Accelerated Breeding

About TRANSFORM

Towards inclusive, impactful CGIAR-NARES-SME breeding networks

Accelerated Breeding – Transform focuses on building more inclusive and efficient CGIAR-NARES/SME breeding networks that fully maximize the human and operational capacity that exists across institutions in order to effectively respond to the food needs of millions of people in the Global South. Transform builds on best practices from existing CGIAR coordinated breeding networks and partnership models in order to ensure:

• Clear division of labour, roles and responsibilities for all partners involved in a collaborative breeding network aligned to individual partner capacity and comparative advantage
• Increased ownership and empowerment of partners, particularly NARES, in decision making and building a collaborative research agenda
• Focused capacity development for partners aligned to their operational needs and role in breeding networks.
• Ensuring there are clear accountabilities for all partners (CGIAR and NARES) and that NARES have sufficient capacity and resources to fulfill their network roles and responsibilities.

Geographic scope

Transform will work on priority crops and regions that have been identified by ABI. During the current phase of Accelerated Breeding (2022-2024), Transform is focusing on crop networks in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) and South Asia (SA).

About the team

Bish Das – Lead

Bish is Transform Work Package lead since 2022 and prior, he led the NARES breeding partnership and capacity development module for the CGIAR Excellence in Breeding Platform. With over 15 years of applied plant breeding experience in Latin America and Africa, Bish led Syngenta’s corn breeding program in Africa and the Middle East, working closely with the marketing and portfolio teams to establish a presence in 10 countries in the region. Prior to that, he led CIMMYT’s breeding efforts to develop nitrogen use efficient maize for Eastern and Southern Africa in close collaboration with NARES in eight countries under a BMGF and USAID funded initiative (Improved Maize for African Soils).

Vish Banda

Vish has over 15 years of experience in agribusiness (Marketing, Research, Agronomy and Breeding). He currently holds a joint role as IITA product manager and Accelerated Breeding-Transform coordinator for vegetatively propagated crops (roots, tubers and bananas, RTBs) in Africa. Previously a Portfolio Manager (Syngenta – Africa Middle East) for vegetable seeds, Vish has working experience with large scale commercial farmers as well as smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Vish also has experience in establishing strong collaborations, partnerships and driving change for impact.

Dragan Milic

Dragan spent most of his professional career working at the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops (IFVCNS) in Novi Sad, Serbia. He was the Head of the Forage Breeding team at IFVCNS and has over 20 years of experience in breeding, seed production, and leadership in both conventional and molecular alfalfa/forage breeding. Dragan Milic the Excellence in Breeding (EIB) team in May 2021 at the CIMMYT office in Nairobi. He has been involved in supporting East Africa CGIAR breeding programs and EiB’s East Africa-based program and partners to ensure the implementation of Crops to End Hunger Project. In June 2022, he joined the Accelerated Breeding – Transform as regional representative for East and Southern Africa, based at the CIMMYT Nairobi office. Since then, he has been supporting the establishment of various CGIAR-NARES breeding networks (potato, banana, sweet potato, rice, wheat) and improving their efficiency and efficacy.

Lennin Musundire

Currently, Lennin serves as a breeding optimization specialist for Africa NARES for East and Southern Africa, under Transform. Lennin has worked for 15 years at Seed Co Ltd in various roles, from research associate to senior maize breeder and head of research for Seed Co South Africa. Main responsibilities included developing and maintaining a full maize breeding pipeline, i.e. maize inbred line and hybrid development with emphasis on early to medium maturing maize hybrid varieties (white and yellow) that are highly adaptable to the farming community, with high grain yield potential, good agronomic performance and seed quality that is acceptable locally and regionally. Lennin was also responsible for breeders’ seed bulking and inbred line purification and the biotechnology program.

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