Annual Report 2012 - African Agricultural Technology Foundation

38 AATF Annual Report 2012
varieties. With this added protection, farmers will be able to secure a better
maize crop through healthier plants that are able to use available water
and nutrients more efficiently, which is critical during times of stress.
Drought-testing continued in Kenya, Uganda and South Africa,
following receipt of regulatory approvals. The third round of CFTs in Kenya
and Uganda and the fourth for South Africa were installed and completed.
The Project also went through a successful end of Phase I external
review and submission of a proposal for implementation of Phase II.
The review report indicated that the Project had successfully met Phase
I objectives. The focus for Phase I was on the product development
of drought-tolerant maize varieties while Phase II will focus on their
deployment to smallholder farmers.
Capacity strengthening
During the reporting period, the Project continued to enhance the capacity
of partners in regulatory compliance involving conducting CFTs through
stepwise (harvest and post-harvest) compliance training workshops
in Kenya, Uganda and South Africa. In addition, quarterly regulatory
compliance audits at WEMA CFT sites in the three countries were carried
out.
Stakeholder engagement
In 2012, the Project continued with stakeholder engagement efforts to
expand the understanding of the Project and appreciation of progress
made. The second WEMA Regional Stakeholders meeting was held in
Nairobi, Kenya in September 2012. It aimed at updating the stakeholders
about the second phase of the Project, proposed deployment plans and
the upcoming conventional drought-tolerant maize hybrids. The meeting
was attended by about 90 participants drawn from the five WEMA
countries, representing various stakeholders including government
officials, National Biosafety Committee representatives, the media,
farmer association leaders or representatives, and seed associations and
companies. The meeting participants also had an opportunity to see the
impressive WEMA conventional trials in Kiboko, Kenya.
‘Following the successful end of Phase I and the significant progress
made in product development especially for the WEMA conventional
products, the partners are looking forward to deploying the first droughttolerant
maize hybrid in 2013,’ says Dr Sylvester Oikeh, the WEMA Project
Manager.
Deploying agricultural technologies for farmers