World Food Prize Foundation seeks Partnership in Agriculture 

The World Food Prize Foundation has called for a strong partnership in agriculture to improve food and national security.

The foundation made the call in a virtual roundtable session themed, “International Partnership for Food and Nation Security in Developing World”, organized by Food Futures Institute and Murdoch University, Australia.

Dr. Chiedozie Egesi, the Director of NextGen Africa, who is also the New Executive Director of the National Root Crops Institute (NRCRI) during the session, highlighted the NextGen Cassava Project and its evolution.

He discussed the importance of cassava farming and its resistance during climate change and other hazards, noting that 500 million people – 40% of the world’s population depend on cassava for daily consumption.

Egesi said that NextGen cassava is aimed at empowering farmers through innovative and sustainable cassava farming and also provides an approach to ensure that individual farmers are empowered and responsible, with links to sustainable seed systems capable of last mile delivery.

Also, Professor Lise Korstern of the Department of Science and Innovation/National Research Foundation Center of Excellence, Food Security, University of Pretoria, South Africa, discussed and highlighted how impacts have been made on agriculture by the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building Product in Agriculture (RUFORUM), through the strengthening of human capital development in Africa and also the enhancement of future frontiers for global collaboration and partnerships in higher education and research in Africa.

She stated that significant contributions have been made through training of various students in MSc and PhD programs, research grants and the establishment of various networks with Africa Union and international partners.

In answering the question on strategies to improve Genetically Modified Crops (GMO), Dr. Chikelu Mba, who is the Team Leader of Seed and PGR’s, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), stated that the issue of GM crops is not contentious and that there has been a safety protocol on biosafety which is the template that provides safety protocol for transfer of living modified organisms.

He said that there is also a framework for plant genetic resources which is led by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

“Through this normative process, there’s the second global plan of action for food and agriculture that sets out a team priority activities that countries implement in order to save their plant genetic resources and to use them sustainably,” he said.

Speaking further, Dr. Vivienne Anthony who is the Senior Scientific Advisor, Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture advised researchers to connect the science with the people that are going to value their work.

Also, she said that their research must be trackable and must be applicable to current situations.

The moderator for the session, Professor Rajeev Varshney, during the closing remarks emphasized the need for partnership.

“Partnership is very imperative for the success of an initiative or a project and it is required to tackle rising issues in agriculture.

“There’s a need for a more progressive organization which will serve as the voice of farmers,” Prof. Varshney noted.

Source: Agro Nigeria