Principles accepted by Grain SA on land reform

» Click here to view the PRINCIPLES ACCEPTED BY GRAIN SA ON LAND REFORM AT THE GRAIN SA EXECUTIVE MEETING ON 30 JULY 2014.

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Conservation Agriculture Working Group Meeting

Dr Hendrik Smith, Conservation Agriculture Facilitator, Grain SA

» The first official Conservation Agriculture (CA) Working Group Meeting was held on 23 July at Grain SA's offices in Pretoria. According to Dr Hendrik Smith, CA Facilitator at Grain SA, the meeting was attended by 15 participants inclusive of producers and other relevant stakeholders. Various executive management members are members of the working group, whilst other members will be co-opted from the previous committee.

During the meeting, Dr Smith first supplied an overview of the structure, responsibilities and processes which will be followed by the CA Farmer Innovation Programme (FIP) at Grain SA. Following the introduction, careful thought was given to the tasks and responsibilities (terms of reference) of the new working group. Presentations by the various projects implemented under the CA-FIP provided much interest and incited lively discussions amongst participants. The meeting concluded with the identification of upcoming CA initiatives for possible participation, of which the KwaZulu-Natal No-till conference during the first week of September was recognised as the most important.

Conservation Agriculture Working Group (from left to right). Front row: Tony da Costa, Grain Producer; Dr Danie Beukes, CA Researcher; Erna Kruger, CA Project Implementer; Jane McPherson, Manager: Farmer Development Programme, Grain SA; Dr Marinda Visser, Manager: Industry Services, Grain SA. Back row: Hannes Otto, Grain Producer; Dr Hendrik Smith, Conservation Agriculturist, Grain SA, Dr Dr André Nel, senior researcher at the Agricultural Research Council's Grain Crops Institute (ARC-GCI); Sybrand Engelbrecht, CA Research Coordinator, Maize Trust; Jaco Minnaar, Executive Member, Grain SA; Jan Grey, Executive Member, Grain SA.

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New drought-tolerant maize soon to be available in South Africa

Issued by the Agricultural Research Council

» New conventional drought-tolerant hybrid maize seed that can give farmers a significant yield increase under drought stress, more crop per drop, is soon to be available in South Africa. Marketed under the brand of DroughtTEGO^TM, it was developed by the WEMA project (Water Efficient Maize for Africa) and will be launched by South African seed companies in September 2014, says Dr Kingstone Mashingaidze, Department Manager - Plant Breeding & Biotechnology at the Agricultural Research Council (ARC).

Dr. Mashingaidze said the DroughtTEGO is a new, improved conventional non-GM white maize. WEMA will release its first two new conventional hybrids and will target two to five new releases each year. The first DroughtTEGO hybrid was introduced in Kenya in late 2013 and now, after two planting seasons, it is turning into a hit with smallholder farmers in Kenya.

WEMA is a public-private partnership dedicated to delivering drought-tolerant and insect-pest protected seed to smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. The project uses conventional, marker assisted and genetic modification to develop high-quality seeds that will improve yield, and consequently the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in South Africa.

WEMA is coordinated by the Kenyan based African Agriculture Technology Foundation (AATF) involving five national agricultural research institutions from South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique; CIMMYT and Monsanto. The objective of the project, financed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Howard G Buffett Foundation and USAID, is to improve food security and rural livelihood among smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa.

All the partners in the project have contributed their maize germplasm and expertise to help develop new drought-tolerant hybrids. Monsanto has contributed elite global germplasm, breeding and product deployment know-how. According to the AATF, initial plantings in 2013 of DroughtTEGO in Kenya, surveyed on 39 sites resulted in average yields of 4.5t/ha, a 2.7t/ha increase over the national average of 1.8t/ha, after six years of trials.

It is estimated that if the WEMA project achieves its target scale and yield increases, an additional 2 million tons of maize will be produced to feed 14-21 million people in the five sub-Saharan countries involved with trials.

WEMA is working with private seed companies to deliver at least 10,000 metric tonnes of certified seeds produced from at least 25 conventional drought-tolerant hybrids within the next four years. To date, 25 DroughtTEGO hybrids have been approved for commercialisation in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

For further details, please contact Dr Kingstone Mashingaidze 018 299 6356 or Mr Kiru Pilay 011 790 8200.

the WEMA trials in Kenya a conventional maize cob, left, compared with the drought resistant cob right.

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Keep an eye out for your magazine

Estie de Villiers, editor: SA Grain

» SA Grain will soon be in your mail box. Look out for the August issue (with a tractor and planter on the cover) focusing on the latest tractors and equipment on the market.

Furthermore, this month you can read more about what Mr Louw Steytler (Chairman: Grain SA) said about land reform; grain marketing is discussed in depth; we look at the local quality of the 2012/2013 soya harvests and feedback is given on the Grain Academy. This is an issue packed with current and research-based articles especially for our grain producers.

Remember: You can download the magazine as a flip book. Visit www.grainsa.co.za.

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