South Africa

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• South Africa
• Food, Agriculture and Biotechnology
• Food Safety and Quality (FP6 Theme 5)
• Food, Agriculture and Biotechnology (FP7 Theme 2)
• Europe, March 2006

www.esastap.org.za
Ms Cristina Pinto for Dr Geoff Meese EC-SA FP6
NCP Theme 5 food.ncp_at_esastap.org.za gmeese_at_csir.co
.za
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Overview of Presentation

• Research capacity in South Africa
• Research and development
• Some comparative advantages
• Successes in FP6 Theme 5 Food safety and
  quality
• The future
• South Africa in FP7
• NEPAD (New Partnership for Africas Development)
• Support measures for cooperation

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Research Capacity in South Africa (1)

• Universities
• Research Councils
• Private and Public Sectors
• Industry, SMEs, NGOs
• Government (national, provincial, local)
• Links on www.esastap.org.za

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Research Capacity in South Africa (2)
Universities Examples of universities with
international experience

• Rhodes University
• Stellenbosch University
• Tshwane University
• University of the Western Cape
• University of the Witwatersrand

• University of Cape Town
• University of the Free State
• University of KwaZulu-Natal
• Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
• University of Pretoria

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Research Capacity in South Africa (3)

• Research Councils
• ARC (Agricultural Research Council)
• CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial
  Research)
• HSRC (Human Sciences Research Council)
• MRC (Medical Research Council)
• NRF (National Research Foundation)
• Mintek
• SABS (South African Bureau of Standards)
• Water Research Commission

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Research Capacity in South Africa (4)

• Private and Public Sectors
• Limited RD capacity (multi-nationals, trusts,
  fledgling sector)
• Primarily support of development work, little
  basic research
• Seeking to becoming more international and
  linking up with South African partners
  international companies looking for RD partners
• SMEs limited research capacity in the food
  industry slowly growing in biotechnology (aided
  by the Biotechnology Regional Innovation Centres
  and GODISA incubators)
• NGOs key role at community level
• Government departments

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Research and Development

• South Africa has a solid history of engagement
  with traditional biotechnology. It has produced
  one of the largest brewing companies in the
  world, makes wines that compare with the best,
  has developed many new animal breeds and plant
  varieties, some of which are used commercially
  all over the world, and has competitive
  industries in the manufacturing of dairy products
  such as cheese, yoghurt, maas, baker's yeast and
  other fermentation products
• However, South Africa has failed to extract value
  from the more recent advances in biotechnology,
  particularly over the last 25 years with the
  emergence of genetics and genomic sciences.
• South African National Biotechnology Strategy

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Key Biotechnology Issues and Challenges

• Institutional arrangements
• Human resource considerations
• Funding of research and development
• Commercialising biotechnology
• Policy and legal instruments
• Ethics
• Publics understanding of biotechnology

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South African Agriculture

• A dual economy a well-developed commercial
  sector and a subsistence-oriented sector in
  rural areas
• Primary production is 2.6 of GDP
• 9 of the employment in the formal sector
• Agri-industry is 15 of GDP
• Agricultural exports are about 8 (15 from
  deciduous fruit) of total SA exports

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Challenges facing South African agriculture

• Rural, small-scale indigenous farming population
• Increasing population
• Urban areas growing rapidly
• No net change in marine fish production
• Increasing damage to the ecological foundations
  of agriculture
• Environmental, social, economic and agricultural
  implications of biotechnology advances

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Agricultural Biotechnology Research Priorities

• Improving crop production
• Improving the nutritional value of food
• Animal health and production
• Support for suitable industrial development

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Examples of SA Biotechnology Applications in
Agriculture
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Agricultural Research Activities

• Agricultural engineering, soil, climate and water
• Plant crops and products - fruit, grapes, grain,
  vegetables, ornamental plants and industrial
  crops
• Plant protection - Forestry and Agricultural
  Biotechnology Institute (FABI)
• Animal Improvement
• Veterinary and animal health and nutrition
  (Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute - top
  veterinary institute in Africa produced animal
  vaccines such as anthrax, botulism and blue
  tongue virus also developed diagnostic tests.
  Innovations are manufactured and marketed by
  Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP), which
  supplies veterinary vaccines to the international
  market.

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Biotechnology Research Activities

• Human health biotechnology
• Animal health biotechnology
• Plant biotechnology - Pharmaplanta, Gates Fdn
  SuperSorghum, Resurrection plant
• Environmental and mining BioSure, BioMine
• Industrial biotechnology

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Food Research Activities

• Cereal expertise - especially key cereals for
  Africa
• Logistics and cold chain technology
• Packaging - strong export link
• Shelf-life extension e.g. INCO-DEV 2002-2005
  Combination of osmotic and microwave drying for
  production of high quality shelf-stable fruits
  Partners Ireland, Mozambique, South Africa,
  Spain, Sweden, Uganda, Zambia
• Value addition to waste e.g. REPRO
  (www.repro-food.net )
• Rural community food security initiatives e.g.
  value addition to indigenous foods
• Nutrition
• Mycotoxins
• Food microbiology
• Bench, lab and scale-up facilities in food,
  chemicals and fermentation

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Regulatory Considerations

• Genetically Modified Organisms Act, 1997 (Act No.
  15 of 1997)
• Regulates all activities with regard to
  genetically modified organisms. Specific permits
  are issued for the deliberate release of
  genetically modified organisms. Risk assessments
  are conducted prior to the deliberate release of
  any genetically modified organisms.
• Biodiversity Act, 2004
• Gives effect to international agreements
  affecting biodiversity binding on South Africa,
  and secures
• conservation of the biological diversity of South
  Africa
• sustainable use of biological resources, and
• fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising
  from the use and application of genetic resources
  and material.
• Regulations under Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and
  Disinfectants Act, 1972 (Act No. 54 of 1972)
• Govern the labelling of foodstuffs obtained
  through certain techniques of genetic
  engineering.
• The Patents Act, 1978
  (Act No. 57 of 1978)
• Animal Improvement Act,
  1998 (Act No. 62 of 1998)
• Plant Breeders' Rights
  Act, 1976 (Act No. 15 of 1976)

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Some Comparative Advantages

• Strong export industry
• Especially fruit
• Shelf-life extension packaging, coatings etc.
• GM technology, allied to good biosafety protocols
• Biodiversity - novel foods and novel genes
• Indigenous Knowledge Systems e.g. traditional
  foods and medicines
• Source of genetic material

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Successes in FP6 Theme 5Food quality and safety

• Safe Foods (IP) - Food safety through risk
  analysis
• EU-SOL (IP) - High quality solanaceous crops
• REPRO (STREP) - Value addition to waste from the
  food industry
• PARASOL (STREP) - Control of nematodes in
  ruminants
• EAGLES Food Forum (SSA) - Network between EU and
  developing countries (DCs) to consider food
  safety
• Food-N-Co (SSA) - Theme 5 NCP cooperation between
  EU and Developing Countries

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The Future South Africa in FP7 (1)

• FP7 Theme 2 (Food, Agriculture and Biotechnology)
  is anticipated to be much broader, thus
  potentially enlarging the capacity and research
  areas.
• The challenge is to consider the EU priorities
  and the activities, and determine where SA can
  add value that is aligned to SAs needs and long
  term strategy.

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The Future South Africa in FP7 (2)

• Activity 1 Sustainable Biodiversity
• Established omics facilities such as the
  National Bioinformatics Network
• Value addition to the biodiversity - 26 000
  indigenous plants, plus fungal and microbial
  resources

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The Future South Africa in FP7 (3)

• Activity 2 Fork to Farm
• Traceability for the export market
• International standards (e.g. HACCP) in food
  industry
• Innovative food processing
• Nutrition - South Africa is developing the
  diseases of the West, plus other major problem
  areas such as HIV/AIDS

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The Future South Africa in FP7 (4)

• Activity 3 Non-food Products
• Forestry - a major industry in South Africa
• Biofuels - increasing interest
• Value addition to waste

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The Future NEPAD (1) (New Partnership for
Africas Development)

• The Africa Biosciences Initiative (ABI) seeks to
  harness regional capacity in biosciences
• A regional network comprises a Hub and a Network
  of nodes throughout the region

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The Future NEPAD (2)

• Four Hubs identified
• North Africa Biosciences Network (NAB, based at
  the National Research Centre in Egypt)
• Biosciences Eastern and Central Africa Network
  (BECA, based at ILRI in Kenya)
• West Africa Biosciences Network (WAB, based at
  ISRA in Senegal)
• Southern Africa Biosciences Network (SANBio,
  based at the CSIR in South Africa)

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The Future NEPAD (3)

• SABH / SANBio will comprise 12 countries Angola,
  Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique,
  Namibia, Republic of South Africa, Seychelles,
  Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe
• The Hubs and Networks will serve as a way into
  the regions and the continent in the biosciences

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• www.ESASTAP.org.za

Ms Cristina Pinto For Dr Geoff Meese EC-SA FP6
NCP Theme 5 food.ncp_at_esastap.org.za gmeese_at_csir.co
.za
Presentation photographs courtesy of SA Tourism