On July 2, 2024, Suzi Cyr, Program Director, and Betty Bugusu, Technical Director visited with representatives from three of the five LASER PULSE projects in Vietnam. The meeting took place at the Plant Resource Center (PRC), hosted by Dr. Vu Dang Toan, a plant breeder at PRC and the Principal Investigator (PI) of the...
One of the objectives of the project “Impact of Traditional Practice on the Quality and Safety of Post-Production Handling in the Milk Value-Chain in Rwanda" is to develop an intervention mechanism to reduce postproduction losses in the Rwandan milk value chain. The project is currently being implemented in Rwanda by Alabama A&M University (AAMU)...
In November 2022, representatives from three US-based universities visited Vientiane, Laos in support of the Applied Nutrition Research Capacity Building (ANRCB) project in Lao PDR, funded by USAID via the LASER PULSE program. It was the first team visit since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Led by Purdue University’s College of Agriculture and College...
In Rwanda, the livestock sector, especially dairy cattle farming, contributes substantially to food and nutrition security, poverty reduction, and farmer income generation. Despite successes in cattle production systems, farmers and technicians encounter several challenges that impede the full expression of cattle’s performance. The main hindrances to full expression are inadequate cattle breeding management (including genetics...
Researchers in Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) represent a significant resource of scientific talent to partner with USAID in development research. Development research, in turn, provides new opportunities to MSI researchers to increase the impact of their research and secure new valuable research funding. In view of USAID’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Strategy, the...
Driven by curiosity, Lila Kumar Khatiwada (PI) and Madhav Joshi (Co-PI) of the University of Notre Dame worked closely with development practitioners from ResilientAfrica Network (RAN) and the Gender Equality and Women’s Leadership Program (GEWLP) of South Sudan to carry out an evaluation of USAID’s Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance’s (BHA) pilot multi-year emergency...
"Now, I finish my work at 10 am instead of 3pm. … I can use my time to work on other crops, to be [a] better mother and serve the community," explained a local farmer who is a participant in the USAID LASER PULSE project focused on exploring how blockchain technology could improve food...
In the Exploring Blockchain Technology to Improve Food Security Through African Indigenous Vegetables project in Western Kenya, we have prioritized a co-design process between the research and research translation partners from the proposal development stage. Egerton University (research), Virginia Tech (research), and AgUnity (research translation) each bring their own, yet complementary, expertise to the project....
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A four-year project will seek to alleviate malnutrition in the Lao People's Democratic Republic by helping to strengthen its research capabilities. The project is being supported by USAID's (the United States Agency for International Development) Long-Term Assistance and Services for Research (LASER) Partners for University Led Solutions Engine...
