{"page":"\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/resources-572d6a42.css\" /\u003e\n\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/lp_boclips_stylesheets-f4d0de30.css\" media=\"all\" /\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-title='Drought tolerant seeds to tackle African food crisis' data-url='/boclips/videos/5c54c3dad8eafeecae164635' data-video-url='/boclips/videos/5c54c3dad8eafeecae164635' id='bo_player_modal'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='boclips-resource-page modal-dialog panel-container'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='react-notifications-root'\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-header'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-type'\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fai fa-regular fa-circle-play'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\nVideo\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch1 class='rp-title' id='video-title'\u003e\nDrought tolerant seeds to tackle African food crisis\n\u003c/h1\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-actions'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='mr-1'\u003e\n\u003ca class=\"btn btn-success\" data-posthog-event=\"Signup: LP Signup Activity\" data-posthog-location=\"body_link_boclips\" data-remote=\"true\" href=\"/subscription/new\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGet Free Access\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e for 10 Days\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-body'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-info'\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-label='Hide resource details' class='rp-hide-info' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u0026times;\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Expand resource details' class='rp-expand-info fai fa-solid fa-up-right-and-down-left-from-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Compress resource details' class='rp-compress-info fai fa-solid fa-down-left-and-up-right-to-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-rating'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='resource-pool'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-label'\u003ePublisher:\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-name'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='text'\u003e\u003ca data-publisher-id=\"30356011\" href=\"/search?publisher_ids%5B%5D=30356011\"\u003eCurated Video\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-description'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='short-description'\u003eAP TelevisionRural area near Machakos town, East Kenya - August 31, 20111. Wide of dry, empty farmland2. Zoom out from plant to reveal dry landscape, boy walking by Kiboko Research Station, Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, East...\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='full-description hide'\u003eAP Television\u003cbr/\u003eRural area near Machakos town, East Kenya - August 31, 2011\u003cbr/\u003e1. Wide of dry, empty farmland\u003cbr/\u003e2. Zoom out from plant to reveal dry landscape, boy walking by \u003cbr/\u003eKiboko Research Station, Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, East Kenya - September 15, 2011\u003cbr/\u003e3. Close of maize on the stalk \u003cbr/\u003eMachakos, East Kenya, August 31, 2011\u003cbr/\u003e4. Various of farmer Philip Ngolania Makau emptying corn from his granary\u003cbr/\u003e5. Mid of exterior of Dryland Seed Ltd, seed store\u003cbr/\u003e6. Close of sack of seed, reading (English) \"KDV4 Drought Tolerant Seed Maize\"\u003cbr/\u003e7. Various of farmer buying packs of maize seeds\u003cbr/\u003e8. SOUNDBITE (English) Philip Ngolania Makau, maize farmer:\u003cbr/\u003e\"In that three-quarter acre, I was I was getting less than a bag (of maize). But now, after we got the Dry(land) Seed Company seeds, there has been great change. I am getting five bags in that small area.\"\u003cbr/\u003eKiboko Research Station, Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, East Kenya - September 15, 2011\u003cbr/\u003e9. Mid of researchers working in laboratory\u003cbr/\u003e10. Close of cobs laid out, with KDV4 label\u003cbr/\u003e11. Close of label on maize plant reading (English) \"DK8031 Commercial Hybrid\"\u003cbr/\u003e12. Wide of row of maize plants, with workers in background\u003cbr/\u003e13. Various of woman worker arranging maize, corn cobs\u003cbr/\u003e14. Various of plantation of maize plants, tagged and labelled\u003cbr/\u003e15. Various of Dr. James Gethi inspecting maize plants and taking notes\u003cbr/\u003e16. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. James Gethi, national coordinator of the maize programme at the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute:\u003cbr/\u003e\"We start here and the process that we start is, we plant all the different types of varieties - sometimes going up to hundreds - into a field like this. Then, after reaching a stage just before they flower, you withdraw the water. Once you withdraw the water the plants grow, simulating an environment where the rain has stopped. Then at the end of the season, you check at all the different varieties that you have, and check the ones that have done the best.\"\u003cbr/\u003e17. Mid of dried leaves of maize plant\u003cbr/\u003e18. Various of woman worker checking maize plants\u003cbr/\u003e19. Various of researchers in the field, taking notes\u003cbr/\u003eDryland Seed Company, Machakos, Kenya - August 31, 2011\u003cbr/\u003e20. Close of red-coloured maize seeds, being dished into plastic bag \u003cbr/\u003e21. Close of workers' faces, packing seeds \u003cbr/\u003e22. Various of Edna Ngila, co-director of Dryland Seed Company, recording stocks of seed\u003cbr/\u003e23. Close of bag of seeds being stitched and sealed\u003cbr/\u003e24. Mid of workers putting bags of maize seed on shelves at Dryland Seed Company store\u003cbr/\u003e25. Mid of notice reading (English) \"Seeds for Arid and Semi Arid Lands\"\u003cbr/\u003e26. SOUNDBITE (English) Edna Ngila, co-director, Dryland Seed Company: \u003cbr/\u003e\"They appreciate our seed. They are saying they are not losing a season anymore. Before, they were losing a season. We only have two seasons in a year to grow our food. So, if you missed last season for example, it means you don't have food until the next season - that will take them about eight or nine months to grow another food.\"\u003cbr/\u003eKiboko Research Station, Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, East Kenya - September 15, 2011\u003cbr/\u003e27. Close of seeds being stripped from cobs\u003cbr/\u003e28. Close of bag of maize kernels in sack, hands sifting through seeds\u003cbr/\u003e29. Mid of young maize plants in field\u003cbr/\u003e30. Wide of maize plantation, workers walking past\u003cbr/\u003eScientists are breeding drought resistant crops they hope will combat East Africa's worst drought in 60 years.\u003cbr/\u003eMore than 13 million people are facing severe food shortages but  a new strain of maize might provide light at the end of the tunnel.\u003cbr/\u003eThese dry, barren lands are an all-too familiar sight in East Africa.\u003cbr/\u003eMillions of people face starvation as the worst drought in decades has decimated crops and left poor farmers fighting for survival.\u003cbr/\u003eBut for the drought, by now farmers should be harvesting a second season of maize.\u003cbr/\u003eMaize is staple crop in East Africa, but with a shallow root system the plant is heavily dependent on soil moisture.\u003cbr/\u003eFarmer Philip Ngolania Makau has a maize granary installed in his living room, virtually unheard of in his Eastern Kenyan community.\u003cbr/\u003eThe success of his crop, where others have failed, is down to a revolutionary, drought tolerant seed called KDV 4.\u003cbr/\u003eMakau buys his seed from the Dryland Seed Company in nearby Machakos town. He says he is thankful that he doesn't have to get food rations from the government during the drought. KDV4 has transformed his harvest he says:\u003cbr/\u003e\"In that three-quarter acre, I was I was getting less than a bag (of maize). But now, after we got the Dry(land) Seed Company seeds, there has been great change. I am getting five bags in that small area.\"\u003cbr/\u003eScientists have been working to create plant varieties that can better deal with unfavourable weather conditions.\u003cbr/\u003eKDV 4, introduced last year, is one of at least 20 varieties in Kenya collectively known as \"drought-tolerant\" maize. \u003cbr/\u003eResearchers breed specific traits into maize plants to make them produce yields, even in dry conditions.\u003cbr/\u003eScientists look at include how plants release heat, retain moisture, collect moisture through a deep root system, and other processes.\u003cbr/\u003eExperiments are conducted under controlled conditions, explains Dr. James Gethi, national coordinator of the maize program at the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute.\u003cbr/\u003e\"We plant all the different types of varieties - sometimes going up to hundreds - into a field like this. Then, after reaching a stage just before they flower, you withdraw the water. Once you withdraw the water the plants grow, simulating an environment where the rain has stopped. Then at the end of the season, you check at all the different varieties that you have, and check the ones that have done the best.\"\u003cbr/\u003eDuring the process, farmers tell researchers what they think of the different varieties, especially how they taste.\u003cbr/\u003eAfter years of experiments and research, scientists develop what they call the \"breeder seed,\" the purest form of seed from the original plant. These are then taken to seed companies, which develop certified seed to be sold to farmers.\u003cbr/\u003eDryland Seed Company works closely with the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute to increase the seed supply. \u003cbr/\u003eCo-director Edna Ngila says she purchases seeds from farmers, and has noticed a big difference between regular and drought-tolerant maize varieties, almost trebling productivity. \u003cbr/\u003eThe company sells three types of drought-tolerant maize seeds. Ngila says drought-tolerant maize helps farmers harvest twice a year:\u003cbr/\u003e\"They appreciate our seed. They are saying they are not losing a season anymore. Before, they were losing a season. We only have two seasons in a year to grow our food. So, if you missed last season for example, it means you don't have food until the next season - that will take them about eight or nine months to grow another food.\"\u003cbr/\u003eA study by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre, published last year, predicts that drought-tolerant varieties of maize could boost harvests in 13 African countries by up to 34 percent and generate up to USD 1.5 (b) billion in benefits for producers and consumers.\u003cbr/\u003eThe new seeds won't solve the immediate problem. International aid agency Oxfam has raised an appeal for USD 76 (m) million - it's biggest ever appeal for Africa - to tackle the present crisis in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='action-container flex justify-between'\u003e\n\u003cbutton aria-expanded='false' aria-label='Read more description' class='rp-full-description' type='button'\u003e\n\u003ci class='fai fa-solid fa-align-left'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003cspan id='read_more'\u003eRead More\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/button\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-report'\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-labelledby='resource-details-heading' class='rp-info-section'\u003e\n\u003ch2 class='title' id='resource-details-heading'\u003eResource Details\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-resource-details clearfix'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='detail'\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eCurator Rating\u003c/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003e\u003cspan class=\"star-rating\" 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