Africa has made monumental progress in the adoption of biotech crops positioning the continent for a major take-off towards crops resilient to adverse effects of climate change. In this month alone Nigeria and Kenya made landmark approvals of genetically modified (GM) Bt cowpea and Bt cotton respectively. Nigeria's Federal Government approved commercialization of a biotech cowpea variety resistant to pod borers. This development places Nigeria as the first country ever to commercialize genetically improved cowpea. The biotech cowpea is Nigeria's first ever GM crop to go commercial.

Genetic comparisons of fall armyworm populations from 11 countries spanning sub-Saharan Africa provide insights into strain composition and migratory behaviors

The recent discovery of fall armyworm in Africa presents a significant threat to that continent’s food security. This study is an extension of earlier surveys that together combine the collections from 11 nations to produce the first genetic description of fall armyworm populations spanning the sub-Saharan region. The current data confirm the uncertainty of fall armyworm strain identification in Africa by genetic methods, with the possibility discussed that the African infestation may represent a novel interstrain hybrid population of potentially uncertain behavioral characteristics.

Evidence of crop production losses in West Africa due to historical global warming in two crop models

Achieving food security goals in West Africa will depend on the capacity of the agricultural sector to feed the rapidly growing population and to moderate the adverse impacts of climate change. This study found that crop production might have been affected by climate change, with significant yield losses. The estimates of production losses presented can be a basis for the loss and damage associated with climate change to date and useful in estimating the costs of the adaptation of crop production systems.

Photoperiod controls vegetation phenology across Africa

Vegetation phenology is driven by environmental factors such as photoperiod, precipitation, temperature, insolation, and nutrient availability. Across Africa, there’s ambiguity about these drivers, which can lead to uncertainty in the predictions of global warming impacts on terrestrial ecosystems and their representation in dynamic vegetation models. Using satellite data, this study performed a systematic analysis of the relationship between phenological parameters and these drivers. Analysis across different regions consistently revealed photoperiod as the dominant factor controlling the onset and end of vegetation growing season.