About the Actor
About Dr. Florence Wambugu
Dr. Florence Wambugu is an agricultural plant pathologist specializing in virology and genetic engineering for viral diseases and crop protection. She has Extensive experience in plant improvement research based on research and work in Africa, Europe, and the United States. She has made enormous contributions to modern scientific research and development through her strong belief in the power of science and technology, including biotechnology, to boost food production. This belief led Dr. Wambugu to her current position as the founder and CEO of Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation International, an organization dedicated to fighting hunger, malnutrition and poverty, targeting rural communities in Africa.
Dr. Wambugu is a former member of the Dupont Biotech Advisory Panel and currently sits on several influential boards, including the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa, The International Genetics Federation and the United Nations Millennium Development Goals Hunger Task Force. She also sits on the Science Board of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; her contribution to this board has focused on research to eradicate hunger, malnutrition and nutritional challenges in developing countries.
Dr. Wambugu has received numerous awards in the acknowledgment of her outstanding work in Africa. Most recently, in February 2004, she was named Eve Woman of the Year in recognition of her contributions to science. In 2002, she was awarded "Woman of the Year" by the American Biographical Institute, and in 2000, the Banana project that she headed received first place in the World Bank Global Development Network Awards. She has also been the beneficiary of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture’s Award and Kenya Agricultural Research Institute’s Crop Science Award, among others.
Dr. Wambugu holds a Ph.D. in virology, a M.Sc. degree in pathology, and a B.Sc. degree in botany. She has authored or co-authored over 100 papers and publications in local and international journals. Modifying Africa: How Biotechnology Can Benefit The Poor And Hungry, A Case Study From Kenya is her first book. She currently lives in Kenya, Africa. For more information about Dr.
Product Description
About the Documentary
Is the future of Africa full of gloom and doom or is there a glimpse of hope on the horizon? Rather than debate this issue, Denny Hooten gives you a hands-on answer by documenting Dr. Florence Wambugu’s work in the DVD, "Modifying Africa Through Modern Technology: Creating a Pathway to Sustainability One Village at a Time." The show demonstrates how a simple agricultural technology transfer project is helping to break the backbone of poverty and famine.
In Africa, the continent where Dr. Wambugu was born, more than 5,000 people die each day from lack of food. Over 30 million children do not have the required nutrition to live a normal healthy life.
Faced with this grim situation, it is refreshing to see how a simple technology can transform the lives of thousands of poor farmers, who then in turn transform their communities. In the documentary, "Modifying Africa", you can experience real life stories of the people and their communities that have benefited from planting tissue culture bananas. If this simple form of technology can change the lives of people, imagine how other sophisticated technologies, such as agribiotech, could possibly transform whole countries? The possibilities are endless.
"Modifying Africa" is about the nuts and bolts of technology transfer to communities far removed from science and technology. It takes you through a journey that will leave you convinced that through technology, poverty and hunger can be defeated once and for all.
