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The Network for the
Genetic Improvement of Cowpea for Africa (NGICA) was formed
in 2001 to benefit low-resource farmers and consumers in
Africa. NGICA resulted from a meeting of nearly 50 cowpea
stakeholders in Dakar, Senegal, sponsored by numerous donors
and institutions, among them, the Rockefeller Foundation. Idah
Sithole-Niang, of the University of Zimbabwe, Harare, and
Larry Murdock, Purdue University, were selected as Co-Chairs
of NGICA.
Since its inception, NGICA has
worked, via newsletters, personal contacts, and by organizing and
participating in meetings to:
-
define the overall task of creating
and deploying genetically improved cowpeas (the Dakar Report, 2001)
-
identify related research needs
(e.g., cowpea marketing and trade, food safety and environmental
safety studies)
-
mobilize additional funding and
talent to address various cowpea-related initiatives
-
strengthen linkages and
communication among researchers and stakeholders
-
engage the private sector in the
project, including obtaining access to physical materials (e.g. Bt
proteins and genes)
-
deal with intellectual property
issues.
With additional support from the
Rockefeller Foundation during the past year, NGICA has begun working in
partnership with the African Agriculture Technology Foundation (AATF) to
develop a project to increase cowpea productivity and utilization in
Africa. Under that partnership and thanks to Rockefeller funding, Larry
Murdock and administrative assistant Katy Ibrahim were able to work with
the AATF leadership to plan and convene a meeting of cowpea stakeholders
in Accra, Ghana, February 10-12, 2004.
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