Israel’s Agricultural Research Organisation (ARO) and World Food Preservation Centre (WFPC) have joined forces to combat post-harvest losses and combat food scarcity and hunger.
As part of the partnership, the two bodies are seeking to recruit students from developing countries including Ghana who wish to be a part of the research programme and who will return to their home countries after receiving an M.S. or Ph.D.
In a statement, the ARO and WFPC said the institutions would actively recruit students from developing countries who wished to return home after receiving an MSc or PhD. degree to establish independent research, education and extension programmes in their native countries.
According to the Trade and Economic desk at the Embassy of the State of Israel in Ghana, the joint initiative of ARO and the WFPC provides a unique opportunity for students in Ghana to be a part of groundbreaking research aimed at tackling the problem of post-harvest losses and food scarcity while obtaining advanced degrees.
The embassy would, therefore, facilitate the application and admission process of interested Ghanaian students who contact the embassy in Accra.
Focus
The joint initiative seeks to combat food scarcity and hunger at the centre’s sister universities.
It said the selected students or beneficiaries would have the opportunity to further the cause of post-harvest food preservation in government or in industry in their home countries.
The mission
According to the Founder/Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the WFPC, Dr Charles Wilson, the partnership between the two bodies was a major step forward in its mission of educating young scientists from developing countries in the latest technologies on post-harvest preservation.
The Associate Director for Academic Affairs and International Co-operation of ARO, Dr Ada Rafaeli, said the organisation had hosted over 300 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows through collaborations with most of the universities in Israel.
Background
Located at the Volcani Centre campus in Bet-Dagan, near Tel-Aviv, ARO’s six institutes are responsible for Plant Sciences, Animal Science, Plant Protection, Soil, Water and Environmental Sciences, Agricultural Engineering, and Post-harvest and Food Sciences.
ARO also operates four research stations, in various parts of the country, and serves as a testing centre for agricultural produce and equipment. Israel’s Gene Bank for Agricultural Crops is also located on the ARO Volcani Centre campus.
The World Food Preservation Centre, LLC, is a coalition of 10 research universities on six continents who are working to build sustainable techniques to combat food loss, particularly in emerging economies.
As much as half of harvested food in low-income countries is lost before being consumed, yet the vast majority of agricultural research money continues to be spent on food production.
The WFPC’s participating institutions seek to correct that imbalance, guided by the belief that preventing food insecurity can also prevent future political instability and violence.
Source: graphic.com
