A global partnership between Omnia Group (Omnia), the University of Edinburgh and the African Centre for Gene Technologies (ACGT) has won a prestigious global research grant. The collaboration aims to boost agriculture productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa, delivering profits for farmers and driving sustainable agriculture development. 

‘’Within a context of high levels of food insecurity, investment into research and development that delivers innovative solutions, is more important than ever before” said Seelan Gobalsamy, CEO at Omnia. “The grant is a huge compliment for our business and affirms our competency within the field of agriculture as well as our commitment to relevant adaptions, all aimed at better serving the interest of our customers, country and the global supply of food”.

It’s estimated that by 2050, the planet will have 3 billion more people to feed¹ than it had in 2010, with the same amount of arable land. Doing so will require constant innovation in agricultural products.

The project that won the award is titled “Novel plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria for improved cultivation and nutrition of maize crops”. It aims to improve understanding of biological farming products, which support the symbiotic relationships between plants and the microorganisms within the root zone.

“Omnia’s programmes sustainably enhance the productivity of farmland through new technologies,” said Omnia R&D manager Johan Huyser. “Collaborating with international universities like the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and The University of Edinburgh (EU) gives us access to sophisticated, world-leading laboratories and knowledge in specialised fields like metabolomics.”

The award is funded from the Department for International Development (DFID) as well as the Global Challenges Research Fund and is delivered by Innovate UK. The research project is designed to provide an in-depth and comprehensive understanding of plant responses to modern microbial and biological products, for improved cultivation and nutritional values of crops. The research relies on a collaboration with South African company, Omnia and will be based on high throughput metabolomics conducted at UJ and the EdinOmnics platform at UE, as well as in field trials with Omnia’s Agronomists.

“Winning this grant will help us to further understand how microbial products work in interactions with plants,” said Research Scientist and Omnia Chair in metabolomics at the University of Johannesburg. “That knowledge will guide the development of precision agricultural programmes and improve farming practices across Africa, and the world. A better, scientifically based understanding will help us determine the ideal applications of these microbial products for optimal drought resistance, nutrient uptakes, improved nutritional values and higher yields.”

The partnership is a reciprocal relationship which allows Omnia to develop commercial biological products to enhance yields without harming the environment, while the universities will get to carry out impact-oriented research, provide industry-relevant training and produce students who can be assets to the agricultural sector.

“Microbials are complex living organisms and they have to be applied at a specific time and at a specific rate to be effective,” said Huyser, OmniBio^TM Manager at Omnia Fertilizer. “Understanding their impact on plant metabolism allows us to design programmes that ensure precise, consistent results, making farming more profitable and mitigating the risks of stress events. More knowledge enables a defined, targeted and holistic approach to farming. The better informed we are, the better equipped we are to make decisions that affect the entire food value chain.”

Huyser adds, “Our biological solutions are based on academically supported, peer-reviewed scientific principles, to ensure that farmers can trust them. This grant enables us to gain a deeper understanding of how our products deliver benefit. Winning the grant is an investment in the South African knowledge economy and will ensure that the insights it produces will be used in Africa and globally to enrich our farming industry.

“Our aim is that after harvesting, the soil should be in a better condition than before. Grants like this provide better knowledge, for better programmes and better productivity while protecting the environment for a better world,” Huyser adds.

Because of climate change and the changing demands being placed on agriculture, cutting-edge precision products and agriculture programmes are becoming indispensable to help farmers deal with issues like drought, extreme temperatures, declining soil fertility and salt stress.

Omnia constantly invests in the development of sustainable new solutions and technologies. The grant will help understand the underlying mechanisms of how biological products work and will help the company speed up and scale the process.

“This initiative aligns with our priority Sustainable Development Goals of Zero Hunger (SDG2), Industry Innovation (SDG9) and Partnerships (SDG17). As a Group we are focused on supporting and driving initiatives which will enable us to realise our vision of a better world ” concluded Group CEO, Gobalsamy. ¹ https://www.wri.org/blog/2018/12/how-sustainably-feed-10-billion-people-2050-21-charts

Source: Omnia