Synopsis

Dr Salvatore Ceccarelli, left academia to pursue more impactful work breeding at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), spent much of his career in Aleppo, Syria.

In this episode of the Plant Breeding Stories podcast, Salvatore explains his experience breeding Barley with smallholder farmers in near desert conditions in the middle east and Africa.  He explains “participatory breeding”, involving on-farm testing and collaboration with local farmers; why Syrian farmers prefer tall plants; and the unexpected political implications of involving farmers in breeding decisions.