing. Jane Nungari, 44, the secretary of the group, spearheaded the business venture of this group of 30 women group from Tetu district of Nyeri County.

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How the adoption of a simple technology turned a farmer to a community leader

At 63, Antony Kariuki is making money from TC bananas and agro-tourism. He sold bananas worth Ksh 8,000 on his first market day through the Kihate Banana Group. This is no small feat for the old man from Kaheti village in Mukurwe-ini district of Nyeri County. He accomplished this through planting improved banana varieties, managing his orchard, providing enough water for his plantlets through harvesting the road runoff and joining commercial groups that help bulk bananas for marketable volumes.

In 2010, he established a banana orchard consisting of 235 plantlets on his 1.5 acre piece of land where his homestead stands. His orchard harbors the William hybrid and the Grand Nain varieties.

“Am expecting a bumper harvest in three months’ time from over 100 bunches that have flowered”, he said during a recent farm visit.

Kariuki has demonstrated that water harvesting is a key component in the farming business. A retired technician, Kariuki started by digging a shallow well which did not yield the required water volume. He then saw an opportunity to harvest run-off water and dug up a water pan to act as a reservoir. He used sub-standard polythene to line the water pan at first. The Ministry of Agriculture later assisted him with quality dam liner at a cost of Ksh 40, 000. He has now begun designing banana de-suckering kits which sells at Ksh 300, each.

A field day at Mr Kariukis’ farm in Kihate in Nyeri County, when farmers were shown how to harvest runoff water.

The group had been buying raw materials from the local community but in August 2011, they started planting TC bananas in their own farms to meet the increasing demand for raw materials. By the end of 2011, the members of the group had planted a total of 2,300 plantlets in their farms. The group uses dried banana pieces mixed with baked beans and pumpkins to make composite flour. They use a small greenhouse to dry the pieces of bananas and pumpkins. The members have already started the process of acquiring the Kenya Bureau of Standards



Lucy Wahome of Coro-FM (KBC Radio) interviews a farmer on the benefits of TC banana. Coro-FM is a vernacular radio station.

Africa Harvest Members of board visit a banana orchard

Including young people in development projects

Paul Gathuku is a youthful 28 year old from Kagere village in Mahiga, located in the Othaya district of Nyeri Coutny. He is a member of the Mahiga Banana Growers and one of the four young men who the group recruited after its leaders attended a training program on youth empowerment, conducted by Africa Harvest as part of the farmer capacity building project.

Married and with one child, Gathuku operates a general shop at the nearby Kagere shopping centre. However, he recently accessed a quarter acre of land where he hopes to plant more bananas. He was recruited in the last quarter of 2010 by the group's chairman, Mr. Gachagua.

Mr. Gathuku intends to plant about 120 seedlings on land he now owns. Convinced of banana farming as a lucrative option after learning of the potential high returns, he placed an initial order of 80 seedlings. This will cost him only ksh 4,800 due to the subsidy embedded in the project which pays ksh 50 for every banana a farmer

buys. "I intend to do farming as a business to supplement the income I earn from the shop”, Mr. Gathuku says.

Mr Gachagua, (standing extreme left), the chairman of Mahiga Banana Growers introduces the four youth members the group has recruited. Paul Gahuku is standing in a blue shirt.

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Adopting drip irrigation in banana farming

Joel Gakuru is the owner of the land where a TC banana demonstration site for the Chieni Mwihoko Banana Growing Group has been set up under the USAID-KHCP Program. Gakuru, who is 52 years old with a family of seven, including one grandchild, started planting bananas in August 2010. The demonstration site carries 100 TC banana plantlets, but Gakuru has added another 22 pieces of his own plantlets, making the total number of banana plantlets in the orchard 122. Before embarking on banana farming, he was farming other horticultural crops such as tomatoes and cabbages. He also cultivates coffee and Irish potatoes.

The establishment of the demonstration stimulated an additional 23 farmers in Gakuru’s group to plant over 2,800 TC bananas plantlets. To ensure optimal growth of the bananas, Gakuru has invested in an drip irrigation kit. Two more farmers, each with 200 TC banana plantlets, have also emulated Mr. Gakuru and established a drip irrigation system on their banana orchards.

(KBS) certification, which would greatly add value to their final product.

Sorghum for Multiple Use (SMU) project in collaboration with ICRISAT

Sorghum is a crop that serves multiple purposes. In East Africa, sorghum is primarily used for food; but it can also be used for feed, fuel and malting. Realizing its potential to act not only as a food security crop but also as a source of income for small scale farmers, Africa Harvest in partnership with the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) is implementing The SMU project. The project is funded by IFAD and requires the two organizations to develop and demonstrate the new SMU varieties. Like all the other Africa Harvest projects, this one seeks to improve the livelihoods of the target rural population in Kenya and Tanzania by addressing food and economic security.

Sorghum germplasm will be developed for various uses, based on specific needs of each target market.

The three-year project is being implemented in 20 districts (10 each) in the Central and Northern zones of Tanzania (Singida, Dodoma, Arusha regions) and the Eastern Province of Kenya (Tharaka-Nithi, Meru and Makueni counties).

The project targets 10,000 rural, resource-poor small-scale farmers in Kenya and a similar number in Tanzania. It is being implemented in partnership with private seed companies, the Ministry of Agriculture in Kenya, the Department of Research and Development (DRD) in Tanzania, KARI and private sector players in sorghum for food, malting and feed. Two universities in the two countries have also been incorporated; these include the Sokoine University in Tanzania and South Eastern University College (SEUCO) in Kenya.



Technical Program

23Technical Program

The Africa Biofortified Sorghum (ABS) Project

Described as the worst enemies facing Africa, hunger and malnutrition affect about 240 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) (FAO: 2010). Consequently, one out of every three people in developing countries is affected by vitamin and mineral deficiencies (WHO: 2010). The Africa Biofortified Sorghum (ABS) project seeks to develop a more nutritious sorghum with increased levels of vitamin A.

At the end of the first five years, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) did not renew funding for the project, but Africa Harvest received a no-cost-extension greenlight to use unutilized funds while fundraising for phase two. During this inter-phase, the project made great strides in three key project areas: 1) Technology Development, 2) Biosafety and Regulatory Affairs and 3) Communication and Issues Management. Underpinning the success was the excellent management and coordination by Africa Harvest.

Biosafety and regulatory component

Biosafety refers to the policies and procedures adopted to ensure the environmentally safe application of biotechnology. It is a critical component of modern science because it describes the policies and procedures adopted to ensure environmentally safe application of modem biotechnology. Biosafety ensures that nations benefit from the application of science in agriculture, medicine and the environment, without endangering public health or the environment.

The CFT in KenyaIn compliance with the international and national standards, the ABS project applied for and obtained

Why sorghum improvement?

• Fifth most important grain for food use• Primary cereal in arid and

semi-arid geographies• A staple food for 300 million people in Africa• Mostly consumed as porridges and flat breads• Nutrient deficient

permits, which allowed the project to conduct confined field trials (CFTs) in Kenya. The National Biosafety Authority (NBA) issued a CFT permit after a successful application was developed by the Africa Harvest Biosafety and Regulatory Team, KARI and Pioneer Hi-Bred staff.

Subsequently, the ABS project successfully applied for land at KARI, Kiboko, where the ABS CFT site was constructed following the Kenyan CFT specifications. The design ensured that genetic

Why Confined Field Trials (CFTs)?

Genetically Modified (GM) products go through a series of rigorous trials and studies before they are released commercially. • CFTs are an important component

of the process for approval of GM crops for commercial cultivation

• CFTs represent the first controlled introduction of a genetically engineered crop into the environment

• CFTs fall in between experiments in contained laboratory facilities and commercial release to farmers


and material confinement – as prescribed by the Kenyan Biosafety Act Regulations – was followed. This included appropriate fencing, defined isolation distance and training of staff manning the CFT site. As the procedure requires, the Kenya Plant Health Inspection Service (KEPHIS) – the regulatory agent – inspected the site after the bush was cleared and advised on requirements to be fulfilled before the site was certified. Following that, the requirements were fulfilled and approved for CFT experimentation by KEPHIS.

The sorghum CFT mock trials were completed and the results demonstrated that the confinement measures were effective in ensuring genetic and material confinement. The mock trial was conducted using four major local varieties.

Concurrently, the ABS key scientists in Kenya received training on the principles and practices of carrying out ABS CFT experimentation. The training was conducted by the late Dr Joel Mutisya (KARI),

Africa Harvest and Kiboko team after meeting all the regulatory requirements.

Sorghum is as precious as it looks, bearing in mind the number of people it feeds in Africa. Dr Florence Wambugu takes time to examine a successful cross of ABS genes into local sorghum variety Gadam.

Dr Silas Obukosia (Africa Harvest) and KEPHIS representative, Mr Abed Kagundu.

The objective of ABS CFT experimentation was to transfer ABS nutritious traits of enhanced Vitamin A, and increased bio-available zinc and iron into

Dr Silas Obukosia (right) and Site Assistant, Mr Protus Mulati, inspecting the ABS CFT in Kiboko.

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A field visit to CFT in Kiboko. In the center is Dr Wambugu with Dr Obukosia (left), with other scientists.

local farmer-preferred sorghum varieties. Successful crosses were obtained and the crosses will undergo further evaluation through backcrossing to local varieties while maintaining the ABS traits.

Nigeria conducts first ABS CFT

In Nigeria, a 3-day ABS project sensitization seminar was held with Nigeria’s scientists, policymakers and regulators in October 2011. The meeting was convened by the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR) and the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA). Africa Harvest attended the meeting as the institution leading the project’s Management and Coordination component. The applications for the CFT permit were developed by IAR and Africa Harvest staff. The permit for seeds importation and CFT experimentation was granted by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Nigeria.

NABDA representative, Mrs Rose Gidado and ABS Nigeria Principal Investigator, Dr Mary Yeye (right) receive the ABS seeds in Nigeria. With them is the Head of Biosafety in the Ministry of Environment, Mr Ademola Usman (second from left)

The ABS scientists and technical staff were trained in the principles and practices of carrying out ABS CFT experimentation at IAR, Zaria. The training covered aspects of material and genetic confinement of sorghum for CFT experimentation. The planting of the ABS seeds in the confined field was led by Dr Mary Yeye, the country Principal Investigator of the ABS Project. The planting was witnessed by the Internal Biosafety Committee at IAR and the NABDA team. The experimentation involved transferring ABS genes with high vitamin A and enhanced bio-available zinc and iron into local adapted Nigeria sorghum varieties released by IAR and ICRISAT. The experiment was successful and the crop was eventually harvested. The successful crosses will undergo further evaluation through backcrossing the hybrids to local varieties while maintaining the ABS traits.

Technical Program


ABS greenhouse experimentation in Burkina Faso

In Burkina Faso, the application to greenhouse experimentation of transgenic ABS sorghum was examined and approved by the Institut de l’Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles (INERA), Burkina Faso’s Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC). As a followup, the INERA IBC recommendations were incorporated and the application submitted to the NBA.

ABS project: Building capacity of local scientists

The Agricultural Research Council (ARC) of South Africa played a supportive role in the training of three scientists in marker-assisted breeding for ABS product development. The three plant breeders from Burkina Faso, Kenya and Nigeria gained hands-on experience

Dr Mary Yeye and Dr Rose Gidado inspecting the Nigeria CFT.

in the identification of GM plants. The protocols were received from Pioneer Hi-Bred and optimized for local laboratory conditions. The three sorghum breeders were Dr Kamau Karari from Kenya, Dr Mary Yeye from Nigeria and Dr Mahamadi Ouedraogo from Burkina Faso.

Communication and Issues Management

As part of communication and issues management, two strategy papers were developed to support the CFT applications in Kenya and Nigeria. Rapid response teams (RRT) were established and trained in Nigeria and Kenya.

As part of the broader outreach, the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) hosted a national symposium on enhancing productivity and the nutritive value of sorghum. Co-hosts were NABDA, IAR and Africa Harvest.

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ABS CFT management workshop in Nigeria.

Training of scientists in CFT experimentation in Kenya.

Technical Program


Communication forDevelopment Program

It was a historical moment as Africa Harvest received the prestigious CropLife International Leafy Award on behalf of African biotech organizations including AfricaBio, African Seed Traders Association (AFSTA), the African Biotechnology Stakeholders Forum (ABSF) and the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) AfricCentre for their pivotal role in making Africa the best performing program in over 90 CLI countries. The Director of Communication at Africa Harvest, Mr Daniel Kamanga, receives the award from Ms Denise Dewar (Executive Director of CLI), flanked by Mr Daniel Otunge (AFSTA) (left) and Dr Felix M'boyi (ABSF).

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There is no development without communication

Africa Harvest CEO participates in UK Parliamentary Committee

As part of the international biotech outreach, Africa Harvest CEO Dr Florence Wambugu, attended the United Kingdom (UK) Parliamentary Committee on Food Security and Agricultural Consultative meeting in March 2011. She asked the UK to design support around African-led strategies such as New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Plan (CAADP). Parliamentarians — drawn from different parties and parliament committees — were told that CAADP was a result of a very consultative, country-based strategy.

The consultative inquiry followed in the footsteps of the one held the previous year. It sought to address, in greater depth, how best the UK can support African’s agricultural development. Dr Wambugu asked the UK to expand bilateral support "to include African-led NGOs with the capacity to scale up successful model projects". She said that such efforts would help build and strengthen partnerships between the UK and African institutions, thereby speeding up the transfer of technology. She said Africa needs to diversify food and nutritional security crops to avoid over-dependence on a single crop. Climatic change and its impacts require the promotion of traditional drought-tolerant crops like sorghum along with other African food-security crops such as banana, cassava, sweet-potato and millet.

Dr Wambugu said Africa’s agriculture is characterized by low productivity. This can be changed through the application of technological innovations. She called on UK institutions to partner with African institutions to support the improvement of indigenous food security crop through biotechnology. “The technology is in the seed. Since farmers know how to use seeds biotechnology has a high chance of success in increasing food production”

Burkina Faso: Time to showcase Bt cotton success to West African farmers

December 2011 marked a new turn of events in the agricultural landscape as the first African Regional Farmers Exchange Day focusing on the theme of “Deepening understanding and strengthening the capacity of farmers for the safe adoption of biotechnology” was held in Burkina Faso.

The exchange visit organized by Africa Harvest, in association with the African Biotechnology Stakeholders Forum (ABSF) and AfricaBio, brought together a delegation of 17 farmers from Togo, Mali, Benin and three cotton-growing regions of Burkina Faso. Among other activities, the participants visited a small scale Bt cotton farmer, Sibiri Sanou at Wolsama, who had planted 15 ha of cotton out of which 11 ha were of the Bt cotton variety and 4 ha, conventional cotton. To their surprise, the participants observed that despite planting late, the Bt cotton plants were loaded and the bolls were not suffering from insect damage.

Communication for Development Program


The exchange visit, which also included two journalists from Mali and Burkina Faso, was hosted by the African Biosafety Network of Expertise (ABNE) in collaboration with INERA through its cotton program based in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso.

The visit was characterized by lengthy discussions as farmers were eager to learn from each other. The Burkinabe farmers and cotton farmers from other countries showed a great deal of interest in each other’s farming techniques. Burkina Faso is a regional leader in Bt cotton farming, and farmers from the region share knowledge and practical experiences about Bt cotton farming. Africa Harvest Communication Director, Mr Daniel Kamanga said, “While scientific and research organizations in the region have forged strong collaborations, farmers lagged behind in sharing information that could lead to increased Bt cotton adoption in the region”.

Education campaigns implemented to support Bt cotton commercialization in KenyaBt Cotton will be the first GM crop to be commercialized in Kenya, but just like any other new technology, public awareness campaigns are critical to ensure that Bt cotton is deployed at the farmer level and embraced by the WVC. In support of that, the Africa Harvest communication team, in partnership with KARI and other biotech organizations, implemented education sensitization workshops across the country.

“Agricultural Extension Officers are credible and trustworthy sources of agricultural messages for small scale farmers. As such, the buy-in of extension workers to agricultural biotechnology is crucial to

the acceptance and uptake of the technology by farmers”, says Africa Harvest Communications Director, Mr. Daniel Kamanga. Africa Harvest hosted a Bt Cotton Sensitization Workshop for agricultural extension workers of the Kenyan government from the Eastern province. The collaboration with the KARI brought together 43 divisional, district and provincial agricultural extension officials who appreciated the acquired knowledge in agricultural biotechnology, with special reference to Bt. cotton.

As part of the Bt Cotton Stakeholders’ Taskforce (CSHT), Africa Harvest turned its focus on the most influential stakeholders in agricultural biotechnology, that is, District Agricultural Officers (DAOs). It was this group of influential implementers of agricultural policy in the North-Eastern Province that Africa Harvest reached out to during the year under review.

Africa Harvest Communication Director, Daniel Kamanga, with a team from Croplife International (CLI) during a meeting in Brussels, Belgium

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The goal of the workshop was to sensitize the DAOs about the impending Bt cotton commercialization in Kenya. The workshop, held in the provincial capital, Garissa, was attended by the Provincial Director of Agriculture and all the ten DAOs from the province,

A Bt cotton sensitization workshop held in Thika for Provincial Agriculture Officers from all the provinces in Kenya. Julia Kagunda of Africa Harvest takes a session in communication.

representing 100% attendance of these trusted leaders.

The North-Eastern Province used to be a major cotton-growing area before drought, pest infestation and lack of incentives to grow the crop brought the province’s cotton sector to its knees. Garissa is among the places earmarked for the implementation of the

Leadership of BioAWARE Rapid Response Team

Africa Harvest led a training session during The National Biotechnology Awareness Strategy (BioAWARE) training session. The session exposed participants to the rapid response process and equipped them with the techniques necessary for successful Issues Management.

Website and newsletter management

The biotechkenya.org website and biotechuganda.org website were designed to address basic challenges in nurturing interaction in biotech-related fields amongst scientists, academics and government officials. In 2011, the website served the purpose of facilitating exchange of information, with the goal of stimulating discussion and cohesion within the biotech community.


Journalists field visit in Uganda


cotton industry’s revival program, making it an ideal focal point for the training. Resource persons were drawn from Africa Harvest, the Cotton Development Authority (CODA), Kenyatta University and the KARI.

The media biotechnology engagement workshop in Uganda

Africa Harvest was involved in training Ugandan media practitioners to understand biotechnology and to comprehend the need for a biosafety regulatory system to govern the application of biotechnology.

Together with the Science Foundation for Livelihoods and Development (SCIFODE), Africa Harvest hosted

Left: Visiting a biotech lab in Nigeria (below left), ABS communication; and (below), Dr Silas Obukosia (Africa Harvest) and Dr Mary Yeye (Institute for Agricultural Research) at the ABS CFT site.

a workshop for 30 journalists who represented a wide cross-section of major government-owned and private media houses.

Africa Harvest Strategic Plan

Work on the 10-year Strategic Plan – led by Deloitte Eastern Africa – proceeded well. It was an extremely empowering process to the Board, Management and Staff of Africa Harvest. Towards the end of the period under review, Africa Harvest had better defined how to anticipate and respond to changes related to its vision, mission and goals. The Strategic Plan was particularly useful in defining the goal of reaching one million farmers in 10 African countries.

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The goal will be achieved by assessing and identifying country specific needs followed by networking and mobilising partners and stakeholders to meet these needs. Following a needs analysis, and identification of target crops, Africa Harvest will use its WVC strategy to knit creative

1. An integrated approach to development: To build on the WVC approach, Africa Harvest will strengthen its integrated approach to development focusing on sustainable agriculture and balancing the need to increase farm productivity with environmental conservation.

2. Replication and scaling up of Africa Harvest’s success: The next 10 years will see a more strategic approach to replicating and scaling up past success. The partnership approach will be much more deliberate in forming the institutional DNA. We will work closer with pan-African organizations and African governments in the target countries, using better-defined Africa Harvest programs to reach more people and faster.

3. A continued focus and outreach to smallholder farmers and other grassroot communities: One of Africa Harvest’s strengths is its focus on “the last mile”. We will continue to create deeper impact by focusing on our core target audience: smallholder farmers.

4. Greater sensitivity to Gender, HIV/AIDS: Africa Harvest’s experience is that the critical role of women as agricultural producers and agents of food and nutritional security is severely affected by GHA. In the next decade, our programs and projects will be designed with greater sensitivity to the concerns of women and youth. We will seek to ensure gender equity in benefits accruing from our projects; more importantly, we will try to ensure that our interventions do not perpetuate existing inequalities.

5. Consolidating gains made in technology acceptance: The past decade saw sharp differences related to the arsenal of technologies that Africa could use to fight poverty, hunger and malnutrition. Some even felt that the continent was getting better prepared to adopt biotechnology and genetic engineering. While acceptance increased gradually, the global food crisis underlined the need for multiple interventions and a hybrid of technologies to address Africa’s needs. In the next decade, Africa Harvest will leverage its vast experience – especially in biotechnology – to pave the way for more GM crops in SSA.

6. Africa Harvest institutional transformation: To achieve the ambitious goals outlined in the Strategic Plan will require major institutional changes, many of which have already begun; however, more of the targeted changes will be effected.


partnerships to amplify the impact of interventions made and in the long-run derive lessons for scaling up in other areas and countries.

“Africa Harvest will diversify its impact to leverage the untapped potential of Africa by use of science and technology”, says Africa Harvest CEO, Dr Florence Wambugu. “Based on innovations and lessons learnt over the last 10 years, we expect to see changes in six main areas”.


Finance, Administration and Business Development Program

Stakeholders' meeting

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Internship: Developing young talent

People development – at all levels – is what Africa Harvest is all about. For example, from the example of our core target audience, the smallholder farmers and grassroot communities, the critical question is how to walk with them as they move from poverty to sustainable livelihoods. To successfully improve farmers’ lives, Africa Harvest believes in developing its own staff so they become effective agents and catalysts of change. Those who join the organization under the internship program are accorded the right environment for professional growth.

Antony Aseta started off as an intern but with the new FINTRAC funded project, he has been employed as a Monitoring and Evaluation officer. “When I joined Africa Harvest in July 2010, I was attached to Africa Harvest consultant and Chief Scientist, Prof. Shellemiah Keya, and I learnt how to prepare technical reports, publications, manuscripts, critique reports and reviews both from within the organization as well as from partner institutions”. Later, Antony was an assistant to Dr Silas Obukosia, the Director Regulatory Affairs and Manager of ABS project, where he had the opportunity to provide logistical support for CFT and the ABS project as a whole.

Anthony says the experience and mentorship helped him secure a job and also be proficient in fulfilling his current role. “The work ethics instilled in me will go a long way in guiding my professional work”. He adds that the two key roles he played as an intern, aided him to develop and prepared him on how to run projects and programs within an institution, which is an added advantage as Monitoring and Evaluation Officer.

Antony says one of the challenges he faced initially was “juggling many balls” however with proper

planning, he understood the need for better time management and effective execution of tasks. He says Africa Harvest has continued to offer him avenues for growth. In 2011, he attended a Geographic Positioning Systems’ workshops and another on Biosafety Regulations Protocols at the KARI Biotechnology Centre.

Other 2011 interns:• Jack Ngore, an accounts intern. He holds a

Bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Information Technology from Kabarak University as well as a diploma in Purchasing and Supplies Management.

• Susan Githae, an administrative intern, holds a Diploma in Front Office Operations and Administration.

• Rosalind Wambui, joined as a communications intern and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communi-cation. She is working towards increasing Africa Harvest’s visibility through the social media.

Staff Development

• Onesmus Mwangangi, graduated with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Organization Development from the United States International University, Kenya.

• Antony Korir, completed his Bachelor’s degree in Business and Information Technology at St. Pauls University.

• Michael Njuguna, completed his Ph.D. in Entrepreneurship from the Kenyatta University.



Africa Harvest: Creating opportunities for staff development

Africa Harvest encourages its staff to build knowledge and capacity through attending strategic meetings and short courses. In 2011, many staff members did exactly this:

• Jane Ndiritu, attended training in Business Management. She says the key to learning, especially with regard to on-farm businesses, “is identifying business opportunities as they emerge, planning for the expected profits or loss”.

• Wangari Kiragu, trained in Soil Analysis and Soil Sampling Procedures at Crop Nutrition Lab Services Ltd. “It was an eye opener on the importance of soil sampling and analysis, which is critical as we advise farmers on fertilizer regimes”.

• Rosalind Mutiga, attended training on Public Relations and Communication by BIOAware. “Helping scientists tailor their messages for effective lay man communication was my take-away message”.

• Dr Silas Obukosia, attended Biosafety and Regulator’s training at Pioneer in Iowa, USA. “Informative and a great basis for increased and quality collaboration”.

• Israel Ikuro, training on Farming as a Business: “Farmers can be financially independent if they change their outlook and begin to look at farming as a business venture.”

• Mumbi Maina attended a Grants Management Training by FINTRAC: “Very informative on managing US Government funds and accounting for the same.”

• Paul Mugo attended Training on Group Formation and Group Dynamics: “An eye opener and instrumental in instilling sound governance and the revolution of farming in Nyeri county”.

Africa Harvest forges new partnerships in 2011

FINTRAC: Africa Harvest entered into a three-and-half-year partnership with FINTRAC with the goal of enhancing food security and household incomes of 4,000 households in Nyeri. The goal is to increase the adoption of TC banana crops by farmers and establish sustainable market linkages.

Cooperative Housing Foundation (CHF) INTERNATIONAL: Africa Harvest partnered with CHF International to implement the Protecting and Restoring Economic Sustainability to Ensure Reduced Vulnerability (PRESERV) program. The goal is to provide critical agricultural support and enhance market access and purchasing power for vulnerable households suffering from the effects of the drought in Eastern Province, specifically in the Kitui and Tharaka counties.

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Personal development through increased responsibility: A personal testimony by Wangari Kiragu

As the newly appointed Project Man-ager in Production and Marketing of Bananas in Nyeri County Project, my skills in Project Management were improved tremendously. The project focused on increasing pro-duction of bananas in Nyeri county while establishing farmers’ links to sources of clean planting materi-als and organized markets. As the Project Manager I was responsible for ensuring that all the milestones were achieved within strict timelines.

To ensure that the project work-plans were followed, I had to guarantee that the activities as stipulated in the project document were organized in a sequential order to allow for a close fit into the farmers’ farming cycles. That made it obligatory for me to understand the farming culture of the farmers in the project area.

Linking the activities as stipulated in the project document to the project budget called for an understanding of the need to achieve and surpass the expected outputs on a definite budget. I also needed to develop my liaison skills since I was working closely with other stakeholders in the industry, such as the Ministry of Agriculture, who bring synergy to the project.

Unlike several other projects I had been involved in, this one required submission of weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual reports to the donors. Quick synthesizing of the data coming from the field to formulate the reports, especially the weekly reports, demanded a quick turnaround which we had to master. I learnt how to pay attention to details to guarantee that we captured the very important features that indicate progress and achievements of milestones.

With five project staff, tasked with different duties, I learnt how to manage a team. As a project manager, I learnt skills on teamwork and I had to spruce up my leadership skills, providing direction to make sure the team is focused towards achieving the project deliverables. It has been a developmental year for me.

Wangari (in green T-shirt) during a field visit where farmers are learning simple water harvesting technologies.



Weekly time to catch-up!The “Friday High Tea” continued and monthly birthday celebrations were introduced. Staff members bond during the informal interactions. The meetings are designed to strengthen internal communication as members of the staff are updated on different activities and upcoming events.

Time for laughter and time for the AH team to pause for a photo after enjoying a nice lunch.

End of year celebrations

As usual, the Africa Harvest team held its annual end-of-year celebration with a lot of laughter as members reflected on their accomplishments. Bearing in mind that the theme for the year was “Sustainable impact on communities”, the CEO said that long-term impact must be everybody’s primary agenda, in order to benefit farmers.

Changes in the Board: Three new members join

Dr Grace Malindi from Malawi joins the board with a wealth of practical experience in African Agriculture. Her immense expertise will support Africa Harvest expand its reach and impact.

Dr Arthur Carty from Canada is a global expert in the use and application of innovations and will use his expertise in supporting the introduction of new

agricultural innovations for improving food security and incomes of the poor.

Dr Blessed Okole, a Cameroonian who lives in South Africa, has an exceptional skill mix combining institutional leadership, practical scientific application and private sector experiences which he will use in supporting the Africa Harvest growth strategy.

Two Board members’ tenures end

Ms Gisele D’Almeida from Senegal and Dr Mary Mackey from Canada completed their tenure with the Board in May 2011. Ms D’Almeida served as the chair of the Nomination and Governance Committee. Dr Mackey chaired the Audit Committee and was instrumental in supporting the revision and anchorage of finance-related policies in the institution. They both have left a lasting imprint which will always be remembered.

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Biographies of Board of Directors

Dr Moctar Toure is a Senegalese national and serves as the Chair of the Board. He is a soil scientist who turned into an institutional development expert from experience. He obtained his Diplomed’IngenieurAgronome from the EcoleNationaleSuperieured’Agronomie de Rennes (France) in 1970 and his Doctorate from the University of Rennes (France) in 1973. He spent the first fifteen

years working for the Senegalese NARS, where he rose to the position of Director General of the Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles (ISRA). He served for four years as the National Director for all Agricultural and Agro-Industrial Research in the Ministry of Sciences and Technology. He then moved to the World Bank and for about eighteen years served in various capacities including Executive Secretary for the Special Program for African Agricultural Research (SPAAR). Two years prior to retirement, he moved to the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to lead the Land Degradation Team. Currently, he is a member of many advisory committees and is involved in consulting tasks.

Mr Joseph Gilbert Kibe is Chairman of the Kenya Horticulture Development Authority. In the past he has served as a civil servant in Kenya and as Permanent Secretary in various government ministries. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Makerere University College of the University of London. He has rich experience

in policy formulation and implementation, HR

management and budgeting and accounting for financial and physical resources. He is currently involved in agricultural developments as an investor, with particular interest in international horticultural trade. His special interest in financial investment and corporate governance has led to his current involvement as Director in over 10 private sector companies and not-for-profit foundations and trusts.

Dr Florence Muringi Wambugu is the founder, Director and Chief Executive Officer of Africa Harvest Biotech since 2002. She is a plant pathologist with specialization in virology and genetic engineering. She has a Ph.D. from the University of Bath in England and has had post-doctoral research experience at Monsanto, USA. For over

30 years, she has dedicated her life to agricultural research, where she made significant contributions to the improvement of sorghum, maize, pyrethrum, banana and sweet potato. Previously, she worked as the Africa Regional Director of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) AfriCenter in Nairobi, and as a Research Scientist at KARI. She has published over 100 articles and co-authored various papers. She is also the author and publisher of Modifying Africa. In 2005, she led an international consortium that was awarded US$ 21 million under the global competitive grant by the BMGF. She is a recipient of several awards and honors including the Norwegian YARA Prize in 2008. She is currently a Board Member in several international agencies.



Professor Shabd S Acharya is the Chair of the Program Committee of the Board. He is Honorary Professor at the Institute of Development Studies, Jaipur (India). He is Chief Editor of the Indian Journal of Agricultural Marketing; Chairman of the Editorial Board of Agricultural Economics Research Review; Chairman of the Consortium Advisory Committee

for India’s National Agricultural Innovation Project (NAIP) Project on Risk Assessment and Insurance Products for Agriculture; and Chancellor’s Nominee on the Board of Selection of the Rajasthan Agricultural University. He serves as a consultant to numerous international organizations. Prof. Acharya has numerous distinctions. He has written extensively on agricultural economics, agricultural marketing, prices, agricultural development and policy analysis. His publications include 17 books, 44 chapters in other books, 409 research papers/articles, and 73 research monographs/reports.

Ms Prudence Ndlovu is the Chair of the Nominations and Governance Committee of the Board. As Managing Director of Eagle People Organizational Development (EPOD) Global (Pty) Ltd., Ms Ndlovu has spent the last six years at the helm of this entrepreneurial venture, offering human capital solutions. She has

over 15 years’ experience as a Human Resources (HR) specialist in large corporations, advising on full function human resource strategy and management. She holds a postgraduate degree in Business Studies, specializing in HR management and a training management qualification. Her corporate experience

spans blue chip companies including J. Sainsbury’s Plc, Pick ‘n Pay and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Ms Ndlovu is the Vice Chairperson of Gauteng of the Business Women’s Association of South Africa, providing enterprise development support and capacity building programs for women entrepreneurs.

Professor Dr Matin Qaim is Professor of International Food Economics and Rural Development at the University of Goettingen, Germany. He has a Ph.D. in Agricultural and Development Economics from the University of Bonn and has held academic positions at the Universities of Hohenheim

(Stuttgart), Kiel, and Berkeley (California). He has extensive research experience related to poverty, food security, and productivity growth in the small farm sector. He has implemented and coordinated research projects in various countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America, including on the socioeconomic impacts of agricultural biotechnology and GM crops. Dr Qaim has published widely in scientific journals and books and has been awarded academic prizes.

Dr Blessed Okole is the Chair of the Audit Committee of the Board. He is the Senior General Manager for Infrastructure and Planning in the Technology Innovation Agency-South Africa. He holds a Ph.D. from the Technical University of Berlin, Germany. He was the CEO of LIFElab, the Biotechnology Innovation Center in Durban, and has 18 years’ international experience in the Research and Development sector of the biotechnology industry. Prior to joining LIFElab, he held the position of Business Development Manager and Strategic Partnership Manager for the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Biosciences unit. He was also the interim Director

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for the NEPAD Southern African Network for Biosciences (SANBio) and the Technology Manager, Plant Biotechnology at AECI, a specialty product and services Group of companies. He has several peer-reviewed publications and holds three patents.

Dr Arthur J Carty: Dr. Carty is Executive Director of the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, at the University of Waterloo. From 2004 to 2008, he served as Canada’s first National Science Advisor to the Prime Minister and the Government of Canada. He was President of the National Research Council (NRC) of

Canada for 10 years (1994-2004). Dr. Carty has a Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry from the University of Nottingham. Before joining the NRC in 1994, he spent two years at the Memorial University and 27 years at the University of Waterloo as Professor of Chemistry, Chair of the Chemistry Department and Dean of Research. Dr Carty’s research interests are in organometallic chemistry and new materials. He has 311 publications in peer reviewed journals and five patents to his credit. He is a former President of the Canadian Society for Chemistry, a fellow of the Fields Institute for Research in the Mathematical Sciences and a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He has 14 honorary degrees and has received Canada’s highest civilian award as an Officer of the Order of Canada (OC) and been honoured by France as Officier de l’Ordre National du Mérite. He has served on many Boards of Directors and Advisory Boards.

Dr Grace Malindi, recently retired as the Director of Agricultural Extension Services at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in Malawi after 38 years in public service. She held various positions, including that of Training Officer, Gender-based Participatory Development Specialist, Deputy Director for Extension Services and Director

of Extension Services. Dr Malindi holds a Ph.D. in Human Resources and Community Development from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA and has extensive experience in agricultural extension, gender mainstreaming, farmer training and participatory rural community development. She played a pivotal role in revolutionizing Malawian agriculture from a food deficit nation to a vibrant food surplus nation. Dr. Malindi is a member of Association for International Agricultural Extension Education (AFAAS), Association of Women in International Development (AWID) and the American and Canadian Home Economics Association. Dr. Grace has received numerous awards and served on various advisory boards in Malawi.



Africa Harvest Management Team (left to right): Daniel Kamanga (Communications Director), Silas Obukosia (Director of Biosafety and Regulatory Affairs), Florence Wambugu (CEO), Rose Njeru (Director: Capacity Building and Technology Deployment), and Michael Njuguna (Deputy CEO and Director: Finance and New Business Development).

Africa Harvest Management Team

43Finance, Administration and Business Development Program

Summary of financial performance

Agricultural development in SSA remains an important goal in addressing the challenges of hunger, poverty and malnutrition. Africa Harvest continues to adopt strategies of implementing more relevant, effective and sustainable agricultural programs that contribute to this vision. Nevertheless, along this path many risks and challenges continue to linger which the organization has to address on a continual basis. More recently it has become imperative for the foundation to identify both external and project-related risks and to define strategies to deal with them.

Among the external risks the organization had to deal with during the year under review were fund challenges related to the global financial crisis. Africa Harvest has expanded its partnership to include a larger bouquet of development players in the region while strengthening partnership with our long-term funding partners. An indicator of this being, the new and fruitful partnership with FINTRAC and CHF. Both partnerships focus on supporting vulnerable smallholder farmers. Our inspiration is drawn from the fact that smallholder farmers are resilient and persistent and we too must remain strong.

Income and funding partnersThe total grant income was US$ 2,147,209 in 2011. The revenue was mainly received in the form of restricted donations from various donors. We particularly appreciate the following:• Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF)• Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)• International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)• CropLife international (CLI)

Figure 1. Percentage of expenditure incurred by Africa Harvest in 2011.


Table 1: Income and expense indicators.

2011 2010US $ "000" US $ "000"

Grant & Investment Income 2,147 3,201

ExpenditureProgramme Services 1,724 2,246General and Administration Expenses 525 241Sub-grant to Other Partners 42 646Fundraising 60 101Total Expenditure 2,351 3,234

Net Surplus (Deficits) (204) (33)

Other Comprehensive incomeMovement in foreign exchange reserve - -

Total Comprehensive Income (204) (33)

Cash-flow:Cash and cash equivalent beginning of the year 1,065 3,823Cash and cash equivalent end of the year 411 1,065

• International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)• Financial Transactions Reports Analysis Centre (FINTRAC) /USAID• Cooperative Housing Foundation (CHF) International/USAID/OFDA• LIFE’s Heart

Expenditure:The expenditure was categorized into four main areas: program services 73% (2010:63%), general and administrative expenses 22% (2010: 14%), sub-grant to partners 2% (2010: 20%) and fundraising 3% (2010: 3%). In effect, a total of 75% (73+2) of the grant was used in direct program implementation. See Figure 1.

For income and expense indicators and financial report balance sheet, see Tables 1 and 2 respectively.

45Finance, Administration and Business Development Program

Table 2: Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation InternationalStatement of Financial Position for the year ended December 31, 2011

BALANCE SHEET2011 2010

ASSETS US $ US $Non Current AssetsProperty & Equipments 198 253Intangible Assets 11 13Investments - 404

209 670Current AssetsReceivables 521 414Short term deposits 268 376Cash & bank balances 142 689

931 1,479

Total Assets 1,140 2,149

FUNDS & LIABILITIES

Accumulated Funds and reservesAccumulated Funds 375 613Foreign Exchange Translation Reserve (3) (3)

372 610

Current LiabilitiesUnxepended Grants 696 1,459Payables 72 80

768 1,539

Total Funds and Liablities 1,140 2,149


Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF)

BMGF has funded the Africa Bio-fortified Sorghum Project which is working on enhancing the nutritional value of sorghum with Vitamin A. For more information on BMGF visit: http://www.gatesfoundation.org/

CropLife International (CLI) CLI funds Africa Harvest to promote awareness, knowledge and acceptance of plant biotechnology in SSA. Africa Harvest has a 10 year partnership with CLI.For more information on CLI visit: http://www.croplife.org/

Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)

AGRA has funded the upscaling of the TC banana project to 13 districts in Central and Eastern Kenya since 2009.For more information on AGRA visit: http://www.agra-alliance.org/

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)

IFAD has been funding a project that focuses on Food Security and Eco-system Management for Sustainable Livelihoods in the ASALs of Kenya. The project began in July 2010. Africa Harvest has also been funded by IFAD on a project that focuses on the multiple uses of sorghum or the SMU. The project will be implemented in Eastern Kenya and in Tanzania.For more information on IFAD visit: http://www.ifad.org/

International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)

ICRISAT funds the HOPE Project at Africa Harvest. This project aims to develop and deliver improved crop varieties to small holder farmers. It also aims to train these farmers in crop management. The project is to impact households in SSA and in South Asia.For more information on ICRISAT visit: http://www.icrisat.org/

LIFE’s Heart Foundation LIFE’s Heart Foundation has been funding Africa Harvest to undertake adaptive research to generate site specific agronomic and post-harvest packages for sorghum farmers in Eastern and Central Kenya.

USAID – Kenya Horticulture Competitiveness Program (KHCP)

USAID-KHCP has funded Africa Harvest to scale out TC banana in Nyeri county in Central Kenya. The project aims to train small holder farmers on farming as a business, to move them from subsistence farming to commercial farming through group synergies.For more information on KHCP visit: http://www.growkenya.org/

Co-operative Housing Fund (CHF) International

CHF International funded Africa Harvest in 2011 to implement the PRESERV program. The PRESERV program aimed at impacting the Eastern Province where households are vulnerable to effects of drought.For more information of CHF visit: http://www.chfinternational.org

Africa Harvest 2011 donor profile

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Acronyms and abbreviations

ABS Africa Biofortified Sorghum

ABNE African Biosafety Network of Expertise

ABSF African Biotechnology Stakeholders Forum

ADB African Development Bank

AFSTA African Seed Traders Association

AGRA Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa

AHBFI Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation International

ARC Agricultural Research Council

ARCN Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria

ASAL Arid and Semi-arid Lands

AWID Association of Women in International Development

BioAware The National Biotechnology Awareness Strategy

BMGF Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

CAADP Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Plan

CFTs Confined Field Trials

CHF Cooperative Housing Foundation

CLI CropLife International

CODA Cotton Development Authority

CSHT Bt Cotton Stakeholders’ Taskforce

DAOs District Agricultural Officers

DRD Department of Research and Development

FINTRAC Financial Transactions Reports Analysis Centre

FOSEM Food Security and Eco-System Management

GEF Global Environment Facility

GM Genetically Modified

IAR Institute for Agricultural Research

IBC Institutional Biosafety Committee


ICRISAT International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics

IDRC International Development Research Centre

IFAD International Fund for Agricultural Development

INERA Institut de l’Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles

ISAAA International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications

KARI Kenya Agriculture Research Institute

KBS Kenya Bureau of Standards

KEPHIS Kenya Plant Health Inspection Service

KHCP Kenya Horticultural Competitiveness Project

MoU Memorandum of Understanding

NABDA National Biotechnology Development Agency

NBA National Biosafety Authority

NaCRRI National Crops Resources Research Institute

NEPAD New Partnership for Africa’s Development

NRC National Research Council (Canada)

PRESERV Protecting and Restoring Economic Sustainability to Ensure Reduced Vulnerability

RRT Rapid Response Teams

SANBio Southern African Network for Biosciences

SCIFODE Science Foundation for Livelihoods and Development

SEUCO South Eastern University College

SMU The Sorghum for Multiple Use

SPAAR Special Program for African Agricultural Research

SSA Sub-Saharan Africa

TC Tissue Culture

TCBEL TeeCee Banana Enterprises Limited

USAID United States Agency for International Development

WVC Whole Value Chain

Tissue Culture banana plantlets in a private nursery in Kenya

50 Africa Harvest: Annual Technical and Financial Report 2009

Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation International (AHBFI)

P.O. Box 642 Village Market 00621Nairobi, KenyaTel: 254-20-444-1113/5/6Fax: 254-20-444-1121

PO Box 3655Pinegowrie 2123Gauteng, South AfricaTel: + 27 11 079 4189

1025 Connecticut Avenue NW Suite 1012Washington, DC 20036Tel: 1-202-828-1215Fax: 1-202-857-9799

Scotia Plaza40 King Street West, Suite 3100Toronto, ON, Canada M5H 3Y2Tel: +1 416-865-6600 Fax: +1 416-865-6636

Africa free of hunger, poverty and malnutritionwww.africaharvest.org

Africa Harvest 2011 Annual Report

Documents

Transcript of Africa Harvest 2011 Annual Report