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WACCI Student Participates in Nestle Food Security Conference

Ms. Ibitoye, Dorcas Olubunmi, a cohort 4 WACCI student, was among twelve students who participated in the 2015 Nestlé Conference on Planting Seeds for the Future of Food in Lausanne, Switzerland from June 2 - 3, 2015. The conference brought together researchers from various CGIAR Centres, Universities, NGOs and Private Seed Companies to discuss the food and nutrition security nexus with the Nestle R&D scientists. Scientists such as Edward Buckler from USDA-ARD laboratory, Cornell University, Pierre Herben of Yara International, ASA, Nteranya Sanginga, DG, IITA, Liam Condon, CEO, Bayer Crop science AG and many others were present at the meeting.

 

The meeting gave the participants the opportunity to share the progress of their research in their different fields of study through poster presentations. In her poster presentation titled “Phenotypic responses of diverse cowpea genotypes to induced drought at seedling stage”, Ms. Ibitoye said she had identified some cowpea lines that were tolerant drought at the seedling stage. She is currently using these lines as parents in her research to develop varieties that can withstand drought imposed on cowpea at the onset of the vegetative growth. The need for drought tolerant lines of cowpea has become urgent as a result of the erratic rainfall patterns in the Sahel region of Nigeria.