CALS Connections to AfricaResearch & Extension EffortsGlobal Seed Programs: Improving Livelihoods Across AfricaISU’s Seed Science Center partners with African organizations to harmonize seed policies and improve access to high-quality seeds in several regions of Africa. Partnering to Enhance Ag Innovation and Biosafety Systems in Africa, AsiaISU and the International Food Policy Research Institute lead a USAID-funded project to work with countries in Africa (Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda) and Asia (Vietnam, Indonesia) that are interested in biotechnology for agricultural innovation. A goal is to empower the countries by fostering science-based decision-making at each stage of product development and use, while strengthening capacity for implementation of biosafety regulatory systems. ISU, University of Nairobi Establish African Seed InstituteISU and partners are working to establish a Seed Enterprise Management Institute at the College of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences in Kabete, Kenya, as part of a grant from the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa. Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Alliance works to help millions of small-scale farmers and their families lift themselves out of poverty and hunger. The new institute will focus on sub-Saharan Africa, where seed supply chains are lacking or inadequate. Nurturing Seeds of a New AfricaWhen it comes to seeds, perhaps there are parallels between Iowa’s past and Africa’s future, says ISU’s director of the Seed Science Center. ISU Leads Research on Biological Fixation of Nitrogen in AfricaImproving bean production offers opportunities to address deteriorating food security in sub-Saharan Africa. Iowa State is the leader of a research project — with both public and private partners — to enhance biological nitrogen fixation of leguminous crops grown on degraded soils in Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania. ISU-Led Research on Nutritional Value, Marketability of Beans in Uganda, RwandaISU scientists and partners at universities and nongovernmental organizations in Uganda and Rwanda will test whether various management practices and technologies result in higher bean yield and quality. They will examine which varieties, processing methods and food combinations can increase consumption and nutritional value. Improving farmers’ linkages to markets and the food industry also are part of the project. Building Research and Extension Capacity at Tanzania UniversitiesThe Innovative Agricultural Research Initiative, a USAID-funded project, will prepare the next generation of agricultural leadership in Tanzania. The project aims to prepare Tanzanian faculty, researchers and extension practitioners to cooperatively address needs of smallholder farmers and the growing agribusiness sector. Ohio State University leads a consortium of six U.S. universities, including Iowa State. |
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