May 19, 2014
Dr. Jane Ininda in the field
Many people can only dream of a career where they make a difference, but AGRA’s scientist, Dr Jane Ininda, knows she has made a real difference to millions of farmers and families throughout Africa.
As a plant breeder, Dr Ininda has researched and bred crops, which taste better, grow better and produce more.
Dr Ininda worked with farmers in Rwanda to improve the varieties of bush beans they were growing. The new varieties of beans took up less space, so farmers could grow more. The result: Rwanda now has four times the amount of food it had.
Some of the seeds developed by Dr. Jane
In a career spanning 30 years, Dr Ininda has produced and commercialized 26 different maize strains on her own and, in partnership with other scientists, released over 180 improved crop varieties.
Currently working in AGRA’s Program for Africa’s Seed Systems (PASS), Dr Ininda holds a PhD in Plant Breeding from Iowa State University, where she received the C.R. Weber Award for outstanding achievement in graduate study in Crop Science.
Over her career, Dr Ininda has also founded several key crop-breeding networks, including the Maize Breeders Network for Eastern and Southern Africa. She continues to work with a number of professional groups and associations, all of which are dedicated to building a critical mass of well-networked African agricultural scientists focused on improving the continent's primary staple crops.
Dr. Ininda’s work has caught the eyes of many and over the weekend her work was recognized by Saturday Nation, a Kenyan publication with footprints across Eastern Africa.
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