ADVANTA, UPL and Zambian government successfully pilot alternative crop varieties for food and energy to overcome climate stress

• Successful 12-month programme inaugurated by President of Zambia, ADVANTA, and UPL.

• Pilots in smallholder and commercial cropping conditions offer farmers a drought-tolerant alternative to maize and sugarcane production.

• Pilots will build greater food and energy security with applications for human and animal consumption, and as a feedstock for bio-ethanol production.

ADVANTA and UPL have formally inaugurated a series of successful pilot projects for drought-tolerant grain and forage sorghum varieties. The programme has been designed with the Government of Zambia’s Presidential Delivery Unit to improve food and energy security in Zambia and help farmers overcome heat and water stress. 

The inauguration event was hosted by H.E. Hakainde Hichilema (President of Zambia) Hon Reuben Phiri (Minister of Agriculture) Jai Shroff (Chairman and Group CEO, UPL Ltd.), and Ndavi Muia (Regional Head Africa & Middle East, ADVANTA), along with representatives from Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Green Economy, and Zambian Agricultural Research Institute (ZARI). 

Following an initial meeting with President Hichilema in September 2022, ADVANTA and UPL agreed to work with ZARI to demonstrate the potential for large-scale cultivation of grain and forage sorghum varieties as a new food source for human and animal consumption, and a novel feedstock for bio-ethanol production.

Pilot projects have now been launched to demonstrate the efficacy, yield, and sustainability of these crop varieties, both as an alternative to maize crops and sugarcane crops which have suffered considerably in the past 12 months as rainfall has diminished and temperatures have increased. To ensure the efficacy and accessibility of new crop varieties, pilots in Zambia have been conducted under smallholder farming conditions at the Mount Makulu Research Station, Chilanga, and under commercial conditions across acreage in Mazabuka, Southern Province. 

Bhupen Dubey, Global CEO, ADVANTA, said:

″Our mission at Advanta is to develop seed technologies that fight climate change, add value to farmer and enhance nutrition for the world, and that means constantly innovating and anticipating farmers’ needs. The success of this project is the first step towards a new roadmap for sustainable, resilient, food and biofuels production not just for Zambia, but for all of southern Africa, and we are proud to be a trusted partner to create agricultural programmes that deliver food and energy security.″

Ndavi Muia, Sub-Regional Head, Africa, and Middle East, ADVANTA, said:

″We are delighted with the success of these crop varieties with both smallholder and commercial farmers, and at the potential for Zambia’s increased productivity in sorghum crops that can be used as grain for food, fodder for livestock and in industrial usage as Bioethanol and are excited at the prospect of working with the Government of Zambia together with private sector partners to make this a reality. With sorghum we are going back to our roots and looking to the future at the same time.″

Grain and forage sorghum crops are indigenous to African cropping conditions, and is an easy to manage, versatile hybrid with minimal irrigation requirements and strong tolerance to drought and heat. As a multi-cut crop, sorghum provides farmers with greater yield across every season, and can be utilised for human food consumption, cattle feed, and as a feedstock for biofuels.