FBSciences and Clinton Foundation Announce Significant Advancements for African Crop Production

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Sept. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- FBSciences, Inc., a global life science leader in natural plant health technologies, is pleased to announce the findings of a two-year agricultural research and trial program in Malawi as part of the Clinton Foundation and Salida Capital Foundation Partnership for Sustainable Development in Africa. Over the two-year average, the soybean seed treatment trials saw a 30% average yield increase (+US$418 per hectare), the maize seed treatment a 30% average yield increase (+US$189 per hectare), and the maize fertilizer enhancement trials yielded an average increase of 37% (+US$187 per hectare)[i]. The results were significant in their implications for Malawi, one of the 20 poorest nations where 40 percent of the population lives on less than one dollar per day (US$350/year). For local farmers and their families, these yields translate to double the average annual income of the average Malawi farmer.

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In 2010, Salida Capital partnered with the Clinton Development Initiative (CDI) to increase the scope and impact of sustainable agriculture projects, including the CDI-run Mpherero Farm in Malawi, part of CDI's Anchor Farm Project. Salida Capital recognized the importance of improved agricultural technologies years ago when it first got involved with FBSciences. As part of the CDI's extensive agricultural work, Salida Capital charted a path forward for the projects in Malawi that included FBSciences' naturally derived and environmentally-friendly seed treatment and fertilizer technologies, which are generating excitement for agricultural modernization efforts in a region where food security is the chief economic vehicle for moving communities and individuals out of poverty.

The results of the FBSciences trials have many excited, including President Bill Clinton. "The Clinton Development Initiative has been working in close partnership with the Government and people of Malawi to help lift farmers' incomes in ways that can be locally sustained. Providing farmers with effective, fairly-priced, and safe farm inputs is an important part of our work. We need to create more models like this, and I'm very thankful to Salida Capital for the program's success," says President Clinton.

As large numbers of smallholder farm families increase their incomes, they have the ability to improve their living condition and quality of life as well as the lives of their families. They can also afford to access available healthcare, education, and a higher level of food security.

Salida Capital President and CEO, Courtenay Wolfe, is also very proud of these results. "When we originally partnered with FBSciences it was because we saw not only a positive commercial business opportunity but also the potential for huge technological advancement in the agriculture sector that would materially impact the lives of farmers on a global basis. A primary goal of our alliance with the Clinton Foundation is to bring together philanthropy and commercial activities to produce sustainable growth and self-sufficiency for developing nations. The success of these trials is a perfect example of that powerful synergy," says Wolfe.

FBSciences says they are honored to have had the opportunity to donate their time, resources, and technological assets toward their shared goal of providing smallholder farmers with access to quality inputs for maize and soybeans. "We are thrilled at the opportunity to further the missions of the Clinton Foundation and the Salida Capital Foundation to provide sustainable, long-term agribusiness solutions to developing nations," says FBSciences CEO, Dr. David N. Duncan. "We are proud of the work we've accomplished with all our partners at Anchor Farm in Malawi and we would recommend this technology to other countries or locations looking to improve agricultural productivity or food production." The FBSciences field trials at Anchor Farm are spurring great hopes for the local economy and the lives of the Malawi people and surrounding nations are taking notice. FBSciences is currently in talks with other sub-Saharan countries to expand their research trial program.

With nearly 90 percent of Malawi's population engaged in farming, and one-third of the nation's GDP fueled by agriculture, the government of Malawi knows investment in agribusiness will go a long way to move communities and individuals out of poverty. FBSciences is grateful to both the Salida and Clinton Foundations and the government of Malawi for the invitation to conduct its trials in the development and use of its natural products with the growers in Malawi. In addition to working with the Malawi government to approve the products used in the Anchor Farm trials for full-scale commercial use, FBSciences also has current yearlong trials with Bunda Agricultural College and African seed producer and distributor Seed Co., the results of which are forthcoming. FBSciences has made several on-site visits supporting trial work with these partners that will go a long way in promoting and empowering local growers with the technology and knowledge necessary to ensure long-term success in the region.

President Clinton recently toured Southern Africa supporting his various initiatives in the region. The President used this trip as an opportunity to garner support in the region for more projects like the FBSciences Malawi trials, continuing his Foundation's mission to improve global health, strengthen economies, promote healthier childhoods, and protect the environment by fostering partnerships among governments, businesses, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and private citizens to turn good intentions into measurable results.

About FBSciences, Inc.
FBSciences, a leader in naturally-derived plant health innovation, is committed to helping farmers around the world achieve optimal plant health and crop performance through innovative, scientific principles. Their researchers have identified, extracted, and refined compounds from natural sources with the power to distinctively improve crop productivity. FBSciences' products offer a safe, practical, and environmentally sustainable solution for achieving greater crop yields through better plant health and physiology. FBSciences is headquartered in Collierville, Tenn. Learn more at www.FBSciences.com. 

About the William J. Clinton Foundation
Building on a lifetime of public service, President Bill Clinton established the William J. Clinton Foundation with the mission to improve global health, strengthen economies, promote healthier childhoods, and protect the environment by fostering partnerships among governments, businesses, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and private citizens to turn good intentions into measurable results. Since 2001, President Clinton's vision and leadership have resulted in more than 4.5 million people benefiting from lifesaving HIV/AIDS treatment; more than 14,000 U.S. schools building healthier learning environments; more than 26,000 micro-entrepreneurs, small business owners, and smallholder farmers improving their livelihoods and communities; and more than 2 million tons of greenhouse gases cut or abated in some of the world's largest cities. And President Clinton has redefined the way we think about giving and philanthropy through his Clinton Global Initiative, whose members have made more than 2,100 commitments that are improving the lives of nearly 400 million people in more than 180 countries.

[i] Economic analysis based on Malawi market prices at time of harvest. Soybeans market price was US$790 and US$685 per metric ton per hectare in 2011 and 2012 respectively. Maize market price was US$150 and US$185 per metric ton per hectare in 2011 and 2012 respectively.

SOURCE FBSciences