SA Graan Julie 2016

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A stride closer to food security
in the face of climate change
In South Africa 70% of the population consume maize as their
staple food. Therefore research into improving this food crop
is vital for food security and sustainability. With only 13% of
South Africa being arable due to low rainfall and poor soils,
the challenge facing producers to produce for a growing population
is enormous.
Climate change is predicted to worsen the situation with more
variable rainfall and above average temperatures. Identifying ways
to mitigate and adapt to climate change is fundamental to realising
food security and improved livelihoods in South Africa and the rest
of the continent.
Since 2008, the ARC has been participating in a public-private
partnership called the Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA).
WEMA products are low-cost drought tolerant conventional and
transgenic (GM) hybrids that provide at least 25% yield advantage
under moderate drought conditions.
The first WEMA DroughtTEGOTM hybrids WE3127 and WE3128,
released and registered by the ARC, were launched in
December 2014. The variety WE3127 received positive feedback
from the various representatives of farmers and extension officers
that received 10 000 promotional seed packs during the launch.
For example, Mr Prince Molema, a smallholder farmer who planted
the drought tolerant hybrid at Mooifontein, near Lichtenburg,
North West Province, reported that his average yield was 2 t/ha
compared to 1,5 t/ha for other commercial hybrids. He received
only about 250 mm rainfall during the 2014/2015 summer season
compared to an average 500 mm in a normal year.
In Limpopo, nine smallholder farmers from the Ga-Mokaba village
in the district of Mokopane, planted 7 ha in 2014/2015. According
to Mr Isaiah Setseta, chairman of the Mokaba Farmers’ Association,
their yield was 1,14 t/ha compared to 0,6 t/ha the previous season
– a 100% increase in a season that had been termed the worst in
two decades. They only had rain immediately after planting and
again during flowering.
There were similar success stories in the Free State, KwaZulu-Natal
and Mpumalanga provinces.
To date, the ARC has released and registered ten DroughtTEGO
hybrids with predominant characteristics of drought tolerance and
high yield potential under optimal moisture. Certified seed of these
hybrids will be available from Jermart Seeds, Capstone Seeds and
SeedCo from August 2016.
The ARC is constantly looking at bringing affordable technologies
to the smallholder farmers and is happy to announce that the
WEMA drought tolerance transgene MON87460 was approved for
commercial release in May 2015. Regulated trials of the stacked
drought (DT) and insect protection (Bt) genes are currently under
way. Varieties with the Bt gene (MON89034) will be launched in
July/August 2016 for smallholder farmers.
For further information, contact Dr Kingstone
Mashingaidze at 018 299 6356/6100, 072 705 7093 or
1: Honourable Bheki Cele (Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry
and Fisheries) and Dr Shadrack Moephuli (president and CEO of ARC)
launching WEMA DroughtTEGO hybrids WE3127 and WE3128 in
December 2014.
2: ARC’s Dr Kingstone Mashingaidze (far left), Dr Sylvester Oikeh
(AATF) and women farmer representatives of Ga-Mokaba village,
Mokopane, with part of their harvest in 2015.
ON FARM LEVEL Climate change / Drought tolerant Food security
KINGSTONE MASHINGAIDZE, ARC-Grain Crops Institute, Potchefstroom
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