Rationale World population is forecast to grow to 9 billion by 2050. Meeting the needs of this projected global population will require a massive increase in food production. This is a huge challenge, but there are also many opportunities. In
Activities The aim was to produce a model for dialogue and communication in African nations – Ghana, Tanzania, Nigeria and Uganda – selected on their willingness to engage in the adoption of new agricultural techniques and technologies to address food security and economic development, and because of their diverse regional climatic and soil differences. Success here could serve as a model for wider application.
Activity 1 – Overall Benefit and Promise of Genetics. Production of a scholarly publication, linked to a dedicated website, which synthesizes information and views from global opinion leaders about the potential benefits, concerns, applications and consequences of new genetic technologies for farming in Africa; audiences will particularly be policy makers, regulators, and governments , but also media, teaching and research institutions, famers’ organizations and the general public,
Activity 2 – Effective Communication of Genetics and Agricultural technology. A professional development Fellowship on modern techniques of crop breeding, genetics and agricultural technologies for media professionals. Journalists and editors from radio, television, newspapers and online outlets were enrolled, by competitive application, in a Fellowship programme that offered technical training combined with field-visits, mentoring, support, and long-term networking amongst the Fellows, and between them and the research community of their country
Activity 3 – Strengthening and Enabling Implementation. Scoping studies of how to strengthen extension services that deal with an enterprise culture through application of the new technologies of plant breeding genetics (eg hybrid breeding, marker-assisted selection, transgenic breeding) as well as other socio-economic studies. Extension officers provide the crucial link between the knowledge-base in institutions that hold the intellectual know-how, and small-scale farmers.
Funding The project was funded by the independent John Templeton Foundation and Malaysian Commonwealth Studies Centre & Cambridge Malaysian Education and Development Trust for a period of six years beginning in July 2011.
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