Name : Dr. Monty Jones
Born : February 5, 1951
Birth Place : Freetown, Sierra Leone
Occupation: plant breeder and executive director of Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA)
Education : Ph.D. in Plant Biology (1983) from the University of Birmingham, UK.
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About Dr. Monty Jones :
Dr. Monty Jones is a Sierra Leone creole plant breeder and executive director of Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA). The main developer of NERICA (New Rices for Africa), a set of high-productivity rices adapted to West Africa's growing conditions, Jones was a co-recipient of the 2004 World Food Prize.
Biography :
Born in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Jones was raised in a middle-class Creole Catholic family. He obtained a B.Sc. in Agriculture from Njala University College, University of Sierra Leone in 1974, followed by an M.Sc. in Plant Genetic Resources (1979) and a Ph.D. in Plant Biology (1983) from the University of Birmingham, UK.
Dr. Jones began working at WARDA (West Africa Rice Development Agency) in 1975, moving to their main research center in Cote d'Ivoire in 1991. There, he led the team that successfully crossed the Asian and African rice species (Oryza sativa and Oryza glaberrima), producing the high-yield NERICA variety.
In 2002, Jones was appointed the executive secretary of FARA (Forum for Agricultural Research), where he oversees efforts to improve regional agricultural research in Africa, with the goals of improving food security, reducing poverty and increasing economic growth.
In 2009, Dr. Jones joined the Executive Committee of the Belgium based NGO EMRC, an international platform for business discussions between the African private sector and the North.
Awards and recognition:
In 2004, Jones was named a co-recipient (with Prof. Yuan Longping of China) of the World Food Prize.
In 2007, Jones was listed among Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in The World. |
