At the Global Cassava Partnership meeting for the 21st Century (GCP21) in Kampala, Uganda on June 20th, Dr Mike Thresh, Emeritus Professor of Plant Virus Ecology of the Natural Resources Institute (NRI) received the Golden Cassava Award in recognition of his longstanding scientific contributions to understanding and building awareness of cassava diseases.
From a farming background in the north of England, Mike received his first degree in Botany in 1952 from Imperial College London. However, his first contact with cassava as an important food crop was from 1953-1960 when he worked as a virologist at the West African Cocoa Research Institute, in Gold Coast (now Ghana) and Nigeria.
From1960-1986 Mike worked at East Malling Research Station, Kent, where he was involved in research on the epidemiology of Cacao Swollen Shoot Virus (CSSV), and in 1991 he began work at NRI where he developed the virus research programme with emphasis on a variety of crop diseases, including rice tungro, cassava mosaic, maize streak and banana bunchy top.
Throughout the 1990s Mike was instrumental in raising awareness of the seriousness of the cassava mosaic epidemic with many international donors. His surveys revealed that emergency measures were urgently required to prevent the rapid spreading of this deadly crop disease, to help famine victims whose staple food had been destroyed.
Mike continues to play a major role in the research, survey and extension work needed to combat the cassava mosaic pandemic. In more recent years he has also applied his extensive expertise to help tackle the new emerging pandemic of Cassava Brown Streak Disease in East and Central Africa.
As part of the ceremony Mike was awarded with a plaque and a Kanzu, a bark cloth hat and a walking stick wrapped in traditional Ugandan cloth. He dedicated his award to "those who came before me and who lead the effort to build awareness of the importance of boosting cassava production in Uganda and other countries in East and West Africa".
"Mike Thresh is an exceptional scientist who is a world-leading expert on cassava diseases. This award from the international cassava community is richly deserved and a true reflection of the contributions that he has made", said Andrew Westby, the Director of NRI.