Davis, California and Nairobi,
Kenya
December 10, 2008
Arcadia Biosciences, Inc.,
an agricultural technology company focused on products that
benefit the environment and human health, and the
African Agricultural
Technology Foundation (AATF), a not-for-profit organization
focused on the access and delivery of new agricultural
technologies for African smallholder farmers, today announced an
agreement in which Arcadia will perform technology development
activities for Nitrogen Use Efficient and Salt-Tolerant African
rice.
In April 2008, Arcadia provided a compensation-free technology
license to AATF for the development of improved rice varieties,
which AATF will offer to smallholder African farmers
royalty-free. This new agreement expands the relationship
between the organizations and will expedite the development of
the crop technologies for a world region that is struggling to
feed its people.
Under the agreement, Arcadia will perform plant transformation,
greenhouse trials and field trials in the United States, and
will work alongside AATF-contracted researchers in Africa to
facilitate a rapid technology transfer process.
“Arcadia has proven its ability to develop Nitrogen Use
Efficient and Salt-Tolerant crop varieties that perform
exceptionally well in the field. They have the expertise,
resources and experience with these important traits that can
speed the development of improved African rice and get them into
the hands of the region’s farmers who need them,” said Jennifer
Thomson, interim executive director of AATF. “Expanding our
relationship with Arcadia from a license provider to a full
development partner is an excellent example of how
public-private sector relationships can have positive and
far-reaching effects on African food security.”
Rice is one of the most cultivated and important African food
crops. Rice consumption on the African continent is growing by 6
percent annually and has created an annual shortage of 6.5
million metric tons, which is imported at an annual cost of
about $1.7 billion. According to the United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organization, farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa produce
between 12 and 17 million metric tons of rice annually. Most of
this rice is produced and consumed by small-scale farmers who
are often constrained by the cost and availability of new
technologies that could help them increase food output. Low soil
nutrient content and salt-impacted soils have lead to a decline
in crop yields, according to a 2006 African Fertilizer Summit
report. Availability of NUE and Salt-Tolerant rice can help
alleviate these agricultural pressures on African farmers and
can minimize the Continent’s dependency on food imports. At the
same time, Arcadia’s Salt-Tolerance technology can reduce the
amount of fresh water needed to grow crops, and its NUE
technology can mitigate the potential for the increase in
greenhouse gas emissions that accompany the use of nitrogen
fertilizer.
“Improving food security in the developing world in an
environmentally sustainable way is one of our founding
principles. Climatic conditions, population growth and the lack
of new technologies on the African continent have created
significant challenges in the ability of African farmers to feed
its people. Depleted soil nutrients and salt-impacted soils are
two factors contributing to these challenges. As more time
passes, the problem exacerbates exponentially,” said Eric Rey,
president and CEO of Arcadia. “The AATF’s mission of bringing
new agricultural technologies to the African continent is
directly aligned with our philosophies. By driving development
of NUE and Salt-Tolerant rice we can do our part to improve
African food security in a way that helps protect the
environment.”
Based in Davis, California, with additional facilities in
Seattle, Wash. and Phoenix, Ariz., Arcadia Biosciences is an
agricultural biotechnology company focused on the development of
agricultural products that improve the environment and enhance
human health. For more information visit www.arcadiabio.com.
The African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) is an
African-led charity designed to facilitate and promote
public/private partnerships for the access and delivery of
appropriate proprietary technologies with potential to increase
the productivity of resource-poor smallholder farmers in
Sub-Saharan Africa. (www.aatf-africa.org).
Other news from
African Agricultural Technology Foundation |
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