Agricultural Research and Food Security in Africa

Monty Jones, the 2007 Norman Borlaug Lecturer, is the executive secretary of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), based in Ghana. He received the 2004 World Food Prize for his breakthrough achievements in creating a new rice variety specifically bred for the ecological and agricultural conditions in Africa. Jones, the first African to win the World Food Prize, began his career in 1975 with the West Africa Rice Development Agency (WARDA). In 1991 he was appointed head of WARDA's Upland Rice Breeding Program, where he developed NERICA, a "New Rice for Africa." Jones subsequently worked to distribute NERICA rice to farmers in Africa's villages through partnerships among WARDA, policymakers, NGOs, and research and extension services as well as a community-based outreach program. Jones was born and educated in Sierra Leone. He completed a PhD in plant biology in 1983 at Birmingham University in the United Kingdom and received an honorary Doctor of Science in 2005. 2007 Norman Borlaug Lecture.

Prior to the Lecture, there will be a reception and student poster display from 7 to 8 p.m. in the South Ballroom of the Memorial Union.