Olam Food Prize Finalist

Is Wheat Self-Sufficiency for Africa Within Reach?

“埃塞俄比亚和苏丹有可能在未来5年内实现小麦自给自足,” according to Dr. Wuletaw Tadesse，首席科学家和首席面包小麦育种家，摩洛哥拉巴特ICARDA.

Dr. Tadesse leads the  ICARDA 春面包小麦育种计划，其重点是培育高产耐热小麦. 通过ICARDA开发的60多个面包小麦品种已由非洲国家规划发布, including in Ethiopia (ten) and Sudan (five) in the last seven years. It has resulted in the expansion of wheat farming by over 377,000 hectares and an additional estimated production of 1.22 million tons.

This project is one of the finalists for the 2021 Olam Prize for Innovation in Food Security, 它旨在支持能够在全球农业中产生变革性影响的科学研究. Awarded in partnership with Agropolis Fondation, 该奖项旨在表彰创新的科学研究项目对可用性的潜在影响, accessibility, affordability and adequacy of food, in line with UN SDG#2: End Hunger. The winner will be announced this September and receive a US$75,000 grant for scaling up their proven research. ICARDA的耐热硬粒小麦项目的早期迭代获得了2017年的推荐买球平台奖.

对这种创新的需求是巨大的:尽管非洲的小麦种植面积约为1000万公顷, it’s not a traditional crop in most sub-Saharan countries, 因此，它本身就不适合气候，农民也没有种植它的经验, and the climate continues to change. 

Perhaps not surprisingly, 小麦进口占非洲大陆小麦消费量的60%，约占粮食进口总量的三分之一. With wheat consumption expected to grow by 45% by 2025, 这可能意味着非洲消费的80%以上的小麦都是进口的. 

“推荐几个足彩外围app的项目由非洲开发银行资助，从数千个育种品系开始，推荐几个足彩外围app将其减少到15个，这些品系提供了高产和耐热性的最佳组合。”, Dr. Tadesse explained. “分发了三套在12个国家进行测试，然后将最佳候选方案分发到苏丹的‘中心项目地点’, Nigeria and Ethiopia, where clusters of farmers, millers, banks, 科学家和价值链上的其他利益相关者共同努力，提供从生产到市场的支持.” 

As of last year, it’s estimated that more than 76,000 tons of certified wheat seed were distributed in Sudan; and in Nigeria, more than 26,000 tons of certified seeds were distributed to more than 260,000 wheat farmers. In Ethiopia, more than 24,新发布的耐热小麦品种认证种子已生产516吨，并分发给251多个国家,000 small scale farmers. 

“We’re showing what’s possible, 但推荐几个足彩外围app必须确保改良种子的可用性. 这意味着除了有经验的种子种植者之外，还要招募和教育青年团体建立小规模的种子种植者，这样高质量的种子生产将成为一个繁荣的商业计划.” 

If you’d like to know more about this project or get involved, please contact W Tadesse or Z Bishaw below.