paul c. anderson, ph.d. executive director, international programs
pcanderson@danforthcenter.org
Te Office of International Programs (OIP) is charged with addressing the Danforth Center mission statement to “Feed the hungry and improve human health” as it applies to developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Te Office of International Programs (oip) has a mission of “Crop improvement through advanced biotechnology for a meaningful impact on food production, food quality, and food security”. Tis mission includes two important strategic components. Te first is a focus on food security crops, those crops that people depend on when other sources of nourishment fail. Te second component is the realization of superior product development and delivery capabilities. Tis includes having in-house capacities in key resource and expertise areas, capable collaborators and partners in developing countries, and a network of additional resources that can be called upon to accomplish objectives. To realize its goals, the oip group addresses a broad range of crops including cassava, sweet potato, groundnut (peanut), maize, rice, sorghum, and cowpea. Te projects associated with these crops are at varied stages of maturity with the major focus being on cassava. In the area of product development, the oip interacts very closely with partner institutions located in countries that will benefit most from the work being done. Tese institutions take the lead in field testing efforts. Countries include Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa, with multiple collabo- rations being established in additional countries throughout the world. During the past year the International Programs group has attracted additional expertise in the areas of regulatory affairs, communications, and nutrition to supplement the areas of project coordination, field testing, biosafety, etc. Te group now represents one of the strongest and most capable biotechnology teams outside of for-profit agricultural companies. As such the oip is in a position to work with institutions beyond the Danforth Center to assist in their product development efforts. Tis activity will continue to be a growing focus of the group as it moves forward.
Te Office of International Programs, in conjunction with the laboratory of Dr. Claude Fauquet, provides product development leadership to the Virus-Resistant Cassava for Africa (virca) proj- ect, which is dually funded by the Monsanto Fund and usaid, from the American People. In 2009, under Dr. Mark Halsey’s lead- ership, an application for a gm cassava trial was submitted and approved in Uganda through our partnership with the National Agricultural Research Organization (naro). Planting of a trial of plants to evaluate resistance to cassava mosaic disease took place in
the fourth quarter of the year and is ongoing. In collaboration with Dr. Richard Sayre, the project Principal Investigator, and Dr. Martin Fregene, the project coordinator, the oip provides test- ing and regulatory support for the BioCassava Plus project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This project, which is directed at making multiple nutritional improvements in cassava, conducted field tests in Puerto Rico. An application was also ap- proved to evaluate cassava plants in Nigeria and a study was planted in the fourth quarter of 2009.
In 2008 the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded the Dan- forth Center with a grant to fund the Biosafety Resource Network (brn). Its goal is the provision of biosafety expertise to the Gates funded projects on nutritional improvement of banana, cassava, rice, and sorghum. Dr. Hector Quemada directs the work of the network’s team of consultants. During 2009 significant efforts were made to put in place systems for tracking plant materials produced by the brn supported gm projects. Key proteins, worked with by the projects, are being produced and evaluated to confirm food safety. Te brn also supplies assistance in the preparation of ap- plications for field testing. Mary Rieger provides administrative support to the brn.
Under the usaid, from the American People-funded Program for Biosafety Systems (pbs), the oip is continuing to assist African governments in crafting regulations to enable the field-testing of transgenic crops. Jeff Stein, pbs biosafety advisor, has been work- ing with the Africa Agricultural Technology Foundation (aatf) to advance product development activities on cowpea in multiple West Africa countries.
Finally, the Office of International Programs with the leadership of Dr. Mark Halsey is taking the first steps toward development of field test site facilities in Africa for use by public institutions inside and outside Africa. Te site will provide a means to conduct crop evalua- tion on the ground in Africa in a single well-managed facility, before proceeding to subsequent work in multiple African countries. Plans are underway for the first planting in this coming year.
Te Office of International Programs is supported by Ann Kruse, who also provides communications expertise.
2009 scientific report the donald danforth plant science center page 29
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