Volume 21 - World Federation of Science Journalists

Transcription

AFRICA’S LEADING PUBLICATION ON SCIENCE
Vol. 21 NOVEMBER 20th, 2012 - JANUARY 20th, 2013
INNOVATION AND DEVELOPMENT
Kshs. 100
SCIENCE JOURNALISM FELLOWSHIP
FA L S E R & D
European Food Safety Authority
Denounces Seralini’s anti-GM Food Study
W
maize NK603 and its related stacks.
The Seralini paper has caused much
uproar in Kenya where the ministry of
public health, without consulting local
biotech experts, seems to have unwittingly fallen into the complex world
of “antibiotech groups” who boast
of the ban as a major propaganda
breakthrough. Kenya has some of the
world’s most credible biotech experts
willing to publicly discuss all aspects
Fly Maggots for the Treatment of Chronic Wounds in Kenya
n Fly Maggots that clean wounds and
kill drug resistant germs will soon be the
norm in the biomedical world and KARI
researchers at Trypanosomiasis Research
Centre are at par with world’s best.
n Larva secretions that is effective
against Methicillin Resistant
Streptococcus aureus (MSRA), a leading
cause of amputations and death for
affected patients.
Full version of the scientific paper on Page 12
P L A N T PAT H O L O G Y
Exclusive: Scientific Insight into New Maize
Disease Threatening Kenya’s Food Security
l Loses 30-100 Percent and affects all maize varieties l Caused by a co-infection with Maize Chlorotic Mottle
Viruses (MCMV) and Sugarcane Mosaic Virus (SCMV) or any other cereal viruses
M
Solutions:
nCarrying out strategic research for
tolerance and resistance
nCapacity building along value
chain for disease and pest
management
nEstablishing a system for pest
and disease forecasting and early
warning
nEstablishing a centralized data
bank and backup systems
nFormulating and implementing
policies on handling of emerging
pest and disease epidemics.
Cont. on Page 9
EDITORIAL:
ScienceAfrica Also Offers Well Researched Documentaries
on All Aspects of ST&I in Africa:
n VIDEO COVERAGE n NEWS CLIPS n FEATURES
ScienceAfrica Journalist
Wins Top Fellowship
of biotechnology including perceived
dangers.
Final review of the Séralini et al.
(2012a) publication on a two-year
rodent feeding study with glyphosate
formulations and GM maize NK603
as published online on 19 September
2012 in Food and Chemical Toxicology. q
Full version of the EFSA abstract
on Page 2.
R E S E A R C H U P D AT E
aize Lethal Necrosis Disease
otherwise known as Corn Lethal
Necrosis (CLN) Disease was first
reported in September 2011, in the lower
parts of Longisa division of Bomet district.
In February 2012, it was noted in Bomet
Central division, spreading into neighboring Chepalungu district, Narok North and
South districts, and Naivasha.
In April 2012, the disease spread into
Sotik, Kainon, Transmara, Rumuruti,
Kisii, Biveti, Kericho, Mathira East, Imenti South and Embu. According to field
studies, it was observed that the disease is
affecting all maize varieties grown in these
regions. Reported yield loss in affected
fields ranged from 30-100%.
- Pages 9 to19
Tshs. 2000 Ushs. 3000
SPECIAL ISSUE
hat has clearly come up as
shoddy study by French scientist Seralini et al. is being
branded as having insufficient scientific intergrity or quality needed for safety assessments. European Food Safety
Authority (EFSA) concludes that the
currently available evidence does not
impact on the ongoing re-evaluation
of glyphosate and does not call for the
reopening of the safety evaluations of
Selected 1
Scientific and
Technical
Papers from
KARI
Tel: 020-2053532, Cell: +254 722 843101 / 721 248761
Next
Government
Must Increase
Funding and
Elevate KARI’s
Status
- Page 7
George Achia
S
cienceAfrica’s leading writer George Achia has been
awarded an IDRC/SciDev.
Net Science Journalism Fellowship for 2013. The internship offered with
support from Canada’s International Development Research
Centre (IDRC) and implemented
by SciDev.Net allows early-career
science journalists to work for six
months with the editorial staff of
both SciDev.Net’s regional offices
and its main office in London.
The fellowship starts in January and ends in June 2013.
During the period, George
will work for SciDev.Net and
make up to four reporting trips to
other countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa region to produce both
news and feature articles.
George is the journalist selected from East Africa with another
journalist from the Middle East
and North Africa region. While
congratulating this beneficiary,
SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan coordinator Ochieng Ogodo said the
fellowship gives the journalists
opportunity to report from their
own country and within the region as well as horn their skills in
science journalism. n
Effective East Coast
Fever Vaccine
Finally Launched
An effective “Infection and Treatment Immunization” against the
East Coast Fever spearheaded by
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, Veterinary Research Centre
and the International Livestock
Research Institute has finally been
launched in Kenya after years of unsuccessful attempts.
- Page 2
GMO Food Ban: Was Kenya’s
Public Health Ministry Misled?
Don’t Miss the Next Issue
2
NOVEMBER 20th, 2012 - JANUARY 20th, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
S E R A L I N I G M F O O D C O N T ROV E R S Y
European Food Safety Authority Denounces Seralini Study
ABSTRACT
On 19 September 2012, Séralini et
al. published online in the scientific journal Food and Chemical
Toxicology a publication describing a 2-year feeding study in rats
investigating the health effects of
genetically modified maize NK603
with and without Roundup WeatherMAX® and Roundup® GT Plus
alone (both are glyphosate containing plant protection products). As
requested by the European Commission, EFSA reviewed this publication taking into consideration
assessments conducted by Member
States and any clarification given
by the authors.
The assessments of Member
States and EFSA revealed an overall agreement. The study as report-
ed by Séralini et al. was found to be
inadequately designed, analysed
and reported. The authors of Séralini et al provided a limited amount
of relevant additional information
in their answer to critics published
in the journal Food and Chemical
Taking into consideration Member States’ assessments and the
authors’ answer to critics, EFSA
reaches similar conclusions as in
its first Statement (EFSA 2012).
The study as described by Séralini
et al. does not allow giving weight
to their results and conclusions
as published. Conclusions cannot
be drawn on the difference in tumour incidence between treatment
groups on the basis of the design,
the analysis and the results as reported.
Taking into consideration Member States’ assessments and the authors’ answer to critics, EFSA finds
that the study as reported by Séralini et al. is of insufficient scientific quality for safety assessments.
EFSA concludes that the currently
available evidence does not impact
on the ongoing re-evaluation of
glyphosate and does not call for the
reopening of the safety evaluations
of maize NK603 and its related
stacks.
EFSA’s evaluation of the Séralini et al. article is in keeping with
its role to review relevant scientific
literature for risk assessment on an
ongoing basis to ensure that the advice it provides is up-to-date. n
© European Food Safety
Authority, 2012
Kenya Rural Development Programme Launched
Mohammed Elmi (centre), Kenya’s minister of
state for development
of northern Kenya and
other arid lands and
Romano Kiome (extreme right), permanent
secretary in Kenya’s
ministry of agriculture;
Marjaana Sall (extreme
left), deputy head of delegation of the European
Union to Kenya, Jimmy
Smith (second left),
director general of ILRI,
at the launch of the Kenya Rural Development
Programme (KRDP) at
the KARI centre in Kiboko, Makueni on 7 Sept
2012 (photo credit ILRI/
Paul Karaimu).
VET MEDICINE
KARI, Veterinary Research Centre, ILRI
Set to Conquer East Coast Fever
A
n effective “Infection and
Treatment
Immunization”
against the East Coast Fever
spearheaded by Kenya Agricultural
Research Institute (KARI), Veterinary Research Centre (VRC) and the
International Livestock Research
Institute (ILRI) has finally been
The Parasitic disease East Coast
fever (ECF) kills 1.1 million cattle (one every 30 seconds) in East,
Central and Southern Africa causing losses of $186 million annually.
Countries hardest hit include Burundi, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique,
Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda,
DRC, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Southern Sudan.
However, in Kenya four decades of R&D activities spearheaded
by KARI, VRC and ILRI resulted in
the recent launching of the vaccine
against ECF. It also involved collabo-
ration with Food Agricultural Organisation, Global Alliance for Livestock
and Veterinary Medicine.
“Effective control of ECF and
other livestock diseases is key to the
realization of Kenya’s Vision 2030
objectives that mark a broadening
of the agenda in agricultural production to include marketing, value
addition and agri-business.” said
Kenya’s minister for Livestock Mohammed Abdi Kuti in a speech read
by director of veterinary service Dr
Peter Maina Ithondeka.
“If no form of control measures
is taken ECF would kill up to 100
percent of the exotic dairy cattle and
half of the calves owned pastoralists,” he added.
The disease caused by the singlecelled parasite, Theileria parva,
transmitted by the brown ear tick
(Rhipicephalus appendiculatus) is
often fatal. Devastating clinical signs
include reduced milk production,
anaemia, cardiovascular problems,
cough, diarrhoea blindness, stillbirths and others. Livestock which
recover from ECF retain immunity a
clear pointer to the potential role of
vaccines.
There are currently ongoing “Infection and Treatment” immunization. involving concurrent injection
with certain forms or development
stages of various types T. parva and
some antibiotics which limit the infection. KARI developed ITM vaccine almost three decades ago.
However, more research work
was needed to help experts better
understand molecular biology of
T. parva variants that are endemic
to certain parts of the country. It
means that an effective immunization needed a cocktail of these T.
parva variants. Thus KARI, VRC and
ILRI researchers have over the years
improved ITM and is nowadays considered safe and effective for use. n
T
his is a new publication, hot-off
the press by the ISAAA AfriCenter office based in Nairobi. It is a
timely publication - the first and only of
its kind providing the latest documented
information about the advancements in
agricultural biotechnology research and
development in Kenya before and up to
2012. The book is targeted as a resource
for policy makers seeking quick facts and
figures to make decisions regarding biotechnology. It will also be a handy piece
of informative literature for other stakeholders in the industry like researchers,
farmers, donor groups and the media.
The handbook is divided into chapters
giving details about - research and development for agricultural biotechnology in
Kenya, funding for agricultural biotechnology research and development, the
status of agricultural biotechnology legislative environment, awareness creation
activities on agricultural biotechnology,
the status of agricultural biotechnology
in Africa, global trends in the adoption of
agricultural biotechnology and the international instruments governing agricultural biotechnology.
Biotechnology techniques currently
being used in Kenya to improve crop production include tissue culture, marker-assisted selection and genetic modification.
In the livestock sector, the focus is largely
on the development of vaccines and diagnostic kits for effective vaccinations and
accurate diagnosis for livestock diseases.
Agricultural biotechnology is also applied
in forestry to produce high quality seedlings.
Some of the ongoing crop biotech projects in Kenya include the Bt cotton, the
Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA),
Virus Resistant Cassava for Africa (VIRCA), Bio-fortification of Cassava for Africa, Africa Biofortified Sorghum (ABS),
Drought Tolerant Maize for East and Central Africa and the Weevil-resistant Sweet
potato project. According to the handbook, a majority of these research projects are public-sector driven and funded
but with support and funding from donor
agencies and the private sector.
The handbook also makes a case for
the adoption of agricultural biotechnology in Kenya’s agriculture sector which
is flailing. According to the government
statistics, agriculture contributes approximately 25% of the country’s GDP
while employing more than 75% of the
national labour force. However the sector
has largely failed due to pests, diseases
and unfavorable climatic factors. Biotechnology is one of the tools which can help
circumvent each of these challenges and
thereby turn around the fortunes of farmers and other stakeholders in the agricultural sector. n
3
S P E C I A L F E AT U R E O N O F A B
E
Six Years of Facilitating Dialogue, Inter-Institutional
Collaboration on Agricultural Biotechnology
ven though modern biotechnology
is considered as the fastest adopted
technology in the field of agriculture, there is still much skepticism towards
it. The debate surrounding the technology
has been plagued with misinformation and
complicated by scientific and regulatory
topics which are often poorly understood
by laymen and majority of consumers. It
is also intertwined with other societal concerns such as food safety, animal welfare,
industrialized agriculture, and the global
role of large private-sector corporations.
This means that the benefits of biotech
crops still need to be strongly communicated to the public. The Open Forum on
Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB) in Africa is one of the initiatives that was established to facilitate knowledge-sharing and
awareness creation on matters pertaining
to agricultural biotechnology.
OFAB brings together key stakeholders and facilitates interactions between
scientists, journalists, civil society, private
sector, and policy makers among others. It
aims to enhance knowledge-sharing and
awareness that will raise understanding
and appreciation of agricultural biotechnology and contribute to building an
enabling environment for decision making. The first OFAB chapter was launched
in Nairobi, Kenya in September 2006. A
collaborative initiative between the African Agricultural Technology Foundation
(AATF) and International Service for the
Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications
(ISAAA) AfriCenter, the Kenyan chapter
has paved way for the launch of 5 other
chapters (Burkina Faso, Ghana, Nigeria,
Uganda and Tanzania).
Mrs. Paloma Fernandes, was
invited to give the millers’
views on the implications of
the biosafety labeling regulations. The regulations had
been met with an outcry from
the biotech industry since
they were likely to impede
research and trade in GM
products. The regulations
include austere penalties of
KShs. 20 million, ten years
imprisonment or both for
those contravening. Rather
than ever face such penalSome of the top biotech
ties, traders and technology
experts who have made
developers are most likely to
presentations during
shy away which in practice is
monthly OFAB luncheons.
similar to saying “No GMOs
Top left Dr Jacob
in Kenya”.
Mignouna, AATF; Top Prof
OFAB Kenya’s coverJames Ochanda, University
age of key policy matters
of Nairobi and Dr Allan
has also attracted attention
Liavoga, the Bio-Innovate
of key policy makers. For
Deputy Program Manager
instance, the Kenya Bureau
who is also a food safety
of Standards chose OFAB
expert
as a platform to reach out to
stakeholders and get views
In its formative stages, OFAB Kenya
on the biotechnology standards. Public
took the form of monthly meetings, feareview is one of the most fundamental
turing expert presentations, discussions
stages in standard development. Another
and an opportunity for stakeholders to
important issue covered this year by OFAB
interact. The forum has however expanded
Kenya was the Maize Lethal Necrosis
its activities to include special sessions
Disease which is wiping out the crop in
on need basis and county editions. OFAB
a number of areas hence threatening the
has made major impacts in creating a facountry’s food security. The disease has
vorable environment for decision-making
been erroneously linked to bioterrorism
in regard to agricultural biotechnology.
from some quotas and is most likely to
The forum has often provided a platform
influence formulation of some policies.
for discussion of key policy issues. For
This includes the on-going discussions
instance, in June 2012 the Executive Ofto include a biosecurity clause within the
ficer of the Cereal Millers Association,
biosafety law.
OFAB Kenya is also keen on strengthening capacity for biotechnology communication among various stakeholders.
For example, the Forum held a training
workshop on science communication for
scientists and journalists on September
17th-18th 2012. The meeting brought together 14 scientists and 10 journalists. This
was one of the activities aimed at bridging
the gap between scientists and the media
for improved objectivity in coverage of
agricultural biotechnology matters. One
of the participants, Prof. Laila Abubakar
of the University of Nairobi, said that
apart from reaffirming their strengths,
the meeting identified weaknesses they
had lived with without notice. “As a result
of the workshop, I feel I can now address
the biotechnology uptake issues in a much
more comprehensive and organized way,”
she said.
Acceptance of any technology requires dialogue and inter-institutional
collaboration among key stakeholders.
This way, institutions are able to work in
complement rather than competing and
duplicating efforts. Constructive discourse
and networking among stakeholders is
therefore essential and will enhance their
understanding and ability to communicate
agricultural biotechnology issues. For the
six years it has been in existence, OFAB
Kenya has contributed a lot in enhancing
the understanding of agricultural biotechnology. The Forum continues to offer
participants an opportunity to network
and form new linkages in addition to providing current information and relevant
resource-materials on topical agricultural
biotechnology issues. o
UNIVERSITY R&D
Baraton University: Summary R&D, Collaboration and Publications
Collaboration
The University of Eastern Africa, Baraton
collaborates with a number of Research
Institutions and Universities. We have
memoranda of understanding with the
African Regional Postgraduate Programme
in Insect Sciences (ARPPIS) hosted at the
International Centre of Insect Physiology
and Ecology (ICIPE),Savonia University of
Applied Sciences, Finland, Diaconia University of Applied Sciences, Finland, The
University of Eastern Finland, University of
North Karelia, Finland, University College
Sjaelland, Denmark, Loma Linda University,
U.S.A.and Support Africa International,
Germany.
Funded Research Activities in the
School of Science and Technology
Apart from the locally funded research
activities, there are activities funded by
external funding sources, which include:
1. Malaria Diagnosis Using Plasma and
Selected Chemical Reactions funded by
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This
involves interdepartmental collaboration
of the School of Health Sciences and School
of Science and Technology. The Principal
Investigator for this project is Ms. Jackie
Obey, who collaborates with Prof. Fred
Amimo and Dr. Zachariah NgaloOtienoAyayo, both of the Department ofBiological
Sciences and Dr. Dixon Anjejo of the
Department of Public Health The project
received an initial grant of USD 100,000
and another similar amount after the first
year of research for validation of the results.
2. Using Seneciolyratipartitus Extract After
Anal Ablution, funded by Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation. The Principal Investigator
in this project is Prof. AsaphMaradufu of the
Chemistry Department, School of Science
and Technology. The research is carried out
in collaboration with Ms. Jackie Obey of the
Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences,
School of Health Sciences, with a funding of
USD 100,000.
3. The retention and partitioning of atrazine
and its metabolites in Rivers Kimondi and
Yala Wetlands in Lake Victoria Basin. This
project was run by Mr. Shadrack Mule
(who is nolonger with the University of
Eastern Africa, Baraton) with funding
from the National Council for Science and
Technology
4. Determination of retention rates and
attenuation capacity of selected wetland
systems for halogenated and nonhalogenated hydrocarbons: Modeling
and specialization. This project was run
by Mr. Shadrack Mule (who is no longer
with the University of Eastern Africa,
Baraton), funded by Lake Victoria Research
Initiative (VicRes)
5. Pilot study to assess the acceptability pearl
millet grain at micro and macro levels in rural
Eastern Kenya. The Principal Investigator
for this project is Dr. HellenMueniNdiku of
the Department of Family and Consumer
Sciences, School of Science and Technology,
with initial funding of USD 10,000 from the
Nestle Foundation
Representative Publications in Peer
Reviewed Journals
Bett, N.K.,Nderu, J.N., &Hinga, P.K.
(2012).Neuro Fuzzy Interface System Based
Control of the Three Phase Hybrid Power
Filter for Harmonic Mitigation International Journal of Emerging Technology
and Advance Engineering, 2(8), ISSN 22502459 (available online)
Chihava – Shoko, M., Sibanda, N., Sibanda,
M.M. &Otieno-Ayayo, Z. N. (2012). Factors
contibuting to bacterial diversity and load in
Bulawayo restaurants, Zimbabwe.In Press,
Baraton Interdisciplinary Research Journal.
Mkandawire F. L., Kebaki D., Poblete
A. Angwenyi N., Mule S. &Muchee T.
(2012). Non-Food sweetpotato products for
industrial production at Universityof Eastern Africa, Baraton. In Proceedings of the
6th JKUAT annual Scientific, Technological
and IndustrializationConference held from
November 16 to 18, 2011. Pp 588-592.
Mkandawire F. L., Onyango, J. H.
&Angwenyi, N. (2011) Evaluation of the
market potential of Sweetpotato processed
products. BaratonInterdisplinary Research
Journal.1,29-38, 2011.
Ndiku M, Jaceldo-Siegl, K., Sabat, J.
(2010). Dietary patterns of children < 5
years old in Mwingi and Makueni districts
of Ukambani region, Eastern Kenya.African
Journal of Food Agriculture Nutrition and
Development, 10(7), 2804-2817.
Ndiku, M., Jaceldo-Siegl, K., Singh,
P.,&Sabaté, J. (2011). Gender inequality in
food intake and nutritional status of children
under five years old in rural Eastern Kenya.European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.65, 26-31
Ndiku, M., Sabat, J., Singh, P., JaceldoSiegl (April 2009). Dietary patterns of
children 0-59 months in Ukambani region
of Kenya.FASEB Journal, 23:916.5 Abstract
Otieno-Ayayo, Z.N., Ben-Dov, E., Cahan,
R. , Manasherob, R. &Zaritsky, A. (2012).
Response of three mosquito species to recombinant bacterial toxins from Bacillus
thuringiensissubsp. israelensisexpressed in
two model systems, BaratonInterdisplinary
Research Journal2(1), 17 -32.
Otieno-Ayayo, Z.N., Zaritsky, A., Wirth,
M.C.,Manasherob, R., Khasdan, V., Cahan,
R. & Ben-Dov, E. (2008).Variations in the
mosquito larvicidal activities of toxins from
Bacillus thuringiensisisraelensis.Environmental Microbiology10(9), 2191-2199
Seroney, G.C., Minnie, K., OtienoAyayo, Z.N., Mulaudzi, F.M., &Nyangena,
E. (2012).Knowledge, attitudes and practices of trained traditional birth attendants on
HIV/AIDS, Kenya, BaratonInterdisplinary
Research Journal2(1), 8 – 16.
Terer, E.K. &Magut, H. (2012).Nitrate
anion levels of well and river water along
Kimondi, Nandi.In press, African Journal
of Pure and Applied Chemistry (AJPAC).
Wakoli A. B,Ettyang G.A. &Lakati A.S.
(2012)..” Title: Under nutrition of orphans
and vulnerable children: a comparison
of cash transfer beneficiaries and nonbeneficiaries in Korogocho Slums, Nairobi.
East Africa Journal of Public Health, 9(3),
2012-2612
Book edited:
FracksonLameckMkandawire and
MkpadaMmaduabuchukwu(2011). Low
Input Technologies for Sub-Saharan Africa
Including a chapter written by the editor.
Band 4, Peter LangVerlag, Frankfurt, Am
Main, Germany 2011. Pp 120.
Additional research activities are summarized at www.ueabresearch.roletech.net
Availed by Dr Zachary OtienoAyayo, Dean School of Science and
Technology, University of Eastern
Africa, Baraton - Kenya
4
B I OT E C H
Kenya: Ban on GM Foods Lacked Scientific Consultations
By George Achia
hen banning the
importation of GM
food, Beth Mugo, the
minister for public health surprisingly said that the ban will
remain in effect until there is
enough information, data and
knowledge demonstrating that
GMO foods are not a danger to
public health.
This comes as a shock for
those who know - especially scientists- that there was minimal
consultation with relevant regulatory authorities before the
contradictory announcement.
The government instituted
credible regulatory agencies
such as the National Biosafety
Authority, Kenya Bureau of
Standards and Kenya Plant
Health Inspectorate Services,
National Environment Management Authority and others
to ensure that GM foods have
met the high standards of safety
W
set by these expert bodies working for the public interest.
Dr Margaret Karembu, the
director of Nairobi-based International Service for the
Acquisition of Agri-biotech
Applications (ISAAA), notes
that this is a gag to research and
regulatory bodies by the same
government that created them.
She told ScienceAfrica that
Kenya subscribes to CODEX Alimentarius– an International
Food Standards – which gives
guidelines and codes of practice
to protect the health of the consumers and ensure fair trade
practices in the food trade. And,
according to Karembu, CODEX,
Food Agriculture Organization,
World Health Organization and
majority of international academies of sciences have approved
the safety of GM products.
At the same time, she points
out that this ban sends a negative signal to those wishing to
trade in biotech crops in Kenya.
“We are concerned that the
government is putting up institutions including Universities
to develop technology and goes
behind the curtain to gag their
activities,” said Karembu.
“Safety of foods is a universal attribute and it does not
matter where the data is generated. The available data locally
and globally show that GMOs
are safe for human consumption,” said Karembu.
She notes that despite the
clear benefits of modern biotechnology towards food security, poverty alleviation and
socio-economic development,
this science continues to be
engulfed in controversy that
threatens to thwart its real
value.
And according to Dr Christopher Ngichabe, Kenya Agricultural Research Institute’s
assistant director in charge
of biotechnology, the Cabinet move is a surprise to the
scientific community. This,
according to him, would move
the country backward in terms
of adoptation of biotechnology.
“I am completely shocked
that the Cabinet is living in
denial. It is the same Cabinet
which passed The Biosafety Act,
2009 into law. It received Presidential Assent on 12 February
2009 which instituted NBA,”
said Ngichabe.
“The government ought to
have sought the opinion from
the experts. And it is clear that
we do not respect our institutions and their mandate,” he
added.
According to him, Kenya has
a pool of experts and capacity
to do research in biotechnology
and even to ensure adequate
level of protection in the development, transfer, handling
and use of GMOs that may have
an adverse effect on the health
of the people and the environment.
He asserts that there are 29
countries which have commercialized biotech products and
the remarkable thing is that 15
million of those were resourced
poor farmers in developing
countries.
However, Anne Maina, advocacy coordinator at African
Biosafety Network (ABN), applauds the government’s decision to ban the GMOs, saying
the safety of such products is
still questionable.
Quoting the already discredited anti-GM food study,
Anne told ScienceAfrica that
“with the recent Seralini study
where maize variety NOK 603
was found to cause cancer in the
lifetime of rats tested, the safety
of GMOs are questionable.”
ABN is opposed to adoptation
of modern biotechnology. o
SCIENCE & DEVELOPMENT
Too Early to Celebrate Growth Prospects in Africa
By George Achia
frica’s growth if not
driven by a diversified
production structure
especially in manufacturing
sector that would deliver quality
jobs and raise incomes, would
remain fragile and susceptible
to negative shocks, says Prof.
Osita Ogbu, the director of the
Institute for Development Studies based at the University of
Nigeria, Nsukka.
He warns that the continent’s growth is still very frail,
noting that in spite of the impressive growth rates, Africa’s
economic transformation has
not occurred and any talk of
structural shift is not backed
by evidence.
While giving a key note address during the ATPS 2012
annual conference held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia titled The
Fragility of the Recent Africa’s
Growth and the Opportunity
for Creating Jobs through a
New Technology and Industrial Policy, Prof. Osita notes
that Africa should not celebrate
yet about its recent growth and
continued prospects.
And, according to his paper,
A
there is an emerging consensus
on new industrial and technology policy regime that if well
crafted, contextualized and
implemented, could stimulate
greater manufacturing in Africa
and lead to structural change.
Prof. Osita notes that historically, industrial policy in
various shades has always been
used by every nation to climb
the industrialization ladder.
“Unfortunately, Africa’s
initial attempts were not very
successful. Rather than restrategize, Africa and those
advising her abandoned this
strategy completely in spite of
its being responsible for the
basic industrial structure that
currently exist,” he said.
According to him, there
is now a greater opportunity
for African governments and
the sector to work together to
address the problems that have
hindered the emergence of a
dynamic manufacturing sector
in Africa.
However, Africa still has
a number of opportunities to
exploit.
“These opportunities include the emerging consensus
in industrial policy, the rising
cost of production in China, the
youth force in Africa and the existence of basic manufacturing
hubs,” said Prof. Osita.
He spoke during the ATPS
2012 annual conference under
the theme Emerging paradigms, technologies and innovations for sustainable development: global imperatives
and African realities which
brought together researchers,
academia, policy makers and
innovators from different Africa
countries.
The conference was reflecting on a post Rio +20 futures
for Africa.
Despite all Africa’s presumed economic growth, Prof.
Osita notes that the continent’s
growth is still very fragile.
“And for Africa to fast track
its development and growth
agenda, the continent needs
growth based on industrialization and Science, Technology
and Innovation,” he told ScienceAfrica.
“There should be a link
between STI policies and the
economic agenda so that one
can be seen to be driving the
other,” he added.
Opportunity for Industrial
Policy in Africa
He points out that new vista
of opportunity now exists for Africa to re-engineer its industrial
base including the emergence of
a policy space arising from the
utterances of political leaders
and scholars around the world
who are now embracing the
partnership between the state
and the market as necessary for
re-engineering growth with jobs
in what can be characterized as
a forceful support for and return
of open industrial policy.
“The rising commodity
and mineral prices which provide the foreign exchange and
revenue that would be used
to source technology, capital
goods and equipment as well as
to offer “smart subsidies” that
are market friendly,” he said,
adding that the seemingly declining Chinese competitiveness
in the lower-end manufacturing
opens up additional opportunity for Africa to exploit.
Prof. Osita called on African
governments to give more attention to the manufacturing
sector as it is critical for sus-
tained inclusive growth, innovation and creation of quality jobs.
“Africa’s structural shift will
come from rapid growth in the
manufacturing sector,” said
Prof. Osita.
Youth unemployment problem in Africa is so severe which
constitute up to 30 per cent in
many countries.
“The manufacturing sector
that employs both skilled and
unskilled labour can provide
the platform for resolving these
issues,” he pointed out.
He notes that the growth in
the manufacturing sector occurs
when entrepreneurs increase
their demand for innovation
which requires direct government actions.
“The government can facilitate this through a robust industrial policy. The technological
opportunities that now exist for
low-end manufacturing means
that Africa can leapfrog in order
to innovate,” he said.
According to him, growth
that is not driven by industrialization, in particular, a growing
manufacturing sector is fragile
and likely to still leave many
unemployed and poor. n
The Best Analysis of Science, Technology
and Innovation in Africa
Tel: 020-2053532 / 2473370
5
Stories From World Federation of Science Journalists Virtual Newsroom
Edited by WFSJ Anglophone Virtual Newsroom Editor - Otula Owuor
Ghana: Dangers of Used Undergarments
By Maxwell Awumah
(Ghana)
L
egislative Instrument
(LI) 1586, passed in 1994,
bans the importation,
clearance and sale of used undergarments of any type, form
or description, whether purchased, donated or procured in
any other manner.
“The ban on used undergarments remains non-negotiable
because it is essential for the
nation’s long term public health
safety,” says Kofi Nagetey, a
microbiologist at the Ghanaian
Standards Board (GSB).
“Undergarments absorb
body and skin fluids in the form
of sweats and discharges, which
contain millions of disease causing microbes including yeasts,
parasites, molds, fungi, bacteria
and virus. These garments can
serve as possible reservoir for
organ and skin infections, when
conditions become favorable.”
Nagetey said.
“Body fluids which soil used
undergarments can be injurious
to the skin and hair. Ringworm,
genital candidiasis and other
infectious fungi with high propensity to become dormant
spores are a constant danger;
normal laundering produces
clean clothes, but does not necessarily kill all the microbes, ”
he added.
Mr Nagetey said that these
spores stay in the fabric but
revive and multiply when the
right temperature and moisture
occur and these “bouquets of
microbes” are responsible for
the recurrent skin or genital
infections experienced mostly
by users.
However, it is a booming
business with importers continuing to avail to members of
the public these commodities
including brassieres, pants,
handkerchiefs, boxer shorts and
other types of used garments
because of laxity in enforcement.
The Imported garments
become the first clothing line
for majority of Ghanaians irrespective of social status, race,
ethnicity or religious attachment, despite renewed enforcement of the ban 19 months
ago. Ghana’s Ports Authorities,
Ministry of Trade and Industry
and the Standards Board (GSB)
have waged unrelenting crusade
to cut-off the supply chain of
the commodity due to health
concerns.
However, bales of used undergarments are still confiscated at the ports of entry through
random sampling processes.
State institutions grapple to
totally cut-off the supply-chain
but the porosity of borders
serving as conduits for smuggling activities leaves much to
be desired.
However, importers are
skeptical and see the ban as
misplaced. “The authorities
should focus attention on poor
environmental sanitation which
poses serious health risks to the
populace, because no medical
facility has reported ailments
associated with wearing of used
undergarments,” executive
member of the used clothing
importers in Accra, Daniel Ankomah says in report carried by
Scidev.Net.
He wonders why research
and science would not pay attention to chemicals used in
spraying farms, recycling of
hospital equipment and the use
of public latrines than waste resources and time on proscribing
used undergarments.
“I believe there are much
public health issues in these areas than in undergarments. We
usually wash them in bleach,
other anti-microbes, denaturing
substances and even dry them
in the sun which helps to eliminate harmful germs,” Ankomah
explains.
Majority of the populace
would be naked, if used clothing was entirely banned. That
is the depth of the matter, the
executive member adds.
Source: WFSJ Virtual
Newsroom, Coordinator of
(Francophone, Arabophone
and Anglophone) First Virtual
Science Newsroom Professor
Gervais Mbarga, Canada.
West Africa: Over 1m could Die if Lake Nyos Natural Barrier Collapses
By Ntaryike Divine Jr.
he 200m-deep Lake Nyos
captured global attention1986
when it spewed large clouds
of carbon dioxide asphyxiating over
1,700 people and 3,500 livestock. It
sits on a 1.5 square-kilometer crater
on a defunct volcanic mountain in
Cameroon’s remote northwest at the
northern boundary of the Cameroon
Volcanic Line, a zone of crustal weakness and volcanism.
Cameroon’s Lake Nyos (Top)
threatens to kill over 1 million people
because of flooding and disintegrating natural barrier. It asphyxiated
thousands of people and animals in
August 1986.
However, this doomsday scenario
is already causing tension between Nigeria and Cameroon, a clear indication
of the urgent need to harmonize or create regional water management policies as Nigeria fears that the damage
to crops, buildings and infrastructure
will run into billions of Naira.
“The eventual failure of the dam
will result in the discharge of about 55
million cubic meters of water which
will result in flooding downstream. It
is estimated that between the Cameroon border and River Benue, some 50
settlements and over 15,000 hectares
of land will be flooded,” said Zanna
Muhammad, NEMA’s director of administration.
However, the Cameroon government has remained impassive, despite
reiterated unease voiced by Nigeria
over swelling of the collapse of a natural barrier retaining the waters at its
Lake Nyos.
Amid ravaging floods that killed
hundreds wrecked farmlands and subjected most of West Africa to increased
disease and famine between July and
T
September, Nigeria announced it had
finalized a disaster-cushioning plan in
expectation of an even more devastating calamity lurking just across the
border with Cameroon at Lake Nyos.
NEMA warned that a volcanic rock
forming the natural barrier containing
the lake waters has severely disintegrated. It could snap at a short-notice
or “any moment from now.” NEMA’s
fears are hinged on a combination
factors including ongoing erosion
from rain, wind, the swelling lake waters, potential volcanic eruption and
earthquake.
But one month after the alert was
issued; the Cameroon government
has remained aloof. An official with
the country’s Institute of Mining and
Geological Research [IMGR] which
monitors the lake has however toned
down the NEMA jitters.
“Nigeria’s preoccupation is based
on findings dating back almost a decade. But we regularly survey the lake
and I can confidently state there’s no
immediate cause for concern,” he said
on condition of anonymity because he
lacked authority to speak on behalf of
the government.
“Nonetheless, the government
considers the matter sensitive. Nigeria
has not contacted us to confirm anything, but unilaterally continues issuing these unscientific and dramatic
alerts,” he added.
The NEMA panic has been regular
since 2005 when the UN Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(OCHA) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) issued a
joint report warning the lake wall had
seriously sagged and could crumple
within a decade. The report recommended the dike be solidified with
concrete, or some of the lake waters
released to ease the pressure on it.
“The government has the projects
under consideration. But you’ll agree
with me they are expensive ventures
to undertake for a cash-strapped government, and besides it’s not a priority
issue especially as our studies indicate
there’s no immediate danger,” the
IMGR source explained.
On August 21, 1986 when Lake
Nyos coughed up large clouds carbon
dioxide scientists thronged the scene-
from across the globe. They suspected
that pockets of molten rock lying beneath the lake leaked carbon dioxide
into the water, causing it to change
into unstable and toxic carbonic acid.
They concluded that degassing the
lake by installing pipes to drain off
gas-filled bottom layer watersand
allow the carbon dioxide seep out in
safe quantities atop was the best bet
in avoiding a recurrence.
The installation of the self-powered
vent tubes was completed last year.
Michael Halbwachs of the French
gas-extraction company DATA Environnement led the project that
spanned a decade. He said some 200
million cubic meters of carbon dioxide ensnared beneath the lake will be
pumped out within two years, eradicating all lingering dangers of another
deadly outburst.
Meanwhile, an automatic alarm
system has also been erected at the
lake gateway to warn locals of any
impending dangers.
However, the efforts have hardly
mitigated the Nigerian apprehensions.
In September, NEMA published a
handbook designed to guide relief
operations in the event of the Lake
Nyos dam collapse. The document
captioned, Lake Nyos Disaster Response Manual contains early warning
system methods and detailed practical measures to abate the impacts of
the imagined adversity in the Benue,
Adamawa, Taraba, Cross River and
Akwa-Ibom states close to the border
with Cameroon.
Source: WFSJ Virtual Newsroom,
Coordinator of (Francophone,
Arabophone and Anglophone) First
Virtual Science Newsroom Professor
6
Stories From World Federation of Science Journalists Virtual Newsroom
Edited by WFSJ Anglophone Virtual Newsroom Editor - Otula Owuor
Central Africa Trains First Batch of Epidemiologists
By Ntaryike Divine Jr.
ouala, Cameroun- Medical science has frequently incriminated
Central Africa as a cradle of some
of the world’s deadliest communicable
maladies. The sub-region, already longestablished as the birthplace of HIV is
also home to recurring plagues of cholera,
chikungunya, ebola, meningitis, polio,
measles and others.
Typically, self-declared cash-strapped
governments in the sub-region resort to
donors for assistance when untracked
epidemics break out. Such “fire-fighting”
efforts often come rather late when
disease-causing organisms have besieged
entire communities causing deaths and
forcing the poor into costly hospital beds.
However, a window of hope is opening for Central Africa. The sub-region has
begun training its first-ever indigenous
applied epidemiologists and laboratory
D
science experts and the first batch of 18
epidemiologists recently graduated from
the Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical
Sciences in the University of Yaoundé,
Cameroon,.
The two-year Master’s Degree course
dubbed Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program, FELTP was
launched in October 2010 with trainees
selected via a competitive entrance examination.
The epidemiologists who graduated
included eight from the DR Congo, five
from the Central African Republic and five
from Cameroon. “Often, we’re surprised
by disease outbreaks. However, with this
training, we’re in a position to keep tabs
on their evolution,” said Gerald Sume, one
of the program alumni.
“We’ll be working on epidemics investigations and management. Emergency
situations like the recent cholera outbreak
will henceforth be better tackled. During
our training, we investigated outbreaks of
measles in Cameroon and chikungunya in
Congo,” added Norbert TankeuDongmo,
another graduate from Cameroon.
The FELTP introduction in Central
Africa brings to 52 worldwide, the number
of applied epidemiology and laboratory
science programs started by the US Center
for Disease Control, CDC, from 1980. For
Central Africa, it is additionally sponsored
by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
and the WHO to the tune of US$640,000.
“There’re several vaccine-preventable
diseases in Central Africa and this is an
opportunity to start dealing with them
using people who are trained here and
who will be deployed here and we know
this initiative will continue,” said Peter
Nsabuga, CDC representative.
“Additionally, It will boost sub-regional integration with envisaged possibilities
of crossborder collaboration to track
down, investigate disease behavior and
check their spread from one country to
another,” said Prof Oumarou Bouba, Rector of the University of Yaoundé I.
However, neither timeframes for the
enrolment of the next batch nor a working plan for the graduates have been
announced, but Cameroon government
officials say they willspare no efforts in
ensuring the country and sub-region
reap a hundred percent benefit from the
program. They have pledged tocreate
field laboratories across the country for
permanent surveillance and prompt epidemics alerts. n
Source: WFSJ Virtual Newsroom,
Coordinator of (Francophone,
Arabophone and Anglophone) First
Virtual Science Newsroom Professor
Cervical Cancer: Preventable, Treatable
HPV Immunization Preventive Pap Smear Screening Test
By Bibi-Aisha Wadvalla
(South-Africa)
right blooms of fuchsia
and orange bougainvillea
sway in vibrant contrast
above the still, wan- looking face
of *Noluthando Vilakazi. The 36
year old domestic worker was
diagnosed with cervical cancer
in August 2010. She staunchly
holds back tears, narrating her
diagnosis, and subsequent loss.
“When I told my husband the
news, he left me.” The tears fall.
Vilakazi’s tale is not uncommon. In South Africa, over 7000
new cases are reported annually,
with half resulting in death. An
easily preventable and treatable disease is silently killing
South African women of lower
socio-economic status because
of stigma.
The same situation exists in
Ghana, a country listed alongside
South Africa as most affected by
cervical cancer.Here, women, especially from the rural areas, are
reluctant to visit the health centres for cervical cancer screening
to avoid stigmatisation, in the
event of testing positive for HIV.
They hold the belief that there is a
direct relationship between HIV
and cervical cancer, and that both
are the result of promiscuity. It is
the same in South Africa.
A misconception exists that
being tested for cervical cancer
indicates a woman has contracted HIV.Dr Kwasi Yeboah
Awudzi, Kumasi Metropolitan
Director of the Ghana Health Service, asserts, “There is no direct
relationship between HIV and
cervical cancer.”Vilakazi’s exhusband could not be convinced
of the fallacy of his misconcep-
B
tions. He believed she slept with
other men, therefore she was
diagnosed with cervical cancer,
and possibly had HIV too.
Cervical cancer ranks as the
first most frequent cancer among
women in Ghana, most common
amongst women between 15 and
44 years of age. A World Health
Organisation (WHO) report
(which WHO report and the
date? indicates at least 2,000
Ghanaian women die yearly from
the disease. By 2025, it predicts
there will be over 5,000 new
cases and at least 3,300 cervical
cancer deaths annually.
Dr Trudy Smith, a South African gynaecology oncologist, says
cervical cancer is a leading cause
of death for women. “It’s one of
the biggest killers of women in
the world.”
Globally, the month of October turns pink during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Yet the
preceding month of September
does not flutter with teal ribbons
to commemorate Cervical Cancer
Awareness Month. Instead, it
passes silently by, like the silent
killer it represents.
Cervical cancer is a disease
in which cancer cells form in the
tissues of the cervix. The cervix
is part of a woman’s reproductive
system located in the lower, narrow part of the uterus (womb).
Cervical cancer develops after
the cervix is infected with the
Human Papilloma Virus (HPV),
which is sexually transmitted.
According to Dr Awudzi there are
many (more than 150) HPVs but
about 40 of them can be sexually transmitted and can either
cause genital warts or cervical
cancer. Like all cancers, cervical
cancer progresses slowly, over
a period of years, from cells
that have changed. “In the early
stage, these changes are small
that they are like a “rash” called
dysphasia,” says Juana Nyame,
a cancer expert at the New Cross
Clinic in Kumasi.
Though the early small rash
could appear in a woman when
she is in her twenties, Nyame says
it takes many years to develop
into cervical cancer in women between the ages of 40 to 60 years.
The rash, caused by a Human
Papilloma Virus (HPV), often
causes no symptoms making it
very difficult for women to know
they have the cancer.
Vilakazi sought treatment
after noticing abnormal bleeding
between her menstrual periods.
But it took three months before
she visited her local clinic. Dr
Smith comments, “Symptoms of
stages 1 and 2 include abnormal
bleeding or smelly discharge. The
vast majority of women will present at stage 3, when they bleed
from their vagina or rectum.”
Vilakazi was in stage 2. At
the clinic, she was told to have a
pap smear. “I didn’t know what
it was.” When explained, she
was afraid. “No, I didn’t want it.
I thought they’ll tell me I have
Aids.”
A pap smear is a screening
test for cervical cancer. Cells are
scraped from the opening of the
cervix with a wooden spatula,
then examined under a microscope.
Across Africa, poor screening procedures are said to be a
primary factor in the rise of cervical cancer incidence. In 2000,
South Africa developed a national
cervical cancer screening policy,
using a screening method of pap
smears to prevent precancerous lesions from developing
into cervical cancer through
early detection and treatment.
Free pap smears are offered to
women at the ages of 30, 40 and
50. This policy was viewed as the
most rational approach to ensure
widest coverage to all women in
South Africa. But statistics reveal
less than 20% of women have
used this service. This is either
due to not knowing about it, like
Vilakazi, or fear.
The Cervical Cancer Prevention Programme in Zambia
(CCPPZ), which was initiated in
January 2006, is the world’s first
large-scale public sector cervical
cancer prevention intervention
effort.Groesbeck Parham, gynaecological oncologist and CCPZ
co-director, says CCPPZ developed an innovative approach
to cervical cancer prevention
comprising of nurse-led clinics
supported by a modern mobile
technology matrix. As of May
2011, the programme screened
60,650 women and treated over
8,000 patients for precancerous
and cancerous lesions.
Dr Smith says a pap smear
is secondary prevention. “We
must stop cervical cancer before it happens. We need to
vaccinate.”Treatment of cervical
cancer is possible after diagnosis
by either a Pap smear or Visual
Inspection with Acetic Acid. “But
the primary prevention of HPV is
through immunization, administered to teenage girls, before
they become sexually active”,
says Smith.However, vaccines
are expensive, affordable and
accessible to only those with
private healthcare. In Africa,
there are two vaccines on the
market, Gardisal and Cevirax,
costing $US100 and $US60 per
shot, respectively. Three shots
are required.
Cervical cancer is easily treated if detected early. Cryotherapy
is used to treat pre-cancerous
lesions, or early stage cancer.
Dr Smith explains, “We use a
cryogun to freeze the abnormal
area to -20 °C, which then falls
away.” Nyame further says the
procedure takes only 15 minutes
and might cause some discomfort
and abdominal cramps, adding,
“After the treatment, your cervix
is like any other wound, therefore
it must be protected so that it can
heal and not become infected.”
The five year survival rate
decreases for each stage, with
stage 1 having an 85% survival
rate, and stage 4 a 15% chance.
Fortunately for Vilakazi,
her stage 2 cancer was treated
through radiation therapy. “Now
I’m okay. I feel good, and I thank
God He saved me”, she says
gratefully.
For those unable to seek
treatment, death is painful. Dr
Smith says fistula can develop in
late stages.“In rural areas especially, women who haven’t been
treated are ostracised because
they have foul-smell vaginal and
rectal discharge. They die a painful, lonely death.” q
Source: WFSJ Virtual
Newsroom, Coordinator of
(Francophone, Arabophone
and Anglophone) First Virtual
Science Newsroom Professor
I
7
Next Government Must Increase
Funding and Elevate KARI’s Status
f Kenya’s next government is practically interested in attaining
sustainable food security
then it will have to allocate
more resources and improve
the status of agricultural
research institutions beginning with the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute.
It is one of Africa’s leading scientific institutions
that can credibly and boldly
point fingers at its various innovations backed by
high quality R&D activities
linked to its ability to attract
external funding that still
comes with all the dangers of
dependency. In short KARI
deserves increased budgetary allocations and should be
promptly placed in the same
category as the country most
treasured state corporations
especially in terms of staff
renumerations.
Over the years KARI,
through innovative projects,
has trained highly skilled
agricultural scientists and
specialists in some of the
world’s best universities.
Many may not know that
institutions like the Kenya
Seed Company, Kenya Plant
Health Inspectorate Service
(KEPHIS), Kenya Forestry
Research Institute, Sugarcane Research Institute and
many others were actually
highly successful specialist
sections of KARI.
KARI’s positive impact
is easily noted in Kenya’s
universities, NGOs, international research institutions and other institutions.
Many top experts including
professors in these institutions were fully prepared or
“packaged” at the institute
If Kenya’s next
government
is practically
interested
in attaining
sustainable food
security then
it will have to
allocate more
resources and
improve the status
of agricultural
research
institutions
beginning with the
Kenya Agricultural
Research Institute.
and even while the ministry of agriculture had also
extracted its top brass from
KARI. In other words it is
time for Kenya to adequately
fund KARI and raise its
status if the country’s policy
makers really value “home
grown” science, technology
and innovation.
The list of innovation
from KARI is impressive
and is bound to get better
with increased support and
ability to help in the initial
implementation of its projects. KARI’s R&D impact on
improvement and protection
of the country’s crops and
livestock sector speaks for
itself. One just has to take
an objective look –including challenges and achievements- into the country’s
ability to produce and sustain its livestock, horticul-
SCIENCE & DEVELOPMENT
Bio Innovate Ensuring that R&D Results have Impact
I
ncreased collaboration between researchers, farmers, markets,
NGOs and private sector
players is vital towards the
implementation and pick
up of innovations in the
agriculture sector to boost
economic development,
according to Dr. Seyoum
Leta, the Program Manager Bio Innovate Program.
This could mark a move
from the norm in which
scientist have been accused
of working in isolation.
Inclusion of all stakeholders from inception of pilot
innovation projects to their
completion and implementation phase is the best way
towards ensuring the sustainability of such projects.
This participatory approach has been adopted at
the Bio Innovate program.
“One of the unique features of Bio Innovate is that
we really engage in science
and technology activities
not mainly because we
want to generate knowledge and technology but to
make sure that the results
of the current program activities will have an impact
at the end of the day,” notes
Dr. Seyoum Leta, the Program Manager Bio Innovate Program.
Dr. Leta.
He also asserts that the
Bio Innovate program has
ensured that all stakeholders get on board at the
beginning of the program.
“We made sure that
only the researchers from
the universities or research
organizations are responsible for the implementation
and execution of respective consortia projects.
We have made sure that
the demand side especially
farmers, markets, NGOs
and private sector also
put their eye on the de-
velopment right from the
beginning up to when it is
ready for uptake,” adds Dr.
Leta. This he adds makes
sure that the end product
is one modeled to meet the
demands of the people and
solve practical problems.
The Bio-resources Innovations Network for
Eastern Africa Development (Bio-Innovate) was
established in 2010 as a
body to offer grants to
finance multidisciplinary
bio-sciences and product
oriented innovation activities in Eastern Africa. The
program currently runs
9 consortia projects and
works with 57 partners.
Since its inception in 2010, the project has reached a total
of 150 researchers and
granted funds worth
US$9.2million.
The Bio-Innovate program is funded by Swedish
International Development Agency (Sida) and
the Private Sector. Its innovations are in four thematic
areas: Improving crop productivity and adaptability
and climate change, Waste
treatment, production of
bio energy from renewable
bio resources and securing
fresh water resource, third
is innovation incubation
and promotion of targeted
value chain and finally,
Bio-resources innovation
policy and sustainability
analysis.
The program is set to
officially launch one of
its projects in Uganda in
November 2012. A review of the entire consortia
projects will be done in
February in Addis Ababa
in February 2013. n
ture, cereals and tubers. It
boils down to research leading to increased production
of maize, wheat, sorghum,
millet, peanuts, beans, peas,
flowers, fresh fruits and
vegetables, cassava, sweet
potatoes, Irish potatoes,
poultry, milk, sheep, goats,
cattle, pigs and others.
Apart from protection
against myriads of diseases
the institute has helped the
country come with crop
and livestock varieties that
survive in various agro-ecological zones. Thus In this
issue we have exclusively
carried selected samples of
scientific and technical papers that give a glimpse of
R&D activities at the Kenya
Agricultural Research Institute and more samples will
be carried in future installments. n
EDITORIAL TEAM
Editor:
Otula Owuor
Consulting Editors:
James Njoroge Wachai
Uganda Editor:
Esther Nakkazi
Associate Editors:
Daniel Otunge
Dick Agudah
Revise Editor:
Naftali Mungai
Staff Writer:
George Achia
Staff Photographer:
Charity Muturi
Marketing & Advertising:
Anthony Rume,
IT/Marketing:
Sami Otieno Otula
Operation & Co-ordination:
Leo Ogwago
Layout Design:
James Chunguli
[email protected]
Contributors:
Maxwell Awumah, Ntaryike Divine
Jr, Bibi-Aisha Wadvalla, Bibiana
Iraki, Phoebe Mukiria, Grace Murilla,
Maichomo MW, Mutuku JM, Otieno
Owino, Kimani E, Obukosia S,
Gichuki S, Daniel Kamanga, Florence
Wambugu, Mwasame E, Nzeve D,
Taracha C, Ngichabe C
www.scienceafrica.co.ke
Email:[email protected]
8
Media Competition on
Agriculture in Africa
T
his might be of interest to those
of you with connections to journalists working for print or audio
media in Africa. It’s on the topic of how
political, social and other factors affect
how African governments invest in agriculture. See email below. The deadline is 8 Feb 2013. Main link: http://
www.future-agricultures.org/mediacomp-2013
The competition is only open to
Africa-based journalists but we are
looking to spread the word as widely as
possible within that region.
About the competition
The Future Agricultures Consortium (FAC) has launched a competition
for journalists/media specialists on the
political economy of agricultural policy
in Africa. The competition will address
three key themes:
nInvesting in agriculture: With
agriculture the backbone of the
African economy, why is it that
African governments do not invest more in agriculture for the
benefit of their economies? What
are the political pressures leading
African governments to increase
investment in agricultural development? Do these favour smallholder agriculture or large-scale
farming, food staples or export
crops, state-led or private sectorled models, investment in public
goods or transfers (such as subsidies)?
n Influencing policy - the role of civil
AfricaBio Fact Sheet: NK603
Herbicide-tolerant Maize
society: How can a civil society
organisation have an influence on
agricultural policy making?
n BRICS investment in Africa: How
are investments from China and
Brazil and other ‘rising powers’
having an impact on African agriculture? And what impact will
they have in the future?
The entry deadline is 8 February
2013 and the winners will be supported
to attend FAC’s international conference on the Political Economy of Agricultural Policy in Africa to be held
March 18-20, 2013 in Pretoria, South
Africa.
Help us bring this announcement
to the attention of potential candidates
by circulating it widely amongst your
networks. About the conference: The FAC
2013 international conference will focus on Political Economy of Agricultural Policy in Africa and is co-hosted
by the Institute of Poverty, Land and
Agrarian Studies (PLAAS). The conference organising committee include
Colin Poulton, Blessings Chinsinga,
Ian Scoones, Kassahun Berhanu, Augustin Loada and Gaynor Paradza.
Media competition link: http://
www.future-agricultures.org/mediacomp-2013
Beatrice Ouma
Communications and Networking Coordinator
M: +254 (0)703 700 732 | www.future-agricultures.org
NK603 was first approved for cultivation in 2000 in the US, and currently the
maize is approved for import and food use in Argentina, Australia, Bulgaria,
Canada, Colombia, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the Philippines, Russia, South Africa,
Taiwan. Like any GM crop, the NK603 GMO maize went through a rigorous
safety assessment in these countries before approval for food, feed and environmental release. The safety assessment of foods or feeds derived from
genetically enhanced crops addresses two major sources of potential health
consequences: (1) those due to the activity and presence of the introduced
trait (most often a protein) and (2) those due to the characteristics of the
resulting food or feed crop plant.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/115010474/FACT-SHEET-NK603-Herbicidetolerant-maize Biotech Indaba
Food safety watchdog rejects GM Roundup cancer study
November, 2012 – foodmate.com
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has officially rejected controversial research linking Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup and genetically
modified (GM) maize with cancer and premature death. EFSA rejected the
Seralini GM Roundup cancer study. In the second part of a two-part ruling,
the Euro food watchdog said: “Serious defects in the design and methodology of a paper by Séralini et al. mean it does not meet acceptable scientific
standards and there is no need to re-examine previous safety evaluations
of genetically modified (GM) maize NK603.”
http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/press/news/121128.htm
VIEW POINT
GM Safe- Seralini’s Study a Hoax
By Bibiana Iraki
he recent cabinet decision to
ban GM food imports in Kenya
is unfortunate. However, what
is worse is the basis of that decision.
Sadly, the directive to ban trade and
importation of GM foods was informed
by a flawed and controversial study that
recently generated worldwide headlines.
On 19 September 2012, a French
Professor - Gilles-Eric Séralini - released
a report linking the development of
cancerous tumours in rats to consumption of GM glyphosate-tolerant NK603
maize. The study has been used to propagate negative publicity against GMOs,
re-igniting a massive global debate and
raising concerns about the safety of
genetically modified crops.
Following the report, a multitude
of renowned scientists worldwide and
a number of credible scientific bodies
have reviewed the study and are uniformly criticizing its objectives, flawed
methodology and weak research design.
Some of the organisations that have discounted the results of this study include:
1. The European Food Safety
Authority
2. The Belgian Biosafety Advisory
T
Council
3. Danish Technical University
4. French Agency for Food,
Environment and Occupational
Health and Safety
5. High Council for Biotechnology,
France.
6. Germany’s Federal Institute for
Risk Assessment
7. Italy’s National Institute of Health
Assessment
8. Netherlands Food and Consumer
Product Safety Authority
9. Food Standards Australia and New
Zealand
10. Six French Academies among
them the National Academy of
Agriculture, Medicine, Pharmacy,
Science, Technology and
Veterinary Studies.
According to the conclusions of
separate and independent assessments
carried out by EFSA and six European
Union Member States namely; France,
Germany, Denmark, Italy, Netherlands
and Belgium, “serious defects in the
design and methodology of a paper by
Séralini et al. mean it does not meet acceptable scientific standards and there
is no need to re-examine previous safety
evaluations of genetically modified
maize NK603”
The criticisms come as no surprise
bearing in mind the pool of reliable,
scientifically sound information confirming the benefits and safety of GM
crops, as well as the history of safe use
for almost two decades. GMOs have
been commercialized for food, feed and
planting for the last 16 years with no
adverse effects on human and animal
health and the environment. A total
of 16.7 million farmers in 29 countries worldwide have adopted and are
benefitting from GM crops. Numerous
International Organisations have also
endorsed the health and environmental
safety of biotech crops including:
1. The World Health Organisation
2. T h e F o o d a n d A g r i c u l t u r e
Organisation of the United
Nations
3. The Royal Society (UK)
4. The British Medical Association
5. The National Academy of Sciences
(USA)
6. The American Medical Association
7. The European Commission
8. The French Academy of Sciences
and Medicines
The French academies conclusively
rejected the study as a “scientific non-
event” and voiced their concerns on
the shocking images circulating in the
media. According to the six academies,
these images “contributed to fuel totally irrational fears since the results
presented are not valid science.”
Kenyans have nothing to fear. The
government has put in place structures
to ensure the safe handling and use
of GMOs. There is the Biotechnology
policy of 2006, Biosafety Act of 2009,
Biosafety regulations and a functional
internationally recognized National
Biosafety Authority (NBA) structured
according to the Cartegena Protocol on
Biodiversity and mandated to advice the
government on appropriate handling of
GM foods to the advantage of Kenyans.
Any fear or decision based on the
Seralini’s study that has been found to
be flawed even by scientists in his own
country would therefore be a big embarrassment to Kenya, our regulatory
agencies, research institutions and our
scientists who have always commanded
international repute.
(The writer is the communication officer at African Biotechnology Stakeholders Forum ABSF)
9
Selected Scientific & Technical Papers from KARI
Overview on Maize Lethal Necrosis Disease in Kenya
Introduction
Maize Lethal Necrosis Disease was first reported in
September 2011, in the lower parts of Longisa division of
Bomet District. In February 2012, it was noted in Bomet
Central division, spreading into neighboring Chepalungu
District, Narok North and South Districts, and Naivasha.
In April 2012, the disease spread into Sotik, kainon,
Transmara, Rumuruti, Kisii, Biveti, Kericho, Mathira
East, Imenti South and Embu. According to field studies, it was observed that the disease is affecting all maize
varieties grown in these regions. Reported yield loss in
affected fields ranged from 30-100%.
Insect species transmitting MCMV (Nyvall, 1999)
include, Corn thrips (frankliniella Willimsi), three species of corn rootworms (Diabrotica): Southern corn
rootworm (D.undecimpunctata), Northern corn root
worm (D. ionicornis), and western corn rootworm
(D.Virgijera) the corn flea beetle (Chaetocnema pulicaria), the flea beetle (Sytena frontalis), the cereal leaf beetle (Oulema Melanopa), Arthropods (Cicadulina Mbila
C.Zeae, C.Cicadulina mbila, Storeji and C.Triangula )
(Rossel and Thotappilly)
Participation
The Ministry of Agriculture –Coordinator, Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), Kenya Plant Health
Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) Pest Control and Product
Board (PCPB), and Seed Traders Association (SGA) have
participated in partnership of this research.
Disease outbreak
The farmers in Bomet called it ‘Koroito’ which is the
vernacular name for the plague. The disease was a sudden phenomenon that could not be explained with its
cause not known yet having a devastating effect to the
community.
Action taken
A Multi Disciplinary Technical Team (MDT) was constituted by the Ministry of Agricultural, field surveys and
surveillance and consultative forum for farmers’ field
days has been carried out. Further action has been taken
by KARI through germplasm screening in search for
resistance, awareness creation through press releases,
technical brochures, posters and papers submitted in
scientific journals National stakeholders maize tour was
conducted in July 2012 with focus on disease prevalence.
Field samples have been analyzed both locally and in two
other independent labs.
Figure1: screening for resistance in Naivasha
Disease expression and symptoms
Symptoms expressions depend on:
n The virus/es infecting the crop
n Titer of the virus/es
n Cultivar
n Time of infection in the crop growth
n Prevailing environmental conditions
DISEASE IDENTIFICATION
Maize Lethal Necrosis (MLN) disease otherwise known
as Corn Lethal Necrosis (CLN) disease is caused by a coinfection with Maize Chlorotic Mottle Viruses (MCMV)
and Sugarcane Mosaic Virus (SCMV) or any other cereal
virus in the portyvirus group (e.g. Maize Mottle VirusMMV and Wheat Streak Virus-WSV).
Figure 2: infested vs healthy
locality
Challenges
All
-Availability of adequate quantities
of clean planting materials
-accessibility of quality seeds and
other planting materials
-diseases and pests
-Poor marketing infrastructure
-Exploitation by middlemen
-Unreliable rainfall
-Cost of farm inputs
Narok
Human wildlife conflict
Kisii (Borabu)
Poor road infrastructure, rigid
mentality abuse of local brews
Eldoret West
Soil fertility
Bomet, Chepalungu,
Sotik, Narok, Machakos,
Kathiani, Makueni
Periods of moisture stress and
seasonal droughts
RECOMMENDATIONS
Intervention
Establishment of maize closed seasons should be carried out in all regions, quantitative movement of maize
materials from affected areas should be established,
removal of all infested maize crop from field and crop
rotation schedules.
A regime of disease management should be recommended through pesticide applications on seed folia for
vector control and IPM options.
Screening of released maize varieties for tolerance /
resistance, inclusion of MLND tolerance/ resistance in
maize improvement programs, verifications of status
on seed transmission of viruses in all local cultivars and
identification and documentation of alternate hosts of
viruses and vectors is highly recommended.
In addition, creating public awareness on disease and
management options to extension staff, stakeholders
and farmers via electronic and mass media, technical
publications and public forums is advisable.
%
Relative areas reportedly affected by MLND
nationally)
70
Sugarcane Mosaic Virus (SCMV)
Sugarcane Mosaic Virus belongs to the family: Portyviridae genus: Portyvirus and species: Sugarcane Mosaic
Virus. Its morphology appears as particular which are
flexuous filaments about 750mm long and 13mm in
diameter. Its nucleic acid is a single ssRNA species of c.
3.4 x106 daltons.
Transmission of SCMV is by insect vectors; especially Dactynotus ambrosiae, Hysteroneura sectarieae,
Rhopalosiphum Maidis, Toxoptera Graminum, which
belong to the family Aphidae.
The disease can also be transmitted by mechanical
means, by grafting, through seed and continuous maize
planting in a field also increases the incidence of maize
chlorotic mottle.
Area of intervention
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Rift Valley
Figure 3: severe chlorotic mottle on leaves
Eastern
Central
Nyanza
Incidence of Maize Lethal Necrosis Disease
(July 2012)
Maize Chlorotic Mottle Virus (MCMV)
The virus occurrence was first reported in Kenya this
year. This is the only species in the genus Machlomovirus (family: Tombusvividae). The virus was first reported to infect Zea Mays in Peru (Hebert and Castillo
1973). MCVM is not widely spread in the US; it has been
reported only in Nebraska, Kansas and Hawaii. Globally it occurs in South America i.e. Argentina, Mexico
and Peru.
Maize is the only natural plant least reported for
MCMV. However the least range is limited to the grass
family Poaceae (sheets 2004). Among these grasses,
73 plant species in 35 genera have tested susceptible
to MCMV.
Transmission of MCMV occurs mechanically, by
insect vectors and it has been reported that it can possibly occur by seed at very low rates which is agronomically insignificant (1/22,189 seeds= 0.005%) (Jensen et
al.,1991). Continuous maize production in a field also
greatly increases the incidence of maize chlorotic mottle.
Figure 4: mosaic and vein banding symptoms
with chlorosis and mottling
Opinions of farmers concerning the cause of
the MLND
Farmers’ views on origin of MLND included the following
n Contaminated seeds from agro vet shops
n Government relief seeds
n Insects damage
n Frost damage
While others do not know the source, others believed
that it was God’s vengeance due to sins.
LONG TERM DISEASE MANAGEMENT MEASURES
Strategic research for tolerance/resistance should be
carried out, capacity building along value chain for disease and pest management, establish a system for pest
and disease forecasting and early warning, establish a
centralized data bank and backup systems and lastly formulate and implement policies on handling of emerging
pest and disease epidemics. (Courtesy KARI)
10
Overview of the Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA)
Project with a Focus on Transgenic Drought Tolerant Maize
Problem identification
frica is a drought-prone
continent, making farming risky for millions of
smallholder farmers who rely
on rainfall to water their crops.
One third of the population in
the Sub-Saharan Africa starves
from time to time and has led
to an increased overdependence on aid from outside Africa.
Maize is the most widely grown
staple crop in Africa and there
is need to consider the fact that
over 650 million people in this
region depend on maize whose
survival and yield are controlled
by the availability of moisture.
However, maize is severely
affected by frequent drought
which leads to crop failure,
hunger, and poverty. With the
threats of climate change, the
problem of maize loss may only
get worse. Like drought, insects
- particularly stem borers - present a challenge to smallholder
farmers in Sub–Saharan Africa, as they have little or no
resources to effectively manage
them. These insects feed on the
surviving maize and reduce the
plant’s ability to use limited
water and nutrients. This can
have a negative impact on yields,
particularly during times of
A
drought and farmers can experience complete crop loss when
drought and insects combine in
the field. This therefore means
that Africa must adopt appropriate tools in science and technology to increase agricultural
productivity and enhance food
security.Drought tolerance has
been recognised as one of the
most important targets of crop
improvement programs, and
biotechnology has been identified as a powerful tool to achieve
significant drought tolerance by
the United Nation’s Food and
Agriculture Organization. Identifying ways to mitigate drought
risk and insect pressure, stabilise yields, and encourage smallholder farmers to adopt best
management practices which is
fundamental to realising food
security and improved livelihoods for the continent.
Consequently, the Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA)
Project is an attempt to address
this concern.
The Water Efficient Maize
for Africa (WEMA) Project is
a public-private partnership
whose objective is to develop
and deploy royalty – free African drought - tolerant white
maize varieties. This will result
in increased yield stability, protection of the crops from insects
of economic importance and
promotion of best management
practices among the small scale
farmers in sub-Saharan African countries. The project was
initiated by five African Countries namely; Kenya, Uganda,
Tanzania, Mozambique and
South Africa courtesy of Bill
and Melinda/Gates and Howard
Buffet Foundations. They are
the financers of the project. To
add value to the outcome of the
project partnerships are embraced at the country level between the National Agricultural
Research Systems (NARs) and
key multinational organizations
namely; the African Agricultural
Technology Foundation(AATF),
International Maize and Wheat
Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), and Monsanto.
Each partner offers a unique
role to the project given their
areas of specialization. For example, the African Agricultural
Technology Foundation is a
not-for-profit organization that
facilitates and promotes public/
private partnerships for the access and delivery of appropriate
proprietary agricultural technologies for use by resource-
poor smallholder farmers in
Sub-Saharan Africa. CIMMYT
is an internationally funded,
nonprofit scientific research and
training organization.
The Center works with agricultural research institutions
worldwide to improve the productivity, profitability, and sustainability of maize and wheat
systems for poor farmers in developing countries. Monsanto
is a world leader in marker assisted breeding, gene discovery,
trait development and licensing.
Finally, the NARS of each country brings to the project expertise in field trials; result based
breeding and capacity building.
Methodology
The Water Efficient Maize
for Africa (WEMA) Project
uses a combination of conventional breeding, marker assisted
breeding and transgene to develop drought tolerant inbred
lines. In the transgene CspB
from Bacillus subtilis that is a
common soil microorganism is
used to confer drought tolerance
in maize. Nutritionally Bacillus subtilis is used to prepare
Japanese Soy food called Natto.
The transgene CspB gene was
first identified in the bacteria
subjected to cold stress condition. The good news is that
research has demonstrated that
transgene CspB can help plants
to cope with stress occasioned
by drought. For WEMA maize
these may imply an increase
of yields by 20 to30% from
the available local varieties as
at 2008 when the project was
started.
Translated into food security
it will result in an additional
2 million metric tons of maize
during the drought years to feed
about 14 to 21 million people
that depend on maize.
Achievements
Generally each of the five
countries is at various stages
of the project. However, the
project is on course and hoping
to move to deployment phase
by 2013. It is anticipated that
the conventional variety will be
released to farmers from 2013
through national seed companies. Further, the transgenic
(Bt) Insect-pest resistant white
hybrids will be available to farmers from 2015 having satisfied
the local necessary biosafety
regulations.
(Paper Courtesy KARI)
Practical Use 0f Doubled Haploids in Maize Breeding Programs in Kenya
Doubled Haploid (DH)
Technology in Maize
Breeding shortens the
breeding cycle significantly by rapid development
of completely homozygous
lines (in 2-3 generations),
instead of conventional
inbred line development
process which takes at
least 6-8 generations…..
A
“doubled haploid” (DH) is a
genotype formed when haploid
(n) cells successfully undergo
either spontaneous or artificially induced chromosome doubling. Chase
(1947, 1951, 1952,1960) pioneered the
studies on maize monoploids (synonymous to haploids, in case of maize) and
the use of DH lines in breeding.
The DH technology shortens the
breeding cycle significantly by rapid
development of completely homozygous lines (in 2-3 generations), instead
of conventional inbred line development process which takes at least 6-8
generations to derive line with ~99%
homozygosity (Forster and Thomas,
are otherwise difficult and time
2005; Geiger and Gordillo, 2009;
consuming to combine in adapted
Chang and Coe, 2009).
germplasm using conventional
Since the last 10-15 years, the technolbreeding practices
ogy has been well-adapted by several
commercial maize breeding programs e) Perfect fulfilment of the requirein Europe (Schmidt, 2003), North
ments of DUS for plant variety
America (seitz, 2005), and more reprotection due to the complete
cently in China (Chen et al., 2009),
homogeneity of DH-based parenalmost as soon as haploid inducer lines
tal lines.
became available for template environ- f) Reduces the effort for line maintements (Prigge and Melchinger, 2011).
nance.
g) In combination with molecular
Why DH in Maize breeding
markers, DH technology can faa) Significantly shortens the breedcilitate access to the germplasm
ing cycle by development of compresent within either the female
pletely homozygous lines in two
or the male parental lines of hybrid
generations
cultivars
b) Simplified logistics including less h) Provides opportunities for undertime, labor and financial resources
taking marker-trait association
in developing new breeding lines;
studies, marker-based gene introthe time and resources thus saved
gression, functional genomics, mocould be potentially channelized
lecular cytogenetics, and genetic
for implementing more effective
engineering
selections and for accelerated reDH status in KARI
lease of elite cultivars.
Five populations (KARI X CIMMYT)
c) Enables greater efficiency and best drought tolerant, F crosses are
1
precision of selection especially been fixed using the DH technology
at
when used in combination with Monsanto DH lab. Upon conversion
molecular markers and year-round the resulting DH lines will be tested for
nurseries;
drought tolerance, disease resistance,
d) Accelerated product development and insect and storage pest resistance.
by allowing rapid pyramiding of
favourable alleles for polygenic Challenges
traits influencing maize produc- Most of the haploid inducer lines with
tivity and stress resilience, which high Haploid Induction Rate (HIR)
and for commercial use are temperate
adapted. These IL are poor are poorly
adapted to tropical lowland conditions, they display poor vigor, poor
pollen production, poor seed set, and
high susceptibility to tropical maize
diseases.
Opportunities
CIMMYT has intensively engaged over
optimization of the DH technology
especially for the tropical/subtropical
maize growing environments, in partnership with University of Hohenheim,
Germany. They have developed tropically adapted inducer lines with 8-10%
HIR and are available for sharing with
interested institutions for research or
commercial use.
Conclusion
Tropically adapted inducer lines is
expected to significantly enhance
the efficiency of DH line production,
increasing seed set and rates of induction, and reducing the cost of inducer
line maintenance and seed production.
DH LINES SEED INCREASE IN WEMA
PROJECT
895DH lines derived from 10
droughts tolerant BC1F1 were planted. After phenotypic evaluation, 231
DH lines were discarded and 664 DH
lines seeds were harvested.
Contd. on Page 16
11
Introducing Fly Maggots for the Treatment of Chronic
Wounds in Kenya
l Fly Maggots that clean wounds and kill drug resistant germs will soon be norm in the biomedical world and KARI researchers at
Trypanosomiasis Research Centre are at per with world’s best. l Larva secretions that is 100% effective against Methicillin Resistant
Streptococcus aureus (MSRA), a leading cause of amputations and death for affected patients.
By Phoebe Mukiria and
Grace Murilla
BACKGROUND
aggot therapy (MT) is
the therapeutic use of
medical grade larvae of
necrophagic/coprophagic flies to
treat chronic wounds. The maggots act by feeding on dead tissue that covers the wounds,. The
maggots are produced in a sterile
manner in the laboratory. The fly
most commonly used is Lucilia
sericata (or green bottle fly) but
other species have been used with
similar efficacy. MT has also been
called biosurgery or larval therapy
or maggot debridement therapy
(MDT) and can be described as a
carefully controlled process where
an artificial therapeutic myiasis is
induced. The health care professional makes use of the natural
ability of particular maggots to
ingest necrotic or infected tissue
without affecting healthy tissue, reducing bacterial burden locally and
promoting wound healing. This
method is applicable to both humans and livestock suffering from
chronic wounds. A facility has been
built at the KARI- Trypanosomiasis
Research Centre, Muguga, with
support from Kenya Government
and the Slovak Academy for Sciences (SAS) to produce sterile maggots for use in Kenyan hospitals.
The staff from the centre have been
trained at the Institute of Zoology
(IZ), Bratislava, where a similar
facility has been operating since
2003, supplying sterile maggots to
more than 15 hospitals in Slovakia.
Working with IZ, there are plans
for TRC to isolate compounds from
the maggots for further research,
utilizing the new facility at the
Muguga Centre, Kikuyu.
M
BURDEN OF CHRONIC WOUNDS
IN KENYA
Chronic wounds are open wounds
that for some reason simply will
not heal, do not respond to treatment with antibiotics, and may be
present for months or even years.
Aging, chronic illnesses, such as
cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus, and simple wear-andtear all contribute to chronic non
healing wounds. The three major
types of chronic wounds include
venous/arterial ulcers, diabetic
and pressure ulcers. Often, especially in rural settings, the wounds
have not received adequate care
and without such care, the wound
becomes covered with dead (necrotic) tissue. Such wounds seriously affect the quality of life of the
affected persons and can be a major drain of family resources and
more so if the underlying causes
of the wounds have to be managed
as well. Common symptoms of
ulceration include pain, exudate
and odour, and these symptoms
are frequently associated with poor
sleep, loss of mobility and social
isolation. The burden of chronic
wounds to the Kenyan economy
has not been estimated but in the
UK, it is estimated that the cost
to the National Health Service of
caring for patients with a chronic
wound is conservatively estimated
at around 3% of the total estimated
expenditure on health (Posnett
and Franks, 2007).
Information on the wound burden
in Kenya is sparse. However in a
study by Nyamu et al 2003, about
4.6% of the patients attending
clinic at the Kenyatta National
Hospital were found to have diabetic foot ulcer. Also in one of the
provincial hospitals, Muyembe et
al (1999) observed that 25% of foot
amputations in the hospital were
due to diabetic foot ulcer, matching
only road accidents. In the United
States, the prevalence of DFU
ranges between 1.0% and 4.1%,
Netherlands 20.4%. Hospitalbased studies have also reported
prevalence of limb ulcerations of
between 11.7% and 19.1% among
individuals with diabetes in Nigeria. The prevalence of DFU among
hospitalized patients with diabetes
in Iran was 20%. (Ogunlesi, 2010)
The wound care market in Kenya is
growing as a result of an increase
in lifestyle diseases. The burden is
heaviest in the resource-poor communities. These areas have limited
or no access to sophisticated and
efficient diagnostic, therapeutic
and rehabilitative facilities. According to Ogunlesi (2010), bacterial infections have been associated
with 52% to 97% of DFU in parts
of the developing world. A major
cost of such wound management is
the removal of the dead tissue (debridement) especially if done in the
theatre. In the UK, it is estimated
that 200,000 patients at any one
time have such a wound. A considerable amount of this cost is taken
up by the nursing time involved
in dressing changes (http://www.
ukti.gov.uk/lps/sciencetechnology/item/356146.html).
The presence of a chronic wound
in a family member is traumatic
to both the sufferer and the people around them. It is a constant
drain on family resources and
when the wound is of long duration, it arouses feelings of stigma,
fear and even rejection, and the
fact that more often than not,
these wounds are associated with
chronic illnesses complicates the
lives of those with the wounds
and their families. Traditionally
wound treatment involves periodic removal of necrotic tissue (a
process called debridement) either
mechanically or surgically, flushing of the wound with antiseptic
and covering the wound of fresh
dressing, a procedure dreaded
even by the most courageous. This
is dressing is coupled with an antibiotic cover. Mechanical debridement often does not remove all the
The two patients below were photographed in one of the local hospitals.
dead tissue, thus slowing down the
rate of wound healing and that’s
where biosurgery is considered as
a viable alternative.
HISTORY OF MAGGOT THERAPY
Larval association with infected
wounds has been reported since
ancient times, with the Old Testament being the oldest written piece
to cite the infestation of an infected
wound of a man by fly larvae - ‘My
body is clothed with worms and
scabs, my skin is broken and
festering…’ Job 7:5. Evidence exists that larvae have been used for
the last thousand years by various ancient cultures, such as the
aborigines, ancient inhabitants of
Burma and the Central America. It
is reported that the Central American tribal healers soaked dressings
in the blood of cattle and exposed
them to the sun before applying
them to certain lesions, by which
time certain flies had laid eggs in
the dressings and thus introducing
maggots to the wounds.
Thereafter maggots were extensively
used during Napoleonic Wars and in
the American Civil War in the 18th
and 19th centuries when military
surgeons found that the wounds that
were infested by maggots healed
faster and even survived better than
those without. However, during the
second half of 19th century Koch and
Pasteur discovered the germ theory
and this stopped the willingness
of doctors to apply contaminated
matter to an open wound and by the
end of the 19th century, there were
hardly any doctors left who would
support the use of non-sterile fly
larvae for the public.
During World War I, mortality
from open wounds increased to
70%. In 1917, William S. Baer,
a military surgeon in France,
resumed successful treatment
of wounds with maggots. At the
end of the war he was appointed
Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery
at the Johns Hopkins University,
and he extended the use of larval
therapy to patients with failed
wounds. To minimise the disgust
of patients, as well as staff, and to
avoid the migration of larvae, doctors created net-cage bandages to
cover and hide the larvae.
‘Maggot therapy experienced a real
boom from then on and military
doctors during World War II ob-
served the therapeutic application
of the fly larvae by the local population. More than 300 US American
hospitals introduced maggots into
their programme of wound healing
between 1930 and 1940.
However the discovery and subsequent industrial production of
antibiotics in 1944 and the development of new antiseptics led to
a rapid decline in the use of larval
therapy and the academic/medical
interest in the use of maggots was
lost. However proponents of the
technique did not entirely give up
and there are reports of low level
use of the technique for the rest of
the 20th Century.
HOW DOES THE THERAPY WORK?
The fly species most commonly
used for maggot therapy is the
green bottle blowfly, Lucilia sericata, as the maggots live only on
dead and necrotic tissue. This fly
lays its eggs on carrion and when
an animal is being slaughtered
there will be the fly (mistakenly
referred to as the toilet fly) that
will generally be a nuisance in the
area of slaughter. (It has not come
to eat the meat, it is looking for
substrate to lay its eggs). The eggs
hatch in 18 to 24 hours, producing larvae 1–2 mm in size. These
larvae immediately start feeding
on the food available and grow
to a length of 8–10 mm in four to
seven days, when they form pupae
in a dry area. If circumstances allow, the adult fly emerges from the
pupa in 10 to 20 days, and the cycle
repeats itself.
Adult Lucilia sericata in a cage
Eggs laid on liver/wheat bran
substrate
Hatched sterile maggots
Pupae which will hatch into
adults to start the life cycle
When 7 days old, the flies are
offered a substrate of a moist
mixture of liver and wheat bran is
introduced in the cages for 2 hours.
This simulates carrion on which
the now adult females will lay a
mass of eggs. The eggs are then
sterilised with an antiseptic and
incubated in sterile egg yolk media
for 24 hours at 280 C. The then
sterile maggots are removed from
the media and rinsed several times
with sterile water and counted into
Fig 1 Life cycle of Lucilia
pre-prepared sterile sacs, the size
sericata
of the wound determining the size
In the laboratory, flies adult flies of the sac and number of maggots
of both sexes are held in special therein. The sac is moistened with
cages and fed on a special diet of cold saline and the maggots are
a mixture of sugar, yeast extract packaged and transported to the
doctor.
and water.
Contd. on Page 18
12
Overview of Bt-Cotton Research in Kenya
Background
Cotton Production in Kenya
Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) is one
of the cash crops grown by small scale
farmers and is important in Kenya as a
strategic cash crop in low rainfall and
most of the semi-arid areas covering
about 87% of the landmass and home to
about 27% of Kenya’s population. This
area has low potential for arable farming and the population living there is
resource poor. Two main varieties have
been developed and commercialized in
Kenya with HART 89M commercialized
in areas East of the Rift Valley and KSA
81M for areas West of Rift Valley. Cotton offers an opportunity for poverty
reduction. The crop’s present contribution to the national economy is smaller
compared to the major export crops like
coffee, tea and pyrethrum. However,
it has a great potential in the creation
of employment, both at the household
and industrial level as it is the principal
raw material for the local spinning and
textile industry and has a great potential
for export and thus foreign exchange
earning. Cotton production trend in
Kenya took a down turn since 1985/86
when an all time high of 70,000 bales
was produced nationally dropping to
an all time low of 20,000 bales by year
2001. Factors contributing to collapse
of cotton production included;
n The liberalization of this cotton sector diminished the regulatory and
monitory functions of the Cotton
Board of Kenya,
n The removal of subsidies to cotton
growers by the Government contributed to the collapse of the sector,
n Delayed payments of farmers money by the co-operatives’ discouraged
the cotton growers,
n Mismanagement of farmers’ cooperatives impacted on the industry
negatively while middlemen also
exploited the farmers,
n The importation of second-hand
clothes (Mitumba) which reduced
the demand for locally made cotton
garments,
n Lack of co-ordination between
stakeholders in the sector,
n Poor pricing,
n Poor management of the ginneries,
n Collapse of Hola and Bura Irrigation
Schemes which used to produce
30% of national seed cotton,
n High cost of inputs hence leading to
poor agronomic practices,
n Lack of a certified seed production
system,
n Poor infrastructure, and
n Lack of strong producer associations.
The declining trend of cotton production has reversed since the government
introduced measures to revitalize the
cotton sector. The national production
of cotton was estimated at 40,000 bales
per annum by year 2006.
Transgenic Bt-cotton
The transgenic Bt-cotton is a cotton
plant genetically engineered to insert
cryIAc gene either singly or in combination with cry2Ab2 gene. The two
genes are from a soil dwelling bacterium
known as Bacillus thuringiensis subsp
Kurstaki. The protein toxins CryIAc and
Cry2Ab2 expressed in the engineered
plants are toxic to key lepidopteran
pests including the Africa bollworm, the
most important pest of cotton in Kenya.
The proteins used for over 30 years in
commercial foliar spray formulations of
Bt are made much more persistent and
effective when genetically engineered
into cotton plants. The expression of
Bt-toxins in cotton plants greatly reduce the need for application of broadspectrum insecticides, minimising the
negative effect of the insecticides on the
natural enemies of cotton pests.
Bollgard I® (cry IAc)
Bollgard I® (BGI) line 531, contains the
following 3 genes inserted via genetic
engineering techniques:
n The CryIA© gene which encodes
for an Insecticidal protein, B.t.k.
HD-73, derived from the common
soil microbe Bacillus thuringiensis
subsp. kurstaki (B.t.k.).
n The nptll gene which encodes the
selectable marker enzyme 3”(9)
neomycin phosphotransferase II
(NPTII), was needed to identify
transformed cells that potentially
contained the B.t.k. protein. It
served no other purpose and has
no pesticidal properties.
n The and gene which encodes the
bacterial selectable marker enzyme
3”(9)-O-aminoglycoside adenylytransferase (AAD), allowed for
the selection of bacteria containing
the PV-GHBK04 plasmid on media
containing spectinomycin or streptomycin. The aad gene is under
the control of a bacterial promoter
and the lack of any expression was
confirmed.
These genes were stably inserted
into the genome of cotton using
the Agrobacterium tumefaciens
mediated transformation utilizing
a single border binary transformation vector, PV-GHBK04 (EPA
MRID # 43145201). This means
that the inserted DNA is no longer
a functional T-DNA i.e. once
integrated it cannot be remobilized into the genome of another
plant even if acted on again by vir
genes.
the second cassette contains the uidA
gene encoding the GUS scorable marker
protein. The purified linearized segment, PV-GHBK11L, contains only the
Cry2Ab2 and uidA plant gene expression cassettes and does not contain the
nptII selectable marker gene or origin of
replication of the plasmid PV-GHBK11.
Project Objectives
The main objective of the Bt-cotton
project is to establish the efficacy of the
Bollgard I® cotton carrying cryIAc gene
and Bollgard II® carrying cry1Ac and
cry2Ab2 genes on Lepidopteran pests
of cotton. The other objective include
establishing the effect of Bt-cotton on
beneficial arthropods and general species diversity, evaluate the risk of the
Bt-cotton intercrossing with commercial cotton varieties and evaluate the
economic advantage of Bt-cotton compared to commercial cotton varieties
Justification of Introducing Btcotton
Poor agronomic practices which was
occasioned by the high cost of inputs
and lack of credit to cotton producers
was one of the main reasons leading
to the collapse of cotton production
in the country. At the top of the agronomic practices was pest control where
the most damaging and earliest pest
at the reproductive phase of cotton is
the African bollworm (Helicoverpa
armigera Hb). The African bollworm
alone can cause up to 100% yield loss,
if un-checked. Cotton is also attacked
by other important pests including the
cotton stainer (Dysdercus spp.), cotton
aphid (Aphis gossypii Glov) and cotton
red spider mite (Tetranychus teralius
L.). Use of synthetic pyrethroids in cotton lead to serious explosion of aphid
and mite populations. IPM-chemical,
cultural, biological and use of resistant
cultivars are best for control of cotton
pests. Pest control and related activities take up about 32% of production
costs. Introduction of Bt-cotton will
indirectly lead to better control of the
sucking pests while increasing activity
of natural enemies. Bt-cotton will lead
to reduced spraying with pesticides
hence reduced environmental pollution and minimal deleterious effects
on non-target organisms and human
Bollgard II® (cry1Ac and cry2Ab2)
beings. It will also decrease the chances
®
Bollgard II (BGII) cotton event 15985 of development of resistance and cross
was generated through the re-trans- resistance to pesticides.
formation of Bollgard cotton event
Bt-cotton Introduction Process
531 (Bollgard I®). Particle acceleration plant transformation procedures The Kenya Agricultural Research Instiwere used to insert the cry2Ab2 insect tute through its Institutional Biosafety
control coding sequence and the uidA Committee (IBC) forwarded to the then
scorable marker coding sequence National Biosafety Committee (NBC)
into the Bollgard cotton genome. The an application to introduce Bollgard
®
plasmid vector, PV-GHBK11, contains I cotton seeds of variety NuCotn 35B
well-characterized DNA elements for containing cryIAc gene in February
selection and replication of the plasmid 2001 which was approved in February
in bacteria. The vector inserted into the 2003. The seeds were used for screencotton genome was a purified linearized house tests to establish the direct or
segment of the plasmid, designated indirect effect of CryIAc protein toxin
PV-GHBK11L. The linearized plasmid in the cotton plants on Trichogramma
segment includes two adjacent plant spp., cotton aphid (A. gossypii) and its
gene expression cassettes, each contain- efficacy on African bollworm
ing separate controlling DNA elements
essential for expression in the cotton (H. armigera). The then NBC and the
plant cells. The first cassette contains Kenya Standing Committee on Ima copy of the cry2Ab2 gene encoding ports and Exports (KSTCIE) approved
the Bt insecticidal protein Cry2Ab2 and importation of more Bt-cotton seeds
of transgenic varieties DP404BG and
DP448B and isolines DP4049, DP5415
and DP5690 in December 2005. The
aim was to establish the efficacy of the
Cry IAc proteins on the lepidopteran
insects under field conditions where
pest pressures are experienced. The
confined field trials were initiated in
December 2005 at KARI-Mwea. It was
expected that cotton varieties carrying
the gene would exhibit resistance to
the bollworm complex of cotton and
particularly the African bollworm (H.
armigera) commonly found in the cotton growing areas of Kenya. The application to introduce Bollgard II® cotton
containing cry1Ac and cry2Ab2 genes
was forwarded in March 2007 and approved in April 2007. The objectives
of the introduction of Bollgard II® are
similar to Bollgard I®. The rationale of
shifting from Bollgard I® to Bollgard II®
is that Bollgard I® is being phased out
as the two genes in Bollgard II® offers
better control of lepidopteran pests and
better management of resistance.
Collaborating Institutions
Monsanto International Sarl
Monsanto International Sarl of Switzerland through their local company
Monsanto Kenya Ltd is the main sponsor of the Bt-cotton research in Kenya.
The company owns the cry1Ac and
cry2Ab2 genes being tested in the Btcotton project. KARI entered into two
agreements for field testing of Bollgard
I® and Bollgard II® cotton seeds with
Monsanto International Sarl. Monsanto
also provided the transgenic Bt-cotton
seeds containing the Monsanto gene
cry1Ac and variety BGII 06Z604D
containing cry1Ac and cry2Ab2 genes.
The varieties so far provided include
transgenic NuCotn 35B, DP404BG and
DP448B and isolines DP4049, DP5415
and DP5690.
Delta and Pine Land
Delta and Pine Land provided the
transgenic Bt-cotton seeds containing
the Monsanto gene cry1Ac and variety
BGII 06Z604D containing cry1Ac and
cry2Ab2 genes. The varieties so far provided include transgenic NuCotn 35B,
DP404BG and DP448B and isolines
DP4049, DP5415 and DP5690.
International Service for the
Acquisition of Agri-biotech
Applications (ISAAA)
ISAAA has been involved in advocacy
of Bt-cotton through their financial
and logistical support for visits to the
Bt-cotton Confined Field Trials at
KARI-Mwea.
Africa Harvest
The Africa Harvest has been involved
in support in preparation for the
visits.
African Biotechnology Stakeholders Forum (ABSF)
The African Biotechnology Stakeholders Forum has been involved in logistical support in preparation for the
visits by the GoK officials and cotton
stakeholders.
Contd. on Page 17
13
Project Seeks to Deliver Virus Resistant Cassava for
East Africa’s Farmers
C
assava is the staple
food for over 600 million people across the
globe and is a source
of livelihoods for even more. It
is also the second most important staple crop in sub-Saharan
Africa. According to FAO statistics, the crop is cultivated in
over 11 million hectares across
the African continent – by far
the largest area under cassava
farming globally. The importance of cassava as a food crop
or its immense industrial potential cannot therefore be
disaffirmed. However, In recent times, especially in subSaharan Africa region the crop
has increasingly been ravaged
two destructive viruses – the
Cassava Brown streak Disease
(CBSD) and the Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD). It is approximated that CBSD for example
causes an 80% yield loss thereby significantly threatening the
livelihoods of families which
are dependent on cassava.
The project dubbed Virus
Resistant Cassava for Africa
(VIRCA) is therefore spearheading research in Kenya and
Uganda to develop new farmer
preferred cassava varieties
which are resistant to the two
viruses. In Kenya the project
is being led by the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute
(KARI) while the National
Crops Resources Research
Institute (NACRRI) is leading research in Uganda. Other
partners involved in the project
include the Donald Danforth
Plant Science Center, the In-
ternational Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), the
International Service for the
Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) AfriCenter
and the Science Foundation for
Livelihoods and Development
(SCIFODE).
VIRCA project is therefore
joining the ranks of other biotech projects within the East
Africa region expected to deliver biotech/GM crops that
will drastically enhance food
security. In Kenya for example,
there is good progress in field
trials of maize for pest resistance and drought tolerance,
cotton for resistance to bollworm, sweet potato for virus
resistance among other efforts.
In Uganda, field trials of transgenic banana for improved
vitamin A and Iron content,
banana bacterial wilt disease
resistance, black Sigatoka resistance, cotton for resistance
to the bollworm pest and herbicide tolerance, cassava for
resistance to viral diseases,
maize for drought tolerance
among others are on-going or
have been completed.
The project is currently at
the research stage with initial
results showing positive indicators for the development of
this new cassava variety. This is
therefore a cause for optimism
that in the near future East African cassava farmers will be
able to harness the potential
benefits of this new cassava
variety for food and even economic/industrial purposes. n
Industrial uses of cassava
Cassava tubers affected by CBSD
A cassava plant ravaged by the CMD virus
Cassava plantlets in a
greenhouse at KARI Kakamega
research center where the
VIRCA research is based
Field trial site at KARI Kakamega
research center
Cassava is the 2nd most important subsector for growth-inducing development
BIOSAFETY RISK ASSESSMENT MECHANISM
COMESA States Focus on Regional Biosafety Risk Assessment Mechanism
T
he 19 member countries to
the Common Market for
Eastern and Southern Africa
(COMESA) trading bloc could soon
have a regional-level biosafety risk
assessment mechanism. The move
to develop a regional framework
for biosafety has been on-going
since 2001 after a meeting of the
COMESA Ministers of Agriculture
recommended the development
of a common policy framework
to mitigate any potential adverse
impacts of GM crops on trade, food
security and access to emergency
food aid in the region. The initiative is
being implemented through a project
dubbed RABESA (Regional Approach
to Biotechnology and Biosafety Policy
in Eastern and Southern Africa)
project.
The RABESA project which is
now in its ninth year of operation
has to date held at least 19 national
and regional consultative meetings to
ensure concrete inputs by the member states into the proposed policy
framework. The main output from
national and regional consultative
processes carried out under RABESA
have primarily focused on harmonization of - commercial planting of
GMOs, trade in GM products and
delivery of emergency food aid with
GM content. In 2009, the COMESA
Secretariat initiated the drafting of
COMESA Regional Biosafety Policies
and Guidelines. A Biosafety Roadmap
and a Communication Strategy have
also been drafted. The roadmap
seeks to ensure that the efforts of all
the member countries are aligned to
achieving the common project goals.
In addition, the COMESA communication and advocacy strategy aims at
supporting and creating awareness on
the benefits associated with regional
harmonization.
The policies and guidelines,
the Roadmap and Communication
Strategy drafts have been subjected
to several rounds of technical review
and stakeholder consultations to
reflect comments and inputs from
COMESA member states. A final
regional workshop was held in May
2012 to review and validate feedback,
comments and recommendations
incorporated into the revised draft
from the national workshops. It
is therefore anticipated that come
2013, these draft documents will be
adopted by the COMESA Ministers
of Agriculture, Environment and
Natural Resources heralding a new
regime for handling GM products in
the region.
Countries in the COMESA region
are characterized by porous borders.
In order to realise increased gains in
intra-COMESA trade, harmonisation
of biosafety policies and their
rational implementation will play a
significant role in social and economic
development within the block.
Implementation of a regional initiative
of RABESA’s magnitude calls for
strong and sustained partnerships.
The COMESA Biotechnology
and Biosafety Program has been
financially supported by the United
States Agency for International
Development (USAID). The partners
that have supported COMESA in
the implementation of the RABESA
project since inception include
the Association for Strengthening
Agricultural Research in Eastern
and Central Africa (ASARECA);
the Program for Biosafety Systems
(IFPRI/PBS); the International
Service for the Acquisition of
Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA
AfriCenter) and the African Centre
for Technology Studies (ACTS).
RABESA Achievements
The RABESA project has been
implemented in two distinct but
interrelated phases focused on the
ultimate goal of bringing together
COMESA members to cooperate in
handling biosafety issues at the regional level. The following key activities and achievements were recorded.
Significant Policy Studies:
Policy studies were conducted to
generate evidence required to support
realization of the project objectives.
Policy studies were commissioned in
three areas:
(i) potential farm-income gains
from the adoption of GM crops;
(ii) The magnitude of commercial
export risks associated with GM
crops; and
(iii) The delivery of emergency food
aid with GM content in the
COMESA region.
The food aid policy study revealed
that sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is the
largest recipient of emergency food
aid globally, and COMESA countries
receive 85% of all emergency food aid
to SSA. About 50% of the food aid arrives as in-kind donations from countries that are leading producers of GM
crops, including USA and Canada.
Creation of a biotechnology
and biosafety unit within the
COMESA secretariat
This is a major spill over of the
project. The unit has emerged as
COMESA’s focal point on biotechnology and biosafety issues.
Lessons Learnt from RABESA
Implementation
Important lessons have been learnt
during the implementation of the
RABESA project over the past eight
years. Key among these are:
n Issues of regional harmonization
should be handled in a
consultative, participatory and
inclusive manner.
n R e g i o n a l h a r m o n i z a t i o n
of biosafety policies is both a
technical and political process
that requires strong political will
and commitment at various levels
within member states. RABESA
was initiated by the Ministers
and it has been on the agenda of
5 COMESA Ministerial meetings
which are held once in a year and
implementation pace has been
determined by resolutions and
recommendations made during
the meetings.
n N a t i o n a l s o v e r e i g n t y i s a
fundamental and sensitivity issue.
The convergence and divergence
between national and regional
frameworks has to be clearly
spelt out and pertinent concerns
handled carefully to dispel fears
that the regional process may
infringe on or override national
interests and decision making
powers.
n Awareness and outreach efforts
need to be stepped up in order
for countries to appreciate the
benefits of a harmonized approach
in biosafety decision making.
This necessitates the need for
a focused and demand-driven
communication and advocacy
strategy. n
14
Use of Embryo Transfer for Multiplication
of Superior Animal Breeds in Kenya
Maichomo MW, Mutuku JM,
Murilla GA KARI-TRC P.O Box
362-00902, Kikuyu
BACKGROUND
he main objective of biotechnologies in reproduction is to increase
reproductive efficiency and rates
of animal genetic improvement thereby
contributing to an increased output
from the livestock sector. They also offer potential for greatly extending the
multiplication and transport of genetic
material and for conserving unique genetic resources in reasonably available
forms for possible future use. However,
many of our Kenyan farmers do not
know that a cow can produce as many
as 10 calves in one year. This has been
made possible through multiple ovulation and embryo transfer technology
(ET). Available information indicates
that 3-4 calves can be produced per
super-ovulation on average, making
it possible to induce a cow to superovulate 4-5 times a year resulting in
10 calves per cow per year (http://
www.livestockkenya.com/index.php/
cattle/240-embryo-transfer-in-cattle ).
However, due to its high cost and not
being readily available, ET is not widespread in Kenya. This is despite its obvious benefits which have been exploited
by only a few individual farmers and big
farms that can afford the technology.
Over time, the demand has been gradually increasing as more farmers want to
improve productivity of their livestock.
In Kenya, uptake and adoption of these
biotechnologies are at different levels,
and involves various organizations including ILRI, ADC, KARI, University
of Nairobi, CAIS, several commercial
diary farms across the country and the
Kenya Livestock Breeders Organization
under the umbrella body of East Africa
Semen and Embryo Transfer Association (EASETA).The selection of KARINaivasha as the Dairy Centre of Excellence in East Africa and establishment
of the ET facility at KARI Muguga will
enable institution to take its place as a
leading player in the dairy industry by
providing the much needed support to
the small scale dairy farmers.
T
ET IN KENYA – HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
In their review ‘Case for embryo transfer for Kenyan Dairy Farmers’, Cherogony and Kariuki (ref) showed that
non-surgical ET, as we know it today,
only succeeded in the late 1970’s; the
first commercial surgical ET having
been conducted in 1970 and was very
unpopular. In 1978, the first batch of
frozen embryos was imported into
Kenya, the use of which resulted in a
conception rate of 20%. This technique
was fully established in 1990s at ILRI by
David Kennedy. Private farms and ADC
benefited from these services with ADC
recording success rates of 50% following transfer of 100 embryos. However,
with his exist, the project went into a lull
until August 2005 when EASETA was
established and registered the following
year. KARI is one of the corporate members. Currently, this organization trains
core team of ET practitioners and also
helps farmers to establish ET facilities
and market their products.
EMBRYO TRANSFER
Artificial Insemination (AI) has already
had a major impact on cattle, sheep,
goat, pig, turkey and chicken improvement programmes of developed countries by accelerating breeding progress
primarily through increased intensity of
selection of males and through diffusion
of breeding progress (FAO, 2000). Although classical livestock breeding has
been very successful, it is a slow process
and several decades may be needed
to breed a livestock population with
improved genetic traits. Biotechnology
makes it easier to produce animals with
superior genetic traits, and to multiply
these animals rapidly. An important
advance is Embryo Transfer (ET)
technique, which has been used widely
in the cattle industry to improve the
genetic merit of populations at a greater
rate than can be achieved by conventional selection methods. It is accepted
to be one of the most crucial procedures
for achieving optimal pregnancy rates
during assisted reproduction. Improved
genes are in this way transmitted to
a greater number of offspring, while
the interval between generations is
reduced. This speeds up the genetic
improvement of farm animals, and
helps reduce the cost. Embryo transfer
technology can greatly contribute to
research and genetic improvement in
local breeds (Rege, 1996). There are
two procedures presently available
for production of embryos from donor
females; the in vivo and the in vitro
embryo production methods. In vivo
method consists of super-ovulation,
followed by AI and then flushing of the
uterus to recover the embryos. On the
other hand, in vitro fertilization (IVF)
consists of recovery of eggs from the
ovaries of the female then maturing and
fertilizing them outside the body until
they are ready for implantation into foster females. IVF facilitates recovery of a
large number of embryos from a single
female at a reduced cost thus making
ET techniques economically feasible on
a larger scale. Additionally, IVF makes
available embryos suitable for cloning.
The principal benefit of embryo transfer is the possibility to produce several
progeny from a female, just as AI can
produce many offspring from one male.
For example, the average lifetime production of a cow can be increased from
4 to 25 calves (Rege, 1996). Increasing the reproductive rate of selected
females has the following benefits:
genetically outstanding animals can
contribute more to the breeding programme, particularly if their sons are
being selected for use in AI; the rate of
genetic change can be enhanced with
specially designed breeding schemes
which take advantage of increased
intensity of female selection combined
with increased generation turnover;
transport of embryos is much cheaper
than that of live animals; risk of importing diseases is avoided; facilitates rapid
expansion of rare but economically
important genetic stocks; and the stress
to exotic genotypes can be avoided
by having them born to dams of local
breeds rather than importing them as
live animals.
ET, enhanced by Multiple Ovulation
and Embryo Transfer (MOET), allows acceleration of genetic progress
through increased selection intensity
of females, and freezing of embryos
enables low cost transport of genetic
material across continents, and also
conservation of diploid genomes (Cunningham, 1990; Jasiorowski, 1990).
MOET may also be used to produce
crossbred replacement females whilst
only maintaining a small number of the
straightbreds (FAO, 2000).
RATIONALE AND JUSTIFICATION
FOR ESTABLISHING ET AT KARI
KARI has some of the best agricultural
research facilities in the country. Three
of the 23 main centres are hosted at
Muguga, Kikuyu, on a 3000 acre prime
land that is planned to be the centre
for ET as well as studies on animal
nutrition. A quarantine laboratory at
the Trypanosomiasis Research Centre
was fully equipped by KAPAP for ET,
however, a shortage of animal breeders
has delayed its operations. In order to
build the critical capacity required to
initiate the activities, KARI has developed a Memorandum of Understanding
with EASETA. TRC hosts a biobank
with a large collection of semen, DNA,
parasites, serum, and blood amongst
other biological specimens which are
available to researchers. The centre also
has well equipped molecular biology
laboratories and undertakes training
in genomics at national and regional
level. It is expected that this centre will
work very closely with the dairy centre
of excellence in Naivasha to ensure excellent service to farmers. In collaboration with ILRI and AGREF, KARI plans
to assist livestock farmers in pastoral
areas identify, document and conserve
productive indigenous breeds that have
special traits for future exploitation.
CONTRIBUTION OF LIVESTOCK
SECTOR TO THE ECONOMY
Livestock production plays an important role in the Kenyan economy. It
contributes 10% of the national GDP
and about 50% of the agricultural
GDP, which in turn contributes about
25% of the national GDP (Odhiambo,
2006). The dairy industry in Kenya
is one of the largest in Sub-Saharan
Africa. It has a well developed production and processing capacity based on
over 3million improved cattle. Dairy
farming earns close to $ 2 billion, representing between 6-8% of GDP and
supports over 1 million smallholder
dairy households. One feature of these
potentially very important smallholder
dairy production systems is their rapid
expansion, driven essentially by the
urban demand and the opportunities
to generate income (Devendra, 2001).
The sub-sector is reeling from the effects of post-election violence, which
saw farmers lose a lot of animals. The
loss, coupled with the combined effects
of escalating cost of diesel used to power
equipment at the farms, and high prices
of livestock feeds due to the rising cost
of the raw material such as maize and
wheat, are negatively affecting the subsector.
A large number of dairy farmers who
had obtained loans from Agricultural
Finance Corporation (AFC) and other
financial institutions are also struggling to repay the money. The loss has
now pushed most dairy farmers into
abject poverty while being expected to
continue servicing the huge loans they
had secured from various financial
institutions.
Whereas the cost of diesel and that of
animal feeds has continued to rise, the
producer price for raw milk remains
constant. These factors would adversely
affect milk production in the country
unless urgent measures are taken to
enable farmers enhance production.
Enhancing the breeding of heifers is
seen as the only option available for
the country as local farmers have no
sufficient resources to import pedigree
cows as very few countries in Africa rear
quality dairy cows.
Although AI has been widely used,
its success has been limited due to
problems of heat detection, timely insemination and the high costs of setting
up an effective AI programme in rural
areas. Use of technology such as embryo
transfer could enable farmers breed
more heifers within a short period. Production of more quality heifers is also
deemed to substantially lower the cost
of the dairy animals hence making them
affordable to many small scale farmers.
Since majority of ET is from elite cows
that have not been selected as bull
mothers but with the desire of maximizing their impact on the genetic base of a
herd, ET would increase the availability
of replacement heifers produced from
elite cows compared with what would
be available from routine AI or natural
service bulls.
Contd. on Page 19
15
Overview of the African Biofortified Sorghum Project
S
orghum is the fifth most
important cereal crop for
global production, after rice,
maize, wheat and barley
(FAOSTAT, 2005). However, it is
ranked second to maize in grain
requirement within sub-Saharan
Africa. It is a staple food for 300
million people in Africa. Sorghum is
also used as for non-food applications.
Sorghum has an advantage over the
other cereals, as it is able to grow
in marginal areas lacking sufficient
moisture and fertility unfeasible
to support maize, wheat or rice.
Sorghum is a high energy valued
food, however, it has poor protein
digestibility, poor protein quality i.e.
low in lysine, tryptophan, threonine,
and sulfur amino acids. It is also has
low bioavailable iron and zinc and
low pro-vitamin A content. Globally
at least two billion people live with
vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
Vitamin A, iodine, iron, zinc and
folate pivotal roles in maintaining
healthy and productive populations.
In Africa, about 46% of pregnant
women suffer from iron deficiency
while 49% of the preschool are
vitamin A deficient. Progress has
been made to control micronutrient
deficiencies through supplementation
and food fortification, but new
approaches are needed, especially to
reach the rural poor. Biofortification
is one of the approaches in addressing
these deficiencies and success has
been achieved in developing the
orange sweet potato. The advantage
of biofortification is that it is a onetime investment and the impact is
easily accessible to the rural poor.
The African Biofortified Sorghum
(ABS) project started in 2005 to
address some of these preceding
nutritional deficiencies of sorghum
through development of biofortifed
sorghum for the arid and semi-arid
tropical areas of Africa. The project
set to address the problem through
the biotransformation of sorghum
followed by introgression of novel
traits into locally adopted sorghum
varieties. Presently, ABS project has
settled on developing and deploying
sorghum with enhanced amount of
pro-vitamin A to meet about 50% of
the daily requirements as the first
priority product. In future when
funds become available the second
priority product will be to develop
sorghum with enhanced Fe and Zn in
addition to pro-vitamin A, followed
the sorghum with enhanced protein
quality and digestibility as the third
priority product.
Phase I of the ABS was funded
by the Grant Challenge for Global
Health of the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation from 2005-2010. Phase
II of the project that commenced
in July 2010 is partly funded by
Howard Buffet Foundation. ABS
Phase I was implemented through
a Consortium of 14 institutions
consisting of the technology
development team: DuPont Pioneer
USA, and CSIR South Africa; the
product development team, involving
scientist from the International Crops
Research Institute for the SemiArid Tropics (ICRISAT India, the
Agricultural Research Council for
South Africa (ARC), South Africa,
University of Pretoria- South Africa,
the Kenya Agricultural Research
Institute (KARI), the Institut de
l›Environnement et de Recherches
Agricoles de Burkina Faso (INERA)
and the Institute of Agricultural
Research (IAR) in Nigeria. The
fourth team was the Enabling
Environment Team that included
Project management, biosafety and
regulatory, communication and
capacity building key institutions
involved were- Africa Harvest
Biotechnology Foundation
International, Agricultural
Technology Foundation (AATF), and
CORAF Senegal among others.
ABS Phase I (2005-2010) focused
on proof of concept. Key results
included- development of a high
efficiency sorghum transformation
protocols, which created a high
throughput transformation system
in sorghum; development of eventsABS 188 (with increased of provitamin A (β-carotene) and enhanced
iron and zinc bioavailability in the
sorghum grains achieved through
80% reduction in phytate; ABS 203
event with enhanced pro-vitamin
A alone, ABS 032 with improved
protein quality and digestibility.
ABS confined field trails have been
carried out in USA, in Kenya and in
Nigeria. The total carotenoid and beta
carotene (pro-vitamin A) reached
very significant levels; the first-ever
“golden” sorghum was produced.
This first phase also included capacity
building training of 12 post doctorates,
scientists and sorghum breeders in
the transformation technology at
DuPont Pioneer, USA.
Preliminary ABS Phase II product
development has involved crossing
ABS traits into local adapted sorghum
varieties in Kenya and Nigeria.
ABS 188 with enhanced vitamin
A, improved bioavailability of Fe
and Zn has been crossed to local
sorghum varieties under confined
field trials (CFT) in Kenya to produce
F1 generation with the local varieties.
Successful crosses are identified using
the dip stick method for expression
of phosphomannose isomerase
(PMI) protein. The ABS traits will
be backcrossed to popular Kenyan
sorghum varieties and the resultant
hybrids evaluated with the objective
of analysing the performance and the
stability of the ABS traits in different
genetic backgrounds. In addition,
the trials also aims at analysing
the effect of the nutritional genes
on fitness of hybrids of ABS with
sorghum wild relatives. The work is
being carried out in the confined field
trial situated at KARI Kiboko with
the keen observance of the biosafety
regulations and the resultant seeds
are stored at the KARI Biosafety Level
II green house. Biosafety regulations
are observed at every step, and the
biosafety regulators from Kenya
Plant Health Inspectorate Service
(KEPHIS) and the National Biosafety
Crosses of wild sorghum relatives and ABS 188
Biosafety regulators overseeing the complete destruction of the waste
sorghum material
Pre-harvest training
Authority (NBA) oversee all the major
activities. However, it is noteworthy
that ABS 188 CFT provides us with
preliminary data on stability and
performance of ABS traits in local
sorghum genotypes and under local
climatic condition. ABS 203 that
will form the first priority product is
undergoing CFT testing at DuPont
Pioneer and will soon be introduced
into Kenya and backcrossed to
local sorghum varieties for product
development.
R.T.; and Holmes, B.J. 1989. “Grain
Sorghum (Milo).” Alternative Field
Crops Manual. www.hort.purdue.
edu/newcrop/afcm/sorghum.html
FAOSTAT data, 2005
By Kimani E., Obukosia S.,
Gichuki S., Daniel Kamanga,
Florence Wambugu,
Mwasame E., Nzeve D.,
Taracha C., Ngichabe C.
Kenya Agricultural Research
Institute, Africa Harvest
References:
Biotechnology Foundation
Carter, P.R.; Hicks, D.R.; Oplinger,
International
E.S.; Doll, J.D.; Bundy, L.G.; Schuler,
16
Practical Use 0f Doubled Haploids in Maize Breeding Programs in Kenya
From Page 10
DH lines harvested in Kenya
Pedigree
#DH lines
planted
#DH lines
discarded
#DH lines
harvested
La posta seq C7-F96-1-2-1-1-B-B-B/CML395/
CML395
108
29
79
La posta seq C7-F96-1-2-1-1-B-B-B/CML444/CML44
124
25
99
La posta seq C7-F96-1-2-1-1-B-B-B/
CML312SR=MAS[MSR/312]-117-2-2-1-2-B4-B-B-BB/CML312SR
47
12
35
CML395
124
57
67
La posta seq C7-F71-1-2-1-2-B-B-B/CML44/CML444
181
32
149
CML488
133
29
104
CML488
48
13
35
CML395/[M37W/ZM607Bf37sr-2-3sr-6-2-x]-82-x-1-BB-B-Xp84C1F27-3-3-B-1-B]F29-1-22x[KIIMAST94A]-30/MSV-03-101-08-B-B-1Xp84c1F27-4-1-4-B-3-B]F2-1-2-1-1-1-BxCML486]-1-1/
CML395
70
14
56
CML395La posta seq C7-F102-1-3-1-2-B-B-B/
CML395
19
5
14
CML488La posta seq C7-F102-1-3-1-2-B-B-B/
CML488
41
14
27
Total
895
231
664
For evaluation of per sc disease on 3. Reduces population size for
DH, DH lines were planted at Kiboko
gene pyramiding substantially.
for seed increase, Kakamega for Tur- 4. Increased power for QTL deteccicum and GLS and at Zimbabwe for
tion.
MSV screening. The seed was sent for 5. CIMMYT embarked on DH
quality control and finger printing.
technology aimed at developing
tropical inducers as well as DH
WEMA DH Testcross Formation
lines from elite germplasm.
In Feb 2010, 664 DH lines were Safety issues are still important in
planted to form testcross one tester the chromosomes doubling stage
was used from opposite groups. A with toxicVB
total of 767 different TWH were har- References
vested in July 2010. Test crosses were n
COE E.H., 1959: A line of maize
planted at Kiboko under managed
with high haploid frequency. Am.
stress conditions and the best hybrids
Nat. 93: 381-382.
will be available for NARs for testing n
GAYEN P., J.K. MADAN, R.
and release.
KUMAR, K.R. SARKAR, 994
Chromosome doubling in
Issues for future of DH at CIMMYT:
haploids through colchicine.
To upscale haploids production and
Maize Genet. Coop. Newsletter
advance development of tropical and
68: 65.
subtropical inducers
n
SARKAR K.R., A. PANDEY, P.
To improve capacity, safety and efGAYEN, J.K. MANDAN, R. KUficiency of haploid doubling facilities
MAR, J.K.S.
n
SACHAN, 1994: Stabilization of
Questions Relating to Inducer
high haploid inducer lines- Maize
nAlternative/ improved marker
Genet. Coop. Newsletter 68: 64systems
65.
nIncreased induction rate
n
D. C., and R. F. Nyvall; 1999:
nAdaptation to tropical climate.
Nematodes that attack corn in
Iowa; Iowa State University
Question relating to genome douExtension Publication PM-1027;
bling
Ames, IA. Online:
nGenerate background effect
n
B.M. Prasanna, Vijay Chaikam
nOptimized procedure ( with
and George Mahuku (eds). 2012:
colchicines)
Doubled Haploid Technology
nAre there other procedures
in Maize Breeding- Theory and
without colchicines?
Practice; Mexico, D. F., CIMMYT.
nIncreased doubling/success
n
Testcross performance of doubled
rate
haploid maize lines derived from
Summary
tropical adapted backcross popu1. Homozygous lines are obtained
lations
in short time.
n
Yoseph Beyene1*, Stephen
2. Maximal genetic variation
Mugo1, Kiru Pillay2, Tadele
among lines; increased selecTefera1, Sammy Ajanga3, Stephen
tion gain.
Njoka3, Haron Karaya1, John
Gakunga1
nBouchez, A., Gallais A., 2000:
Efficiency of the use of doubledhaploids in recurrent selection for
combining ability- Crop Sci 40: 2329
nBriggs FN, Knowles PF, 1967.
Introduction to Plant Breeding.
Reinhold Publishing Corporation,
USA 426
nBordes, J., Charmet, G., Dumas de
Vaulx, R., Pollacsek, M., Beckert,
M., Gallais, A., Lapierre, A. – 2007:
Doubled-haploid versus single-seed
descent and S1-family variation for
testcross performance in a maize
population. Euphytica 154: 41 -51
nCorn lethal necrosis - Douglas, J.
Jardine- Extension Specialist, Plant
Pathology
nDoupnik, B.L. Jr., 1994: Corn
Lethal Necrosis Tests- 1994 Corn
Hybrid Reactions and Disease
Update: UNL/SCREC 94/5.
nCorn Lethal Necrosis, pp. 68-69
in Compendium of Corn Diseases,
Second Edition, M.C. Shurtleff, Ed.
APS Press, St. Paul, MN.
nCharacterization of Maize Chlorotic
Mottle Virus Associated with
Maize Lethal Necrosis Disease in
ChinaJournal of Phytopathology
Volume 159, Issue 3, pages 191–193,
March, 2011
nRegistration of IBM2 SYN10
Doubled Haploid Mapping
Population of Maize: T. Hussain*,
P. Tausend, G. Graham and J. Ho
nSeitz, G. 2005: The use of doubled
haploids in corn breeding; p. 1–7
nIn Proc. 41st Annu. Illinois Corn
Breeders School, Urbana, IL., 7–8
Mar. 2005. Univ. of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign
nChase, S.S., 1951: Production of
homozygous diploids of maize from
monoploids. Agron. J., 44:263–267.
( Note Research Papers Courtesy KARI)
17
Overview of Bt-Cotton Research in Kenya
From Page 12
Program for Biosafety Systems-BBI inspectors and reports made to the may not have any significant effect on force has realized major achievements
A project proposal IP01-06 “Baseline
biodiversity impact studies of transgenic Bt-cotton on wild ecosystems in East
African region” was prepared by scientists from three institutions of the East
African countries Kenya, Uganda and
Tanzania in response to proposal call
for the year 2006. The project funded
by the Program for Biosafety Systems
through the BBI program was awarded
USD 327,878 to run for a period of three
years with Tanzanian Tropical Pesticide
Research Institute (TPRI) as the lead
institution in collaboration with Kenya
Agricultural Research Institute (KARI)
and Makerere University (Uganda).
KARI would receive USD 75,572 for a
period of three years.
then NBC.
the underground fauna.
Accomplished Work
Effect of Bt-Cotton on Insect Nematodes. The results of the reported
work confirmed that the survival and
ability of the entomopathogenic nematodes to infect G. mellonella was not
affected by exposure to the Bt protein
toxins.
including;
1. Establishment of mandatory
tests required before clearance
for open release and protocol
development for the same.
Characterization and quantification of arthropods in cotton production systems in Central, East2. Establishment of National Perforern and Coastal regions of Kenya.
mance Trials for cotton varieties
The data generated in the reported
targeted for transformation i.e.
study will be used as a bench mark in
06K485, 06K486 and 06K487
future impact studies to be conducted The impact of transgenic cotton
which are ongoing.
after the introduction of transgenic cot- on soil rhizosphere bacterial and
fungal populations. The results
ton in Kenya.
of the reported work suggests that a
3. Establishment of key research
single-year cultivation of transgenic
areas necessary after confined
Screen-house evaluation of transBt-Cotton may not affect the funcfield trials
genic cotton NuCotn 35B for imtional bacterial and fungi populations
pact on selected target and non4. Formation of an outreach and
in rhizosphere soil.
target arthropods. The findings of
stewardship secretariat and conthis work confirmed that Bt-cotton had Effect of transgenic cotton on
sequent identification of outreach
no effect on the test species parasitic nematode community assemblagand stewardship activities, chanwasp Trichogramma when directly or es. The results of the reported work
nels, target stakeholders, priority
National Biosafety Authority
indirectly exposed to the Bt-toxin and showed that Bt-Cotton had no different
regions and implementing insti(NBA)
had no effect on cotton aphids but was effects on nematode abundance and
tutions.
genus richness from the conventional
The National Biosafety Authority is effective on bollworm larvae.
cotton.
5. Identification of business partresponsible for the implementation
ners, seed production areas, acof the guidelines and regulations for Field evaluation of transgenic Bt- Baseline Biodiversity Impact
quisition/production modalities
biosafety in biotechnology. The NBA is cotton DP448B and DP 404BG Studies of Transgenic Bt-Cotton
and acreage for initial planting,
also responsible for all matters related for efficacy on African bollworms on Wild Ecosystems. The results
drawing up tentative business
to the development and introduction of and its impact on non-target spe- of the reported work showed that
models for seed multiplication,
genetically modified organisms (GMOs) cies. The results of the reported work Bt-Cotton had no effect on arthropod
processing and distribution.
showed that the transgenic Bt-cotton biodiversity different from the consuch as the review of relevant proposvarieties compared to their isolines and ventional untransformed cotton. Wild
6. Establishment of demonstration
als/applications and may recommend the commercial local variety effectively cotton is available in the wilds of Kenya
sites for the varieties earmarked
conditions under which the proposed controlled African bollworm and the and home backyards.
for transformation in various
work should be conducted. The NBA cotton semi-looper and their damage on
parts of the country.
also ensures that the adequate testing cotton plants. The transgenic Bt-cotton Evaluation of Candidate Varieties
7. Setting up of commercialization
of GMO or their products has been per- varieties had no significant effects on for Transformation and Commercialization. Trials with the Monsanto
and product launch timelines.
formed in the country of origin. In the the populations of the non-target cotton
varieties 06K485, 06K486 and 06K487
The Bt-Cotton stakeholders encase of the Bt-cotton project, the then pests and on the beneficial arthropod targeted for transformation were set up
visage commercialization to start
species
studied.
National Biosafety Committee (NBC)
and are ongoing at Mpeketoni, Msain 2014.
provided all necessary approvals for the
baha, Mwea, Siaya.
conduct of the work.
Effect of Bt-cotton on beneficial
Summary of Achievements
arthropods and general species Bt-Cotton Commercialization
1. Bollgard 11® Cotton variety conKARI-Institutional Biosafety
diversity. The results of the reported Taskforce. A taskforce spearheaded
taining cry1Ac and cry2Ab2 genes
work showed that the effect of trans- by KARI comprising of 12 members repCommittee (IBC)
was approved for Confined Field
genic cotton containing cry1Ac and resenting stakeholders from public and
The KARI-IBC assisted in drawing up cry2Ab2 Bt genes on arthropod species private sector was formed to oversee
trials.
and vetted the application and research diversity was not detrimental.
commercialization of Bt-Cotton. The
2. Twelve Research Activities toproposals in line with the applicable
taskforce was to put in place systems
wards generation of data for
biosafety measures required by the then
regulators have been completed
Risk of the Bt-cotton intercrossing that would address issues of input
NBC. The application were forwarded to with commercial cotton varie- supply, operations, distribution and
to date.
the then NBC by the IBC.
ties. The results showed that sexual marketing that will support the delivery
3. Outreach Activities including six
compatibility exists between transgenic pathway of transgenic seed in Kenya.
stakeholder visits to Bt-Cotton
and non transgenic lines. Finding in
Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate
sites, nine print media articles
open pollination experiment suggest Bt-Cotton Commercialization
Service
and nine radio presentations in
that natural pollen mediated gene flow Process
vernacular and Kiswahili lanKEPHIS is the regulatory agency man- will occur up to 8 meters from the Bt
guages have so far been accomA
taskforce
comprising
of
12
members
dated to enforce the National Policy source. To avoid hybridization with the
plished.
representing
stakeholders
from
public
on biotechnology and Biosafety with conventional cotton, isolation distance
and private sector was formed to overrespect to GM plants, insects and micro- would be necessary.
4. Four technical reports have so far
see commercialization of Bt-Cotton.
organisms, among other mandates.
been generated.
KEPHIS has a regulatory role in GMO Cost Benefit Analysis of Transgen- The taskforce was to put in place
5. Twenty eight Publications in Contrials including issuance of import ic Cotton. Seasonal data indicated systems that would address issues of
ferences/Workshops proceeding
permits, facilities inspections, monitor- that yields of the Bt varieties were input supply, operations, distribution
were accomplished.
significantly
higher
than
those
and
marketing
that
will
support
the
ing and inspection and to certify and
of
the
HART
89M.
Transgenic
cotdelivery
pathway
of
transgenic
seed
in
register GMO seed. Under monitoring
6. Three Local and 2 International
and inspection, KEPHIS also inspects ton requires lesser pesticides relative Kenya. The commercialization process
study tours to Bt-Cotton trials
quarantine facilities for certification to HART 89M and ensures that the entailed a three phased plan comprising
and growing areas were accombefore importation, starting with in- fruiting structures are not damaged by initiation, strategy and implementation.
plished.
spection and approval of containment the bollworms thus resulting in higher The taskforce commenced its work in
7. Twenty Local and seven Interfacilities (laboratories, screen houses productivity. The significant reduction July 2010 by first identifying five fonational workshops have been
and open quarantine facilities) for han- in pesticide use has the potential to cal points of discussion subsequently
attended.
reduce
environmental
poisoning
thus
forming
five
subcommittees
to
for
each
dling genetically engineered organisms
preserving
the
ecosystem.
focal
point.
Specific
terms
of
reference
as set out in the existing regulations and
8. Four papers have been submitand timeframes were drawn for each
guidelines. A satisfactory inspection
ted for publication in refereed
report of the containment facilities is Effect of Bt-Cotton protein endo- subcommittee to guide through the dejournals.
required before an importation permit toxin on below ground fauna and liberations. The subcommittees worked
9. Four merit awards were won by
is issued. All the above activities were flora. The results of the reported work within their mandates reporting back to
the
taskforce
their
outputs.
The
taskProject outputs. q
showed
that
growing
of
the
Bt-Cotton
conducted for Bt-cotton by KEPHIS
18
Kenya to Commercialize Bt. Cotton by 2014
By Otieno Owino
(ScienceAfrica Correspondent)
he successful revival of commercial cotton growing in Kenya will
require an inclusive participation of all stakeholders including the
government, cotton growers, scientists
and technology owners to come on
board to revitalize the once lucrative
cotton sector, a forum heard.
This emerged at the Open Forum
on Agriculture and Biotechnology
(OFAB), a meeting that brings together
researchers, policy makers, journalists
and the civil society to share on new
developments in the field of biotechnology.
In a presentation on the success
story of Colombia, Dr. Charles Waturu
who is the principal investigator of the
Bt. cotton project in Kenya and also
the centre director for Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI)Thika shared lessons that Kenya could
T
emulate.
Kenya is set to begin commercialization of Bt. cotton in 2014 about ten
years after the process of introduction
of transgenic cotton was authorized
for trials by the National Biosafety
Committee which is now the National
Biosafety Authority.
If commercialized, Kenya will join
Burkina Faso and South Africa as countries growing the transgenic cotton in
Africa as well as Egypt, Mauritius, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Tanzania, and
Uganda which are the other countries
in the process of conducting field trials
for both Bt. cotton and maize.
With a population of 46million
people, and most cotton growing done
by poor farmers, the Colombian situation is almost similar to Kenya where
constraints such as small land holdings,
fluctuation of cotton prices and the
presence of brokers and intermediaries
have hampered cotton growing. But
this could change if concerted efforts
are put in place to revamp the cotton
growing industry.
Government intervention is critical
if cotton growing is to become a reality.
“The government of Colombia realized
the importance of textile development
and decided to revitalize it. Cotton is
grown by poor people and so government had to support poor people,” said
Dr. Waturu. The major contribution of
the government is through the Minimum Guaranteed Price (MGP) which is
a measure to stabilize to cotton prices.
According to Dr. Waturu, cotton
associations have played an important
role in Colombia. They are instrumental in provision of farm inputs, rental
land and machinery, labour for harvesting and also facilitate ginning.
The Kenyan case is different with
farmers going it alone, mostly in small
scale. The associations are also instrumental in the implementation of
legislations on planting, pest control
and stalk destruction. This has made
it possible to effectively mitigate the
effects of boll weevil. This is a practice
that Kenya must put in place when it
eventually goes into the commercialization of cotton.
Dr. Waturu also stressed on the
need to engage technology owners and
cotton associations in the stewardship
of the cotton production.
In addition, he cited the need to locally produce Bt. cotton seeds so that
they are well adapted to local conditions. Fixing of seed prices is also a
necessity as is the promotion of large
scale irrigated cotton and farming and
collection and documentation of data
on cotton production.
Kenya conducted trials for cotton
in Athi, Mwea and Kirinyaga. The data
from field trials in Mwea showed that
Bt cotton is safe, effective and environmentally friendly.
Introducing Fly Maggots for the Treatment of Chronic Wounds in Kenya
From Page 11
In order to debride necrotic tissue, larvae produce a mixture of
proteolytic enzymes, including
collagenase, which break down
the necrotic tissue to a semi-liquid
form, which can then be absorbed
and digested. Their antibacterial
properties are designed for selfdefence; it is believed that they
ingest microorganisms, which
are then destroyed in their gut.
There is evidence that they secrete
chemicals with a broad-spectrum
bactericidal effect. Dissection and
culturing of different portion of the
larvae midguts has revealed that
whereas the foregut and midguts
have bacteria, the hindguts are
sterile The larvae also secrete ammonia, causing wounds to become
more alkaline, which is believed to
inhibit bacterial growth. Several
substances secreted by maggots
have been found to stimulate
wound healing, with larval secretions inducing fibroblast migration
into the wound space, facilitating
tissue regeneration. As a result,
maggots eliminate odours and
kill malignant tissue producing a
clean wound, free from necrotic
residues. According to Prof. Boulton (2007)
“Maggots are the world’s
smallest surgeons. In fact
they are better than surgeons
- they are much cheaper and
work 24 hours a day……”
CURRENT STATUS OF MAGGOT
THERAPY
In 2004, the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and the
British National Health Service
(NHS) allowed the production
and prescription of medicinal
maggots for treatment of chronic
wounds and today, any physician
in the U.S. can prescribe maggot
therapy and over 4,000 therapists are using maggot therapy
in 20 countries. In the UK, The
Biotherapeutic, Education &
Research Foundation was established in 2003 for the purpose of supporting patient care,
education, and research in maggot
therapy and the other forms of
symbiotic medicine (diagnosing
and/or treating diseases with live
animals, such as maggot therapy,
leech therapy, honey bee therapy,
pet therapy & sniffer dogs, ichthiotherapy, bacteriotherapy etc).
Today there are 300 centres in
the US and about 1000 centres in
the UK and Europe doing maggot
therapy. In Africa, use of maggots
to treat wounds has been reported
in South Africa (Du Plessis et. al.,
2011) and in TRC we have a facility
to produce sterile larvae for use by
local hospitals
Justification for the establishment of Maggot rearing facility at KARI, Muguga
To most, the mention of the word
“maggots” and wounds conjures
images of painful bedsores that
maybe occasionally be infested
with the dreaded flesh eating
maggots. In livestock and in some
cases humans, maggots that feed
on live tissue may cause myiasis
which presents a serious problem
for livestock industries, causing
severe economic losses worldwide.
On the other end of the spectrum
are species of flies which, in their
life cycle will produce maggots that
feed exclusively on dead tissue.
This feature is what has been exploited by the medical fraternity
in Maggot Therapy (MT) or Maggot Debridement Therapy (MDT)
or biosurgery. We set to describe
the possibility of introducing the
technique in Kenya, as we have
introduced a Lucilia sericata
rearing facility at the Trypanosomiasis Research Centre – KARI
(KARI-TRC) with a view to collaborating with local hospitals to
introduce an alternative method of
managing wounds in the country.
This is in appreciation of the fact
that where they occur, they cause
considerable morbidities and loss
of productivity, especially when
the wounds lead to loss of limbs
through amputations and long
term medical care.
WAY FORWARD
In addition to domesticating the
production of Lucilia sericata, a
programme of senstisation of both
medical practitioners and patients
needs to be mounted to deal with
the “yak” factor associated with
the use of maggots. Search will
be done to identify local species
of flies that can be used in the
therapy. Increased awareness may
facilitate its use in conjunction
with established treatments, hopefully in the setting of prospective
clinical trials. Larval therapy may
decrease antibiotic use, prevent
hospital admission, and decrease
outpatient visits. As antibiotic
resistance becomes increasingly
prevalent, this ancient remedy may
once again be at the forefront of
human survival.
The nature of secretions produced
by colonised Lucilia is another
area of study. In Wales, scientists
have discovered a new antibiotic
in Lucilia larva secretions that is
100% effective against Methicillin
Resistant Streptococcus aureus
(MSRA), a leading cause of amputations and death for affected
patients. Laboratory studies are
underway to isolate and identify
enzyme systems and antimicro-
bial agents produced by different
species of fly, which may shed
more light on the mechanism of
action. This research may yield
topical or intravenous therapies
with improved efficacy, without
the need for maggot application.
As most wounds are treated in
the primary care setting, there is
now a tendency to prescribe larval
therapy in the home for people
who do not have to be hospitalized. This should prove to be cost
effective, decreasing hospital admissions and the need for surgical
intervention.
Swansea University (2008), August 5). Multi-tasking Maggots In
Superbug Showdown. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 24, 2012, from
http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2008/08/080805155624.
htm
CONCLUSIONS
The materials used in the compilation of this story was gathered
whilst the author was on a1-month
study tour of the Slovak Academy
of Science in August 2011 on a
project “Introduction of the Maggot Debridement Therapy for
management of Chronic wounds
in Kenya” supported by the Slovak
Government.
applications of fly larvae in human
medicine, especially for treating
osteomyelitis
SELECTED REFERENCES
Ogunlesi F.B.: Challenges Of Caring For Diabetic Foot Ulcers In
Resource-Poor Settings. The Internet Journal of Advanced Nursing
Practice. 2010 Volume 10 Number
2. DOI: 10.5580/1d6d –
University of Manchester (2007,
May 3). Maggots Rid Patients Of
Antibiotic-resistant Infection,
MRSA. ScienceDaily. Retrieved
March 22, 2012, from http://
www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2007/05/070503094447.htm
Posnett, J., Franks, P.J. (2007)
The costs of skin breakdown and
ulceration in the UK. In: Pownall,
M. (ed) Skin Breakdown: The
Silent Epidemic. Hull: Smith &
Nephew Foundation.
Martin, D. L. (2003) Maggot
debridement therapy in the
treatment of nonhealing chronic
wounds. Master of Physician Assistant Thesis, University of Wichita
Sherman RA, Pechter EA. (1988)
Maggot therapy: a review of the
therapeutic
Med Vet Entomol; 2:225–30.
Sherman RA. (2003) Maggot
therapy for treating diabetic foot
ulcers unresponsive to
conventional therapy. Diabetes
Care 26:446–51.
Beasley, W.D, and Hirst, G. (2004)
Making a meal of MRSA—the role
of biosurgery in hospital-acquired
infection, Journal of Hospital Infection 56 (1), Pages 6–9
Du Plessis, H. J. C. 2011. The utilisation of maggot debridement
therapy in Pretoria. South Africa
Wound Healing Southern Africa
2011 Volume 4 No 2 80-83
Richard Maino: Faster relief for patients with chronic wounds. http://
www.ukti.gov.uk/lps/sciencetechnology/item/356146.html
Source: KARI-Trypanosomiasis
Research Centre, P.O. Box 362,
Kikuyu-00902, Kenya
[email protected]; phoebe.
[email protected]
19
Use of Embryo Transfer for Multiplication of Superior Animal Breeds in Kenya
From Page 14
Further, almost all sires that are tested
by AI organization are produced using
ET or MOET (De Vries et al., 2008). As
cows of high genetic merit are identified, they are mated using ET to produce
male calves from a number of desirable
sires of sons to maximize the availability
of bull calves from these matings for
selection and entry into AI progeny
testing programs as soon as possible.
It is clear that sexed semen will have
an impact on the use of ET in both the
beef and dairy industries. ET would also
enable use of low productive animals as
recipients in a herd hence improving
the economic benefits of ET and open
up new markets for use of many cows in
dairy herds as surrogates for both beef
and dairy embryos.
Production of several closely related,
and hence genetically similar, individuals through ET techniques can make
critical contributions to research. For
example a project at the International
Laboratory for Research on Animal
Diseases (ILRAD) to locate the genes
responsible for tolerance of some cattle populations to trypanosomiasis
required large numbers of closely
related crosses of trypanotolerant and
trypanosusceptible cattle. Use of ET
has made it possible to generate such
families thereby facilitating the search
for genetic markers of trypanotoler-
ance. Additionally, ET could be useful
in studying the extent to which a trait
is influenced by the embryo (direct
component) or the reproductive tract
(maternal component) (Rege, 1996).
ACHIEVEMENTS
There are several ET players in Kenya;
University of Nairobi – serves as a training and research facility for graduate
students. It utilizes sexed semen technology to offer female calves for heifer
replacement by farmers.
ILRI – has excellent facilities for research and also offers training in the
highly technical area of in vitro fertilization
KARI – national research body, has ET
facilities at trypanosomosis research
centre, plans to multiply superior
cattle breeds (dairy and beef) for use
by farmers. So far, there is no proper
ET program to meet high demand of
superior dairy cows as its uneconomical for farmers to raise breeding bulls.
Once operationalised, this facility can
be or used by breeders for research as
well as extension services. Building on
the sahiwal breeding model whereby
demand for the breed exceeds supply,
ET comes in handy to mass produce
sufficient stock.
Central artificial insemination services
(CAIS) – mandated to control and man-
age animal breeds in the country. They
import semen for superior genotypes
for breeding purposes in order to
improve livestock productivity while
also conserving semen for indigenous
breeds
Agricultural Development Corporation
(ADC) – extension organ with farmer
training component on all aspects of
agriculture. The institution uses ET
technology.
Commercial dairies eg Limuru – offer
ET specifically sexed semen technology
to its dairy customers to avoid cost of
raising males. The certainty of raising
own and superior replacement heifers
is a significant boost to the dairy farmers. However, many farmers in Kenya in
need of this service have no access to it
and there is need to expand the service
to deserving areas.
A large flushing programme was set
up in 1992 to export Boran embryos to
Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwean veterinary
team designed a quarantine area and
facility on Ol Pejeta Ranch in Laikipia
District, central to most Boran breeders.
In 1994, Kenya exported Boran embryos
to South Africa for the first time; the
year 2000 saw a second exportation.
Despite the presence of all these players
in the country, the technology has not
been effectively exploited to offer cost
effective products to livestock produc-
ers. Its done in a haphazard and uncoordinated manner. KARI has planned to
multiply priority cattle breeds (Sahiwal,
exotic dairy, indigenous orma boran)
to start with in order to bridge the gap
in collaboration with the ministry of
agriculture and livestock.
IMPACT
The impact of ET in Kenya has not
been quantified because its use is not
widespread, however, once established,
the Kenyan livestock farmers can participate in international trade in genetic
products as well as export embryos. For
the past five years, Embryo Plus in collaboration with the Kenya Boran Cattle Breeders Society (BCBS) has been
collecting embryos from Boran donor
cows in Kenya and exporting to South
Africa. The country also has productive indigenous Zebu that are tolerant
to most of the livestock diseases. These
breeds need to be identified, selected
and conserved as a genetic resource.
Besides, availability of highly productive
livestock breeds are required in order
to attain the 7% GDP growth rate in the
agriculture sector as spelt out in vision
2030. Consequently economic revitalization, more employment opportunities
to rural communities, improved rural
livelihoods, poverty reduction, improved
food security will be realized. n
R E S E A R C H A N D I N N O VAT I O N AT J K U AT
Universities Urged to Become Leaders in
Innovation and Product Development
By George Achia
n order to achieve rapid and
sustained socio-economic
development, institutions
of higher learning must become
leaders in innovation and product development.
This call was made by Dr.
Roy Mugiira, deputy director
of research, in the ministry of
higher education, science and
technology who spoke on behalf
of the minister Prof. Margaret Kamar at Jomo Kenyatta
University of Agriculture and
Technology (JKUAT) during
the university’s annual scientific conference.
For a long time, said Dr.
Mugiira, local researchers and
innovators have immensely
contributed to knowledge creation. However, the uptake and
application of such knowledge
have largely remained elusive
due to infrastructural challenges.
“It is of great concern that
Kenya imports most of its technology without an attempt to
digest it,” he said, adding that
the digestion of technology will
provide a fertile opportunity for
I
Deputy Director of Research in the Ministry of Higher Education, Science
and Technology, Dr Roy Mugira looking at one of the innovations at JKUAT
innovation to speed up technological development of the
country.
He called on universities
and the industry sector in Kenya to emulate the East Asian
giants of China, South Korea
and Japan who have been able
to innovate and eventually
produce their own products
through this concept.
“I am aware that universi-
ties continue to grapple with
the challenge of successful
commercialization of their innovations,” said Dr. Mugiira.
He noted that there is need
for concerted efforts to forge
collaborations with other institutions that have complementary capacities and capabilities
to effect successful commercialization of their innovations
as a way to address this chal-
lenge.
Dr. Mugiira said the country’s development agenda including science, technology and
innovation is likely to receive
a major boost if recommendations proposed to increase
research funding budget are
passed.
The proposals contained
in the Education Bill 2012,
now in Parliament for discussion, propose to increase the
national research budget from
the current 0.04 percent to
two percent of Kenya’s gross
domestic product, a figure that
will far surpass the United Nations recommended target of
one percent.
Dr. Mugira said the expected Bill would lead to the
establishment of the National
Commission for Science and
Technology to regulate and set
the country’s research agenda.
The Bill, he added, would as
well be instrumental in the establishment of the National Research Fund that he said would
be charged with mobilization
and funding of research kitty.
Speaking at the same venue,
JKUAT’s vice chancellor, Prof.
Mabel Imbuga noted that the
major bottleneck facing the
institutions of higher learning
is inadequate funding that continues to hold universities back
from maximally contributing
to the national development
agenda.
She said the scenario has
forced local researchers to
turn to foreign funding which
comes with conditionality and
unpredictability.
“The Ksh. 52 million budget
is scarcely enough to fund the
over 50 research projects we
are currently conducting”,
said Prof. Imbuga, adding that
researchers in the University
were grappling with the slow
pace of commercialization of
the numerous research outputs
from the institution.
The seventh JKUAT scientific conference brought over
140 researchers, industrialists, policy makers and donor
agencies drawn from over 10
countries from Africa, Europe,
Asia and Australia to discus
latest research, innovation and
developments. n
20
AT P S 2 0 1 2 C O N F E R E N C E , A D D I S A B A B A E T H I O P I A
Resolutions and Key Messages for the
African Union and the African Governments
T
he African leaders and
scholars from 29 countries from Africa, Australia, Europe, United States
of America, India and Africans
in the Diaspora meeting in
Addis Ababa for the African
Technology Policy Studies
Network international conference 2012 observed that:
n Africa has a comparative
advantage for transitioning to a low carbon development pathway that
is inclusive, sustainable
and resource efficient.
n If supported by endogenous research and capacity building, some
emerging technologies
and existing sustainable
development practices
on the African continent
can help to improve productivity and resource
efficiency for inclusive
development in Africa.
n Social innovations provide opportunities for enhancing economic growth
and social prosperity
through youth employment, entrepreneurship
and value creation.
n African Universities
stand to benefit from the
mainstreaming transdisciplinary research and
teaching to overcome
the weak collaboration
and coordination that
exist between disciplines,
universities, industry, the
public sector and civil
society in Africa.
n African countries are not
effectively harnessing the
untapped potential of the
continent’s bulging youth
and women population
for development. Based
on these observations,
they came up with recommendations for the African Union and African
governments including:
n Africa needs to lead its
own dialogue on low carbon development and
green growth and proactively invest in the required capacities to ensure African ownership
of the inevitable transitioning processes that are
unfolding globally.
n There is a need for a
shift towards trans-disciplinary teaching and
research approaches to
encourage collaboration
and networking across
disciplines and between
universities, the productive sectors and civil society, with special reference
to innovation-driven value addition, employment
creation and inclusive
development strategies.
n In order to harness the
resource potential for
productivity improvements in Africa, urgent
and significant investments is required in STI
education and research
to build endogenous capacities for appropriate
technology development,
diffusion, deployment
and regulation.
n Harnessing the opportunities for social innovations will require
a favorable policy environment, incentive
structures, innovation
incubation, training and
mentorship in entrepreneurship.
n Proactive measures to harness the potentials of the
youth and women in STI
policymaking and implementation are necessary
pre-requisites for achieving the SDGs in Africa.
While closing the conference,
Prof. Shaukat Abdulrazak,
the chair of the ATPS Board
pointed out that African governments and policy makers
in education must emphasize
demystification of science.
Through this, noted Prof.
Abdulrazak, attitude of science can become a culture in
Africa.
The executive director
Prof. Kevin Urama said that
Africans should stop agonizing about problems facing the
continent, but rather to start
organizing the solution.
He noted that technology
innovation is the way out for
Africa, noting the innovation
in telecommunication like
Mpesa technology in Kenya
which changing millions of
lives in the country. q
Vol. 20 NOVEMBER 20th, 2012 - JANUARY 20th, 2013
Kshs. 100
SCIENCE JOURNALISM FELLOWSHIP
FA L S E R & D
European Food Safety Authority
Denounces Seralini’s anti-GM Food Study
W
maize NK603 and its related stacks.
The Seralini paper has caused much
uproar in Kenya where the ministry of
public health, without consulting local
biotech experts, seems to have unwittingly fallen into the complex world
of “antibiotech groups” who boast
of the ban as a major propaganda
breakthrough. Kenya has some of the
world’s most credible biotech experts
willing to publicly discuss all aspects
R E S E A R C H U P D AT E
nFly Maggots that clean wounds and
kill drug resistant germs will soon be the
norm in the biomedical world and KARI
researchers at Trypanosomiasis Research
Centre are at par with world’s best.
nLarva secretions that is effective
against Methicillin Resistant
Streptococcus aureus (MSRA), a leading
cause of amputations and death for
affected patients.
Full version of the scientific paper on Page 12
P L A N T PAT H O L O G Y
Exclusive: Scientific Insight into New Maize
Disease Threatening Kenya’s Food Security
l Loses 30-100 Percent and affects all maize varieties l Caused by a co-infection with Maize Chlorotic Mottle
Viruses (MCMV) and Sugarcane Mosaic Virus (SCMV) or any other cereal viruses
aize Lethal Necrosis Disease
otherwise known as Corn Lethal
Necrosis (CLN) Disease was first
reported in September 2011, in the lower
parts of Longisa division of Bomet district.
In February 2012, it was noted in Bomet
Central division, spreading into neighboring Chepalungu district, Narok North and
South districts, and Naivasha.
In April 2012, the disease spread into
Sotik, Kainon, Transmara, Rumuruti,
Kisii, Biveti, Kericho, Mathira East, Imenti South and Embu. According to field
studies, it was observed that the disease is
affecting all maize varieties grown in these
regions. Reported yield loss in affected
fields ranged from 30-100%.
Solutions:
nCarrying out strategic research for
tolerance and resistance
nCapacity building along value
chain for disease and pest
management
nEstablishing a system for pest
and disease forecasting and early
warning
nEstablishing a centralized data
bank and backup systems
nFormulating and implementing
policies on handling of emerging
pest and disease epidemics.
Cont. on Page 9
EDITORIAL:
ScienceAfrica Also Offers Well Researched Documentaries
on All Aspects of ST&I in Africa:
n VIDEO COVERAGE n NEWS CLIPS n FEATURES
ScienceAfrica Journalist
Wins Top Fellowship
of biotechnology including perceived
dangers.
Final review of the Séralini et al.
(2012a) publication on a two-year
rodent feeding study with glyphosate
formulations and GM maize NK603
as published online on 19 September
2012 in Food and Chemical Toxicology. q
Full version of the EFSA abstract
on Page 2.
Fly Maggots for the Treatment of Chronic Wounds in Kenya
M
- Pages 9 to19
Tshs. 2000 Ushs. 3000
SPECIAL ISSUE
hat has clearly come up as
shoddy study by French scientist Seralini et al. is being
branded as having insufficient scientific intergrity or quality needed for safety assessments. European Food Safety
Authority (EFSA) concludes that the
currently available evidence does not
impact on the ongoing re-evaluation
of glyphosate and does not call for the
reopening of the safety evaluations of
Selected 1
Scientific and
Technical
Papers from
KARI
Tel: 020-2053532, Cell: +254 722 843101 / 721 248761
Next
Government
Must Increase
Funding and
Elevate KARI’s
Status
- Page 7
George Achia
S
cienceAfrica’s leading writer George Achia has been
awarded an IDRC/SciDev.
Net Science Journalism Fellowship for 2013.
The internship offered with
support from Canada’s International Development Research
Centre (IDRC) and implemented
by SciDev.Net allows early-career
science journalists to work for six
months with the editorial staff of
both SciDev.Net’s regional offices
and its main office in London.
The fellowship starts in January and ends in June 2013.
During the period, George
will work for SciDev.Net and
make up to four reporting trips to
other countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa region to produce both
news and feature articles.
George is the journalist selected from East Africa with another
journalist from the Middle East
and North Africa region. While
congratulating this beneficiary,
SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan coordinator Ochieng Ogodo said the
fellowship gives the journalists
opportunity to report from their
own country and within the region as well as horn their skills in
science journalism. n
Effective East Coast
Fever Vaccine
Finally Launched
An effective “Infection and Treatment Immunization” against the
East Coast Fever spearheaded by
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, Veterinary Research Centre
and the International Livestock
Research Institute has finally been
- Page 2
GMO Food Ban: Was Kenya’s
Public Health Ministry Misled?
Don’t Miss the Next Issue
The Leading
Publication on
Science, Technology,
Innovation and
Development
ScienceAfrica
Vol. 21 Nov/January 2013
Kenyan Scientist Nominated Fellow of IChemE-Britain
- Linked to various innovations in the market
By George Achia
Staff Science Writer
authoritatively comment and advise on his
areas of competence inrenowned Kencluding environmental
yan chemical ensafety, chemical engigineer Dr. Moses
neering and policy deMakayoto has been nomivelopment worldwide.
nated fellow of Institution
His over three
of Chemical Engineers
decades of contribu(IChemE)-Britain; retions to science, regarded as the “ultimate
search, private sector,
professional career recgovernment minisognition”.
Dr Moses Makayoyo
tries, national research
Dr. Makayoto, Kenya
one of Africa’s Leading
institutions, Kenyan
Industrial Research and
chemical engineers
universities and interDevelopment Institute
nominated to IChemE
national research insti(KIRDI)’s chief research
tutions was recognized
scientist was recently
by Mwai Kibaki, President of Kenya,
named after the nominating commitawarding him The Order of Grand
tee approved him as a “Fellow” of the
Warrior.
Institution of Chemical Engineers.
As KIRDI’s chief research scienHe becomes the first Kenyan with
tist, Dr. Makayoto is responsible for
a doctorate in chemical engineering to
developing research capabilities inbe a Fellow of a prestigious Institution
cluding human, methodological, and
of Chemical Engineers in Britain.
technological for developing evidence
“This is the top and most honourof the validity and utility of research
able achievement that any profesproducts.
sional would like to achieve in his
“As the Chief Research Scientist,
lifetime and peers recognition,” he
I have contributed immensely in the
told ScienceAfrica in Nairobi, Kenya.
establishment of Mini-Tanneries,
Dr. Makayoto was overwhelmHoney Processing, Fruit Processing
ingly recommended by two Internaand many other plants in different
tional Fellows of the Institution to be
parts of Kenya.
awarded a professional gold memberMentorship, according to him is
ship after a vigorous interview.
his key interest, given that currently
This means that Dr.Makayoto can
A
Dr Makayoyo is skilled at communicating science, technology and
innovation to the public
he has several masters and doctorate
students under his supervision.
Dr. Makayoto has strong interests
in innovation, processes, product
development, environmental safety,
Policy development, Technology
Transfer Systems, Incubation Systems and chemical engineering and
biotechnology consultancy for micro,
small, medium and large industries
in Kenya.
He has also had his hand in the
creation and innovation of technologies and products including Mama
Safi, a Powder Detergent and Clax,
Industrial Detergent both for Unilever, East Africa; DuduStop for bio
pesticide for control of filth flies, BT.
“M442”for biocontrol of stem borers
of maize and sorghum and Mosquito
Larvicide – repellents.
He remains on a journey of academic excellence that started from the
University of Nairobi when he earned
his BSc in 1977 before proceeding to
Norway where he earned his doctorate
in chemical engineering in 1985.
He has received several research
grants awards, supervised and trained
several postgraduate students. He has
also published and presented many
papers globally.
Dr. Makayoto can be summed up
as all round man - scientist, engineer,
a manager, environmentalist, a mentor and a family Man. n
Published at Fatuma Flats, Suite No 6, Ground Floor by ScienceAfrica P.O. Box 57458-00200, Nairobi-Kenya, Tel: 020-2053532 Cell: +254 722 843 101

Volume 21 - World Federation of Science Journalists

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