IAR Giant Stride: Commercial Release of Pod Borer Resistant Cowpea, the First GMO in Nigeria

IAR Giant Stride: Commercial Release of Pod Borer Resistant Cowpea, the First GMO in Nigeria

You can follow this link to read the version of Neptune Prime, an online Newspaper

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Monday, 28^th January 2019 became the momentous date in the history of genetic engineering of agricultural commodities in Nigeria. It was a day that Nigeria emerged triumphant in a global scientific community as a country capable of using biotechnology to address food security challenges. The day was certainly a milestone for food scientists in Nigeria and abroad because of the commercial release of pod Borer Resistant (PBR) Cowpea. The Federal Government of Nigeria approved the commercial release of the PBR Cowpea, which was developed by the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), one of the research centers of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. IAR is also among the seventeen National Agricultural Research Institutes under the auspices of Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), Abuja.

The PBR Cowpea, by this development, becomes the first genetically modified food crop to be approved in the country. IAR in partnership with the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) commenced the research to address the deadly Maruca Vitrata attacks on beans in 2009. This became necessary when series of efforts to use conventional breeding methods failed to produce the desired results. Ten years of extensive research by IAR and her collaborators on genetic engineering is highly commendable considering the environmental challenges to scientific research in Nigeria. It is also commendable to the Federal government for the prompt action to commercially release the product of this tireless intellectual work conducted over a ten-year period.

As a scientist, I am fully aware that the environmental challenges to research work in Nigeria involving laboratory and field experimentations are enormous. The enormity is more pronounced in genetic improvement of bio-resources that takes ample time, colossal financial resources and innate intellectual capabilities.  According to CropLife International organization (https://croplife.org/plant-biotechnology/regulatory), The cost of discovery, development and authorization of a new plant biotechnology trait introduced between 2008 and 2012 in USA was on the average of US$136 million. The time from the initiation of a discovery project to commercial launch is estimated to be 13.1 years on average for all the GMO crops. This huge financial resource for GMO research and development (R&D) in USA is equivalent to N48 billion in Nigerian currency. In addition to the time for R&D, there are also registration and regulatory procedures. The time for these stages (registration and regulatory) was increased in USA from the avaerage of 44.5 months (3.7 years) for a GMO crop introduced before 2002, to the current estimate of 65.5 months (5.5 years). This is because various activity stages overlap in real time and they do not reflect the actual duration of the overall R&D process. While that price tag is significant, so are the losses from pests, diseases and other issues that these new traits are designed to help farmers combat. For example, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has estimated corn rootworm causes $1 billion dollars in damage to the U.S. corn crop alone each year. By delivering traits that can fight these pests, it increases farmers’ productivity. From the foregoing analysis, it is therefore clear that this seemingly simple event of releasing the PBR cowpea variety is by no means a mammoth breakthrough by IAR and in deed by the nation.   

The release of the PBR cowpea variety into the nation’s agricultural seed system was necessitated by two key reasons. First, the variety successfully passed all regulatory stipulations and international scientific procedures subjected to GMO for safety and standard. Second, the Federal government is very desirous of making the nation achieve food security through use of improved technologies. What are the likely impacts the release of PBR cowpea variety will achieve in the next few years? What made IAR scientists and their collaborators achieve this giant feat?

Starting with the last question on motivation for the scientists to achieve the gargantuan landmark in genetic engineering. Without mincing words, financial gain to the team or the Institute, IAR is certainly out of the question because of our lackadaisical attitude as a nation in financing scientific research. According to Kuriuki, the director of the African Academy of Sciences’ Alliance, Nairobi, Kenya, “Government money (in Africa) is spent on development and security, not research and innovation”. He quoted the World Economic Forum, “Africa produces only 1.1% of global scientific knowledge. The continent has just 79 scientists per million of inhabitants compared to countries like Brazil and United States where the ratio stands at 656 and 4,500, respectively. Worst of all, of those scientists and engineers who are trained in Africa, most work elsewhere due to the lack of infrastructure and resources”. Thus, the desire to squarely address the deadly Maruca Vitrata attacks on cowpea (popularly called beans) was major inspiration of IAR. At the official public presentation of PBR cowpea, the first ever Nigerian GMO commercially released for public use, the Executive Director of IAR, Prof. I. U Abubakar provided cogent reasons for the Institute commitment to the project. He said “the decision to venture into genetic modification in cowpea breeding was as a result of massive pest infestation that has over the years made cowpea farming difficult as farmers get less for their efforts and even exposed their lives to danger due to chemical spraying to keep the pest away”. Similarly, the acting Director General, National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) Prof. Alex Akpa, said that by the approval, Nigeria has registered her name among the global scientific community as a country capable of finding solutions to her challenges. “After 10 years of laboratory works and on-field trials, Nigerian scientists have developed its first genetically modified food crop, the PBR Cowpea, we are proud to be associated with this noble development” Akpa said

Elimination of the deadly cowpea infestation will increase the national average yield of cowpea from 1.5 to 3.5 tons per hectare thereby facilitating the achievement of national food security. Consequently, the solution will bridge the national deficit of cowpea demand estimated to be more than 500,000 tons in addition to improvement of the national productivity while lowering the food importation. Why the choice of cowpea as the first test crop for R&D of GMO in Nigeria?

Nigeria is recognized globally as the largest Cowpea producer with making of 61 percent of the African production and 58 percent of the world’s production. Incidentally, Nigeria is also ranked as the highest consumer of cowpea. As leguminous crop, cowpea is a food crop that forms the bulk of dishes eaten in the majority of households in Nigeria on a daily basis.  It is highly nutritional with high supply of energy content to the body. Cowpea has a wide range of nutritional benefits to the body. A small quantity of cowpea, about 170 grams could contain as much as 13.22g of protein and more than three times carbohydrates of 35.5g. It is a good source of vegetable protein and can serve as meat to people who cannot afford animal protein or are vegetarians. Cowpea has protection ability against colon cancer as well as reduction of blood cholesterol levels by working as a bulk laxative and bringing down reabsorption of cholesterol-binding bile acids in the colon. It is rich in essential amino acids and B vitamins, with a very high content of the very important folate, which helps prevent neural-tube defects in babies and thus making it one of the preferred delicacies for pregnant women. Additionally, cowpea contains several essential minerals like Copper, Iron, Selenium, Calcium, Zinc, Phosphorus, Potassium and as well as contains little fat, making it suitable for people placed on a low-fat diet.

Cowpea is dominantly grown by smallholder farmers and serves as a primary source of protein for both urban rich and rural poor Nigerians. With serious threat to food insecurity coupled with the results of the Fifth Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey (MICS5) recently released, the choice of cowpea for the development of first Nigerian GMO is certainly dexterous in our national effort to achieve food security. With PBR cowpea, farmers will no longer need to use toxic chemicals on the production and preservation of cowpea, yield will increase, and more cowpea will be available for food to Nigerians and beyond. This is indubitably a highly commendable effort to IAR and her likable collaborators and supporters. While commending the developers of the first Nigerian GMO, it must be stated that GMO connotes dreadful fear to some people. Is GMO safe for human consumption? Is PBR cowpea safe to humanity? (To be continued next week)

    

Food Security: 2019 NiMet Predictions and Socio-economic Implications in Nigeria III

Food Security: 2019 NiMet Predictions and Socio-economic Implications in Nigeria III

follow this link for the online paper version, Neptune Prime

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As discussed in the second part of this article, the 2019 NiMet predictions covered rainfall onset, cession, amount and length of growing season. The predictions also covered temperature, dry spell, incidences of malaria, and cerebrospinal meningitis in the selected towns across the nation. On rainfall onset, the country is predicted to experience late onset in most parts of the country. The earliest onset is predicted to be around 7^th March in the coastal and south-south towns. This onset will progressively change northwards to cover the nation with towns at extreme north like Miduguri, Katsina, Potiskum and Nguru expected to have their rainfall onset on 16^th June as the late onset.  On the cession of rainfall, northwestern towns will experience rainfall cession around 29^th September with several towns in the north having their cessions in October. Central and southern states are expected to receive their last rain of the year between late October and mid November. In 2019, the length of growing season in selected towns covering the nation ranges from 109 to 291 days. Consequently, shorter growing season is predicted for most parts of the country such as Sokoto, Gusau, Zaria, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Gombe, Bauchi, Lokoja, Enugu and Ikom. Normal growing season is predicted for Shaki, Ado-Ekiti, Ibadan, Ondo, Akure, Benin, Port Harcourt, Calabar, Owerri, Uyo, Umuahia and areas surrounding such places.

Furthermore, the 2019 SRP contains “dry spell” prediction in selected towns across the nation. Dry spell is a situation after crops establishment when rain cease to occur over a period of time and causing the crops to wilt. The term dry spell is commonly used by agriculturalists. The prediction shows that several states in the northeast and northwest will experience dry spell of between ten and twenty one days in the month of June. The notable towns mentioned in the prediction to experience dry spell in the month of June are Bauchi, Dutse, Sokoto, Gusau, Katsina, Binin Kebbi, Maiduguri and their surroundings. Similarly, moderate dry spell for a period of 8 to 15 days are predicted for Bida, Minna, Zaria, Funtua, Lafia, Bauchi, Abuja, Gombe and Yola in June 2019. Additionally, the June dry spell wills spillover to first two weeks in July 2019, which will occur in seven states. Borno is one of the states and the towns predicted to experience dry spell in the state are Jere, Mobbar, Abadam, Kukawa, Guzamala, Gubio, Nganzai and Mongono. In Jigawa state, the are Birniwa, Guri, Sule-Tankarkar, Maigatari and Babura, In Sokoto state, Illela, Gada, Tangaza, Isa, Gudu and their surroundings are among the predicted places. Katsina state has the following towns; Jibia, Kaita, Mai’Adua, Daura, Mashi, Dutsi and their surroundings areas. Yobe is another state mentioned with the following towns; Yusufari, Yunusari, Machina, Karasuwa and the surrounding towns. Kebbi State was also mentioned with towns such as Augie, Arewa Dandi and Argungu. Zamfara is the seventh State with areas in Shinkafi, Zurmi, Maradun, Bakura, and Kaura-Namoda towns. These towns/areas will experience dry spell in the first week of July for 8 to 18 days spilling from the June dry spell. In a similar vain but with less severity, few towns in the southwest will experience sparse rainfall occurrences from 19^th July to 6^th August 2019. The towns are Ilorin, Ibadan, Osogbo, Ibadan, Lagos and their surroundings.

Temperature variation across the country was another parameter predicted by NiMet. The predictions for day and night temperatures were similarly presented. Generally, the predictions show warmer temperature for greater parts of the country than normal. In the month of January 2019, majority of the places are expected to experience normal temperature with exception of few boarder towns located in Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Kwara and Oyo states. In these towns, the temperature will be 2⁰C above normal. However, night and day temperatures for the month of February and April 2019 will be higher than the monthly average indicating warmer trend. The country is expected to be warmer- than- normal over most parts of the states except for Nguru, Dutse, Bauchi, Yola, Bidda, Abuja and Ogoja that will be expecting a normal nighttime temperature situation. What are the implications for these predictions? What is the mitigation strategy for the farmers in the affected areas?

The predictions have serious implications to critical sectors that influence national economy and livelihood of Nigerians. Agriculture is the first among these important sectors. The prediction of early rainfall cessation in the northern parts of the country will result in shorter length of growing season for many crops. Therefore, early provision of and accessibility to improved/drought resistant variety (early maturing) seeds of staple crops are recommended. Improved varieties of rice, maize, cassava, sorghum, and millet among other important crops are required to mitigate the effect of short duration of rainy season. NiMet made very important recommendation “governments at all levels are advised to embark on awareness and sensitization of farmers and other stakeholders on Climate Smart Agricultural (CSA) practices such as on-farm water harvesting structures, soil and water conservation practices, land preparation, etc. Farmers are encouraged to make provision for irrigation water during predicted periods of dry spell. Planting and management of more trees around homes and farms are also advised to mitigate adverse climatic conditions in order to have more friendly conducive environments for comfort and better farming activities”

Electrical Power sector is another critical area, which receives direct impact from predicted high temperatures and low rainfall amounts. Power generation, transmission and distribution could be affected by onset, cessation and length of the rainy season. The effects range from uprooting of transmission/distribution poles due to strong storms to lower water level in the hydro-generating stations that result in poor power generation, transmission and distribution. Hence, NiMet recommended, “use of renewable energy such as solar, gas turbine and windmills as alternatives to Hydroelectricity generation”. These areas have high potential for the country and should thus, be explored and exploited.

Transportation sector is another area of concern likely to be affected by the NiMet Predictions. Road transport, aviation, rail and marine are likely to be directly or indirectly influenced by the 2019 SRP. High temperature, rainstorms and violent winds, which characterize the onset of rainfall period, can cause disruptions in road transport, damage road infrastructure, and complicate road maintenance. Poor visibility and heavy storms are characteristics of Nigerian tropical rainy season and greatly affect the aviation subsector.

Health sector will be influenced by the 2019 SRP. The 2019 forecast of temperature and rains across the country is expected to have strong impact on public health. In the first four months of the year, the temperature will be warmer than normal one. The combined effect of high temperature and high wind speed blowing dust would pose serious health challenges to the public. NiMet predicted, “Health challenges related to cases of Asthma, Meningitis, respiratory and sight allergies and cardio-vascular diseases are likely to surge during the period”. Incidence of Malaria attack will range from mild to severe during the 2019 rainy season. High temperature (18°C to 32°C), rainfall and high relative humidity are the major factors increasing the population of Anopheles Mosquitoes, which transmit malaria disease. Precipitation and thick vegetation cover provide conducive environment for the survival of the vector and the development of the mosquito’s parasite responsible for malaria transmission and spread.  NiMet prediction on malaria in the month of April stated “The incidences of malaria and other diseases will be higher in several areas starting from the coast and move to cover the whole nation as the progresses. High vigilance for malaria cases is required over the southern states and parts of the central states of Kogi, Benue, Plateau and Kwara States. Moderate vigilance is required over the central states such as Abuja, parts of Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Nassarawa, Benue, Plateau and Taraba States. Low vigilance is required over the rest of country”.

Still on health, the incidence of cerebrospinal meningitis was also predicted. Dust, wind and humidity are conditions favorable for the emergence of meningitis. NiMet predictions indicated, “Climate conditions are favorable for high vigilance of meningitis cases over Yobe and Zamfara States. Moderate vigilance is required over Kano, Gombe, Borno, Gombe, Katsina, Jigawa, Sokoto and Kebbi and parts of Adamawa and Bauchi States. Including the northern fringes of Kaduna and Niger States. Low vigilance is required over Taraba, Plateau, Abuja, Kwara and parts of Niger, Nassarawa, Adamawa, Bauchi and Kaduna States”

In conclusion, NiMet has successfully discharge her important mandate of presenting the 2019 SRP to the public. The ball is now in the court of the stakeholders to effectively utilize the information available in the 59-page document titled “2019 seasonal rainfall prediction”. The recommendations made in the document are germane and very useful for prevention and mitigation of the adverse effects of weather in the face of current climate change. To be forewarned is to be forearmed.   

Food Security: 2019 NiMet Predictions and Socio-economic Implications in Nigeria II

Food Security: 2019 NiMet Predictions and Socio-economic Implications in Nigeria II

Since the beginning of 2017 when the new helmsman of NiMet, Prof Sani Mashi arrived and promised to make the agency provide excellent metrological services to the nation and the rest of the world, he has been striving hard to fulfil his promise. He was particularly concerned with the airliners as they enter Nigeria’s territorial airspace, they must get the best type of information that any meteorological agency can give anywhere in the world. He craved to provide best service worthy of emulation by other countries “especially those in the developing world – whether African, American or Asian – wants to develop their own meteorological agency, they will look at NiMet as their role model.” As he assiduously stride on the glorious path of history, the agency has continued to tread excellently providing metrological services comparable to similar agencies all over the world.

NiMet is today attracting global accolades from within and without. In discharging these services, the agency is purely guided by her vision, which states “To Make World Standard Weather Predictions and Services for Sustainable National Socio-Economic Development and Safety of Life and Property”. The agency’s mission stating “To observe Nigerian Weather and Climate and provide Meteorological, Hydrological and Oceanographic Services in support of National Needs and International Obligations” reinforces her lofty vision.   

NiMet services are applied in diverse issues on several human endeavors such as environmental sustainability, safety in air operation, land and marine transportation and increase in agricultural productivity tourism, health, defense, education, sports and construction. Other areas are Monitoring, management and mitigation of natural disasters. It is based on this premise that the 2019 NiMet predictions attracted wide range of stakeholders who will use the information to efficiently plan their various operations. What are the NiMet 2019 predictions? How reliable are these predictions? What are the socio-economic implications of these predictions?

The major services of NiMet are weather (temperature, rainfall events etc) forecasts and their periodic predictions. These services become more critical as the world is utterly facing global warming as a result of continuous greenhouse gas emission. The most devastating effect of global warming is evidenced on agricultural productivity as agriculture is directly and closely correlated with weather and climate conditions.  Extreme weather conditions have direct effects on livelihood, water security, health, land use and related issues to food security, environmental degradation and ecosystem collapse. These invariably affect the overall economic prosperity of the nation.  In fact, extreme weather event is seen as a single and most dominant challenge to the survival of humanity. The weather and climate information being produced by NiMet is therefore critical for combating climate change through adaptation and mitigation strategies. Thus, reliable and timely generation of weather information is an important tool use for the development of early warning system. The information enables good planning of agricultural activities with high reliability and guarantee for success. This was the reason that attracted high attendants to the NiMet public presentation of 2019 seasonal rainfall prediction (SRP) at NAF conference centre, Abuja on 24^th January 2019.

The caliber of participants in the 2019 SRP was drawn from different sectors of the economy: agriculture, education, transportation, military, tourism, and health from both public and private quarters. They included chief executive officers and top management staff of the various agencies in the aforementioned sectors as well as farmers and secondary schools students, christened “the young meteorologists”. The Minister of State (Aviation), Senator Hadi Sirika chaired the occasion and unveiled the 2019 SRP as well as released the 2018 climate review.  It was a mammoth gathering with high expectation from the NiMet valuable services. In addition to the high value allotted to the Services, there was also transparent confidence in NiMet prediction that made the gargantuan crowd to witness the annual event. In this regard, some representatives of states like Katsina, Kebbi, Jigawa and Oyo confessed of using the 2018 SRP to increase their agricultural productivity in the 2018 rainy season by more than 30%. 

Senator Hadi Sirika emphasized the importance of the prediction for the development of early warning system and ostensibly quoted one of the World Bank’s reports, “every US Dollar invested in the development of early warning system saves an average of seven US Dollars in the disaster management”. This means that the cost of the colossal damages caused by disaster as a result of inability to develop and utilize early warning system will be seven times higher than cost of disaster management. The minister added, “If the NiMet services are appropriately and timely used, the services of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) will be greatly reduced and save unquantifiable lives and properties”. What made stakeholders have confidence in NiMet predictions?

Reviewing the 2018 NiMet predictions clearly indicated reasons for the stakeholders’ confidence in NiMet services.  In the 2018 seasonal rainfall prediction, NiMet focused on the rainfall onset, length of rainy season, end of growing season and annual rainfall. The country was predicted to experience normal to earlier than normal onset of rainfall with examples of towns like Sokoto, Bauchi, Kaduna, Lafia, Makurdi, Ado-Ekiti, Akure, Calabar, Eket to experience early onset. In contrast, towns like Yelwa, Bida, Abuja, Abeokuta, Lagos and Umuahia were predicted to experience late onset. Several other towns across the nation were predicted to either receive early, normal or late onsets of rainfall in 2018. NiMet excellently achieved an average of 91% precision in its prediction of 2018 rainfall onset of rainfall across the country.

On the rainfall cessation dates for the 2018 rainy season, most towns in the northwest like Katsina, Sokoto and areas surrounding the towns were predicted to experience early cessation of rainfall around 28^th September 2018. Southern coastal cities were predicted to receive their last rain of the year in December 2018. However, cessation of the growing season for majority of the towns in Nigeria was predicted to be normal with exception of Jos, Ubi, Uyo and Lagos that experienced early cession. NiMet achieved 91% and 89% precision in the predictions of rainfall and growing seasons cessation, respectively. On the annual rainfall amount for all the towns that received predictions, NiMet achieved an average of 65% precision making the overall achievement of 2018 SRP to be 84%. Similar evaluation for the same year 2018, day and night temperature was also reviewed. However, the performance of NiMet in temperature forecasts was rather low compared to the rainfall forecasts. The average predictions for the day and night temperature from January to April was merely 48% precision. The under prediction of temperatures in most towns was attributed to global climate change. Despite this low performance of NiMet in temperature predictions, several stakeholders scored NiMet performance outstandingly high and thus, reinforced their confidence. NiMet has to work hard to improve her predictions to achieve 100% precision.

The 2019 NiMet predictions covered rainfall onset, cession, amount and length of growing season. The predictions also covered temperature, dry spell, incidences of malaria, and cerebrospinal meningitis in the selected towns across the nation. On rainfall onset, the country is predicted to experience late onset in most parts of the country. The earliest onset is predicted to be around 7^th March in the coastal and south-south towns. This onset will progressively change northwards to cover the nation with towns at extreme north like Miduguri, Katsina, Potiskum and Nguru expected to have their rainfall onset on 16^th June.  On the cession of rainfall, northwestern towns will experience rainfall cession around 29^th September with several towns in the north having their cessions in October. Central and southern states are expected to receive their last rain of the year between late October and Mid November. In 2019, the length of growing season in selected towns covering the nation ranges from 109 to 291 days. Consequently, shorter growing season is predicted for most parts of the country such as Sokoto, Gusau, Zaria, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Gombe, Bauchi, Lokoja, Enugu and Ikom. Normal growing season is predicted for Shaki, Ado-Ekiti, Ibadan, Ondo, Akure, Benin, Port-Harcourt, Calabar, Owerri, Uyo, Umuahia and areas surrounding such places. What are the implications for this prediction? What is the mitigation strategy for the farmers in the affected areas? (To be concluded next week)