{"id":18285,"date":"2026-06-20T13:03:52","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T13:03:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.iita.org\/news-item\/iitas-professor-rony-swennen-honored-as-visiting-professor-by-the-guangxi-academy-of-agricultural-sciences\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T16:50:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T16:50:24","slug":"iitas-professor-rony-swennen-honored-as-visiting-professor-by-the-guangxi-academy-of-agricultural-sciences","status":"publish","type":"news-item","link":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/news-item\/iitas-professor-rony-swennen-honored-as-visiting-professor-by-the-guangxi-academy-of-agricultural-sciences\/","title":{"rendered":"IITA&#8217;s Professor Rony Swennen honored as visiting professor by the Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><figure id=\"attachment_33487\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33487\" style=\"width: 660px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Prof-Rony-Swennen-left-receiving-an-award-from-Guangxi-Academy-of-Agricultural-Sciences.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-33487 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Prof-Rony-Swennen-left-receiving-an-award-from-Guangxi-Academy-of-Agricultural-Sciences-1024x769-1.jpg\" alt=\"Prof Rony Swennen (left) receiving an award from Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences\" width=\"660\" height=\"496\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-33487\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Prof Rony Swennen (left) receiving an award from Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a prestigious recognition of his expertise in bananas, Professor Rony Swennen, a scientist at IITA-CGIAR, has been appointed visiting professor at the Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences in China. This honorary title was conferred upon Prof. Swennen during a recent visit to China, at the invitation of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.catas.cn\/en\/\">Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences (CATAS)<\/a>, where he, along with other <a href=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/\">IITA<\/a>\u2013<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cgiar.org\/\">CGIAR<\/a> scientists Dr Delphine Amah and Dr Ismail Rabbi, explored potential collaborations with Chinese institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The appointment is a significant milestone for IITA-CGIAR, reflecting the institute&#8217;s growing reputation as a leader in tropical agricultural research. As a visiting professor, Prof. Swennen will have the opportunity to develop joint research proposals with the Guangxi Academy, particularly in banana improvement. This collaboration has the potential to benefit both IITA-CGIAR and the Guangxi Academy, enabling an exchange of knowledge, resources, and expertise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><figure id=\"attachment_33488\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33488\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Award.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-33488\" src=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Award.jpg\" alt=\"Prof. Swennen\u2019s appointment letter as Visiting Professor at Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-33488\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Prof. Swennen\u2019s appointment letter as Visiting Professor at Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The partnership is expected to yield mutual benefits. IITA-CGIAR will leverage the Guangxi Academy&#8217;s advanced facilities and expertise to test its banana hybrids for resistance to Panama TR4 disease, a significant threat to banana crops currently confined to Mozambique in Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This will help identify resistant varieties and inform breeding decisions. Meanwhile, the Guangxi Academy can utilize IITA-CGIAR&#8217;s advanced breeding strategies and germplasm, enhancing breeding programs and developing more resilient banana varieties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><figure id=\"attachment_33489\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33489\" style=\"width: 660px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Group.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-33489\" src=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Group-1024x577.jpg\" alt=\"Prof Rony Swennen with certificate, flanked by IITA colleagues and Chinese partners\" width=\"660\" height=\"372\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-33489\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Prof Rony Swennen with certificate, flanked by IITA colleagues and Chinese partners<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This award is a testament to Prof. Swennen&#8217;s expertise and IITA-CGIAR&#8217;s commitment to international collaboration. As a leading research institute, IITA-CGIAR continues to forge strategic partnerships with institutions worldwide to address pressing agricultural challenges and improve food and nutritional security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The visiting professorship award is a significant achievement for IITA-CGIAR that can drive positive changes in agriculture and food security. Congratulations, Prof. Swennen, on this well-deserved recognition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Contributed by Moureen Awori, Prof. Rony Swennen and Katherine Lopez<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a prestigious recognition of his expertise in banana, Professor Rony Swennen, a scientist at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)\/CGIAR, has been appointed as a visiting professor at the Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences in China.<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":18286,"template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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