During the 54^th Meeting of the World Vegetable Center Board of Directors, held 26-29 November 2018 at WorldVeg Eastern and Southern Africa in Arusha, Tanzania, board members toured the regional office campus and learned first-hand about initiatives to develop solar dryers for vegetables, innovations in below-ground grafting chambers, and vegetable business hubs to engage young people in horticultural production.

They also visited farmers in nearby Usa River who are testing low net tunnels to protect their crops from pests and reduce pesticide use.

The board approved the Center’s 2019 operational plan, risk management plan, budget, and upcoming audits of regional offices and WorldVeg projects. Members encouraged WorldVeg to put its collection of traditional African vegetables to greater use to tackle malnutrition and create income and employment opportunities for women and youth. New initiatives and alliances for food safety, nutrition, demand creation, and youth employment were noted as additional areas for emphasis.

New board members from Africa—Lindiwe Sibanda and Ndidi Nwuneli—were approved for initial three-year terms, and two new country representatives for Taiwan, Chen Chi-chung and Wang Shyh-Shyan, were welcomed.

The board also thanked Didit Ledesma for her service to the board. Didit has served as Board Secretary since 2009; she will retire in April 2019.

The 2019 board meetings will be held in April and November.