On 21-22 July 2017, the Tanzania Official Seed Certification Institute (TOSCI) held its annual board meeting at WorldVeg Eastern and Southern Africa in Arusha, Tanzania -- and learned more about WorldVeg research in breeding and crop management.
(left to right) Ajay Dayal (Product Development Manager of Rasi HyVeg Seed), M Anil (Rasi HyVeg Gourd Breeder) and WorldVeg Cucurbit Breeder Narinder Dhillon select F1 bitter gourd hybrids in the field.
Derek Barchenger joined WorldVeg as a Postdoctoral Scientist – Breeding on 1 August 2017. Derek recently completed and received his PhD degree in plant and environmental sciences from New Mexico State University, USA, where he focused on chili pepper genetics and breeding. During his PhD training, Derek received a 2016 Borlaug Fellowship and spent his six-month term at WorldVeg headquarters under the mentorship of Pepper Breeder Sanjeet Kumar. While at WorldVeg, Derek implemented a Phytophthora capsici race characterization protocol to support international anticipatory breeding against this devastating pathogen. Welcome back, Derek!
Bola Amoke Awotide, Postdoctoral Scientist - Agricultural Economics, joined WorldVeg in June 2017 at the West and Central Africa – Dry Regions office in Bamako, Mali. She has extensive experience in the design of comprehensive household and community surveys to study gender and agricultural resource management and has developed econometric models linking the adoption of improved maize varieties to changes in livelihoods in Africa. She received a PhD in Agricultural Economics from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria in 2013.
Sanju Kunwar, a PhD student from the University of Florida, is on a 2-month internship from 1 July to 31 August 2017 at WorldVeg headquarters. Sanju is working on “Evaluation of Tomato Bacterial Wilt Resistance” under the supervision of Peter Hanson in Tomato Breeding.
Judith Yenoukoume Firmine Ayina Honfoga has been appointed as Research Assistant – Agronomist at the Center’s new office for West and Central Africa - Coastal & Humid Regions in Cotonou, Benin. She holds an MSc in Applied Plant Biology from Abomey-Calavi University, Benin. Judith previously worked in a cowpea pest control program at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).
Nithya Gowdru Vishwanath, Postdoctoral Scientist - Agricultural Economics and CIM Returning Expert, joined the Center on 18 July 2017 for a two-year term in the Hyderabad office. She holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics from Humboldt University in Berlin. Nithya is working on the BMZ-funded "Resist, Detect, Protect" project to characterize smallholder tomato and chili pepper systems in Bangladesh and India to identify suitable impact pathways for insect resistant varieties and pest management practices. She will also work on a mungbean adoption study for India and support the GIZ-funded Green Innovation project.
Hailey Hampton, of Darlington, Idaho, USA is a 2017 Borlaug/Ruan International intern who elected to spend eight weeks at WorldVeg headquarters this summer. The Borlaug-Ruan International Internship provides exceptional high school students with the opportunity to work with world-renowned scientists and policymakers at leading research centers in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.
The Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences (VAAS) organized a field day on integrated pest management (IPM) under WorldVeg’s Attraction in Action project, funded by BMZ/GIZ.
Impressed by what he learned from a prior visit with the WorldVeg team, the President of Cameroon asked ten parliamentarians from the north and far north regions of the country to visit WorldVeg activities in Yaoundé on July 7.