In a landmark development set to redefine the agricultural landscape of sub-Saharan Africa, Dr. Mercy Diebiru-Ojo has been honored as one of the 2025 Africa Food Prize Laureates. This prestigious accolade acknowledges her pioneering work in advancing the Semi-Autotrophic Hydroponics (SAH) node culture technology for cassava and yam, two staple crops fundamental to the region’s food security. Dr. Diebiru-Ojo’s groundbreaking contributions reflect a transformative shift in crop propagation science, introducing a novel methodology that accelerates the production of healthy, disease-free planting materials on an unprecedented scale.
The Semi-Autotrophic Hydroponics system represents a sophisticated paradigm in plant tissue culture and rapid multiplication techniques. Unlike conventional hydroponic methods, SAH enables enhanced aeration and oxygen delivery to the root zone, stimulating vigorous root growth and shoot development in nodal explants. This biological innovation not only ensures higher fidelity in genetic traits but also drastically reduces the time required to produce viable planting materials. By optimizing the physiological environment for cassava and yam cuttings, SAH technology facilitates a multiplication rate that was previously unattainable using traditional propagation means.
Dr. Diebiru-Ojo’s vision extended far beyond laboratory success. She adeptly transformed this scientific breakthrough into a scalable enterprise model tailored to the complex socio-economic fabric of smallholder farmers and seed entrepreneurs across Africa. The adoption of SAH by these stakeholders has already demonstrated tangible improvements in planting material quality, crop yield, and resilience. This shift is critical because cassava and yam remain dietary staples for millions of Africans who depend on these crops not only for nutrition but also for economic livelihood.
Translating the research into practical application, Dr. Diebiru-Ojo has championed the development of robust seed systems governed by quality standards and sustainability principles. These systems work to close the gap between innovative research and on-the-ground agricultural realities, linking scientific advancements directly with the farmers who need them most. The impact of this work is multifaceted: it enhances crop health by mitigating viral and fungal diseases, strengthens agricultural value chains, and fosters a dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem that encourages youth and women’s active participation in agribusiness.
From a scientific standpoint, SAH technology leverages controlled nutrient solutions rich in mineral salts and growth regulators that are precisely calibrated to stimulate nodal bud proliferation. The semi-autotrophic aspect refers to the plant’s ability to perform partial photosynthesis while rooted in soilless media, allowing explants to sustain themselves energetically and develop robustly without full dependence on heterotrophic feeding. This balanced autotrophic-heterotrophic growth is what sets SAH apart from conventional tissue culture, reducing the need for complex growth regulators and minimizing somaclonal variation.
Dr. Mercy Diebiru-Ojo’s leadership within IITA and CGIAR has been instrumental in fostering regional collaborations and capacity-building initiatives that prioritize knowledge transfer and technology adoption. By engaging with national agricultural research systems, extension services, and private sector partners, her approach ensures that SAH technology is not an isolated laboratory innovation but an integrated tool within Africa’s broader agricultural innovation ecosystem. This strategy aligns seamlessly with the continent’s ambitions to accelerate rural development and ensure food sovereignty.
The broader implications of Dr. Diebiru-Ojo’s work resonate with urgent global challenges such as climate change, population growth, and food insecurity. Cassava and yam, being climate-resilient crops with considerable nutritional value, represent crucial alternatives to less resilient staples. By increasing the availability of high-quality planting materials through SAH, her work fuels greater agricultural productivity and resilience, providing a lifeline to vulnerable communities facing erratic weather patterns and degraded soils.
Recognition from the Africa Food Prize places Dr. Diebiru-Ojo among a distinguished cadre of innovators whose work has historically shaped the trajectory of African agriculture. The Prize, celebrated as the continent’s most esteemed agricultural honor, not only applauds individual excellence but also underscores the critical importance of science-led agricultural transformation for Africa’s sustainable development. Her award serves as an inspiration for emerging scientists and agripreneurs across the continent, highlighting the potential of targeted innovation to revolutionize food systems.
The success of SAH technology in the field is underscored by measurable metrics, including increased multiplication rates that can exceed 10-fold compared to conventional methods, reduction in seedling production times from several months to mere weeks, and marked decreases in pathogen transmission risks. These improvements translate directly to farmer-level benefits—earlier harvests, improved crop stands, and higher incomes—thereby strengthening rural economies and contributing to poverty alleviation.
Moreover, Dr. Diebiru-Ojo’s efforts have cultivated an enabling environment for youth and women to engage in agribusiness, leveraging SAH technology as a springboard for entrepreneurial endeavors. By democratizing access to clean planting materials, her model nurtures inclusive growth, empowering traditionally marginalized groups and catalyzing community resilience. The creation of seed hubs and decentralized multiplication centers represents a novel institutional innovation that dovetails with the technical advances of SAH.
In scientific discourse, the integration of semi-autotrophic hydroponic methods addresses several limitations of previous propagation systems, including challenges in root aeration, nutrient delivery, and stress tolerance of explants. SAH’s design incorporates aeroponic principles adapted for resource-limited settings, ensuring cost-effectiveness and operational simplicity. Such technical refinements enable rapid scale-up without compromising plantlet quality, positioning SAH as a replicable and sustainable solution across diverse agroecologies.
At its core, Dr. Mercy Diebiru-Ojo’s work epitomizes the synergy between fundamental plant science and applied agricultural development. Her leadership exemplifies how precision-driven solutions tailored to regional crops can generate system-wide transformations that reverberate beyond farm boundaries. As Africa intensifies efforts to feed a rapidly growing population sustainably, innovations like SAH prove indispensable in the quest to enhance food security, agricultural resilience, and economic prosperity.
Her acceptance speech eloquently reflects the forward-looking spirit of this endeavor: “This award is not the end, it is a beginning. A call to action. A reminder that much remains to be done if we are to achieve a food-secure Africa.” This statement reinforces the ongoing commitment required from scientists, policymakers, and communities to harness technology as a catalyst for real-world change.
The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), home to Dr. Diebiru-Ojo’s research, continues to champion cutting-edge science that addresses hunger, malnutrition, and poverty across Africa. Founded in 1967 and operating under the CGIAR constellation, IITA’s strategic priorities align closely with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, emphasizing innovations that enhance food systems resilience and environmental sustainability.
As the continent prepares to embrace the potential unlocked by Semi-Autotrophic Hydroponics, Dr. Diebiru-Ojo’s trailblazing achievement stands as a testament to the power of African-led science. Her work illustrates the transformative impact that emerges when rigorously developed technologies are seamlessly integrated with entrepreneurial models and inclusive policies. Ultimately, this fusion charts a course toward self-sufficient, prosperous agricultural futures in Africa and beyond.
Subject of Research: Agricultural innovation in crop propagation, semi-autotrophic hydroponics, cassava and yam multiplication
Article Title: Dr. Mercy Diebiru-Ojo: Pioneering Semi-Autotrophic Hydroponics to Transform African Cassava and Yam Production
News Publication Date: 2024
Web References:
– https://www.iita.org/
– http://www.iita.org/iita-staff/diebiru-ojo-elohor-mercy/
– https://www.cgiar.org/
References:
DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.20435.90409
Image Credits: CGIAR / IITA
Keywords: Semi-Autotrophic Hydroponics, Cassava, Yam, Crop Multiplication, Agricultural Innovation, Food Security, Plant Propagation, Africa Food Prize, IITA, CGIAR, Sustainable Agriculture, Crop Science
