Adaptation

Jimmy Pittchar is a Social Scientist. His research interests interface natural and social sciences, translating bio-sciences into sustainable development of agricultural systems, resilient food systems and enabling sustainable impacts of scientific innovations. He conducts inter-disciplinary research on the development, adaptation and adoption of icipe’s push-pull technology (www.push-pull.net) in Africa. This includes downstream research on technology transfer pathways, technology diffusion and impacts on livelihoods. He contributes to program management, monitoring and evaluation, and development of strategic partnerships with national research and extension systems as well as NGOs and the private sector. He holds a Bsc degree in mathematics and computer science and a Masters degree in social science, specialising in mathematical modeling of human populations, biological and environmental processes driving them, their spatial organization and economic development. He has over 26 years’ international research, development and programme management experience gained as a researcher and lecturer at University of Nairobi and Adviser to the United Nations.

Prof. Zeyaur R. Khan is an Emeritus Scientist. He has dedicated his 30 year career as an international agricultural scientist to advancing the science and practice of agriculture by studying and applying chemical ecology, behavior, plant-plant and insect-plant interactions to improve farm productivity to combat poverty and food insecurity in Africa. He is responsible for the discovery and wide scale implementation of a pro-poor scientific innovation for enhancing food security and environmental sustainability in Africa. This was achieved through the biologically-based IPM technology called ‘Push-Pull’ ( www.push-pull.net), developed for small-holder cereal-livestock African farmers. Prof. Khan’s work is a wonderful example demonstrating that creativity and innovation in science can provide practical solutions for the real problems of thousands of small-holder poor farmers and promote their food security and sustainable livelihoods. Prof. Khan obtained his Ph.D. from Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi in 1980. Before joining icipe, he worked with International Rice Research Institute (1983-1991), University of Wisconsin, Madison (1985-1986) and Kansas State University, Manhattan (1991-1993). Prof. Khan also holds a position of Visiting Professor at Cornell University. Prof. Khan is Fellow of Entomological Society of America and Fellow of Royal Entomological Society, London. In 2009 Prof. Khan was awarded the International IPM excellence award, a plenary speaker at during XXIII International Congress of Entomology in 2008 and the 2010 winner of the Nan-Yao Su Award for Innovation and Creativity in Entomology. He has authored/co-authored over 100 scientific papers in referred journals, over 10 book chapters, five books and several booklets and brochures.

Dr. Amanuel Tamiru assumed the leadership of Push-Pull programme, from 1st January 2024. He is a Senior Scientist under the Plant Health Theme.He earned a Ph.D. from Kenyatta University through doctoral research conducted at icipe (Kenya), Rothamsted Research (UK) and Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg (Germany). He holds an MSc in Biology (Insect Sciences) from Addis Ababa University and a BSc in Agriculture (Plant Sciences) from Hawassa University. He conducts cutting-edge research in plant signaling and insect-plant interactions, employing the latest behavioural and chemical ecology techniques. He has discovered, for the first time, that insect-egg deposition induces the production of bioactive volatiles attractive to parasitic wasps in some maize cultivars and elucidated underpinning molecular mechanisms. His other key discoveries include elucidating the underpinning chemical ecology mechanisms of the ‘Push-Pull’ cropping system in fighting an invasive fall armyworm pest, characterization of the first male-produced aggregation pheromone in the genus Megalurothrips and identification of volatile semiochemicals mediating vector thrips species-maize chlorotic mottle virus-host plant interactions. He is a recipient of several highly competitive awards and fellowships including the Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers (CGIAR) Independent Science and Partnership Council (ISPC) - Early Career Scientist Award, the prestigious Rothamsted International Award, Rothamsted Research (UK), German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Award, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, (Germany), Entomological Society of America (ESA) - Early Professionals (STEP) Award and icipe's Governing Council Award for Best Published Science Paper. He has authored and co-authored several scientific publications in high-impact journals such as Ecology Letters..