Q&A with Dave Hoisington

By Christy Fricks
University of Georgia, Peanut & Mycotoxin Innovation Lab

Background

Dave Hoisington is the Program Director of the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Peanut and Mycotoxin. Dave brings over 25 years of international agriculture experience to the position. His past work includes establishing and building biotechnology programs for the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Mexico and coordinating research as the Deputy Director General for Research at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in India.

PMIL: Can you tell us a little bit about your area of expertise?

Dr. Hoisington: “My area of expertise now is agricultural research management in the broad sense. My formal training was in plant/fungal genetics, particularly as it regards corn or maize. That’s what originally took me abroad to Mexico and the work I did developing biotech programs in maize (corn) and wheat.”

PMIL: How did this lead you to PMIL?

Dr. Hoisington: “Having lived and worked for 16 years in Mexico and 8 ½ years in India, my wife and I were thinking about returning home (to the United States) – for family and other reasons. When the PMIL position came available, it looked like a good fit and gave me an opportunity to stay in international research, and even explore some new aspects. I also thought the university setting was attractive, as this was where I was when I left for Mexico many years ago.”

PMIL: What are your primary responsibilities for PMIL?

Dr. Hoisington: “As the Director of the Peanut and Mycotoxin Innovation Lab program, my responsibility is to see that the program direction is appropriate, that we are making good progress, doing the right things, with the right people, for the right reasons. Another one of my jobs is to be the interface with USAID (and many other agencies) and make sure that they understand what we are doing, the reasons why and the impacts.”

PMIL: What would you say is your overall goal for your work here at PMIL and what impacts do you see it having?

Dr. Hoisington: “My goal is to have a highly successful PMIL that reaches the objectives that we’ve set for ourselves. That we can be seen as being a very strong program, addressing the right problems in those key countries that we’ve been asked to look at. Our overall program goal is to increase the production of peanuts by smallholder farmers in the Feed the Future countries that we are working in—Haiti and throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. We have specific objectives underneath that ranging from improving peanut varieties, to decreasing the level of aflatoxin contamination in peanuts and other commodities, to improving the overall peanut value chain. Our impact is focused on benefits to smallholder farmers, particular women, in these key countries. They not only receive nutritional benefits from increased and safer peanut production, but also receive economic returns. With these, we hope farmers will feel that growing peanuts is something of value to them.”

Published July 21, 2014