Dear NAPB Member,
Hello! It might have seemed a bit quiet around here recently, but fortunately, our communications engine is up and running again with this new-format update.
I’m going to use this opportunity to share some of the activities that have been going on behind the scenes since our excellent 2022 Annual Meeting concluded in Ames, Iowa.
NAPB is a volunteer-run organisation with 12 Committees all, broadly, working to:
- Make the NAPB robust and well managed so that it can continue to grow in membership and influence.
- Raise the profile of plant breeding, so the importance of plant breeding is understood by the public and decision makers alike.
- Create a vibrant community among members, encouraging the exchange of the ideas, capabilities and cutting-edge science.
- Attract students to, and equip them for, a fulfilling and rewarding career in plant breeding.
To bring this to life here are a couple of highlights of NAPB’s recent work:
Robustness
Past, present and elected future NAPB Presidents gathered in Colorado Springs in April to consider the NAPB’s strategic direction and priorities for the 2023-28 Strategic Plan. This was supported by the “behind the scenes” work appointing BT Professional Solutions as our administration partners. They will help us maintain momentum from year to year with smoother annual transitions between Committee Chairs, and create tighter digital, administrative and financial processes.
Advocacy
In a Farm-Bill year like 2023, it is especially important to communicate to decision makers and political leaders why plant breeding matters. Our Advocacy Committee has been a hotbed of activity, supporting numerous representations to decision makers in Washington. It has also introduced a new generation of potential advocates to the workings of Washington as part of the Tri-Societies Congressional Visit days. Advocacy is one of the important ways we collaborate with partner organisations like the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA), The Tri-Societies and the Seed Innovation and Protection Alliance (SIPA).
Community
The Executive Committee has begun connecting with plant breeding organisations from around the world, initially building bridges with similar associations in Europe, Australasia and Africa. This will put our work in a global context and, we hope, open opportunities for both professionals and students to collaborate internationally. We’re also enhancing the nature of the Awards we bestow annually and the process to select awardees, ensuring we recognise both the many ways remarkable individuals contribute to our profession, and the diversity of people making those contributions.
Plant Breeders of the Future
Finally, NAPB is passionate about supporting the next generation of leaders in plant breeding, through the Scholarship programmes and the dynamic activities organised by our Education Committee, Graduate Student Working Group and Early Career Working Group. NAPB creates opportunities for emerging plant breeders to learn continuously, explore career options, and build connections with other plant breeders, benefiting both those entering the profession and those seeking to recruit such well-connected and experienced candidates.
The work of the plant breeding community has never been more important. As the effects climate change are felt more often and more strongly, and political instability causes greater food insecurity in many parts of the world, we face big questions about what “sustainable” means. Whatever the future involves we know developing improved, adapted varieties of plants, and preserving the genetic diversity available to the world’s agricultural & horticultural systems is essential. I’m privileged to contribute to this by leading NAPB at such a critical time.
To our remarkable volunteers who generously give their time and energy, our hundreds of members from all aspects of the plant breeding world, and our benevolent sponsors who make it possible, thank you for making NAPB such a vibrant, diverse and worthwhile Association.