Originally published on cgiar.org by:International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) on May 22, 2009

An award-winning scientist in Colombia has paid tribute to his Colombian colleagues for their dedication, which led to him winning an international science prize. To show his appreciation, Dr Andy Jarvis, of CIAT and Bioversity International, near Cali, will use part of the prize money to create a scholarship for a promising scientist from the region to help with his research into the effects of climate change on agricultural biodiversity.

Dr Jarvis, a UK scientist who has worked in Colombia since 2000, heard he had won the prestigious Ebbe Nielsen Prize 2009 on Tuesday (May 12th). Each year the award, sponsored by the Denmark-based Global Biodiversity Environment Facility (GBIF), is given to one scientist for their innovative work in "bioinformatics" and "biosystematics"—the use of the latest computer technology in biodiversity research. "The news has made my day, my week, my year, and possibly, my decade!" said Dr Jarvis.

But he stressed that the award was the result of the ongoing hard work by his whole team, which comprises several Colombian scientists. "Like most good things in life, the achievements that led to this award were the result of a team effort," he continued. "While I am British, this is also an award for Colombia and Latin America: my team members are all from here, they are all young and highly committed, they are all far smarter than me and they too should feel that they have won this award!"

At just 31-years-old, Dr Jarvis has already become a world leader in agrobiodiversity research. He has produced groundbreaking studies into the importance of conserving so-called "crop wild relatives"—the naturally-occurring relatives of domesticated crops, and has used geographic modeling to predict the impact of climate change on agriculture. Using this novel technology, Jarvis and his team also mapped the distribution of hundreds of important crop wild relative species, evaluated their state of conservation and provided practical suggestions for their long-term conservation. The studies resulted in some shocking predictions of what climate change will do to these wild species, many of which have valuable genetic traits, which could be used to improve domesticated crops and enhance global food production.

"I'm delighted that the importance of agrobiodiversity research and conservation is now becoming more widely-recognized. But also I am deeply grateful to my team—for their tenacity, professionalism, good humour and dedication. I never fail to be astounded by the commitment of young scientists in this region, and it is a real pleasure to work with them on a daily basis. I have been a guest in this beautiful country for nearly a decade and I will happily spend another decade here."

With the prize money Dr Jarvis plans to set up a yearly scholarship for undergraduate thesis studies in Colombia. The specific topic may change from year-to-year, but will always look for innovative uses of geographic analysis to better understand and use agricultural biodiversity.

Dr Ruben Echeverría, Director General of CIAT, said, "This pathbreaking work of Andy and his team makes a practical contribution to improving the conservation of genetic resources which is absolutely vital to ensuring future food supplies and helping to end global hunger."

Dr Jarvis will be presented with the Ebbe Nielsen Prize at a ceremony in Copenhagen, Denmark, in October 2009.

About CIAT

CIAT is a not-for-profit organization that conducts socially and environmentally progressive research aimed at reducing hunger and poverty and preserving natural resources in developing countries. CIAT is one of the 15 centers funded mainly by the 64 countries, private foundations, and international organizations that make up the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).
www.ciat.cgiar.org