Château-Musa - Bioversity International

A tide of change at INIBAP
It is only fitting that INFOMUSA is looking better than ever to welcome in Montpellier two new
faces and to bid a fond farewell to three pillars who gave so much to INIBAP.
After 8 eventful years at the helm of INIBAP, Emile Frison is leaving to replace Geoff Hawtin as
Director General of the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI). A Belgian by birth
and plant pathologist by training, Emile has spent most of his career in international agricultural
research, starting at IITA, in Nigeria, in 1979. He worked for six years in Africa and joined IPGRI in
1987. He became INIBAP’s director in 1995, soon after INIBAP integrated into IPGRI. During his
tenure, he has been responsible for giving a boost to research on bananas and plantains. In 1997,
he was a key player in launching the Global Programme for Musa Improvement (PROMUSA)
which brings together researchers from various disciplines, and in 2001 he reached out to yet
another group of scientists with the launching of the Global Consortium on Musa Genomics.
Emile never tired of reminding people that the banana is more than a popular fruit embroiled in
trade disputes and a symbol of the power of multinationals. Thanks to him, an increasing number
of people know about the importance of bananas for the subsistence farmers of many tropical
countries. As head of IPGRI, he is no doubt expected to work the same magic, drawing the
attention of the world to the importance of crop genetic diversity as the foundation of sustainable
agricultural development.
Meanwhile, responsibility for continuing the development of the INIBAP programme passes into
the capable hands of Richard Markham, a British scientist who speaks French and Spanish. After
gaining a PhD in Zoology and Applied Entomology from Imperial College, University of London,
he joined CAB in Kenya in 1981. In 1986, under the auspices of IITA, he established a network of
scientists across eastern and southern Africa to tackle the problems of introduced cassava pests.
Richard went on in 1989 to set up an inter-regional consortium with groups in Central America,
Europe and West Africa to better protect rural food stores from outbreaks of the larger grain borer.
More recently he helped establish the CGIAR’s Systemwide Program on IPM which was launched
in 1996. Richard embraces with enthusiasm the challenge of bringing the expertise of scientists of
diverse disciplines to bear on helping farmers to make a better living in an increasingly precarious
environment.
The other new face at INIBAP will be familiar to many people in the banana community. Nicolas
Roux has been appointed to the newly created position of Coordinator of the Global Musa
Genomics Consortium. A Belgian citizen, he did a PhD thesis on mutation induction in Musa and
for the last 15 years has been involved in the use of technology to improve bananas. Before joining
INIBAP, he was working at the Institute of Experimental Botany, in the Czech Republic where he
was in charge of the Musa Genomics Resource Centre. He is the author of numerous articles on
Musa and is fluent in INIBAP’s three working languages.
The thrill of welcoming new people is attenuated by the sadness of sending off Suzanne Sharrock,
Germplasm Conservation Scientist, and Tom Thornton, Financial Manager. Suzanne has been
appointed as Director of Public Awareness and Understanding for Botanic Gardens Conservation
International in London. A UK citizen, she joined INIBAP in 1996. She was appreciated for her
expertise in Musa conservation and for her efforts to put some order in the taxonomy of banana
plants. Among others, she contributed to the publication of a catalogue of Musa diversity and
initiated the linking of the MGIS database to a Geographical Information System. Ever the intercultural
one, she organized an exchange visit between West African and Latin American farmers
and scientists to transfer plantain production technologies. In 2002, the Banana Asia-Pacific
Network rewarded her work with the Pisang Raja Award. Her cheerful disposition, enthusiasm and
sense of humour will be missed by everyone who had the pleasure of working with her.
Tom joined INIBAP in 1990 and is leaving to enjoy a well-deserved retirement. A UK citizen, he
expertly managed the institute’s budget during his 13 years holding the purse strings. If INIBAP
has a good reputation with donors and creditors alike, it is in no small part thanks to him. After
years of high-flying assignments which took him all over the world, Tom has certainly earned the
right to take a breather. We wish him a happy retirement and the best of luck to Suzanne and
Emile in their new jobs. We thank them all for their contribution to INIBAP during those determining
years.
The editors
InfoMusa - Vol 12 - No.1 1
Editorial