Seyoum Leta, Bio-Innovate Program Manager. The first Bio-Innovate Regional Scientific Conference was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia  25-27  February 2013 (photo credit: ILRI/Apollo Habtamu). View more conference pictures.

SciDev.Net reports on a ‘Bio-Innovate’ conference held 25-27 Feb 2013 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to discuss ways of improving Africa’s agricultural production.

The ‘1st Bio-Innovate Regional Scientific Research Conference’ was organized by a regional fund known as the Bio-resources Innovations Network for Eastern Africa Development (or Bio-Innovate). The initiative, which was established in 2010, provides grants to bioscientists working to improve food production and environmental management in Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.

According to the article, ‘Bioscience projects, including ones that turn tannery waste into manure, can improve crop productivity and food security and boost agricultural resilience to climate change in East Africa.

‘[U]sing bioscience in  East Africa could bring about socioeconomic transformation,’ the article goes on to say.

‘For instance, in Uganda, tannery and slaughter wastes are being turned into manure for crop production and clean water. Other innovations include the production of drought-resistant seed varieties that are suitable to specific agriecological areas.’

Jimmy Smith, director general of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), who attended the conference, said that ‘the development and application of bio-science innovations could enhance agricultural productivity and boost food security.’

Bio-Innovate funds projects in ‘climate change adaptability; food and nutrition security; energy production from industrial waste; and securing freshwater resources.’

Read the whole article on SciDev.Net 26 Mar 2013: Bioscience should underpin African agriculture, meeting hears.