African solutions for African soils and African crops
Plant Biotechnology
We help farmers, agribusinesses, governments and investors deploy plant biotechnology and crop nutrition solutions built for African conditions — soil health, biofertilizers, nano fertilizers, biostimulants, microbial inoculants and crop improvement, from laboratory to field to market.
Regenerative • Certified • Data-ledThe Opportunity
Why plant biotechnology matters in Africa
African soils are among the most nutrient-depleted in the world. Decades of continuous cultivation without adequate replenishment have stripped organic matter, acidified soils and reduced the microbial life that makes nutrients available to crops. At the same time, African farmers pay some of the highest prices in the world for mineral fertilizer — much of it imported, subject to currency volatility, freight costs and global supply shocks. When fertilizer prices spike, smallholder farmers simply apply less, and yields fall.
This is the gap plant biotechnology is positioned to close.
Biological and advanced nutrition products — biofertilizers, microbial inoculants, biostimulants and nano fertilizers — can restore soil biology, improve nutrient use efficiency and reduce the volume of imported mineral fertilizer a farm needs. Crop biotechnology — tissue culture, improved varieties, stress tolerance and biofortification — raises the ceiling on what that farm can produce.
Across the continent, momentum is already building. The African Union's soil health and fertilizer commitments, the continent's feed and food security agenda, and national subsidy and input programmes are increasingly channelling demand toward locally developed biological and advanced nutrition products. Countries are strengthening regulatory pathways for biofertilizers and biopesticides, and regional bodies are harmonising standards to open cross-border markets.
Zimbabwe is a live example. Fertilizer supply and pricing remain exposed to import dependency and foreign currency constraints, while soils across the maize, tobacco and horticulture belts show widespread acidity, low organic matter and declining microbial activity. Farmers are being asked to spend more to get less. Biological and precision nutrition products — validated for local soils and crops — offer a route out of that trap.
This is the gap we help investors and operators fill.
The model is proven across the continent — from rhizobium inoculant production for grain legumes, to mycorrhizal and phosphate-solubilising products for cereal systems, to tissue-culture seed systems for banana, cassava and potato, to biofortified varieties moving through national release systems. What has been missing is a partner who can take these from research bench to registered, field-validated, farmer-adopted product. That is exactly the package this division delivers.
For Investors & Operators
What you get when you build with us
Feasibility & Product Selection
Crop and region prioritisation, product concept selection, demand and offtake analysis, and cost-of-goods modelling for your target market.
Talk to usFacility Design & Scale-Up
Design and commissioning of biofertilizer, inoculant, biostimulant and formulation facilities — fermentation, blending, packaging and quality control.
Talk to usStrain & Formulation Development
Access to validated microbial strains, carrier systems and formulation know-how licensed for your territory.
Talk to usNano Fertilizer Development
Formulation, characterisation, safety assessment and field validation of nano-scale nutrient products for African crops and soils.
Talk to usField Validation & Registration
Replicated multi-site trials, agronomic efficacy data and dossier preparation for national registration and regional harmonisation.
Talk to usDistribution & Market Access
Introduction to farmer organisations, input distributors, subsidy programmes, outgrower schemes and regional agricultural networks.
Talk to usCapabilities
Everything inside this division
Grouped modules covering the full scope of work delivered by this part of the institute.
Soil & Plant Science
- Soil chemistry & biology
- Plant tissue analysis
- Nutrient diagnostics
- Agronomic advisory
Biologicals
- Biofertilizers
- Microbial inoculants
- Biostimulants
- Mycorrhizal products
- Compost & organic inputs
Advanced Nutrition
- Nano fertilizers
- Controlled-release fertilizers
- Chelated micronutrients
- Foliar nutrition
- Precision application
Crop Biotechnology
- Tissue culture & clean seed
- Variety selection & adaptation
- Stress tolerance
- Biofortification
- Plant-microbe research
The Pathway
From soil sample to crop performance
Soil
Sampling and characterisation of physical, chemical and biological status across the field or farm block.
Plant
Tissue sampling and crop-stage assessment to capture what the soil has actually delivered.
Analysis
Full nutrient, microbial and constraint analysis — what is limiting yield and why.
Formulation
Nutrition, biological or nano product matched to the diagnosis and the crop system.
Recommendation
Rate, timing, placement and product programme delivered as a decision the farmer can apply.
Field Application
Application supported by agronomist follow-up through the critical growth stages.
Crop Performance
Yield, quality and input-efficiency measured against baseline — closing the loop for the next season.
Services
Nutrition and plant biotech services you can request
Each service starts with a measurement and ends with a decision you can apply in the field.
Soil analysis
Fertiliser spend guided by habit, not data.
Full soil chemistry and biology with an actionable nutrition plan.
Request soil analysisPlant tissue analysis
Deficiencies discovered only after yield is lost.
In-season tissue testing that catches deficiency before it costs you.
Request analysisCrop nutrition programmes
Generic programmes applied to very different fields.
Crop- and site-specific nutrition programmes built on your data.
Optimise my crop nutritionBiofertilizers
Rising input cost and declining soil health.
Biological nutrition products developed and validated for your system.
Develop a biofertilizerNano fertilizers
Nutrient loss, leaching and low use efficiency from conventional products.
Nano-scale nutrient formulations developed, characterised and field-validated for African crops.
Develop a nano fertilizerBiostimulants
Crops under heat, drought and transplant stress.
Biostimulant selection and trialling for stress tolerance and vigour.
Talk to an expertMicrobial inoculants
Poor nutrient uptake from a depleted soil microbiome.
Inoculant screening, production advice and field validation.
Start a projectNutrient deficiency analysis
Visible symptoms with an unclear cause.
Diagnostic testing that names the limiting nutrient and the fix.
Request assessmentFertilizer optimisation
Over- and under-application across the same farm.
Rate, timing and placement optimisation based on measured need.
Request assessmentField trials
Product claims that buyers no longer accept at face value.
Designed, replicated field trials with credible reporting.
Discuss a trialPlant-microbe research
Biological products without a mechanism story.
Applied plant-microbe research supporting product development.
Talk to an expertTissue culture & clean seed
Degraded planting material and disease build-up in vegetatively propagated crops.
Tissue culture, hardening and clean seed systems for banana, cassava, potato and horticulture.
Start a projectCrop improvement & biofortification
Varieties that no longer match the climate, the market or the nutrition need.
Variety adaptation, stress tolerance and nutrient-density screening for African cropping systems.
Discuss a programmeLaboratories
Where this work is done
Soil, Plant & Water Laboratory
Full soil chemistry, plant tissue analysis, water quality and fertilizer product testing.
ExploreMicrobiology & Biofertilizer Laboratory
Strain isolation, screening, culture banking, viable-count testing and inoculant quality control.
ExplorePlant Tissue Culture Laboratory
Micropropagation, virus indexing, hardening and clean seed production for priority crops.
ExploreField Trial & Agronomy Unit
Multi-site replicated trials, on-farm demonstrations and agronomic data capture across agro-ecological zones.
ExploreResearch
Active programmes
African Soil Health & Biofertilizer Platform
Development and validation of rhizobium, phosphate-solubilising and mycorrhizal products for grain legume and cereal systems across Southern and East Africa — reducing dependence on imported mineral nitrogen and phosphate.
ExploreNano Fertilizer Development for African Crops
Formulation, characterisation and field validation of nano-scale macro- and micronutrient products for maize, wheat, horticulture and export crops — targeting improved nutrient use efficiency, lower application volumes and reduced leaching losses.
ExploreMicrobial Inoculant Scale-Up for Smallholder Systems
Bridging the gap between laboratory strains and locally manufactured inoculant products — carrier systems, shelf-life, on-farm viability and distribution models suited to smallholder and outgrower supply chains.
ExploreZimbabwe Soil Acidity & Organic Matter Recovery Programme
Field-scale work on liming, organic amendments and biological inputs to recover productivity on degraded maize, tobacco and horticultural soils.
ExploreClean Seed & Tissue Culture Systems
Micropropagation and hardening protocols for banana, cassava, potato and horticultural crops, supporting national clean seed and planting material programmes.
ExploreBiofortification & Nutrient-Dense Varieties
Screening and adaptation of zinc-, iron- and provitamin A-dense varieties for national release and commercial value chains.
ExploreRegional Bio-Input Manufacturing Hub
Feasibility work on shared biofertilizer, inoculant and nano fertilizer production capacity serving multiple African markets, reducing duplicated capital cost across smaller national facilities.
ExploreOptimise my crop nutrition
Send us your crop, hectares and current programme — we will propose the analysis and nutrition plan.