Paula Bramel, Crop Trust, Germany

The role of horticultural genetic diversity conservation and use in the context of global food systems

Paula has been involved in agricultural research and development with a focus on plant breeding, seed system security and crop genetic diversity conservation. An agricultural scientist with a Ph.D from Iowa State University in the USA and more than 30 years of experience as a teacher and a researcher, Paula’s background includes 11 years as a Professor of Agronomy at Kansas State University, as a sorghum breeder, plus 6 years of international research experience at ICRISAT in India where she also managed the international genebank at ICRISAT. She was also the Deputy Director General- Research for Development at IITA in Nigeria for 5 years and most recently, the Deputy Executive Director of the Global Crop Diversity Trust. Currently, she works with the Crop Trust as an advisor and a consultant. She has led the development of global crop conservation and use strategies with partners for horticultural crops such as apples, coffee, tea, and vanilla. She also has been involved in the review of national and international genebanks.