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WACCI graduand attends the 13th International Conference on Dryland development in Jodhpur, India.

Elisabeth Diatta, a cohort 8 graduand of the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI), University of Ghana, recently attended the 13th International Conference on Dryland Development, with the theme "Converting Dryland Areas from Grey into Green". It was organized by the International Dryland Development Commission (IDDC) and Arid Zone Research Association of India (AZRAI) and hosted by the ICAR-Central Arid Zone Research Institute (CAZRI), from 11-14 February 2019, at Jodhpur, India. The Conference was organized on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee celebration of CAZRI, Jodhpur. It was focused on addressing issues related to achieving food security in drylands which cover about 41% of earth’s land area and are home to ~38% of world population.

Elisabeth (3rd left) with some conference participants

 

Living in a world affected by climate change and where majority of people live in developing countries with limited water access and availability of cultivable land, it raises many questions as to how we can find practical solutions to fight desertification and develop cultivars that are adapted to the drought conditions in order to convert dryland areas from grey to green. This conference was a perfect place for Elisabeth Diatta, who studied Plant Breeding to address those issues and share knowledge with experts coming all over the world with  common interest.

Elisabeth Diatta (right)

 

Elisabeth said “The conference was very useful because it helped me have a better understanding of the impact of climate change in agriculture, how to mitigate drought and how to better utilize our natural resources, especially water and soil, essential for agriculture. I also had the privilege to meet and interact with renowned scientists and the conference was a good opportunity to “catch up” on the latest research using the latest genetic tools like CRISPR/Cas 9 in gene editing for the development of climate resilient crops.”

WACCI congratulates Elisabeth for this achievement.

Elisabeth Diatta (2nd left) interacting with some participants