Innovations with the power to grow

Text: Karen Naundorf

As a child, Luis Pocasangre Enamorado was fascinated by his big brother’s work: by breeding corn, bean and papaya plants himself, his ­brother succeeded in increasing yields on the family smallholding in Honduras. “He was my mentor,” says Pocasangre Enamorado. “Through him I discovered my passion for plant breeding – first I became an agronomist, then an agricultural engineer, and then I went into research.” He completed his PhD at the University of Bonn in 2000. He describes the DAAD scholarship that enabled him to do so as a milestone in his life: “To this day I am still in contact with my doctoral supervisor, Professor Richard Sikora at the Department for Plant Diseases. We send each other students, and my work at CATIE has the same objective as the DAAD: to foster academic excellence.”

Luis Pocasangre Enamorado has published 70 scientific papers, collaborated with the world’s leading research institutions and trained more than a hundred early career researchers. His work has a major influence on agriculture in the tropics. Despite his impressive successes, Pocasangre Enamorado is remarkably modest when talking about what he has achieved: “I am a bit proud of my work to develop biologic­al means of combating fusarium, a fungus that is very aggressive towards banana plants. I have been able to lead the campaign to prevent it from spreading throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.”

Now he is the Director of the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE) in Costa Rica: “Scientific excellence and knowledge transfer are both very close to our hearts here at CATIE.” One research project currently being pursued at CATIE is exploring the problems climate change is creating for coffee growers: “At higher temperatures, fungal diseases become more aggressive. Coffee farmers are forced to move to higher altitudes, which results in more deforestation. We have developed a hybrid plant that is resistant to drought. It is a variety that can be grown at 40 metres above sea level with very good yields and no decline in quality.”

Pocasangre Enamorado is still driven today by the same vision he had as a child: the idea of reducing rural poverty, improving the lives of smallholders and fostering sustainable use of resources through technological innovation. “We will continue to pursue these goals at CATIE.” —