Cocoa Borlaug Fellows Program - ecuador

Project Dates: 2009

 

Eligible Countries: Ecuador

Funders: PL 480 Corporation

Implementer: World Cocoa Foundation and select research institutions

Overview

 

The Norman E. Borlaug International Agriculture Science and Technology Fellows Program is sponsoring three scientists from Instituto Nacional Autónomo de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (INIAP), the national agricultural research institute of Ecuador, 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 institution and throughout their country.  The fellows’ mentors will then have the opportunity to travel to the fellows’ institution.

 

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 US and producing country research institutes

 

Progress to Date: The fellows have been selected as follows:

 

Raquel Guerrero: will work with Dr. Bryan Bailey at the US Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Service/Sustainable Perennial Crops Lab in Beltsville, Maryland.  She will focus on formulation research and early evaluation techniques regarding use of parasitic fungi in the genus Trichoderma as a biocontrol for fungal diseases such as frosty pod rot (caused by Moniliophthora roreri) and witches’ broom (caused  by Moniliophthora perniciosa). She will complete her fellowship from May 25-July 17, 2009.

 

Alexis Matute: will also work with Dr. Bailey in Beltsville, Maryland.  His work focuses on developing techniques for farmers to improve productivity and reduce incidence of disease.  Specifically, he is focusing on plant nutrition. He will complete his fellowship from May 25-July 17, 2009.

 

James Quiroz: will work with Dr. Juan Carlos Motamayor at the US Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Service/Subtropical Horticulture Research Station in Miami, Florida.  He will work on DNA fingerprinting of germplasm collections in order to compare INIAP’s collections located in Napo and Pichilingue, Ecuador. He will complete his fellowship from June 1-July 24, 2009.