Presentation highlights:
- Learned the hard way - Research on cowpea was initially successful: increased yields but market and infrastructure failures existed
- University research should be aligned with development / market needs. Researchers need to make a paradigm shift in setting priorities
- Adopt a farmer centric model: research should address their challenges; adopt a triple helix; build on comparative advantage – don ot compete in the same areas where others are stronger.
About Pathmanathan Umaharan:
Path is Director of the Cocoa Research Centre of UWI. He is the winner of the UWI Guardian Life Premium Teaching Award (2002); Best Researcher Award (UWI Principal’s Award, 2003); and the Certificate of Excellence in Research (CARDI, 2005); Most Impacting Research Project Award (2012); WIPO Innovators Award (2012), Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Excellence (2013). Path has over 100 refereed publications and two book chapters/monographs. His research team has developed varieties of cowpea resistant to Cowpea severe mosaic virus and Cercospora Leaf Spot diseases, dwarf high yielding day neutral pigeon pea varieties and anthurium varieties resistant to bacterial leaf blight and bacterial leaf spot diseases. Professor Umaharan is currently involved in developing resistance in cocoa to black pod disease and witches’ broom disease; and improving yield in hot peppers. He is also working on the establishment of an International Fine Cocoa Innovation Centre. He has supervised 16 PhD and 10 MPhil students, three of which are award-winning graduate students.