Welcome to the UC Davis Plant Breeding Academy

AfPBA Joins Inaugural African Plant Breeders Association Meeting 
The network of plant breeders in Africa is getting larger and stronger each year. Several alumni and current members of the African Plant Breeding Academy (shown above) attended the inaugural African Plant Breeders Association meeting in Accra, Ghana on Sept 23-25, 2019.

---

UC Davis European PBA graduates fifth class
The fifth class of the UC Davis European Plant Breeding Academy (PBA) graduated in late June with a final session in Davis, California. Six 6-day sessions were held over the last two years in the following locations: Enkhuizen, The Netherlands; Angers, France; Gatersleben, Germany; Gent, Belgium; Almeria, Spain; and UC Davis. Twenty participants spent more than 300 hours in classes, workshops and the field working towards completion of this premier training program. Seventeen classes offered worldwide since 2006 were attended by 333 breeders from 66 countries, making the UC Davis PBA the most recognized program of its kind. Congratulations Europe Class V!

Allen Van Deynze Receives Excellence in Research Award

Congratulations to our own Allen Van Deynze, director of research at the SBC and associate director of the Plant Breeding Center at UC Davis. He was awarded the UC Davis Academic Federation's 2019 Excellence in Research Award at a ceremony held this past week on campus. He has conducted groundbreaking research in Mexico and in Africa and has received more than $12 million in research funding since 2012. Way to go Allen! Read more

The UC Davis Seed Biotechnology Center’s Plant Breeding Academy aims to train 150 breeders, connecting them to research resources and funding while empowering them to apply their knowledge to their traditional crops and communities. Read more.

Alumni from our African Plant Breeding Academy have established the African Plant Breeders Association. This professional association will provide a collaborative space for breeders on the continent. The inaugural meeting, where the executive committee will be elected, is in late October 2019.   

Our sincere condolences to the family, friends, and cohort of African PBA Class IV student Dr. Kojo Galto. Dr. Galto, an assistant professor at the University of Lomé in Togo, was traveling to a workshop at Biosciences eastern and central Africa (BecA-ILRI). He was a talented plant breeder and will sorely be missed.  Read article.   

UC Davis' Department of Plant Sciences shares how PBA is changing the global food supply one scientist at a time. Read article.   

African PBA (AfPBA) Class III alumna, Dorcas Ibitoye recently won the 2018 Most Influential Scientist Award at the National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT) in Nigeria. Upon receiving the award, Dorcas accredited African PBA to her success, "AfPBA/AOCC have impacted and invested so much in me that I can't keep it to myself. I always look for way to also influence and impact others."