The Main Activities

The objectives will be achieved through the following activities:

• Application of modern teaching technologies. The program will combine intensive postgraduate modules with soft-skills training, hands-on field and laboratory activities, e-learning courses in collaboration with ISU, as well as a research dissertation that will address the industry based problems, and smallholder farming requirements in Africa. 

• Applied plant breeding research program. The maize breeding program running at the University of KwaZulu-Natal will be further developed to be in line with breeding pipeline with the use of modern equipment resulting in improved varieties being released

• Plant breeding internship program. The UKZN MSc plant breeding program will include a 6-month internship program for students to obtain experience from successful private seed companies (e.g. Monsanto, Pioneer, Pannar, Capston Seeds and United Seeds) and/or elite public sector breeding programs in South Africa (e.g., Agricultural Research Council, South African Sugar Research Institute), Zimbabwe (mainly CIMMYT, SeedCo, Pannar and DuPont-Pioneer) and Zambia.