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The Borlaug Global Rust Initiative (BGRI), founded by the late Dr. N.E. Borlaug, replaces the Global Rust Initiative (GRI) established as an outcome of the May 2005 Expert Panel report (see Recommendation #10) of race Ug99 in Kenya and Ethiopia and the potential for impact in neighboring regions and beyond.

The BGRI has the overarching objective of systematically reducing the world’s vulnerability to stem, yellow, and leaf rusts of wheat and advocating/facilitating the evolution of a sustainable international system to contain the threat of wheat rusts and continue the enhancements in productivity required to withstand future global threats to wheat.

Nairobi Global Rust Summit, September 2005

With the support and advice of Dr. Borlaug and the Rockefeller Foundation, CIMMYT called for what became known as a Global Rust Summit to be held in Nairobi at a time when stem rust would be abundant in the Njoro nurseries. Seventy-eight participants representing 18 countries and numerous donors assembled for a one day session in Nairobi, with a field visit on the following day.

Communication among the founding organizations led to adoption of a Charter for the BGRI (click here to see the Charter). The Charter calls for an Executive Committee, and a general membership comprised of all organizations wishing to participate.

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BGRI Executive Committee

Borlaug Global Rust Initiative Executive Committee (ExCo)

Chair: Jeanie Borlaug Laube

Permanent Members:
1. Cornell University: Ronnie Coffman, Vice Chairman
2. CIMMYT: Thomas Lumpkin, Director General
3. Indian Council of Agricultural Research: Subbanna Ayyappan, Director General
4. ICARDA: Mahmoud Solh, Director General
5. UN-FAO: Shivaji Pandey, Director of Agricultural Support Systems

Rotating Members:
6. Kenya: E. A. Mukisira, Director General, KARI
7. Ethiopia: Solomon Assefa, Director General, EIAR
8. Egypt: Ayman Abou Hadid, President of ARC
9. Turkey: Masum Burak, Director General of the General Directorate of Agricultural Research
10. Pakistan: Muhammad Afzal Akhtar, Principal Scientific Officer/Program Leader, Crop Diseases Research Program, Institute of Plant and Environmental Protection, NARC, Islamabad
11. China: Huajun Tang, Vice President for International Collaboration, CAAS
12. Australia: Jeremy J. Burdon, Chief, CSIRO Plant Industry
13. Canada: Peter Hicklenton, Science Director Crop Production Systems, Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada
14. USA: Kay Simmons, National Program Leader, Plant Genetics and Grain Crops, ARS/USDA
15. Denmark: Lene Lange, Dean of Research, Copenhagen Institute of Technology

Dr. Norman E. Borlaug

Known as the father of the Green Revolution, Norman Ernest Borlaug was born in 1914 on a farm near Cresco, Iowa. After completing his early education in his hometown, he went on to study forestry and plant pathology at the University of Minnesota, where he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees and completed his doctorate in 1942. After two years as a microbiologist with the DuPont de Nemours Foundation , he took on the challenge of leading the wheat improvement efforts of the Cooperative Mexican Agricultural Program, sponsored by the Mexican government and the Rockefeller Foundation. ...

8th International Wheat Conference and BGRI 2010 Technical Workshop

Some 530 scientists from 77 wheat-producing nations gathered for the 8th International Wheat conference (8IWC) from June 1-4, 2010, in the historic city of St. Petersburg, Russia. The IWC is held every five years, the last conference taking place in La Plata, Argentina, in 2005.The famous Vavilov Institute—one of the oldest and most comprehensive collections of germplasm—hosted the conference. “Every major wheat-producing country was represented and there was a strong private sector presence,” said Hans Braun, director, CIMMYT Global Wheat Program. “This really showed that wheat is back on the research agenda.” ...