ICARDA scientists awarded prestigious fellowship

Two ICARDA scientists – Dr. Somanagouda B Patil, a post-doctoral research fellow at ICARDA-Morocco, and Mrs. Samira El Hanafi, Research Assistant, have been awarded with CGIAR Borlaug International Agricultural Science and Technology Fellowship Program and a trip to USA.

Dr. Patil, who obtained PhD from University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, and sandwich program with ICRISAT, Patancheru, India, has been focusing in legume agronomy, carbon foot print study, crop rotations and conservation agriculture (CA).

Mrs. Samira El Hanafi, a PhD Candidate from Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco, who has been contributing to ICARDA spring bread wheat program and focusing on hybrid wheat technology.

During the 12-week program, the fellows work one-on-one with mentors at the host US universities and are exposed to issues relative to their research topics, U.S. systems, methodologies, newest technologies in their field, and an opportunity to conduct research. The implementing institutions can arrange relevant field visits to a local farm, processing plant, private industry, or other related industry as applicable to the research project.

“The experience gained from program on carbon sequestrations in CA systems and cropping systems modeling will help me extend the scientific collaboration and transfer of technologies to the farming community,” Dr. Patil said.

“The CGIAR Borlaug fellowship provides me the opportunity to enrich my research by working with other scientists from different research institutes and to actively contribute to a great scientific endeavor,” Mrs. El Hanafi said.

Named after American agronomist and the Nobel laureate Norman Borlaug, the fellowship promotes food security and economic growth by providing training and short-term research opportunities to fellows from developing and middle-income economies.

Candidates, who demonstrate a strong scientific foundation and leadership potential, propose innovative research plan and demonstrate a commitment to international development, are awarded on a competitive basis.

Since the program’s inception in 2004, approximately 750 fellows from 64 countries have participated in the CGIAR Borlaug Fellowship Program, administered and funded by USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and implemented by US Universities in partnership with CIAT.