Abstract:

This is the final report of a two year project (Grant Reference 2008 PASS 023) which
started in May 2008. This project was developed in response to the critical need for well
trained plant breeders in Rwanda and Uganda. A total of eleven students (one with partial
funding) were supported through this grant. These included nine (9) male and two (2)
female. These students were admitted to the new M.Sc. program in Plant Breeding and
Seed Systems in Makerere University that has provided improved quality of training over
that which most individual African universities can provide.
This program includes the benefits of an improved curriculum and the advantages of
students studying locally over going to Europe or USA. The benefits include lower cost,
better retention of graduates in the region, relevant instructional focus and context,
research projects that provide benefit to the region, establishment of lasting connections
between students from various countries, and maintenance of the students' institutional
and family ties.
All students were embed in active breeding programs to enable the students participate in
a broader range of training activities. But more so to enable students' thesis research
work to directly contribute to ongoing research efforts that combine scientific discovery
with economic impact. This process allowed students to directly learn from experienced
scientists and technicians in plant breeding programs as well as link to commercial seed
companies. This dual experience from both public and private plant breeding operations
exposed as well as in built capacity of these students for jobs in both public and private
bodies.