Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108 Page 109 Page 110 Page 111 Page 112 Page 113 Page 114 Page 115 Page 116 Page 117 Page 118 Page 119 Page 120 Page 121 Page 122 Page 123 Page 124 Page 125 Page 126 Page 127 Page 128 Page 129 Page 130 Page 131 Page 132 Page 133 Page 134 Page 135 Page 136 Page 137 Page 138 Page 139 Page 140 Page 141 Page 142 Page 143 Page 144 Page 145 Page 146 Page 147 Page 14846 / SEEDWORLD.COM DECEMBER 2016 INTERNATIONALAGRICULTURALDEVELOPMENT BORN INTO A humble family in central Pakistan is Fawad Shah, who is now an integral part of the U.S. seed industry, but he seeks out ways to contribute to the development of his birth country. Shah is representative of hundreds, if not thou- sands, of foreign born U.S. persons who contribute directly to both the U.S. seed industry and to that of their homeland. “Dad often said food is the basic necessity of life and agriculture is the way to feed humanity,” says Shah. “He regarded it quite a noble profession.” Shah grew up in the small rural town of Shahpur Sadar, surrounded by villages where agriculture is the dominant profession. He credits his mother as the driving force behind the educational opportunities that he and his siblings were provided. He fulfilled both his parents’ wishes by pursuing higher education in the plant sciences. After completing his undergraduate degree in biology at the nearby University of Sargodha, Shah earned a master’s in plant breeding from the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad. Upon receiving a coveted scholarship from the Pakistan government, he attended Mississippi State University and completed a doctorate in agronomy and its renowned Seed Technology Program. Shah has witnessed numerous developmental chal- lenges that beset the agricultural sector in Pakistan. Water availability and inefficient usage. Inadequate rural infrastructure. Lack of mechanization. Low viability of the commercial farming sector. Poor policy align- ment. Too few well-adapted high yielding varieties across the many crop kinds. Partnerships to Promote Development However, the most notable developmental challenge in Shah’s mind is the lack of viable farm-to-market seed systems in many production regions. Developing more robust and appropriate seed systems is his solution. “This can be accomplished through public-private partnerships, with local and foreign experts on the ground to help educate and implement a sound seed system in Pakistan,” Shah says. Shah’s public role in Pakistan began to ratchet up in 2011. He served as a technical resource for educational events held in conjunction with the first International Seed Technology Conference convened by the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, during the univer- sity’s 50th anniversary celebration. He has since spoken at other university seed technology conferences. Shah thought to enlist the aid of a U.S. colleague in support of his on-going developmental efforts to assist Pakistan’s seed sector. His recommendation was instrumental in that colleague’s appointment within the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialization as an honorary scholar and adjunct scientist in the area of seed systems. The university’s senior leadership requested Shah’s assistance in developing a new undergraduate seed sci- ence curriculum. He ultimately enjoyed presenting to that inaugural seed technology class as did his U.S. colleague. “Those talented young men and women could begin to envision themselves as future seed technologists who would build a stronger seed system,” Shah says. In 2015, both Shah and his colleague were sub- sequently invited to speak at the first Pakistan Seed Congress. He spoke about the structure of the U.S. certification system and to seed technology issues. His colleague addressed emerging seed system challenges and opportunities facing the developing seed industry. Both interact frequently with colleagues in Pakistan. Shah has resided in Minnesota since becoming president and CEO of the Minnesota Crop Improvement Association in 2015. His career path has taken him to Washington state where he served in various seed and grain roles within the Department of Agriculture. Prior to assuming his current position, he served as direc- tor of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service Seed Regulatory and Testing Division. What is next for Shah? He plans to create aca- demic and technical relationships among and between the Minnesota Crop Improvement Association, the University of Minnesota and institutions of higher learning in Pakistan. He envisions bringing graduate students to the University of Minnesota to increase their exposure to research and plant breeding. Shah believes these efforts will further expand MCIA’s global footprint in the seed industry. Granted, the example of Fawad Shah is that of one individual. Albeit, he sets a good example and exempli- fies the many who go unheralded. SW Unheralded Contributions DENNIS THOMPSON is dedicated to delivering solutions and empowering people and organiza- tions to solve complex problems related to international agricul- tural development and global food security. His career experience and international credentials include Extension educa- tion, agronomy and administration.