Platform for African – European Partnership in Agricultural Research for Development

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

World Food Prize Ceremony Honors Biotech

WORLD FOOD PRIZE 2013: Guests and spectators watch the 2013 World Food Prize Laureate award ceremony held at the Iowa Capitol in Des Moines. This years winners are Marc Van Montagu of Belgium, Mary-Dell Chilton of the United States and Robert Fraley of the United States. The three researchers played prominent roles in developing biotech crops.
Guests and spectators watch the 2013 World Food Prize
Laureate award ceremony held at the Iowa Capitol in Des Moines 

17 October 2013. The World Food Prize for 2013 was presented at the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines to three researchers who've played key roles in developing genetically modified crops. The music and history-filled ceremony highlighted the biggest and most controversial week in the 27-year history of the annual prize.

The three people who share the $250,000 prize this year are Marc Van Montagu of Belgium, Mary-Dell Chilton of the United States and Robert Fraley of the United States. Van Montagu is founder and chairman of the Institute for Plant Biotechnology Outreach in Ghent, Belgium. Chilton is a distinguished science fellow and founder of Syngenta Biotechnology. Fraley is executive vice president and chief technology officer at Monsanto in St. Louis, Mo.

Speech of Dr. Yemi Akinbamijo starting at 1:56 min (up to 2:06). Borlaug Dialogue Livestream Broadcast. @ 2:31 he answers the question: What will you do to the fact that Africa is trailing in terms of food security... from a research point of view.




Related:
A research scientist at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) – a member of the CGIAR Consortium – is this year’s winner of the prestigious Norman Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application, endowed by the Rockefeller Foundation. Dr. Charity Kawira Mutegi, 38, was named as the prize winner by the World Food Prize Foundation, which administers the award. The Kenyan scientist won the prize for her efforts in different facets of aflatoxin management in Kenya, spanning a decade. Aflatoxin is a natural toxin produced by a mold which causes death and disease in consumers and massive economic damage to farmers, especially in developing countries.

Related:
16 October 2013. CRDF Global and The Association of African Agricultural Professionals in the Diaspora (AAAPD) organised side event on:  Partnering for Africa's next decade of agricultural development: listening to farmers, supporting scientists
  • Welcome and Overview, Andrew Manu, President – Association of African Agricultural Professionals in the Diaspora (AAAPD); Professor & Washington Carver Chair, Iowa State University, Event Co-Chair & Moderator 
  • AAAPD/CRDF Global Fellowship in African Agricultural Science & Technology (FAAST) Announcement, Marilyn Pifer, Director of Capacity Building Programs, CRDF Global, Event Co-Chair 
New Opportunities for Making Substantial Gains in African Agriculture
  • Mandivamba Rukuni, former Dean of Agriculture, University of Zimbabwe: AAAPD/CRDF Global Fellowship in African Agricultural Science & Technology (FAAST) : Mobilizing Africa’s Latent Diaspora Resources through Science, Technology and Capacity Building 
  • Focus on African Farmers: “We Are Speaking But No One is Listening”, Dyborn Chibonga, CEO of NASFAM, Malawi 
  • Harnessing Africa’s Secondary Agriculture: New Products & Technology Opportunities, Desh Verma, Professor of Plant Molecular Biology, Ohio State University 
Practical Considerations: A Quest for Real Capacity
Following speakers addressed the opportunities to engage the African diaspora to help smallholder farmers reap the benefit of technological improvements:
  • Building for African Agriculture & Food Security, Meaza Demissie, Program Manager, CRDF Global, Moderator 
  • Africa’s Appropriate Technology Development, the Role of Industry, Mark Edge, Director of Water Efficient Maize for Africa Partnerships, Monsanto Corporation 
  • Partnerships to Enhance Skills Development, the Role of Private Foundations, Jacob Mignouna, Senior Program Officer, Gates Foundation 
  • Building Agricultural Human Capacity, the Role of U.S. Universities, Kendall Lamkey, Professor & Chair of Agronomy, Iowa State University

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