Governance

The FAW Research Collaboration Portal is being guided by a steering committee drawn from leading FAW research groups. The members represent a wide range of interests in research on FAW and its management. This group are pivotal in guiding developments in the portal, and ensuring that it supports all relevant stakeholders. 

Steering Committee

Dr. Roger Day (co-chair)CABI
Dr. B. M. Prasanna (co-chair)International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)
Dr. Aloisio Coelho Jr.University of São Paulo
Dr. Ken Okwae FeningUniversity of Ghana
Dr. Komi FiaboeInternational Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)
Dr. Baldissera GiovaniEuphresco
Dr. Shachi GurumayumAgBiTech
Mr. Juan LombanaPROVIVI
Dr. Robert MeagherUnited States Department of Agriculture (USDA-ARS)
Dr. Johnson NyasaniKenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO)
Prof. José Roberto Postali ParraUniversity of São Paulo
Dr. Sevgan SubramanianInternational Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE)
Ms. Elisabetta TagliatiFood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Prof. Johnnie van den BergNorth-West University, Potchefstroom
Dr. Sujay RakshitIndian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)
Prof. Zhenying WangChinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS)
Dr. Ken YoungGrains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC)

Hear from some of the committee...

Dr. B. M. Prassana (co-chair)

The FAW research collaboration portal will serve as an effective platform for communicating on research actions of the FAW Research-for-Development International Consortium, led by CIMMYT and IITA. We encourage all the members of the FAW R4D International Consortium to actively contribute to the portal.

Dr Baldissera Giovani

Research nurtures itself on collaboration and exchange of knowledge. Data is the XXI Century knowledge. By facilitating retrieval of data on Fall Armyworm, the Fall Armyworm Research Collaboration Portal will link together scattered initiatives to rationalise efforts and accelerate the development of solutions. As Euphresco, we are very interested in contributing to shape the initiative and explore how to harmonise methodologies on research data management and research collaboration.

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Prof. Dr. José Roberto Postali Parra & Dr. Aloisio Coelho Jr.

The fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) is one of the most important agricultural insect pests worldwide. We strongly believe that pest-control programs must be inter- and multidisciplinary, covering different aspects of pests and management methods, from taxonomy to field control. These programs should be holistic but with a single target: to solve pest problems. The creation and structuring of a portal to link different institutions, from different countries, working in different areas, aligns closely with our inter- and multidisciplinary approach. 

As professors and researchers of the Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (ESALQ) of the University of São Paulo (USP), the host institution of the São Paulo Advanced Research Center for Biological Control (SPARCBio), we are highly motivated to participate in this initiative because the life history and biological control of this armyworm is one of our main research topics. We believe that the rapid exchange of information that this portal will enable can accelerate the development of remediation measures or even solutions for the S. frugiperda problem. We are very excited about the possibility of sharing our findings with a more interested and focused public. We envision building a strong network of researchers, extension agencies and students worldwide. 
We hope that the portal will succeed in its proposal and that, as members of the Portal steering committee and as users, we can benefit from this highly important initiative by the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI). Our sincere wish is that this tool will lead to a quantum leap in armyworm management worldwide.

Dr. Johnnie van den Berg

Development of locally relevant solutions to the FAW problem will benefit largely from international and regional collaboration and sharing of experiences. This portal provides NWU with an opportunity to contribute to development of solutions and with a platform to share information and learn from other’s experiences. It also guides setting local research priorities and informs post graduate IPM teaching programs.