Africa

Alignment of Pesticide Regulations and Standards (funded by the USDA-FAS, 2020-2024) is led by Kerry Clark (PI), with faculty support in Journalism and Plant Sciences, and in partnership with the University of Missouri Assistance Program-Ghana (UMAP-Ghana) and others. The project seeks to support the capacity of national regulators to effectively implement harmonized standards for pesticide registration and maximum residue levels (MRLs) on food products. Harmonizing these systems allows for efficient trade across borders and helps farmers access the tools they need to combat pests and also produce safe food.

The project’s importance is seen in the US International Trade Commission’s report “Global Economic Impact of Missing and Low Pesticide Maximum Residue Levels, Vol. 1” (2020), parts of which are available in French (Executive Summary and Chapter 5) and in Spanish (Executive Summary and Chapter 5). Contact Lindsey Saunders, saundersl@missouri.edu, to request copies of the translations.

Ghana

University of Missouri Assistance Program (UMAP)
Founded in 2003, the University of Missouri Assistance Program (UMAP) is incorporated as an international non-governmental organization. For more information about our on-the-ground logistical support and capacity statements, please visit UMAP.

Kenya

Templeton Foundation Project – Assessing and Communicating the Risks and Benefits of GM Cassava in Kenya
Project Leaders: Harvey James, Corinne Valdivia, Bill Folk

Senegal

Establishment of Low-cost Bio-digesters and Integrated Agroforestry Systems to Improve Livelihoods of Mali’s and Senegal’s Rural Population
Francisco Aguilar, assistant professor of forestry, is partnering with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, Mali’s Institute of Rural Economy, Ecole Polytechnique de Thies (Senegal), and Programme National de Biogaz Domestique du Senegal Universidad EARTH (Costa Rica). Western Africa is a region facing numerous natural resource challenges which includes the use of firewood for cooking. This project demonstrates the use of bio-digestion to produce methane for cooking and organic fertilizer as a soil amendment. Bio-digestion is a well-known technique that can simultaneously (a) reduce the utilization of firewood by replacing it with methane generated from anaerobic digestion, (b) improve sanitary local conditions thanks to better animal waste management, (c) reduce respiratory illnesses by the reduction in exposure to smoke from traditional burning of firewood, (d) generate nutrient-rich organic fertilizer to use as a soil amendment to establish family agro-forestry systems.

South Africa

Templeton Foundation Project – Creating a Community of Practice in KwaZulu-Natal
Project Leaders: Drs. William Meyers, Jere Gilles, Bill Folk, Ken Schneeberger, Mary Hendrickson, Sandy LaMarque