IITA and Pairwise secure $3.8M to boost yam production through gene editing
octobre 8, 2024
An important staple crop in many countries, optimizing yam production will help narrow the widespread nutritional deficit in Africa.Nairobi, Kenya: Le International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), in partnership with Pairwise, a US-based technology company pioneering the application of gene editing in food and agriculture, is delighted to announce a grant of US$ 3,874,356 from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This grant will support the “Yam Optimized Architecture through Gene Editing (YOAGE)” project, an innovative project aimed at delivering novel genetic variation to yam (Dioscorea spp.) that improves plant architecture. The project goal is to reduce labor and environmental impact associated with traditional plant staking while also enabling mechanized farming in Nigeria, where yam is an important staple food crop.
The 4-year YOAGE project will focus on developing yam varieties with optimized growth characteristics, improving cultivation practices, and boosting productivity and profitability while collaborating with various stakeholders, including local farmers, agricultural experts, and policymakers. Yam is the second most important root and tuber crop in sub-Saharan Africa after cassava, with a production of about 75 million metric tons (FAO, 2021) and provides about 200 kilocalories daily to over 400 million people in the low-income and food-deficit countries of the tropics. Africa produces over 97% of the global yams, with Nigeria alone accounting for about 66% of the world’s total (FAO, 2021). In West Africa, particularly in Nigeria, yam is not only a staple crop but also plays a central role as a traditional flagship crop deeply intertwined with societal norms, fulfilling various social and religious functions.
IITA and Pairwise secure $3.8M to boost yam production through gene editing
Despite this importance, yam cultivation faces several challenges, such as high costs of planting materials and labor, declining soil fertility, low-yielding varieties that require staking, and increased pest and disease pressures due to intensified farming. While conventional breeding has improved yam varieties for pest resistance, adaptability, and quality, it has made limited progress in optimizing plant architecture for mechanized farming. The YOAGE project will leverage advanced gene editing tools to overcome these challenges and support global food security, particularly in the face of climate change, resource limitations, and shifting consumer demands.
Leena Tripathi, IITA Eastern Africa Hub Director, Biotechnology Program Lead, and YOAGE Principal Investigator, said: “Receiving this grant from the Gates Foundation marks a pivotal advancement in transforming yam production through innovative gene editing technologies. By developing improved bushy-types of yam varieties, we aim to reduce labor demands, enhance farming efficiency, and boost sustainability. Ultimately, our goal is to elevate farmers’ livelihoods and strengthen food security.”
The YOAGE project aims to develop these varieties by identifying the genes controlling plant growth, optimizing gene editing to develop semi-dwarf varieties, and analyzing the impacts of these changes on labor and gender dynamics. By addressing the technical and environmental challenges of yam production, the project is expected to significantly improve productivity and farmers’ income, contributing to the global goal of sustainable agriculture and food security.
The Gates Foundation selected IITA and Pairwise for the grant because of their proven records in agricultural innovations and community engagements in the region. IITA is a global center of excellence for yam breeding and a genetic improvement source of new and improved yam genotypes for major yam growers in Africa. Also, it has a long tradition and experience in the breeding and genetics of yam, a well-established yam breeding network that connects several national programs from major yam-growing areas in Africa.
Pairwise is pioneering the application of gene editing technology in food and agriculture through its Fulcrum™ Platform, the most extensively developed and validated toolbox for CRISPR application in plants. As one of the first companies in the world to commercialize gene-edited consumer food and agricultural products, Pairwise brings together leaders in agriculture, technology, and consumer foods to harness the transformative potential of new genomics technologies to create innovative new products.
“The Gates Foundation sees gene editing as an opportunity to more rapidly advance important crops like yam, following a path established through a long history of crop breeding. Through gene editing, we can keep all the favorable characteristics of adapted crops, such as nutrition and climate resilience, while removing characteristics like vining in yams that limit a crop’s potential. By partnering IITA with Pairwise, we have brought together top scientists to tackle this important challenge and drive adoption of improved varieties for smallholder farmers.” explained Dr Nicolas Bate, the Senior Program Officer at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Pairwise Director of Trait Strategy and Testing, Dr Shai Lawit, added: “Gene editing offers a revolutionary approach to solving global challenges in agriculture. Through important public-private initiatives like this one with IITA, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Pairwise, we are not only improving crop production; we’re also empowering smallholder farmers, reducing environmental impacts, and advancing food security to narrow the global nutritional deficit, which is especially prevalent in developing countries.”
Through this combined work, the YOAGE project will demonstrate the importance of public-private partnerships in unlocking the benefits of gene editing in Nigeria and Africa at large.
À propos de l'IITA
The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is a not-for-profit institution that generates agricultural innovations to address Africa’s most pressing challenges of hunger, malnutrition, poverty, and natural resource degradation. Working with various partners across sub-Saharan Africa, IITA improves livelihoods, enhances food and nutrition security, increases employment, and preserves natural resource integrity. IITA is a member of CGIAR, a global agriculture research partnership for a food and nutrition secure future.
About Pairwise
Pairwise is pioneering the application of gene editing technology to food and agriculture, developing new varieties of fruits, vegetables, and large-acre crops. With backing from industry-leading investors like Deerfield, Aliment Capital, Leaps by Bayer, Temasek, and Corteva Catalyst, Pairwise raised $40 million in September 2024, bringing total funding to $155 million. The company was co-founded by Dr Tom Adams and Dr Haven Baker, and its scientific team includes renowned experts from Harvard and MIT.
Media ContactDocteur Leena Tripathi
Director Eastern Africa Hub
Biotechnology Program Lead
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)
Email: L.Tripathi@cgiar.org
Website: www.iita.orgDiana Souder
Director of Marketing and Communications
Pairwise
Email: Communications@Pairwise.com
Website: www.Pairwise.com
Olamide Deborah Nwanze est une chercheuse principale spécialisée dans la recherche sur l'approche "genre" afin d'éclairer les politiques de sélection participative et inclusive, de développement de variétés et de systèmes semenciers concernant les cultures de racines, tubercules et bananes (RTB) au siège de l'Institut International d'Agriculture Tropicale, à Ibadan, au Nigeria. Elle est candidate au doctorat à l'Université d'Ibadan et titulaire d'un master et d'un diplôme d'ingénieur agronome en vulgarisation agricole et développement rural. Olamide est membre du programme African Women in Agricultural Research and Development – Gender Responsive Agricultural Systems Policy (SAISIE DE RÉCOMPENSEet les Chercheuses Sensibles au Genre Équipées pour la Transformation Agricole (SUPER. Elle cherche à appliquer ses apprentissages en matière d’approche genre, recherche sensible au genre, et expertise en développement et examen de politiques pour faciliter l’accès et l’adoption par les femmes, les jeunes, les enfants et les groupes sociaux vulnérables aux innovations agricoles qui garantissent la sécurité alimentaire, nutritionnelle, des revenus et des moyens de subsistance en Afrique. Ses rôles actuels comprennent le mentorat de chercheurs stagiaires, le développement de guides et manuels de formation, la mise en œuvre et l'adaptation de cadres et d'outils genre, l'engagement des acteurs de la chaîne de valeur en tant que partenaires de la science citoyenne, l'examen et la refonte des politiques, la gestion et l'analyse des données. Ses recherches actuelles portent sur les méthodes mixtes ainsi que sur les approches participatives et interdisciplinaires pour saisir et mettre en évidence les dynamiques de genre, les besoins, les préférences et les défis rencontrés par les parties prenantes au sein de la chaîne de valeur des moyens de subsistance agricoles afin de prioriser des stratégies axées sur le genre dans les programmes de sélection, la conception et la mise en œuvre des politiques.
de Sousa, K., van Etten, J., Manners, R. Bello, A., Teeken, B., Olaosebikan, O., et al. 2024. L'approche tricot : un cadre agile pour les essais décentralisés à la ferme soutenus par la science citoyenne. Une rétrospective. Agron. Sustain. Dev. 44, 8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-023-00937-1
Madu, T., Onwuka, S., Nwafor, S., Onyemauwa, N., Ejechi, M., Ofoeze, M., Ukeje, B., Eluagu, C., Olaosebikan, O., Okoye, B., 2024. Les études sur les consommateurs inclusifs en matière de genre améliorent l'amélioration du manioc au Nigeria dans : Frontiers in Sociology, volume 9, numéro : 1224504, doi : 10.3389/fsoc.2024.1224504
Olaosebikan, O. ; Bello, A. ; Utoblo, O. ; Okoye, B. ; Olutegbe, N. ; Garner, E. ; Teeken, B. ; Bryan, E. ; Forsythe, L. ; Cole, S. ; Madu, T. 2023. Facteurs de stress et résilience au sein de la chaîne de valeur du manioc au Nigeria : Caractéristiques préférées des variétés de manioc et stratégies de réponse des hommes et des femmes pour informer l'amélioration variétale. Sustainability 15, 7837. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15107837
Okoye, B., Ofoeze, M., Ejechi, M., Onwuka, S., Nwafor, S., Onyemauwa, N., Ukeje, B., Eluagu, C., Obidiegwu, J.*, Olaosebikan, O., Madu, T.* 2023. Priorisation des traits préférés dans la chaîne de valeur de l'igname au Nigeria : une analyse de la situation en matière de genre in: Frontiers in Sociology, volume 8, numéro : 1232626, pages 1 – 9, ISSN 2297-7775, 2023. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsoc.2023.1232626/full
Olaosebikan, O., Bello, A. A., de Sousa, K., Ndjouenkeu, R., Adesokan, M., Alamu, E. O., Agbona, A., van Etten, J., Kegah, F. N.*, Dufour, D., Bouniol, A., Teeken, B. 2023. Acceptabilité par les consommateurs des produits alimentaires à base de gari-eba de manioc dans des contextes culturels et environnementaux variés en utilisant l'approche triade de comparaison des technologies (tricot) dans : Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture,
Teeken, B., Olaosebikan, O., Bello, A. A., Madu, T.*, Cole, S. M. 2023. Évaluation qualitative de la positionnalité et des préférences des dyades en relation avec les activités liées au manioc : travailler avec des scientifiques citoyens du procès tricot https://hdl.handle.net/10568/138326 Type : Manuel
Bouniol, A., Ceballos, H., Bello, A. A., Teeken, B., Olaosebikan, O., Owoade, D., Agbona, A., Fotso Kuate, A., Madu, T.*, Okoye, B.*, Ofoeze, M.*, Nwafor, S.*, Onyemauwa, N.*, Adinsi, L.*, Forsythe, L., Dufour, D. 2023. Impact variétal sur le travail des femmes, la charge de travail et la pénibilité associée dans le traitement des plantes à racines, tubercules et bananes : focus sur le manioc en Afrique subsaharienne dans : Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, pages 1 – 25, ISSN 0022-5142,
Bello, A. A., Agbona, A., Olaosebikan, O., Edughaen, G., Dufour, D., Bouniol, A., Iluebbey, P., Ndjouenkeu, R.*, Rabbi, I. Y., Teeken, B. 2023. Effets génétiques et environnementaux sur la productivité de la transformation et le rendement des produits alimentaires : la pénibilité du travail des femmes dans : Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, pages 1 – 32, ISSN 0022-5142, 5
Cavicchioli, M., Zimbiti, T., Teeken, B., Nwanze, D.O., Liani, M., Parkes, E. & Bello, A. 2023. Rapport sur la formation en sélection génétique sensible au genre à l'IITA. Genetic Resources Center, IITA-HQ, Ibadan, 21-23 septembre 2022. Ibadan, Nigéria : IITA, (34 p.).https://hdl.handle.net/10568/131368
Agbona, A. Peteti P., Teeken B., Olaosebikan O. Bello, A. A., Parkes, E., Rabbi, I. Y., Mueller, L., Egesi, C., Kulakow, P. 2022. Gestion des données dans les programmes d'amélioration des cultures RTB africaines multidisciplinaires. In : Williamson, H.F., Leonelli, S. (eds) Towards Responsible Plant Data Linkage: Data Challenges for Agricultural Research and Development. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-13276-6_5
Lora Forsythe, Pricilla Marimo, Sarah Mayanja, Olamide D. Olaosebikan, Esme Stuart, Bela Teeken, Benjamin Okoye, Tessy Madu, (2021). Analyse transversale du genre dans RTBfoods Étape 2 Cartographie des genres sur les produits RTB. Comprendre les moteurs des préférences en matière de traits et le développement de profils de produits RTB multi-utilisateurs, WP1. Londres, Royaume-Uni : Rapport scientifique de terrain RTBfoods, 30 p.
Teeken, B., Garner, E., Agbona, A., Balogun, I., Olaosebikan, O., Bello, A., Madu, T., Okoye, B., Egesi, C., Kulakow, P. et Tufan, H.A. 2021. Au-delà des “ traits des femmes ” : explorer comment le genre, les différences sociales et les caractéristiques des ménages influencent les préférences pour les traits. Frontiers Systèmes alimentaires durables 5:740926. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2021.740926
Teeken, B., Agbona, A., Bello, A., Olaosebikan, O., Alamu, E., Adesokan, M., Awoyale, W., Madu, T., Okoye, B., Chijioke, U., Owoade, D., Okoro, M., Bouniol, A., Dufour, D., Hershey, C., Rabbi, I., Maziya‐Dixon, B., Egesi, C., Tufan, H. et Kulakow, P. (020. Comprendre les préférences variétales du manioc par le classement par paires du gari-eba et du fufu préparés par des agriculteurs-transformateurs locaux. Int J Food Sci Technol.https://doi.org/10.1111/ijfs.14862
Bela Teeken, Olamide Olaosebikan, Ireti Balogun, Benjamin Okoye, Tessy Madu, Steven Cole, Abolore Bello, Elizabeth Parkes. (2020). Pilotage des outils de profil client et produit G+ pour l'amélioration sensible au genre du manioc au Nigeria. Nigeria : Institut international d'agriculture tropicale (IIAT). https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11766/13000
Nairobi, Kenya: Le International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), in partnership with Pairwise, a US-based technology company pioneering the application of gene editing in food and agriculture, is delighted to announce a grant of US$ 3,874,356 from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This grant will support the “Yam Optimized Architecture through Gene Editing (YOAGE)” project, an innovative project aimed at delivering novel genetic variation to yam (Dioscorea spp.) that improves plant architecture. The project goal is to reduce labor and environmental impact associated with traditional plant staking while also enabling mechanized farming in Nigeria, where yam is an important staple food crop.
The 4-year YOAGE project will focus on developing yam varieties with optimized growth characteristics, improving cultivation practices, and boosting productivity and profitability while collaborating with various stakeholders, including local farmers, agricultural experts, and policymakers. Yam is the second most important root and tuber crop in sub-Saharan Africa after cassava, with a production of about 75 million metric tons (FAO, 2021) and provides about 200 kilocalories daily to over 400 million people in the low-income and food-deficit countries of the tropics. Africa produces over 97% of the global yams, with Nigeria alone accounting for about 66% of the world’s total (FAO, 2021). In West Africa, particularly in Nigeria, yam is not only a staple crop but also plays a central role as a traditional flagship crop deeply intertwined with societal norms, fulfilling various social and religious functions.
