Project aims to help farmers provide food for their families
Today CLC bio and the International Laboratory for Tropical Agricultural Biotechnology (ILTAB) at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, announced a collaboration to benefit the Virus Resistant Cassava for Africa project (VIRCA), a partnership including researchers at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St Louis, MO, the National Crops Resources Research Institute in Uganda (NaCRRI) and the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI). VIRCA is a humanitarian effort to develop and deliver farmer-preferred cassava varieties enhanced to resist serious plant virus diseases that are greatly reducing crop yield and increasing the threat of poverty and famine.
"Food shortages in the world will increase as global warming continues to rise, especially in Africa where drought likely will decrease the capacity to produce sufficient food.That's why we need to demonstrate that using science and technology to improve agricultural production can make a difference for millions of people," states Director of ILTAB at Danforth Plant Science Center, Dr. Claude M. Fauquet, and adds, "We're using CLC bio's software to analyze and map siRNAs providing information required for accelerating development and identification of the elite cassava lines for testing under field conditions in East Africa."
VIRCA is applying RNAi technology to enhance resistance to virus disease in cassava cultivars preferred by farmers. VIRCA's goal is to develop, test and deliver virus resistant cassava to smallholder farmers with no royalty fees thereby helping to secure harvest of this important staple crop.
Video interview
Watch an interview featuring Dr. Claude M. Fauquet elaborating on ILTAB's VIRCA project and some of the challenges involved:
http://www.clcbio.tv/video/4913932/non-profit-development-of
Background on Cassava
Cassava's edible storage root is a staple for an estimated 700 million people worldwide, and a critical food source in South America, Asia, and Africa. However, in sub-Saharan Africa production of cassava is affected by viruses, bacteria, and insects which suppress yields and threaten food and economic security of farmers.
About The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
http://www.danforthcenter.org/the_center/about_us/
About CLC bio
http://www.clcbio.com/about
Contacts:
Danforth Plant Science Center
Karla Roeber, Vice President
Public and Government Affairs
Phone: +1 (314) 587-1231
Email: kroeber@danforthcenter.org
or
CLC
bio
Lasse Görlitz, Director of Communications
Phone: +1
(617) 765-0687
E-mail: lgoerlitz@clcbio.com
