More than 150 participants are
meeting in Nairobi for an international
conference to share knowledge on the latest diagnostics and screening methods
for the maize lethal necrosis (MLN) disease, and assess ways of curbing its
spread across Africa to help mitigate its effects, particularly large-scale
crop losses for smallholders and seed companies.
The conference is timely
because quality seed is the pillar of agriculture in Africa and the world. It
is therefore important to protect the maize seed value chain from MLN through
concerted action by both the public and private sectors.
“The maize lethal necrosis
disease has caused losses worth millions of dollars for farmers and seed
companies in the affected regions in sub-Saharan Africa, where maize is both a
food and cash crop. It is also affects food consumers since farmers have no
maize crop to release to the market. This therefore calls for urgent need to
find a sustainable and widely applicable solution as key stakeholders,” said
Dr. Agnes Kalibata, President of Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa
(AGRA).
To this end, AGRA, the Bill
& Melinda Gates Foundation and the International Maize and Wheat
Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in collaboration with the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock
Research Organization (KALRO) have organized a conference on MLN Diagnostics
and Management in Africa. The event will bring together scientists,
policymakers, seed companies and regulators to take stock of current knowledge
and best practice in managing MLN, and to build consensus on the actions needed
to check its spread.
The situation is particularly
critical as most of the maize varieties in East Africa’s seed market are
vulnerable to MLN. In Kenya for example, the disease is widespread across most
maize-growing areas causing an estimated loss of 10 per cent of national maize
production per year (equivalent to USD 50 million).
This means that Kenya and
neighboring countries (DR Congo, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania, South Sudan and
Uganda) where the disease has been reported are on the verge of serious food
insecurity, unless urgent and intensive action is taken.
“The profound implication of
MLN for Africa’s most important grain – maize – is a reality that cannot be
ignored. We have a responsibility to work together and control its spread, as
scientists
continue to work hard in developing maize varieties that can effectively resist
the MLN viruses,” said Dr. Prasanna Boddupalli, Director of CIMMYT’s Global
Maize Program.
The rapid spread of the MLN
disease is a major concern for scientists, regulators and maize seed companies.
The conference will therefore focus on finding practical solutions to
strengthen MLN diagnostics and surveillance capacity. Other solutions include
MLN-free seed production and safe exchange to non-endemic areas, which is a key
step in controlling further spread and impact of MLN in sub-Saharan Africa.
“At AGRA, we have years of
experience in working with seed companies to produce quality, certified seed.
We hope to draw on that experience as we collaborate with all stakeholders
involved in the MLN mitigation effort to ensure that Africa’s farmers continue
to access quality, MLN-free seed to safeguard their livelihoods and food
security,” said Dr. George Bigirwa, AGRA’s Head of the Regional Team for East
and Southern Africa.
Collaboration with national
agricultural research bodies like KALRO has been instrumental in the ongoing
efforts to identify and develop MLN-tolerant maize varieties. The establishment
of the MLN screening facility in 2013 at Naivasha, Kenya, by CIMMYT and KALRO
in response to the MLN outbreak in East Africa was a welcome and much-needed
intervention. Recently, a few MLN-tolerant maize varieties have been released
in East Africa, and several more are in the pipeline.
“This facility was a critical
breakthrough in our efforts to manage MLN. So far, more than 40,000 maize
accessions have been evaluated and promising lines with levels of resistance to
MLN have been selected. Our collaboration with key partners will remain
steadfast until we eliminate MLN in Kenya and Africa. This is a commitment that
KALRO will faithfully uphold,” said Dr. Eliud Kireger, Director General of
KALRO.
Dr. Anne Wangai, KALRO’s Chief
Researcher, who played a key role in reporting the disease in Kenya in 2011,
adds, “The occurrence of MLN in Kenya was a new phenomenon that meant
scientists had to initiate basic research to understand this new disease and
seek urgent measures to manage it both the short and long term. Research will
remain a pillar of MLN management, integrating various technologies that our
farmers must adopt at their level to control the disease.”
The decisions from the conference will be
critical for seed companies in Africa to produce and exchange MLN-free seed,
and for helping smallholder farmers to effectively tackle MLN to safeguard
their subsistence and livelihoods
