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As the global population continues to grow, Africa’s agricultural potential will play an increasingly vital role in ensuring both global and regional food security. The United Nations estimates that agricultural production must rise by at least 70% to feed a projected 9 billion people by 2050, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, current agricultural practices are insufficient to meet this demand. With an estimated 33 million smallholder farmers, the continent urgently needs support to enhance food productivity and increase farmers’ incomes.

In West Africa, for instance, agriculture accounts for approximately 35% of the region’s GDP and employs about 60% of the workforce. Yet, the sector faces numerous challenges, including plant diseases, pest management, post-harvest losses, poor rural infrastructure, soil degradation, and climate change. Addressing these issues is essential to boosting agricultural output in Africa and beyond.

Farmers depend heavily on synthetic pesticides to protect their crops, leading to their misuse. However, consumers are increasingly concerned about the quality of their food and the impact of agricultural practices on their health and the environment. This has created an urgent need to shift towards biopesticides, which pose minimal risks to both health and the environment.

In response to the harmful effects of synthetic pesticides, a research team at Université Félix HOUPHOUËT-BOIGNY, led by Dr. CAMARA Brahima, has dedicated its efforts to developing biopesticides. Collaborating closely with their industrial partner, SODIPEX Ltd, the team successfully developed their first novel biopesticide, NECO, which was patented by the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI) in 2013.

Building on their research and with financial support from various partners, including an innovation grant from the Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (Rsif) and a grant from the Competitive Fund for Sustainable Agricultural Innovation (FCiAD), the team has developed five additional biopesticides: ASTOUN 50 EC, PRORALY 50 EC, DOCUS 50 EC, FERCA 50 EC, and REBRACI. These biopesticides, also patented by the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI) and registered by the Ministry of Agriculture in Côte d’Ivoire, have been rigorously tested and approved for treating fungal diseases in banana trees, bacterial infections in mangoes, post-harvest yam rot, and cocoa pod rot.

The innovative products from Dr. CAMARA and his team’s research have garnered global recognition, earning them several national and international awards, including the Research Excellence Presidential Award in 2014, 2015, and 2024, and the Sustainable Agricultural Innovation Competition prize from FIRCA/FCIAD in 2017 and 2019. Additionally, Adjata Kamara, an Rsif PhD-sponsored student who is also part of Dr. Camara’s research team, was among the winners of the L’Oréal-UNESCO Prize in 2022 for her work on biopesticides.

Opening international markets for Ivorian producers

The growing global demand for agricultural products, particularly in fast-growing emerging economies, is creating new opportunities for West Africa’s traditional and non-traditional agricultural exports. In Côte d’Ivoire, cocoa remains a key cash crop with a significant impact on the country’s economy. These plant-based bioproducts were tested on a cocoa farmer’s plantation in Azaguié, resulting in a marked improvement in the quality of the cocoa beans produced. The farmer’s use of these biopesticides earned him international recognition at the International Cocoa Awards held at the Paris Porte de Versailles chocolate fair, where his beans were selected from over 1,250,000 samples worldwide.

Scaling up biopesticide production

Given the success of these biopesticides, Université Félix HOUPHOUËT-BOIGNY has established an Industrial Research Unit on Biopesticides (URI-Biopesticides), headed by Dr. CAMARA. The unit aims to increase biopesticide production to meet national demand, with plans to expand distribution across West Africa. Additionally, the unit will continue training farmers in pest management, emphasizing alternative solutions to chemical pesticides.

There is a growing need for researchers in higher education to focus on innovations driven by end-user needs, as demonstrated by this initiative. However, Dr. CAMARA’s team has encountered several obstacles that challenge this vision. Key among them are the high costs associated with biopesticide registration, the absence of regional standards for biopesticide registration, and the financial investment required for advanced equipment and technologies. Moreover, intensive campaigns are necessary to shift the mindset of producers and traders towards sustainable agriculture and the use of biopesticides.

Sustainable farming is crucial for mitigating the impacts of climate change. The agriculture sector plays a vital role in achieving global net-zero targets and must take action across the entire value chain. Food systems are a major driver of biodiversity loss, with approximately 70% of the world’s land used for agriculture. By adopting nature-based solutions, we can increase productivity to meet global food demand while providing farmers with adequate incentives to boost their incomes.

The Government of Côte d’Ivoire, along with eight other African governments, has partnered with development organizations like the World Bank and the Government of Korea under the Partnership for Skills in Applied Science, Engineering, and Technology (PASET). This partnership, through PASET’s Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (Rsif), is committed to strengthening the research and innovation capacities of African universities. Rsif supports entrepreneurial researchers in turning their research into value-added products and services through the Innovation Grants Window, which has been instrumental in achieving the key outcomes of this biopesticides research by the team at Université Félix HOUPHOUËT-BOIGNY. Read here for more information on Rsif’s impactful research and innovation projects.

By Cynthia Orangó, Rsif Grants Management Officer.