Partners

UK

NIAB provides independent science-based research and information to support, develop and promote agriculture and horticulture; helping the industry to fulfil its potential in supplying food and renewable resources, while respecting the natural environment. The NIAB research groups based at NIAB EMR have extensive experience in delivering fundamental and industrially relevant research on horticultural crops and their interactions with the environment.

Contact: Professor Gerard Bishop

AFRICA

Kenya

The World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) is an international research organisation under the umbrella of CGIAR, which works on trees for the benefit of people and the environment by developing, sharing and storing knowledge practices. ICRAF is hosting the genomics lab of African Orphan Crops Consortium (AOCC), where a sequencing facility is established to develop genomics-based technologies to help in improving 101 targeted African neglected crops.

Project lead: Dr Prasad Hendre

Tanzania

Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute- Mikocheni (TARI- Mikocheni) - will develop and disseminate appropriate technologies to improve farming systems and the livelihood of farmers in the coastal belt of Tanzania. The Institute is responsible for the promotion and coordination of agricultural biotechnology and also conduct outreach programs including on-farm research and training sessions for the dissemination of new technologies.

Project lead: Dr Ruth Minja

World Vegetable Center is the world’s leading international non-profit research and development institute committed to alleviating poverty and malnutrition in developing countries through increased production and consumption of nutritious and health-promoting vegetables. It maintains the world’s largest public sector vegetable genebank, with a particular focus on hardy traditional vegetables important as food primarily for resource-poor people, as well as on wild relatives of common vegetables. The centre holds 300 accessions of African eggplant and through its breeding programmes has released commercial cultivars that have had highly significant economic impact

Project lead: Dr Fekadu Dinssa

Uganda

Uganda Christian University (UCU) was established by the Church of Uganda in 1997 in response to a call for quality university education with a Christian perspective. Through different partnerships UCU has been at the forefront of developing innovations to tackle the challenges of small-scale farmers especially in respect of malnutrition and poverty. It is host to the Africa Solanaceae Consortium (Afri-Sol) which is a network of scientists and other stakeholders with interests in African Solanaceae species having the goal of unlocking their potential for the improvement of nutrition, health and income.

Project lead: Dr Elizabeth Kizito