Seed Systems Development Workshop Home
Speakers
Kouadio Amavi (kamavi@ifdc.org) is information and communication technology (ICT) promotion manager with the Communal Approach to Agricultural Markets (ACMA3), a five-year program that uses ICTs to strengthen relations among those in the agribusiness cluster to increase the supply and quality of products from climate-resilient farms. ACMA3 is implemented by a consortium led by the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC)–Benin, CARE International, and the KIT Royal Tropical Institute of the Netherlands. Kouadio has nearly 15 years of experience in deploying ICTs, Market Information Systems, and GIS to support agricultural development endeavors across West Africa. Before his current assignment, he served as ICT advisor for the USAID-funded Feed the Future Ghana—Agriculture Technology Transfer (ATT) Project, an initiative that developed and disseminated technologies to improve the competitiveness of Northern Ghana’s rice, maize, and soybean value chains. Part of this project involved disseminating to farmers and farming communities information on agricultural innovations and good agronomic practices (including the use of certified seeds) using radio broadcasts and video-based extension. Kouadio received his Computer Systems Engineering degree from BlueCrest College/NIIT (Ghana).
George Bigirwa (gbigirwa@agra.org), director of the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa’s (AGRA) Center of Excellence for Seed Systems in Africa (CESSA), is a plant pathologist with a long career in creating and sustaining links between public research institutions and private seed companies in the African region. Since joining AGRA in 2007, he has established and mentored over 100 home-grown African seed companies supplying 65% of their countries’ seed needs. He has helped establish several models for early generation seed (EGS) production and acquisition in various countries and has substantially contributed to efforts to reform seed policies. He is behind the development of the Seed Systems Assessment Tool (SeedSAT), which is now used to identify and prioritize gaps in national seed systems and inform national seed investment plans. He also spearheaded the establishment of CESSA as a “go to” institution for matters related to seeds. Before joining AGRA, he did research and administration work with the National Agricultural Research Organization of Uganda. His work as a researcher resulted in developing and releasing several maize and rice varieties, some of which are now being grown commercially in East African countries. He serves on several regional and international bodies, has published widely, and has supervised numerous post-graduate students. PowerPoint Presentation presented by Jane Ininda
Jessica Blake (jdwilker@iastate.edu) is interim Manager of Seed Quality Testing at the Seed Science Center’s Seed Lab. She supervises three labs that test for purity, germination, vigor, and traits. A Registered Seed Technologist, she has been with the SSC for more than 15 years, performing a variety of roles—from overseeing daily lab operations to managing the current ISO system. A deep understanding of the Seed Lab’s unique needs led to improved implementation and maintenance of an ISO system and highly efficient quality testing protocols. She ensures that all procedures abide by international rules and standards. Blake’s hand in training seed industry practitioners on proper testing procedures saw more than 80 purity analysts passing the certification exam to become Registered Seed Technologists. She serves on the Exam Committee of the Association of Official Seed Analysts and Society of Commercial Seed Technologists and has been proctoring and grading seed testing exams for these two entities since 2018. Blake holds an AA from Kirkwood Community College (Iowa) and a BSc in Biology from ISU.
Jill Cairns (J.Cairns@cgiar.org) is a crop physiologist whose current research is focused on the development, validation and deployment of new phenotyping tools to increase maize breeding efficiency. She is part of a team that validates new seed production technologies critical to increasing genetic gain within breeding programs in Africa. Jill currently leads the Bill & Melinda Gates- funded project Seed Production Technology for Africa (SPTA). She is also involved in a number of projects in eastern and southern Africa including those that aim to increase the gender responsiveness of maize breeding and the ability of biofortified crops to reach nutritional outcomes across soil fertility gradients. Now a principal scientist at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), she has over 25 years of experience in South East Asia, Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa. She has published more than 90 articles in peer-reviewed international journals. Jill holds a PhD in Plant Sciences from the University of Aberdeen (UK)/Africa Rice (Côte d’Ivoire).
Dr. Samuel Crowell (sam.crowell@betterseeds.org) joined the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) in 2022, where he serves as a Sr. Director for International Programs and Policy. Prior to ASTA, Sam worked in the U.S. government for several years, where he was responsible for regulatory, trade, and foreign affairs. He holds a Ph.D. in the plant sciences and international development from Cornell University, where he conducted field work on rice germplasm, genomics, and high-throughput phenotyping at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Baños, Philippines. Crowell PowerPoint Presentation
Yacouba Diallo (yacouba@afsta.org) is secretary general of the African Seed Trade Association (AFSTA), a not-for-profit membership association that champions the interests of private seed companies in Africa. Currently, it has about 100 members comprising of seed companies and national seed trade associations, among other entities. Yacouba is an agribusiness and marketing expert with over 20 years of experience in international development, including agribusiness and value chain development and private sector strengthening. Under the West Africa Seed Program, he established an alliance of agribusiness stakeholders to enhance regional entrepreneurship. Prior to that, he worked in various capacities as a researcher and marketing manager, structuring, along the way, public-private partnerships to increase the production and export of fruits and vegetables. He holds a doctorate in Business Administration from the Business Science Institute (Luxembourg), the IAE Lyon Institut d'Administration des Entreprises (the School of Management of the Jean Moulin University Lyon3), and the African Center for Advanced Studies in Management (CESAG); an MBA from the HECI Business School (Morocco), and master’s degrees in International Business, Global Marketing and Internationalization from EEMI (France) and the Université Ouaga II (Burkina Faso). PowerPoint Presentation
Ryan Guilford (rguilford@applewoodseed.com) is chief operating officer of the employee-owned and Colorado-based Applewood Seed Company, which started from humble beginnings in 1965 to become a leading producer of wildflower and garden flower seed and a wholesaler of native grass and herb seed for a wide range of geographic regions and special applications. Started as a hobby seed collection, Applewood Seed now has operations spanning Asia, Africa, South America, North America, and Europe. Prior to being an Applewood Seed executive, Ryan held a variety of executive positions in technology and manufacturing. He earned his MBA (Finance) from Regis University (Colorado) and a Master’s in Accountancy from the University of Denver.
Adelaida Harries (adelaida.harries@gmail.com), who founded her own seed company, C&H Seeds, now independently consults with government and non-government entities on seed systems. She retired from ISU’s Seed Science Center (SSC) where she served as research scientist. Before joining ISU, she led the Argentine National Seed Institute’s policymaking in the areas of biosafety, plant variety protection, seed certification and testing, variety release, seed import and export, and phytosanitary issues. She was part of the team that formulated the regulatory framework for genetically modified seeds in Argentina under the Minister of Agriculture. Her deep and broad understanding of seed and biosafety policy and regulation stems from her long-standing working relationships with the National Biosafety Commission of Argentina (CONABIA), the Program for Biosafety Systems of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the Organization for Economic and Development Cooperation (OECD), the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV), and the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA). At the Seed Science Center, she led projects that harmonized seed policies and regulations in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), and the African Seed Trade Association (AFSTA). She also oversaw the implementation of the Seed Policy Enhancement in African Regions (SPEAR) project in Nigeria, Malawi, and Zambia and developed standard operating procedures for confined field trials, as well as biosafety compliance and inspection of Bt cotton seeds in Malawi, Ghana and Kenya. A Fulbright scholar, she received her BSc in Agronomy and Engineering from the Universidad de Morón (Argentina). Powerpoint presentation presented by Adelaida Harries
Kunosoth Keshavulu (keshava_72@yaho.com) is the first Asian to hold the office of president of the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA), a non-profit organization that works to standardize seed quality evaluation worldwide in order to facilitate the trade of quality seeds. He has over 27 years of experience in research administration, seed legislation and policy, management of plant genetic resources, seed planning and multiplication, and international seed testing rules. He holds a master’s and a doctoral degree in Agricultural Sciences with specialization in Seed Science and Technology from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (India). He also was a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of California, Davis. As head of the seed sector in India’s state of Telangana, he promoted sustainable seed systems and organic farming which benefitted more than ten states. Powerpoint presentation presented by Kunosoth Keshavulu
Melesse Maryo (melesse.maryo@ebi.gov.et) is director general of the Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute (EBI), whose main objective is to rescue the country’s plant genetic resources from the adverse impacts of human activities and natural calamities and thus support crop improvement programs. Before leading EBI, he was vice president for research and technology transfer at Dilla University (Ethiopia). He is an agro-ecologist, specializing in agro-biodiversity. He is one of two African representatives to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Conference of Parties (COP), and the International Treaty for Plant Genetic Resource for Food and Agriculture. He also sits on the board of the Ethiopian Agriculture Council and Gulele Botanical Garden. He earned his PhD in Botany (Plant Biology and Biodiversity Management) from Addis Ababa University. His research areas include agrobiodiversity conservation, agroecology, ethnomedicinal studies, enset research, land use/land cover studies, and forest ecology.
Peter Okoth Mbogo (pmbogo@agra.org), based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, is a specialist in seed sector development, East and Southern Africa, under AGRA’s Center of Excellence in Seed Systems (CESSA) unit. He uses CESSA’s Seed System Assessment Tool (SeedSAT) to support the comprehensive analysis of national seed systems across the continent. Prior to joining AGRA, Peter worked with the Seedco Group as senior maize breeder and projects coordinator. He is also a member of the Switzerland-based International Seed Federation’s (ISF) Task Force on “Empowering Farmers through the Diversity of the Seed Sector” and Africa’s representative to its Breeders’ Committee. He has over 20 years of experience in seed systems, maize product development, advancement, and commercialization in East Africa, excelling in the design of products based on their profile and informed by market segmentation. He also has had stints at Corteva AgriScience (DuPont Pioneer) and CIMMYT as senior research associate. Peter holds a PhD in Genetics and Plant Breeding and a master's in Horticulture, both from Maseno University (Kenya).
Francisco Miti (franciscomiti@hotmail.com) directs Zambia’s Seed Control and Certification Institute (SCCI), a department under the Ministry of Agriculture and nucleus of all seed services in the country. Francisco is the country’s Controller of Seeds and Registrar of Plant Breeder’s Rights. SCCI is Zambia’s seed certifying authority accredited by the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA), which ensures that test procedures conform to international standards. It uses International Union for Protection of Plant Varieties (UPOV) guidelines on plant variety testing, registration and the granting of plant breeders’ rights. The Institute’s seed certification scheme is based on that of the OECD. SCCI is a member of the OECD seed schemes for maize, sorghum, cereals, and grasses and legumes. Francisco has a background steep in plant breeding, seed quality control, testing and certification. Realizing that drought and lack of fertilizers constantly bedevil maize farmers, he bred six new maize varieties tolerant to drought and low soil nitrogen. Five of these varieties already have been commercialized. Francisco studies abiotic and biotic stresses in plants and conducts marker-assisted plant breeding. He received his BSc from the University of Zambia, his MSc from Edinburgh University (Scotland) and his PhD from the African Center for Crop Improvement based at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Pietermaritzburg (South Africa), a training center for the breeders of the continent’s food security crops.
Claid Mujaju (mujajuclaid@gmail.com) is director of Zimbabwe’s Research Services Department, Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development. He oversees the implementation of regulatory and specialist services for his department which oversees seven institutes—Seed Services, Plant Quarantine, Plant Protection Research, Chemistry and Soils Research, Fertilizer Farm Feeds and Remedies, Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, and the National Herbarium and Botanic Garden. The Seed Services Institute of which he was officer-in-charge is the agency responsible for seed certification and quality control, variety release and registration, and plant breeders’ rights. Claid is currently research consultant for the Regional Access to Seeds Index for Eastern and Southern Africa, specializing in seed systems and the maintenance of plant genetic resources diversity. He holds a PhD in Agricultural Sciences (specializing in crop production and product quality) from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Mujaju PowerPoint Presentation
Dianah Ngonyama (drn@iastate.edu) is Iowa State’s associate director of research administration and research integrity officer. She is also an adjunct faculty member of the Department of Animal Science and an affiliate faculty member of the Seed Science Center. She has more than 25 years of experience in the global seed industry, particularly in the areas of product development and commercialization, seed licensing, product stewardship, and regulatory policy and compliance. Her professional experience includes working with regulatory agencies, academics, policymakers, and other stakeholders in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region on biotech applications. She holds a PhD in Corn Quality Traits from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an MBA from Maryville University (St. Louis), an MSc in Animal and Forage Sciences from the University of Reading (UK), and a BSc in Agriculture (with honors) from the University of Zimbabwe. Ngonyama PowerPoint Presentation
Francis Onyekachi Nwanko (F.Onyekachi@aatf-africa.org), product stewardship manager at the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), is a regulatory science practitioner who played a critical role in the commercial release of Bt-cowpea in Nigeria. Prior to his current post, he was AATF’s program officer for West Africa in which capacity he promoted the regulation and stewardship of agricultural biotechnologies and conventional products. He also served as senior research officer of the National Association of Nigerian Traders Secretariat where he authored technical briefs, research reports, and policy and advocacy papers on issues related to food security and agricultural livelihoods in Nigeria. He received his MSc in Human Development and Food Security from the Universita Degli Studi Roma Tre (Italy) and a PhD in Environmental Science—Biotechnology from the Noordwes Universiteit, Potchefstroom (South Africa).
Moumini Savadogo (msavadogo@yahoo.fr) is the newly named Executive Director of the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF), an international non-profit that brings together the national agricultural research systems of 23 countries covering more than 40% of the African population. It is the largest sub-regional research organization on the African continent. An environment and sustainable development expert, he was previously managing director of AKADEMIYA2063, a pan-African non-profit research organization with headquarters in Kigali, that supports the implementation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP). For close to six years, he was executive director of the West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL), a research-focused climate service center designed to enhance the resilience of human and environmental systems to climate change and increased variability. It does so by strengthening West Africa’s research infrastructure and capacity related to climate change and by pooling the expertise of ten West African countries and Germany. He holds a Rural Development Engineering degree in Agricultural Livestock Production from the Universite de Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) and a PhD in Agricultural and Environmental Sciences from Wageningen University (the Netherlands). Savadogo PowerPoint Presentation
Fassil Yilma (fassil.yilma@corteva.com) is Corteva Agriscience’s Country Leader for Ethiopia. He has more than 15 years of professional experience working for different institutions, including the UK Trade and Investment, the U.S. Department of Commerce (as its commercial specialist based at the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa), and the multinational companies DuPont Co and Dow Agriscience in the areas of sales, marketing, business development, trade promotion, international trade, investment dispute resolutions, investment climate analysis, and local partners search. Corteva collaborates with USAID in its Feed the Future Ethiopia Alliance program to increase farmers’ access to high-yielding drought-tolerant hybrid wheat and maize seed and educate farmers on climate-smart, sustainable farming practices. The program leverages US$4 million in USAID funding and is expected to benefit close to 224,000 smallholder farmers—including 58,000 women—on 104,420 hectares of land. He received a BA in Business Administration and Management from Addis Ababa University and an MBA in International Business from Lincoln University (California). Yilma PowerPoint Presentation