During his presidential visit to Ethiopia yesterday, United States President Barack Obama toured select agricultural sites such as FAFFA foods share company. In this picture, local women farmer Gifty

DuPont leaders today joined public and private sector representatives during U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to Ethiopia to learn more about the impact of U.S. collaborations with local partners under the U.S. Government’s Feed the Future Initiative. This initiative focuses on accelerating agricultural development as an engine of broad-based economic growth in the region.

DuPont, a global science company, has been working for more than 15 years in Ethiopia to promote farmer productivity, agricultural system infrastructure improvements, and food and nutrition security.

“Through science and engineering, we are working to solve some of the world’s greatest challenges,” said Matthias Heinzel, President of DuPont Nutrition & Health. “We are dedicated to improving food and nutrition security around the world with innovative science and application expertise.”

Improving Nutrition in Ethiopia 
Ethiopia has a population of over 80 million and thus has a strong nutritional need for high quality, sustainable protein foods. To address this need, DuPont collaborated with FAFFA Foods, to introduce Saba Soya Milk in 2011.

"Our collaboration with FAFFA Foods is a great example of products meeting local needs,” said Heinzel. “Using DuPont™ Supro® soy protein for Soya milk, FAFFA Foods was able to introduce a nutrient-rich protein to Ethiopia as part of a solution to help boost nutrition content in local diets."

Increasing Farmer and Agricultural Productivity 
There is a significant need to increase food productivity in Ethiopia. Maize is one of Ethiopia’s most important cereals in terms of production; grown by about 8 million farmers. A primary challenge of the Ethiopian maize value chain is access to quality improved maize seeds, which substantially impacts the productivity of smallholders. Ethiopia currently has an average maize yield of about 2.2 metric tons per hectare, while the U.S. yields about 10 tons per hectare. As part of the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, a shared commitment among African governments and development partners to significantly expand responsible private-sector investment in African agriculture and nutrition, DuPont collaborated with the U.S. Agency for International Development through Feed the Future, the Government of Ethiopia, and other organizations to develop the Advanced Maize Seed Adoption Program (AMSAP).

The program aims to increase the productivity of smallholder farmers by giving them new, high-quality options for maize seeds as well as improving seed distribution and post-harvest storage. Much of the corn grown under this partnership goes directly into Faffa’s Corn Soy Blend product.

“Our partnership with DuPont, in support of the Government of Ethiopia’s priorities for improved food security, has helped make significant improvements in the agriculture sector that translate to positive outcomes for smallholder farmers,” said Tjada McKenna, Deputy Coordinator of the Feed the Future initiative.

Close to 10,000 smallholder maize farmers have benefited from agronomic education and training. 40,000 farmers have improved access to agricultural inputs such as hybrid seed varieties. These farmers have also increased their yields from 2.2 metric tons per hectare to 7 metric tons per hectare and increased incomes by an average of 20 percent. More than 30 agronomists are engaged in delivering training to farmers and 54 local retailers have been fully enabled to distribute seed to farmers.

Click here to watch the AMSAP video on YouTube.

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About DuPont Nutrition & Health 
DuPont Nutrition & Health addresses the world’s challenges in food by offering a wide range of sustainable, bio-based ingredients and advanced molecular diagnostic solutions to provide safer, healthier and more nutritious food. Through close collaboration with customers, DuPont combines knowledge and experience with a passion for innovation in order to deliver unparalleled customer value to the marketplace. More information is available at http://www.food.dupont.com.

About DuPont Pioneer - Science with Service Delivering Success® 
DuPont Pioneer (http://www.pioneer.com) is the world's leading developer and supplier of advanced plant genetics, providing high-quality seeds to farmers in more than 90 countries. Pioneer provides agronomic support and services to help increase farmer productivity and profitability and strives to develop sustainable agricultural systems for people everywhere.

About DuPont 
DuPont (NYSE: DD) has been bringing world-class science and engineering to the global marketplace in the form of innovative products, materials, and services since 1802. The company believes that by collaborating with customers, governments, NGOs, and thought leaders we can help find solutions to such global challenges as providing enough healthy food for people everywhere, decreasing dependence on fossil fuels, and protecting life and the environment. For additional information about DuPont and its commitment to inclusive innovation, please visit http://www.dupont.com or follow @DuPontAfrica on Twitter.