Cocoa Borlaug Fellows Program - Dominican Republic – Central American Free Trade Agreement and Mexico
Project Dates: 2007-2012
Eligible Countries: Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Mexico
Funders: U.S. Department of Agriculture/Foreign Agricultural Service and World Cocoa Foundation
Implementer: World Cocoa Foundation and select research institutions
Overview:
The Norman E. Borlaug International Agricultural Science and Technology Fellowship Program will sponsor two scientists from the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA) countries and two scientists from Mexico to complete a 6 to 8-week fellowship in the United States. Fellows will work closely with their assigned mentor, learn new research techniques, access fully equipped libraries, and learn about public-private research partnerships. It is expected that the Fellows will apply the knowledge obtained through the program in their own research and teaching activities, and share it with colleagues at their home institutions and throughout their countries. The Fellows’ mentors will then have the opportunity to travel to the Fellows’ institutions.
Program Objectives:
- To build the capacity of research institutes in cocoa-producing countries to conduct research that supports the modernization and competiveness of the cocoa sector
- To improve researchers’ understanding of the cocoa supply chain
- To strengthen networks between U.S. and producing country research institutes
Progress to Date: Two of the Fellows from DR-CAFTA countries have completed their fellowships:
- Erich Eger, FundaSistemas (Guatemala): worked with Prof. Tom Gianfagna of Rutgers University in New Jersey to identify and document the presence of frosty pod rot (caused by Moniliophthora roreri) in Guatemala and El Salvador. He also participated in studies on potential controls for the disease. The fellowship was completed in 2009.
- Alejandro María Núñez, Instituto Dominicano de Investigaciones Agropecuarias y Forestales, (Dominican Republic): completed his fellowship at Centro Agrónomico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñaza (CATIE) in Costa Rica with Mr. Rolando Cerda in 2009. His fellowship focused on determining soil quality in agroforestry systems using physical, chemical and biological indicators.