In the context of surging global population, climate change, and threats from pests and diseases, there is an urgent need for the improvement of African staple crops. Modern genetic tools, such as high-quality genome assemblies, can facilitate more efficient breeding of these crops. In this talk, the starchy root cassava will be used to illustrate the role of genomics in fighting food insecurity in Africa.
Speaker Bio
Jessica Lyons is a postdoc in Dan Rokhsar's lab in the Molecular and Cell Biology department at UC Berkeley. She studies genomics of cassava and yam, in collaboration with researchers in Africa and around the world.
The Africans Food Sovereignty Working Group at Cal is a venue for activists, organizers, researchers, policy makers, scientists, filmmakers, and anybody else interested in Africa’s and the African diaspora’s food systems. The working group’s goals are to critically reflect on projects, scholarship, and information that engage with the experience of African communities, social movements, and countries that are at the frontline combating food insecurity, and designing their alternative food systems using ecological and sustainable methods. The events of AFSWG are free and open to the public.
Facilitators
Elsadig Elsheikh, Haas Institute’s Global Justice Program <elsadig@berkeley.edu>
Peiley Lau, Ph.D. student, UCB <peiley@berkeley.edu>
