South Africa: Tribal Leader in Africa Quadruples Yield with Pioneer

Pioneer customer Advocate Mdutshane is a tribal leader who has been farming since 1998. He first planted a trial of Bt corn in the 2000/2001 season. The effect: quadrupled yields.

"The biotech variety I plant protects my corn against stalk boring insects," Mdutshane said. "My yield was multiplied from less than one metric ton to four metric tons in the first season, and it has increased each subsequent season. There also was an improvement in the quality of crop harvested."

South Africa has led biotechnology development and adoption on the African continent, first planting insect-resistant cotton in 1997. South Africa ranked eighth globally in total biotech crop area, planting 1.4 million hectares of biotech maize, soybeans and cotton in 2006.

Between 15 percent and 20 percent of the world's corn farmers are in Africa, but strong corn borer pressure destroys much of farmers' yields. Bt white and yellow corn varieties have made a significant impact on farmers' livelihoods. Recent research shows these insect-resistant varieties increased yields an average of 42.5 percent, while dropping borer damage from 18 percent in conventional varieties to just two percent in Bt varieties.

As the poorest continent on the planet, Africa stands to benefit the most from biotech crops. Even a modest increase in grain production can make a difference for farmers, their families and their communities.