FOXY T14 STRIGA MANAGEMENT MEETING
Recent success with biocontrol of Striga
with enhanced Fusarium oxysporum (Foxy T14)
June 15-16, 2016 ~ Kenya
Thank you to all participants in our 2016 Striga Stakeholders meeting. On June 15, 40 stakeholders met at ICRAF in Nairobi to discuss strigam management challenges, FoxyT14 technology, and next steps. On Thursday, June 16, twenty stakeholders visited approximately fifteen trial plots in the Maseno area of western Kenya. On Friday, June 17, stakeholders toured the manufacturing and research laboratories at KALRO-Katumani. Minutes will be available soon.
From a simple Foxy T14 toothpick, a smallholder farmer can multiply a fresh, highly active Fusarium oxysporum sp. strigae inoculum on-farm, ready for deployment. The virulence enhancement and extensive field trials of Foxy T14 led to a replicable technology that provides consistent reduction of striga paired with increased maize yield on smallholder farms. In the hands of farmers, this technology significantly increases maize yield.
How do we expand the technology to other farms, other countries, and even other weeds? Our strategy clearly demonstrates that virulence-enhanced biocontrol is an effective management tool.
Meeting Agenda: June 15, 2016
9:00 - registration, coffee/tea, Welcome from KALRO, introduction of all participants
9:30 - ONLINE WEBINAR BEGINS:
Welcome
Striga management: Challenges and existing methods - Dr. Jonathan Gressel, Weitzmann Institute, Israel
Biocontrol: Utilizing virulence enhanced Foxy T14 - Dr. David Sands, Montana State University, USA
Research report: Gates Foundation Grand Challenges Exploration Trials
Technology production: From isolating fungus to the farmer - Sila Nzioki, KALRO, Kenya
Liberty Initiators Network: Distribution, training and implementation - Florence Oyosi, LIN, Kenya
Trials Results - Dr. David Sands, Montana State University, USA
FIPS Demo Plot report - Paul Seward, FIPS-Africa
12:30 - Lunch Break
13:30pm - 16:00pm
Stakeholder Round Table
The 2nd half of the meeting will focus on these discussion points. This is a critical component while we have stakeholders present. The points below are not in any particular order yet. We'll likely set this up as a panel and design questions to guide the dialogue:
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NGO Implementation Models
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Scaling up within Kenya
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Expansion to other countries
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Permiting (Kenya, other countries, multi-country)
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Funding opportunities
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Manufacturing
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Plant Pathologist training
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Women’s Empowerment Index (trying to have a representative from USAID)
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Communications (striga networks, blog, crowd funding, social media, etc.)
