What are microbials, and how do they work? What is their potential for agricultural systems? 

This webinar, co-organized on 26 May 2021 by FAO and the International Fertilizer Association (IFA), raised awareness of the benefits and potential of microbials as a tool available to farmers to improve plant nutrition.

Agenda:

13:00 –13:05 Welcome remarks

13:05 –13:15 Opening remarks - Jingyuan Xia, Director, FAO’s Plant Production and Protection Division

13:15 –13.35 Science, Opportunities and Challenges of Nitrogen-Fixing and Nutrient-Solubilizing Microbials for Smallholder Farmers - Manish Raizada, Professor, University of Guelph

13:35 –13:55 Challenges in Screening and Transforming Quality Microbial Strains into Solutions for the Farmer - Jean-Marc Sanchez, Global Technical Marketing Director, Lallemand Plant Care

13:55 –14:25 Q&A session

14:25 –14:30 Closing remarks

The meeting will be moderated by Yvonne Harz-Pitre, Director of Public Affairs, International Fertilizer Association (IFA).

Speakers’ biographies

    Jingyuan Xia, Director, Plant Production and Protection Division (NSP) of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) 

Prior to his present position, from 2015-2019, Dr. Jingyuan Xia was the Secretary to the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) at FAO Headquarters in Rome, Italy. Before joining the FAO, from 2012-2014, he was serving as Permanent Representative and Minister Plenipotentiary at the China Mission to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture in Rome, Italy. Between 2001 and 2011, he served as Director-General and Extension Professor at the National Agro-Tech Extension and Service Center (NATESC) of the Ministry of Agriculture in Beijing. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Entomology from Wageningen University and Research Center in the Netherlands, a Master of Science in Entomology from the University of Philippines, and a Bachelor of Science in Agronomy from the Central China Agriculture University.

 Manish N. Raizada, Professor, Department of Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph, Canada

Dr. Manish Raizada is a Professor at the Department of Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph, Canada, where his lab focuses on the discovery, testing, and improvement of probiotic microbes for crops, and the development of low-cost Sustainable Agriculture Kits (SAKs) to empower smallholder farmers which have thus far impacted 270 000 rural peoples. He holds a Ph.D. in plant molecular genetics from Stanford University and conducted post-doctoral fellowships in crop genomics at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Mexico, and in microbial engineering at Caltech.

 Jean-Marc Sanchez, Global Technical Marketing Director, Lallemand Plant Care

Jean-Marc Sanchez is an agronomist with over 20 years of experience in developing bio-fertilizer,
biocontrol agents, and biostimulants for agriculture. He founded a specialty fertilizer company in France that was acquired by the Lallemand group - a global leader in the development, production, and marketing of yeast, bacteria, and fungus. Currently, he manages the technical marketing department in Lallemand Plant Care, developing new solutions based on microorganisms for farmers. He was a board member of the European Biostimulants Industry Council (EBIC) from 2014 to 2020 and Vice-President this last year.

 Yvonne Harz-Pitre, Director of Public Affairs at IFA

Dr. Yvonne Harz-Pitre is the Director of Public Affairs at IFA since 2015. Prior to IFA, she held the position of Global Communications Director at AgroFresh, a former division of Dow AgroSciences, where her responsibilities encompassed international corporate communications and public affairs, with a particular focus on food safety, the environment, and nutrition. As a native German, she has earned her PhD. at the Sorbonne in Paris and has served several years as a member of the Board of Directors of the Issue Management Council (IMC).