Agricultural News
Bill Gates, Carlos Slim and Mexican Dignitaries Get Demo of OSU Technology at New Mexican Bioscience Facility
Thu, 07 Mar 2013 09:28:30 CST
The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center inaugurated a new $25 million research complex at its headquarters in El Batan, Mexico. The new advanced bioscience research facilities, 45 kilometers (20 miles) from Mexico City, marked its grand opening to a crowd of more than 100 invited guests.
The event was attended by Bill Gates, Carlos Slim, Lic. Enrique Martínez y Martínez, Mexican Secretary of Agriculture and leader of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA), and Dr. Eruviel Ávila Villegas, Governor of the State of Mexico.
Gates and the other attendees watched a demonstration of the new GreenSeeker handheld crop sensor that was developed at OSU and is now marketed by Trimble.
The new bioscience complex will allow researchers to speed the development of valuable seed, by way of more precise characterization of its genetic traits, such as heat and drought tolerance, disease and pest resistance, and seed health, as well as the nutritional and industrial quality of the grain. CIMMYT was the cradle of the Green Revolution 60 years ago. By providing cutting-edge facilities and an enhanced research capacity, this alliance will significantly improve farm productivity.
"We are enthusiastic about this alliance," said Bill Gates, co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "Bringing together the collective experience of our respective organizations, we can promote innovation to transform the lives of farmers in Mexico and around the world. Investing in agricultural development is one of the most effective investments we can make. It allows farming communities to become self-sufficient and prosperous by growing and selling more of what they produce."
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