Biotechnology in Ethiopia: EIAR experience

Agricultural Biotechnology Research in Ethiopia: Status, opportunities and challenges

Belayneh Admassu, Adefris Teklewold, Solomon Assefa

Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research

 

Agriculture in Ethiopia

• Mainstay of Ethiopian economy

            — Accounting for 60% of the national income

            — Employing 80% of the work force

            — Earning 60% of the total export income

• Characterized by low production & productivity

            — Only 15% of the arable land is currently utilized

            — Only 1% of the irrigable land is currently utilized

            — Low productivity of agricultural produce

                        eg. wheat = 2 tons/ha vs. 8 tons/ha

• Under permanent shortage of food and raw materials
• An increasing population pressure

             — Natural resource degradation, desertification

             — Total collapse of the ecosystem

• Limited overall economic development

Therefore, it is essential to integrate modern technologies in agriculture R&D shift from resource-based to knowledge-based production.

Govt Policies & Strategy Favouring Agriculture & Biotechnology

• The Agric. Dev’t Led Industrialization (ADLI)
• GTP
• Policy document on use and application of biotechnology
• Patent law for intellectual property
• National biosafety regulations law & guidelines
• National policy on biodiversity conservation
• Draft science and technology policy 

History of Agricultural Biotechnology Research in Ethiopia

1980s:

• Plant tissue culture – micropropagation
• Indigenous forest and crop spp. (endod, tef)
• Application of bovine embryo transfer in Ethiopian Zebu cattle (ILCA, Debre Zeit)

Since 1999 - Draft biotechnology research strategy at EIAR

Since 2000 - Concerted efforts by EIAR

•  Protocol optimization for mass propagation
•  Disease cleaning and in vitro conservation

Since 2001 – Biotechnology organized at programme level in EIAR

• Plant Biotechnology
• Animal Biotechnology
• Microbial Biotechnology

Agricultural Biotech Research Strategy of EIAR

The focus of the EARS had been to improve production, productivity and quality of plants and animals

• EIAR has designed a new strategy
• Reorganized the NARS in a new form

Biotechnology

• to improve research efficiency, production, productivity, and product quality in agriculture.
• to create new high quality products in agriculture   

Ø  Short term strategy

• Capacity Building (human and facilities)
• Establish centers of excellence
• Set organizational structure
• Assist establishment of policy frame work (Bio-safety, IPR, MTA)
• Establishment of networking and linkage systems
• In-vitro propagation & plant improvement
• Estrus control, super ovulation, semen production and conservation
• Production of inocula

Ø  Medium term strategy

• Employ recombinant DNA technology to improve crops, animals and microorganisms
• Utilize transformation techniques to improve high-value crops.

Vision and Goals of Agricultural Biotechnology Research and Development in NARS

Vision

• To see improved livelihood of all Ethiopians engaged in agriculture through market competitive agricultural technologies.
• To change this vision into reality: Technology transfer, adoption and capacity building.

Goals

• Enhancement of agricultural research efficiency through application of biotechnology tools.
• Improve production, productivity and quality of plant, animal and microbial and their products.
• Support agricultural development led industrialization (ADLI) of the country.

Milestones & Achievements

1.    Capacity Building

         ARTP & RCBP- 6 million USD

Laboratories

Central Biotech Lab Built at Holetta

•      Molecular Biology lab

•      Plant Biotech Lab

•      Livestock Biotech Lab

•      Microbial Biotech Lab

Central Biotech Lab Built at Holetta

•      Molecular Biology lab

•      Plant Biotech Lab

Guest houses

•      Livestock Biotech Lab

•      Microbial Biotech Lab

Office

 

• Generator
• Water pupmps
• Satellite labs at Jimma ARC, 
• Melkassa ARC & Debre Zeit ARC

Lab Facilities

Plant Biotech and Molecular Labs Equiped with:

Acclimatization tunnels (USAID –

MASHAV Project

Fully automated greenhouse (temp, RH, light, water regulation)

• Genetic Analyzer
• Flow cytometry
• PCR machines
• Hoods
• Gel electrophoresis apparatus
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  Human Power Development (biotechnology)

• Center	Plant			Livestock			Microbial
  	PhD	MSc	BSc	PhD	MSc/ MVSC	BSc	PhD	MSc	BSc
  Holetta	2	6	1	0	1	0	1	2	0
  Debre Zeit	-	1	0	0	3	1	0	0	0
  Melkassa	-	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
  Jimma	1	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
  Total	3	11	4	0	4	1	1	2	0

    Milestones & Achievements

Over 50,000 pineapple seedlingshave been  multiplied and distributed to users

2. Technology: In-vitro micropropagation

Banana tissue culture

Enset tissue culture

         Conventional technique produce sucker in 2-3 years

         (30-50 plantlets per sucker)

                                                                   Tissue Culture technique produce sucker in 1–2 months

                                                                  (40 plantlets per sucker)

Virus Cleaning by TC: Sweet potato

• FMV highly distructive
• Distribution of potato cuttings halted
• Virus cleaning protocol developed
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In-vitro regenerated cardamon, sugarcane, vanilla and endod

Molecular Biology research

• Molecular marker assisted breeding

• Virus indexing using molecular markers

• Supporting Biotechnology training in HLI

Bio-fertilizers 

Ethiopia imports 800,000 tons of inorganic fertilizers 

Bio-fertilizers research aims at reducing importation by half 

Support organic farming

TAL-378: imported strain from the USA

Multiple Ovulation and Embryo Transfer

The first Bovine embryo transfer calf grown to bull

 

Over 10 calves were born at Adami Tullu and Holetta

 

Future Directions

Adoption, generation and promotion of demand driven agric. technologies in an efficient way and shorter time period.

Create a consortium among private institutions, Univ. and RCs to advance biotechnological research and development.

Create a center of excellence that can lead the future science based agricultural development.

Challenges

•Limited experience in cutting edge biotechnological research

•Difficulty to attract and maintain skilled manpower

•Capacity to install, fix and maintain scientific equipment

•Problems associated with foreign procurement of supplies (chemical, enzymes, hormones, etc.)

•Building better alliances, partnerships and linkage among sectors (agric., medicine, industry)

African orphan crops: research & development

Orphan crops are also known as underutilized-, lost- or disadvantaged-crops. Most of these understudied crops are staple food and play key role in the economy of developing world due to their suitability to the agro-ecology and socio-economic conditions. Some of the most important orphan crops belong to cereals [e.g., finger millet (Eleusine coracana) and tef (Eragrostis tef)], legumes [cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), and bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea)], root crops [cassava (Manihot esculenta), and yam (Dioscorea sp.)], fruit crops [banana and plantain (Musa spp. L)], and many vegetables. These crops grow better than major crops such as maize and wheat under extreme environmental conditions. However, due to lack of genetic improvement, these crops produce inferior yield in terms of both quality and quantity. The major bottlenecks affecting the productivity of orphan crops are genetic traits such as low yield (for example, in finger millet and tef), poor in nutrition [cassava and enset (Ensete ventricosum)], and production of toxic substances [cassava and grass pea (Lathyrus sativus)]. In order to boost food production in Africa emphasis should be given, not only to the major crops but also, to the orphan crops.

ATDF (African Technology Development Forum) Journal has dedicated its special issue to the Orphan Crops of Africa. All articles in the issue are available at this link.

Biotechnology in Ethiopia: review

Adane Abraham published in 2009 a review article on the research and development of biotechnology in Ethiopia. The abstract of the article is posted below. The whole manuscript is available at the link indicated here.

 

African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 8 (25), pp. 7196-7204, 29 December, 2009

Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/AJB

ISSN 1684–5315 © 2009 Academic Journals

Review

Agricultural biotechnology research and development in Ethiopia

Adane Abraham

Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, Agricultural Biotechnology Program, P. O. Box 2003, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

E-mail: adaneabraham@yahoo.com. Tel: 251 112362036, 251 911896135. Fax: 0112362325.

Accepted 30 January, 2009

Ethiopia is an agrarian country that can have enormous benefit from the applications of biotechnology for increasing its agricultural productivity. The country is at initial stages of research and development in agricultural biotechnology with scattered efforts underway in various public institutions. Research efforts and applications in crop production include plant tissue culture, biofertilizers and biopesticides, molecular markers for disease diagnosis and genetic diversity. Livestock related applications include artificial insemination, molecular diagnostics, vaccine production and molecular genetic analysis. Infrastructure and skills in recombinant DNA and other cutting edge technologies such as proteomics and bioinformatics are still limited and need to be strengthened. A number of crop production constraints can be solved by using advanced biotechnology tools/products including genetically modified organisms. Cognizant of this, Ethiopia has recently given a due emphasis for capacity building in agricultural biotechnology extending from promoting research, development and education in various public institutions to setting up of an independent agricultural biotechnology research center. The constraints holding back progress in agricultural biotechnology are numerous ranging from poor technical and regulatory capacity to lack of appreciation of opportunities provided by agrobiotechnology by the public and decision makers.

Key words: Ethiopia, biotechnology, tissue culture, molecular markers, diagnostics, GMOs.

Ethiopian biosafety law

Ethiopia has approved its biosafety law two years ago. Many researchers consider that the approved law is too restrictive to perform studies related to genetically modified organisms. You can find reactions of scientists towards the law at different sites. At the African biotechnology conference held last month in Addis Ababa, when the speaker from USA was asked how to collaborate with his institute in order to obtain bt-cotton for research. He said that the current law in Ethiopia does not allow him to provide these improved seeds. Many of us, including myself did not read this biosafety law. Can some one post for us or inform us the article(s) that restrict research collaboration.

Discussion Forum

Link to discussion forum