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Research chair tackles food insecurity by breeding climate-resilient crops

18 October 2024 | Story André Damons | Photo Supplied

A new research chair at the University of the Free State (UFS), led by Prof Maryke Labuschagne, a Professor of Plant Breeding in the UFS Department of Plant Sciences, hopes to increase food and nutritional security in South Africa through crops that have intrinsic high nutritional value.

The Breeding Climate-Resilient Vegetables and Grains research chair was established in partnership with the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) and the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD). It will be hosted within the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (NAS) alongside the other ARC-DALLRD-UFS research chairs, namely Climate Change and Agriculture, Innovative Agro-processing for Climate-smart Food System, Agriculture Risk Financing and Sustainable Livestock Production.

The aim of the new ARC-DALLRD-UFS research chair, explains Prof Labuschagne, who is also leading the National Research Foundation (NRF) SARChI Chair in Diseases and Quality of Field Crops, is to breed climate resilient crops with high levels of nutrients such as iron, zinc, provitamin A and essential amino acids, as well as disease resistance, in collaboration with the ARC.

Breeding of climate resilient crops

“We are all aware of the need for food security in South Africa. Climate change is already negatively impacting food production. With this research chair, in collaboration with the ARC, we hope to increase food security through crops that have intrinsic high nutritional value, for example, high levels of iron and zinc and provitamin A, of which there are high levels of deficiency in our population, and at the same time increase climate resilience (such as heat and drought tolerance) in these crops.

“We will be working on breeding climate-resilient, nutrient-rich and disease-resistant pigeon pea and cowpea cultivars; maize rich in provitamin A, iron and zinc; highly nutritious sweet and bitter sorghum; rust-resistant and good-quality wheat; high-yielding and nutritious indigenous vegetables such as amaranth and amadumbi; and research on potato, sweet potato and cassava for human and industrial uses,” says Prof Labuschagne.

The new chair will complement the research that is already being done for the SARChI chair, but with the ARC as partner. It will combine the expertise and resources of Plant Breeding at the UFS with that of the ARC-VIMP (Vegetable, Industrial and Medicinal Plants), ARC-GC (Grain Crops) and ARC-SC (Small Grains). The chair research will include orphan crops such as cowpea, pigeon pea and indigenous vegetables, as well as root and tuber crops such as potato and cassava, and cereals such as wheat, maize and sorghum.

Collaborative research

“The focus of this chair is on collaborative research and student training with the ARC, but the research area will still focus on the development of nutrient-rich and disease-resistant food-security crops. It will also have an additional focus of climate resilience, and the inclusion of orphan crops indigenous to Africa and South Africa.”

Prof Labuschagne says it is exciting that collaborative research can now be done with the unique expertise and resources (laboratory equipment, fields, greenhouses etc.) of several research institutes for the benefit of food and nutritional security in South Africa. Doing this research in a large team with lots of expertise in different areas will certainly yield more and better results with a larger impact on food security.

“This is a very exciting development in agricultural research now that we are part of a large team all working towards the same goal of improving food security, sharing expertise and resources and also doing collaborative training of MSc and PhD students who will become the scientists of tomorrow, taking this quest into the future.”

Prof Vasu Reddy, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Internationalisation, says this chair is aligned to the UFS Vision 130 strategy, shaped by excellence and impact, sustainability and society. “This distinguished chair led by Prof Labuschagne recognises exceptional achievement and pre-eminence in the field to catalyse and ignite new talent and new knowledge. It marks an exciting opportunity to deepen our understanding of breeding climate-resilient vegetables and grains aligned to our expertise in agriculture.”

News Archive

Outstanding alumni celebrated at the Chancellor’s Distinguished Alumni Awards

2017-08-28

Description: Outstanding alumni celebrated at the Chancellor’s Distinguished Alumni Awards Tags: Outstanding alumni celebrated at the Chancellor’s Distinguished Alumni Awards

From the left: Former Miss World and UFS Medical student, Rolene Strauss; Rector and Vice-Chancellor,
Prof Francis Petersen; The Chancellor’s Distinguished Alumnus of the Year,
Vian Chinner; and Chancellor of the UFS, Dr Khotso Mokhele. Photo: Charl Devenish

Alumni Awards Photo Gallery

Alumni are the heart and soul of a university, a legacy that lives on for generations, bringing pride to the alma mater. Each year, the University of the Free State (UFS) through the Chancellor’s Distinguished Alumni Awards, celebrates its outstanding alumni, who have stood out among their peers, making waves in their careers, at home and abroad. The UFS Chancellor, Dr Khotso Mokhele, said the university plays a pivotal role in ensuring that students enjoy a life-long relationship with their alma mater. He encouraged the UFS management to create opportunities to engage students during their years of study, in order to create this mutually-beneficial relationship into the future.

The Chancellor’s Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award, the highest honour accorded to an alumnus, recognises the distinguished national or international achievements of its recipient. The award was presented to Vian Chinner, chief executive officer at Xineoh, a performance marketing company he founded in 2014. The company, based in Bloemfontein, with offices in Cape Town, Oregon in the US, and Vancouver in Canada, specialises in applying mathematical modelling and machine learning to optimise conversion in industries including real estate, mortgage banking and e-commerce. It has generated more than $30 million in revenue for its clients.

The Young Alumnus of the Year Award acknowledges the achievements of alumni who graduated within the past decade and was presented to Leah Molatseli, founder and managing director of Lenoma Legal, who graduated with an LLB at UFS in 2010.

The Cum Laude Award is bestowed upon an alumnus in recognition of excellence in any field, whether vocational or voluntary. The awards in this category were presented to three alumni:

David Abbey, Acquisition and Leveraged Finance Deal Maker at Rand Merchant Bank. David graduated with a BCom Accounting (RU) 2007 and a BCom Hons Accounting (UFS) in 2008.

Johan Eksteen, Agricon Pelleting, graduated with an MSc in Sustainable Agriculture in 1998, and received an MBA in 2005, both at the UFS.

Zola Valashiya, Co-founder and director: Debate Afrika and Schools Projects and Campaigns Manager at Corruption Watch. He graduated with an LLB (UFS) in 2014, and Masters of Public Administration (Central European University, Hungary) in 2016. He is a Mandela Rhodes Scholar (2015) and a Young African Leadership Initiative Mandela Washington Fellow (2017) and is presently featured on the Mail & Guardian list of top 200 young South Africans.

The Executive Management Award: this service award is presented to an individual who has delivered exceptional service to the UFS and is not limited to alumni of the institution, current students and the community at large. The award was presented to Sarina Cronje, Head of Athletics at KovsieSport.

She graduated with a Bachelor of Science (UFS) in 1977 and a Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education (UFS) in 1983. She is a mother and career woman, whose family carries the same passion and drive for sports that champions are made of.

The Kovsie Ambassador Award is bestowed upon a current student whose achievements have brought him/her distinction, benefited his/her community, and brought credit to the UFS.

Crystal-Donna Roberts graduated with a BA Drama and Theatre Arts (UFS) in 2005. She is an active television, theatre and film actress who has appeared in a multitude of theatre productions in addition to starring in Afrikaans soap opera “7de Laan, Getroud Met Rugby, Montana” and “Vallei van Sluiers” in which she won public favour. She is currently playing the lead role in the internationally acclaimed film, “Krotoa” which has won numerous awards including Best Film at the Harlem International Film Festival in New York. It also won the Award of Excellence at the International Film Festival for Women: Social Issues and Zero Discrimination, and many more.

Franco Smith, Director: Free State Rugby and Assistant Coach: Springboks. He graduated with a BA Human Movement Sciences (UFS) in 1996 and began his career in rugby in 1999 when he was selected for the Free State Under-18 Craven Week team. He became a regular on the Free State Under-20 and the UFS Shimlas teams prior to his Free State Cheetahs debut in 1992. Franco was reappointed backline coach of the Cheetahs and head coach of the Shimlas in 2015. With many accolades to his name an illustrious career in coaching and management over the years, the name Franco Smith should not be foreign to true rugby connoisseurs.

The Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Francis Petersen, congratulated all the award recipients: “I applaud all alumni; you have made the city of Bloemfontein and the whole province proud.” The National Executive Alumni Chairperson, Dr Pieter du Toit, congratulated the award recipients and thanked the leadership of the university as well as the event organisers.

The awards signify the great esteem with which the UFS holds its alumni and the community that helps to drive its vision, cherish its history and pave the way for more outstanding Kovsies of the future.

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