George George Idowu
The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), in collaboration with Pairwise, a leading US-based technology company specializing in gene editing, has secured a significant grant of US$ 3.87 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
This funding will propel the groundbreaking “Yam Optimized Architecture through Gene Editing (YOAGE)” project, designed to transform yam cultivation through cutting-edge genetic technologies.
The initiative aims to reshape yam’s plant architecture, reducing the labor-intensive traditional staking methods and promoting mechanized farming in Nigeria, a major global producer of the staple crop.
Yam is the second most important root crop in sub-Saharan Africa, trailing only cassava. It plays a critical role in the food security of over 400 million people across tropical regions, contributing approximately 200 kilocalories per day to their diets.
In West Africa, particularly in Nigeria, yam is deeply ingrained in both the culture and economy, with Nigeria alone accounting for 66% of global yam production.
However, yam cultivation faces significant challenges. Traditional farming methods involve high labour costs, the need for staking due to the crop’s climbing nature, and susceptibility to pests and diseases, all of which hinder productivity. While conventional breeding efforts have brought some advancements, such as pest resistance, progress in optimizing yam for mechanized farming has been limited.
Thus, this is where the YOAGE project steps in, leveraging advanced gene-editing technologies to tackle these issues head-on.
The four-year YOAGE project aims to enhance yam production by focusing on the plant’s architecture. By developing bushy, semi-dwarf varieties of yam, the project seeks to eliminate the need for staking, thus reducing labour and environmental impact.
This innovation is particularly important in Nigeria, where traditional practices often limit scalability. With the potential for mechanized farming, yam cultivation can become more efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable.
Leena Tripathi, IITA’s Eastern Africa Hub Director and Biotechnology Program Lead, highlighted the transformative potential of this project: “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 labour demands, enhance farming efficiency, and boost sustainability.”
The YOAGE project represents a landmark collaboration between IITA, Pairwise, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. IITA brings its extensive expertise in yam breeding and genetics, while Pairwise, through its Fulcrum Platform, applies cutting-edge CRISPR gene-editing technology to revolutionise crop production.
Together, they aim to unlock the full potential of yam cultivation, particularly for smallholder farmers in Nigeria.
Dr. Nicolas Bate, Senior Program Officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, emphasised the importance of gene editing in advancing staple crops like yam. “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,” he noted.
Pairwise’s Director of Trait Strategy and Testing, Dr. Shai Lawit also spoke to the broader implications of gene editing for agriculture: “Gene editing offers a revolutionary approach to solving global challenges. 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.”
With Africa producing over 97% of the world’s yams and Nigeria at the centre of this production, the YOAGE project stands to have far-reaching impacts. By introducing improved yam varieties that are easier to cultivate, more resilient, and more profitable, the project will directly benefit farmers and contribute to broader efforts to achieve sustainable agriculture in the face of climate change and resource limitations.
The YOAGE project underscores the importance of public-private partnerships in addressing complex agricultural challenges. It offers a model for how science, technology, and collaboration can drive significant advancements in global food security, especially in developing regions like sub-Saharan Africa.
Through the combined efforts of IITA, Pairwise, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the YOAGE project is set to redefine yam cultivation, ensuring that this essential crop continues to thrive and meet the growing demands of both local and global populations.