A Pakistani woman and her vegetable
seedlings. Image courtesy of USAID.With funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, this study was conducted by the National Research Council's Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources to identify technologies with the potential to transform the production capabilities of farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
The resulting
report was authored by a
committee of experts representing different scientific fields who were convened to explore the current technological horizon in search of innovations for sustainable crop and animal production in these developing regions of the world.
Statement of Task [top]
A Study of Technologies to Benefit Farmers in Sub-Saharan African and South Asia
A multinational, multidisciplinary committee will study the potential for new scientific
information and technological tools to assist farmers in Africa and South Asia in the
production of food and fiber. The study will consider the potential impacts of existing
and nascent technologies and explore novel, possibly far-reaching, solutions to problems
facing developing country farmers, including research pursuits that are only in a
conceptual stage. The committee will organize workshops to bring agricultural scientists
together with scientists working on advanced technologies and technological systems in
different disciplines. The study committee will develop a framework for ranking the ideas
that emerge from the workshops and prepare a consensus report that presents its findings,
including categories of specific needs and the scientific and technological breakthroughs
that could address those needs. The report will discuss the relative merits of different
research approaches and technological directions, including the probable time frame and
level of effort required to achieve particular breakthroughs and applications, and the
relative potential of different technologies to positively impact farming in the developing
world.
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This project was sponsored by the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, the foundation is led by CEO Patty Stonesifer and co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of trustees Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.
Committee Roster [top]
The study committee is comprised of individuals selected for their expertise in a wide range of scientific fields and for their diverse professional experiences relevant to the study task. The study was overseen by Robin Schoen, Director of the National Academies'
Board on Agriculture & Natural Resources.
Brian A. Larkins (Chair), University of Nebraska, Lincoln
Brian A. Larkins is the Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Distinguished University Professor
of Life Sciences at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. He previously was the Porterfield Professor of
Plant Sciences at the University of Arizona. Dr. Larkins is an expert in seed biology. He characterized the
zein seed protein genes of maize and illuminated the events leading from gene expression through
deposition of zein proteins into protein bodies of the maize kernel, with significant implications for
protein nutrition of humans worldwide. Dr. Larkins was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in
1996. He was a member of the NRC Subcommittee on Environmental Impacts Associated with
Commercialization of Transgenic Crops: Issues and Approaches to Monitoring. Dr. Larkins was an
associate editor of Plant and Cell Physiology from 2002-2005. From 1991-1992, he was President of the
International Society for Plant Molecular Biology and from 1998-1999, the president of the American
Society of Plant Physiologists. Dr. Larkins earned a B.S. (1969) in biology and a Ph.D. (1974) in botany,
both from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and he was a Postdoctoral Research Associate in
Biochemical Genetics and Plant Physiology at Purdue University from 1975-76.
Steven P. Briggs, University of California, San Diego
Steven P. Briggs is a professor of cell and developmental biology at the University of California, San
Diego. His research looks at post-transcriptional determinants of plant innate resistance to infectious
disease using protein profiling by tandem mass spectrometry combined with plant gene engineering. His
formal training is in plant biology, but his interests encompass the broader issues of systems biology and
regulatory problems in a variety of organisms. Dr. Briggs was elected to the National Academy of Sciences
for being the first to isolate and characterize the mode of action of a plant disease resistance gene, Hm1,
from maize. Before joining the UC San Diego faculty, Dr. Briggs was the Senior Vice President for R&D
Platforms at Diversa Corporation, and before that, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Novartis
Torrey Mesa Research Institute, and global Head of Genomics at Syngenta AG. Dr. Briggs received his
Ph.D. and M.S. in plant pathology from Michigan State University, and his B.S. in botany from the
University of Vermont.
Deborah P. Delmer, Rockefeller Foundation (retired)
Deborah P. Delmer recently retired from her position as the associate director of food security at the
Rockefeller Foundation, where she was the science and policy advisor for research related to the
advancement of agriculture in developing countries. The focus of her work with the Rockefeller
Foundation was agricultural development in Africa. She particularly highlighted abiotic stresses, such as
poor soil quality, metal toxicity, and drought, and biotic stresses such as pests, pathogens, and parasitic
organisms, as two central problems facing African farmers. She has discussed the need for plant biologists
to devote more energy to the realm of translational science, much like the health sciences have recently
done. Dr. Delmer was formerly a professor and chair of the Department of Plant Biology at the University
of California, Davis (1997-2001). She identified the first cellulose synthase gene in flowering plants. Her
research has provided fundamental insights into the enzymatic mechanisms by which cellulose and other
complex cell wall polysaccharides are synthesized. Dr. Delmer was elected into the National Academy of
Sciences for work that pioneered research in cellulose biosynthesis. Dr. Delmer received her Ph.D. (1968)
in cellular biology from the University of California, San Diego, and A.B. (1963) in bacteriology from
Indiana University.
Richard P. Dick, The Ohio State University
Richard P. Dick joined Ohio State University's College of Natural Resources as an Eminent Scholar in
Soil Microbial Ecology in 2004. His research interests are focused on soil ecology and the role of
management in affecting soil functions within ecosystems. Dr. Dick studies the biochemical properties
and processes in the soils in combination with microbial community analysis by using techniques that
measure enzyme activities, microbial biomass, functional diversity, stable isotope probing, and
phospholipid profiling (PLFA) of the microbial community structure. Dr. Dick's research has led to the
development of soil-enzyme assays that can be used as rapid indicators of the effects of soil management
and pollution on soil biology. Land managers and public and regulatory personnel can use those assays to
identify degraded soils and to determine when remediation of soils is complete. He has supervised many
graduate students from developing countries and had a leadership role in a large USAID ag. capacity
building project in Seneagal. Dr. Dick is currently working on a large NSF grant (Biocomplexity) on the
regulation of hydrologic and C cycles by native shrubs in sub-Sahelian Africa. Dr. Dick earned his
doctorate in soil science from Iowa State University in 1985. He joined Oregon State University as an
assistant professor in that year and attained the rank of associate professor in 1991 and of professor in
1996. In 2004 he was awarded an endowed chair as an Ohio Eminent Scholar, and where he is currently a
professor of soil microbial ecology. He is a Fellow of the Soil Science Society of America and the American
Society of Agronomy and was awarded the Senior Research Fulbright Scholar Award in 2000 to conduct
research in West Africa.
Richard B. Flavell, Ceres, Inc.
Richard B. Flavell is the Chief Scientific Officer of Ceres, Inc., a California-based plant genomics
company. He also is currently an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Molecular, Cellular and
Developmental Biology at the University of California, Los Angeles. From 1987 to 1998, he was the
Director of the John Innes Centre in Norwich, England, a premier UK plant and microbial research
institute. Dr. Flavell is an expert in cereal plant genomics, having produced the first molecular maps of
plant chromosomes to reveal their constituent sequences. In 2004, he chaired a scientific and
management review of the International Rice Research Institute in the Phillipines. He currently serves on
the International Biofortification Program Advisory Committee of the World Bank's Consultative Group
on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). He served previously as Secretary to the Board and
Executive Committee of ISAAA (International Service for the Acquistion of Agri-biotech Applications). In
1999, Dr. Flavell was named a Commander of the British Empire for his contributions to plant and
microbial sciences. Dr. Flavell received his Ph.D. from the University of East Anglia and is a Fellow of
EMBO and of The Royal Society of London.
Jonathan Gressel, Weizmann Institute, Israel
Jonathan Gressel is professor emeritus of plant sciences at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel.
He and his research group have actively developed crops, biocontrol agents, and agrotechnologies to
facilitate control of parasitic weeds (such as Striga) with colleagues in Mexico and Kenya. He is the author
of over 265 scientific papers and book chapters and author, co-author, or editor of 6 books. His most
recent books are the Molecular Biology of Weed Control (2002), and Genetic Glass Ceilings: Transgenics
for Crop Biodiversity, to be released in 2007. Dr. Gressel is a past-president of the International Weed
Science Society. He was chairman of the scientific program committee for the 3rd International Weed
Science Congress, held in June 2000 in Brazil. Dr. Gressel received his Ph.D. (1963) in botany and
horticulture and M.Sc. in botany from the University of Wisconsin, and his B.Sc. from Ohio State
University.
Tsegaye Habtemariam, Tuskegee University
Tsegaye Habtemariam is the Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health at
Tuskegee University. Prior to his appointment as dean, Dr. Habtemariam served as associate dean for
Research and Graduate Studies; director of the Center for Computational Epidemiology, Bioinformatics,
and Risk Analysis; director of Biomedical Information Management Systems; and professor of
Epidemiology and Biomedical Informatics. Dr. Habtemariam has conducted more than a dozen
international workshops in Africa, the Caribbean, and the United States in order to train scientists in
science-based risk analysis of animal disease. He has served as a consultant for the Pan American Health
Organization and the World Health Organization; was elected honorary member of the American
Veterinary Epidemiology Society (2004); and served on the National Advisory Committee in
Microbiological Criteria in Foods (2000-2002). Dr. Habtemariam received his Ph.D. (1979) in
epidemiology and MPVM degrees from the University of California, Davis, a D.V.M. (1970) from Colorado
State University, and B.S. in animal sciences from H.S.I. University, Ethiopia. Dr. Habtemarian has a
broad knowledge of animal diseases that affect developing countries.
Rattan Lal, The Ohio State University
Rattan Lal is a professor of soil sciences at Ohio State University (OSU). He also directs the OSU Carbon
Management and Sequestration Center and the South Asia Initiative. Dr. Lal worked for 17 years at the
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture in Ibadan, Nigeria, where he chaired the International
Committee on Tropical Deforestation and Land Development. He is the chief editor of the Encyclopedia of
Soil Science, and he has received numerous awards for his work on soils, including the American Society
of Agronomy's Environmental Quality Research Award (2004). Dr. Lal received his Ph.D. (1968) in soils
at Ohio State University, M.Sc. (1965) in soils at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in New Delhi,
India, and B.Sc. (1963) in agriculture at Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana, India. He grew up on
a farm in Punjab, India. Dr. Lal has a vast understanding of the soil conditions in many regions of the
world, in particular South Asia and Africa.
Alice N. Pell, Cornell University
Alice N. Pell is the director of the Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture and Development
(CIIFAD). As director of CIIFAD, most of her research focuses on tropical farming systems, with an
emphasis on Africa, and the centerpiece being an interdisciplinary project on the relationship between
poverty and environmental degradation in the densely populated Kenyan highlands. Prior to that
appointment, she was a Professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at Cornell University. Dr. Pell's
research areas and teaching fields include rumen microbiology, forage evaluation, modeling and nutrient
cycling. Dr. Pell recently completed two-terms as a member of the NRC's Board on Agriculture and
Natural Resources. She served as a member of the NRC Subcommittee on Dairy Cattle Nutrition and the
Committee on Animal Nutrition. Dr. Pell received her undergraduate degree and a summa cum laude on
her thesis in architectural science from Radcliffe College at Harvard University, her master's degree in
education from Harvard Graduate School of Education; and her master's and Ph.D. degrees in animal
science from the University of Vermont.
Raymond J. St. Leger, University of Maryland
Raymond J. St. Leger is a professor of entomology at the University of Maryland. His research focuses
on understanding the fundamental biology of insect pathogenic fungi and exploiting their
entomopathogenic properties for agricultural benefit. In 1996, he supervised a Centro Nacional de
Investigaciones de Café (CENICAFE) project on coffee pest management in Columbia. In 2001, he
collaborated with the Biocontrol Institute of China to develop effective mycoinsecticides against
grasshopper pests. He currently works with the coffee federation of Columbia to produce a fungus that
targets the broca beetle, a major pest of coffee. Dr. St. Leger is a member of the Society of Invertabrate
Pathology, Society of Microbiology (UK), American Mycological Society, American Society of
Microbiology, and the Genetics Society of America. In 1998 he was a finalist for the Office of Technology
Liason's Invention of the year for a Novel Insecticide. In 2002 he won the faculty research award for the
College of Life Sciences. He received his B.S. (1978) in Biology from Exeter University (UK), his M.S.
(1980) in Entomology from the University of London (UK), and his Ph.D. (1985) from University of Bath
(UK) Dr. St. Leger is an expert on insect biology and novel methods to protect plants from insect pests.
Robert J. Wall, USDA-ARS
Robert J. Wall is a research physiologist with the Biotechnology and Germplasm Laboratory at the U.S.
Department of Agriculture and an adjunct faculty member at the University of Maryland. Dr. Wall's work
in genetic engineering has focused on producing healthy transgenic animals by efficient means. His lab
has produced genetically engineered cattle that are resistant to infection by a mastitis causing bacterium,
demonstrated that a synthetic genetic switch can be used to turn off an oncogene (thus reversing the
hyperplasia caused by a virally induced cancer), and included matrix attachment region (MARs)
sequences in gene constructs to double the production of functional transgenic animals. In 1988, Dr. Wall
was a member of NRC's Panel for Review of Agricultural Sciences Research Proposals Under the A.I.D.
Research Grants Program for the Historically Black Colleges and Universities. In 2005, Dr. Wall was
recognized with the Beltsville Area Senior Research Scientist Award for his outstanding research
accomplishments in the introduction of recombinant DNA molecules into the genome of agricultural
animals. Dr. Wall received his Ph.D. in 1981 from Cornell University.
