Innovative measures against Nigeria quelea bird infestation through Innovate UK’s Open Innovation Challenge
Innovate UK Global Alliance Africa, through their Open Innovation Intervention partnered with Tropical General Investments Group (TGI) (an investor in consumer goods and agriculture) and Iknaia (a seasoned innovator and solution provider) to develop a dynamic and affordable solution that protects farmlands and preserves the livelihoods of vulnerable farmers.
The quelea bird invasion
The agricultural sector in Africa and other parts of the world is faced with a myriad of challenges. One of the challenges is to tackle the damage caused by quelea birds, which feed on small-grain cereal crops.
The population of quelea birds worldwide has dramatically increased since the 1970s, bypassing traditional deterrent methods like scarecrows, noise-making and other deterrent measures. This continues to pose a significant threat to smallholder farmers. In Nigerian states, the invasion of the birds has led to swift destruction and poor yields, leaving farmers in debt and increasing poverty. In 2023 alone, Kebbi state lost 75,000 hectares of rice farms, impacting production costs and livelihoods worth over N22 billion naira in production costs and N78 billion worth of paddy.
Expressing excitement about the partnership, Habiba Suleiman, Head of Strategic Partnerships, TGI stated:
We expect that this collaboration will birth a practical and impact-driven solution to the quelea birds challenge in a manner that does not negatively affect the environment. Considering the problem is continent-wide and the birds are migratory, we expect that the pilot solution presents a way forward for other countries plagued by this dire phenomenon as well.
Affordability is a key focus, ensuring that farmers’ reality is addressed to foster adaptation and resilience. Ultimately, the goal is to reduce food loss and enhance food security for Africa’s most populous country amid global concerns.
Innovative transformation of pest control
Despite this being the first time, Iknaia is working on a project domiciled in Nigeria, they have expressed optimism.
We hope that our collaboration with TGI could also lead to more product development further down the line. The mass production of the bird-scaring device will help us to reduce our component cost to enable us to include further enhancements such as soil sensors, which will also be highly beneficial to the farmers. With the bird-scaring device we hope to solve a huge problem throughout Africa and other countries, but we see this very much as a stepping stone to creating further Internet of Things (IoT) devices that will be able to monitor water quality, soil quality, and air quality.
– Julia McNally, founder of Iknaia
Overall, the joint effort between Innovate UK, TGI, and Iknaia signifies a commitment to innovation and collaboration in overcoming agricultural challenges. The pilot solution, born from this partnership, promises to transform the landscape for smallholder farmers facing similar challenges with quelea birds.
About Innovate UK Global Alliance Africa
Global Alliance Africa is a six-year project funded by UK International Development through Innovate UK (GCRF) and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
Follow us for more project updates
Twitter @IUK_Global
Instagram @WeAreGlobalAlliance
Webpage iuk.ktn-uk.org/programme/africa
Related programmes
UK-Nigeria Sustainable Construction Global Innovation Network
Delivered by Innovate UK Global Alliance Africa, this Global Innovation Network will drive an innovative and fundamental shift in the Nigerian construction industry, with the aim to promote sustainability, innovation and enhanced collaboration between the UK and Nigeria construction sector players.
Global Innovation Networks
Global Innovation Networks unite some of the best minds and greatest thinkers from across the UK and globally to find answers to some of the world’s most significant challenges. The Networks will facilitate UK, African and EU networks to deliver collaborative research, innovation and funding solutions that address key global innovation challenges.
Open Innovation
Open Innovation is the belief that good ideas can come from anywhere, so it is worth looking widely, beyond your usual supply chains. Innovate UK has well-established methods for supporting Open Innovation, having run 200+ innovation challenges across the world. Our model allows diverse collaborators to respond to shared industry challenges in a mutually beneficial way.