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Ejeta, Gebisa

 Person

Dates

  • Existence: June 1, 1950 -

Biographical Information

Gebisa Ejeta was born in the Ethiopian village Wollonkomi on June 1, 1950. Ejeta earned his Bachelor's degree in Plant Sciences from Alemaya College in 1973 and a Master's degree (1976) and Ph.D. (1978) from Purdue University in Plant Breeding and Genetics.

Ejeta joined the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and conducted research in Sudan for five years. He served at the highest level of science and policy advisory. Ejeta served within the Global Crop Diversity Trust, the Chicago Council for Global Affairs' Global Food and Agriculture Program, and the National Academy of Sciences Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources. Ejeta received the 2009 World Food Prize for his development of sorghum varieties that are resistant to drought and parasitic weeds like Striga, and his research and development increased production of sorghum in Africa. In 2011, President Barack Obama appointed Ejeta as member of the Board for International Food and Agricultural Development. Ejeta is a Distinguished Professor in the Purdue University College of Agriculture and Executive Director of the Purdue Center for Global Food Security within Purdue University Discovery Park.

Citation:
MSO 1, Purdue University Archives and Special Collections Oral History Program collection, Purdue University Archives and Special Collections, Purdue University Libraries.
Citation:
Gebisa Ejeta. Accessed on May 17, 2019. https://ag.purdue.edu/agry/directory/Pages/gejeta.aspx