Upcoming events: East Africa [ Show All ]

Fall Armyworm is here to stay. So, what can be done to address this threat to food security and farmer incomes?

A key to effective management of FAW is farmer access to the full range of technologies used to control the pest. This webinar will walk through innovative tools available in Africa and how policies and the enabling environment play a critical role in allowing these tools to flow to farmers.

This webinar will highlight Brazil’s success in addressing the Fall Armyworm (FAW) and facilitating agriculture transformation via changes to the legal/regulatory environment as well as research investments to unlock agriculture technology and private sector investment. Building on the Brazil experience, USAID will discuss the range of technologies available to combat FAW in the African context.

Webinar participants will have time to ask questions and engage directly with two of the leading experts in FAW, including Dr. Joe Huesing, USAID’s FAW Lead Scientist, who will discuss the importance of an integrated pest management (IPM) approach and a range of technologies available to reduce loss from FAW. Participants will also hear from Dr. Antonio Álvaro Corsetti Purcino of Embrapa, Brazil’s leading agricultural research institution, on the important role policy played in Brazil's management of FAW and ultimate ag transformation,

The University of California, Davis has opened registration for Class IV of the African Plant Breeding Academy^SM in collaboration with The African Union New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Agency, the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), The Alliance for a Green Revolution for Africa (AGRA), Mars, Incorporated and the African Orphan Crops Consortium. The UC Davis African Plant Breeding Academy is a premium professional certificate program. To date, more than 80 scientists from 25 countries across the African continent have participated. This program is part of global professional training coordinated by UC Davis Plant Breeding Academy serving crop improvement professionals in the North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, making the UC Davis Plant Breeding Academy the most recognized program of its kind. The program covers the fundamentals and the most recent developments in plant breeding theory and practice. UC Davis is often recognized as a top University in the world for teaching and research in agriculture.

The goal of the African Plant Breeding Academy is to train practicing African plant breeders in the most advanced theory and technologies for plant breeding in support of critical decisions for crop improvement. This includes the latest concepts in plant breeding, quantitative genetics, statistics and experimental design. It also includes accurate and precise trait evaluations, development of appropriate strategies to integrate genomics into breeding programs, and experience in identifying and utilizing DNA-based markers in breeding programs. The instructors are internationally recognized experts in plant breeding, genetics, and seed technology. The program is delivered in three 2-week sessions at the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) in Nairobi, Kenya.