Visit by US AID about possible collaboration on pests and pesticides

During the meeting, Dr. Belayneh held a presentation about the nature of the mission to SLU, followed by discussions with SLU researchers. Attending the meeting were Dr. Belén Cotes Ramal (Dept. of Plant Protection Biology), Prof. Birgitta Rämert (Dept. of Plant Protection Biology), Prof. Nadarajah Sriskandarajah (Dept. or Urban and Rural Development), PhD candidate Tadessa Amera and Dr. Carolyn Glynn (SLU Global).

Dr. Belayneh’s unit is interested in crop pests and disease management and the potential exists for collaborative work and agreements in these areas: crop pests and disease management, prevention and control; mitigating the impact of pesticides in humanitarian sphere; assisting vulnerable populations and beneficiaries in safe use, handling, storage and disposal of vector control tools; exploring and developing innovative tools and methodologies for crop pest/disease and pesticide management in humanitarian sphere and ensuring adaptability of such methodologies and tools; improving health and safety of the beneficiaries as well as their shared environment as related to assistance provided to abate and prevent crop pests, diseases that threaten their meager assets and/or livelihoods, etcetera.

While Sub Saharan Africa is one prominent region of interest, work in other regions are also of interest. 

A short biography of Dr. Belayneh:

Yeneneh Belayneh, Senior Technical Adviser within in the unit on Pests and Pesticides is in Uppsala from the 5^th to the 7^th of October in connection with  a PhD defense at SOL (work supported by USAID/USDA).

He is born and raised in Ethiopia, has degrees in Biology majoring in Crop Protection/IPM with emphasis on Entomology. His PhD work was on ecotoxicology particularly environmental impacts of pesticides in the agricultural ecosystems. After a stint as university teacher and researcher in Addis Ababa, Belayneh's later career has been in senior technical advisory positions in different Bureaus and Offices at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) based in Washington, D.C.  

He has traveled extensively on advisory, training, and on environmental assessment missions, and he has executed monitoring, evaluation and field-based assessments for USAID. Belayneh’s major contribution has been related to issues relevant to the environmental and human health impacts of pesticides and other chemicals. His current position is as Senior Technical Adviser in Pesticides and Pests as well as a project Manager for USAID's Office Foreign Disaster Assistance. He also assumes a faculty position at the University of Maryland’s Eastern Shore campus.