 |
| |
| Feeding the hungry and improving human health are central to
the mission of the Danforth Center. The research undertaken to
further these goals is channeled through the Center's Office of
International Programs (OIP). Through partnerships in Africa,
Asia and Latin America, the OIP pursues a worldwide
collaborative research approach toward improving vital, life
sustaining crops such as cassava, sorghum, rice and corn.
|
.JPG) |
|
| Current International Programs Projects |
 |
Funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development
(USAID) and managed by the International Food Policy Research
Institute (IFPRI), the Program for Biosafety Systems (PBS)
supports partner countries in Africa and Asia in establishing
functional regulatory systems to assure the responsible
development and safe use of agricultural biotechnology.
|
 |
Virus Resistant Cassava for Africa (VIRCA) is a five-year
project that supports research to develop and deliver
farmer-preferred cassava varieties to farmers in East Africa.
Funded by grants from the Monsanto Fund and the USAID, VIRCA
works with partners in Kenya and Uganda to identify target
varieties, generate transgenic events, conduct field trials, and
secure regulatory approval for commercialization.
|
 |
BioCassava Plus is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation (BMGF) as part of their Grand Challenges for Global
Health Initiative--Grand Challenge 9 (GC9). The aims of this
project are to develop and deliver a cassava plant with enhanced
levels of micronutrients and vitamins and resistance to
environmental stresses. The OIP provides assistance to BC+
researchers in the area of regulatory procedures.
|
 |
The Biosafety Resource Network provides support to the four
Gates GC9 projects--Africa Biofortified Sorghum, Biofortified
Banana, BioCassava Plus, and ProVitaMin Rice--in the areas of
biosafety studies and regulatory strategies linked to product
development. Through a network of consultants, researchers
receive assistance with the regulatory issues involved in
delivering nutritionally enhanced food to farmers in Africa and
Asia.
|
 |
|