| dc.description.abstract | Since its inception in 2005, the Nematology
Initiative for Eastern and Southern Africa (NIESA)
is a project that has been sponsored by the Gatsby
Charitable Foundation (UK) to build capacity in the
discipline of Nematology, and to develop a network
of expertise in eastern and southern Africa, originally
with technical support from a UK consortium –
CABI Bioscience, Rothamsted Research and
the University of Reading. At present, NIESA is
composed of a cadre of qualified nematologists from
Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
The project has also started to move from its
capacity building phase to sharing and transferring
NIESA nematologists’ expertise to ascertain the
extent to which plant-parasitic nematodes act as
a constraint to local and regional crop production
and to create awareness among farmers and local
communities about the importance of nematodes.
To achieve this, NIESA, as a group, will continue
carrying out scientific research and training of
farmers and phytosanitation staff for the practical
benefit for local communities, crop health and
food security. Networking, joint research fund
application, cross-learning and peer support among
practising nematologists in Africa can facilitate an
active and interactive support to overcome the
lack of a critical mass of nematologists in any one
country. It can also link the network to information
services available through partner scientists, formal
research and training collaborations to improve
understanding and raise the profile of Nematology
within Africa | en_US |
