Felde T Zum

Thomas zum Felde is a nutritional quality expert . In 2005, Dr zum Felde joined HarvestPlus as project coordinator in developing fast screening methods for micronutrients (beta carotene, iron and zinc) to support the biofortification approach in potato, sweet potato, beans, rice, maize, cassava, wheat, pearl millet, cowpea and sorghum across CGIAR centers. In 2011, Dr zum Felde joined CIP’s Genetics, Genomics and Crop Improvement Division and implemented a global NIRS network (Peru, Ghana, Mozambique, Uganda) for nutritional quality evaluation of orange fleshed sweet potato (20,000 samples annually). From 2012 to 2016, he was the principle investigator of CIP’s global “Nutritional Quality Assurance and Enhancement Network” which built knowledge and develops capacity to enable researchers in Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America to perform accurate assessments of micronutrient content of potato and sweet potato clones and had contributed in building evidence that micronutrients from potato tubers and sweet potato roots are bioaccessible and have a positive impact to human health. Beside serving as head of the nutritional quality fast screening section (XRF, NIRS) of CIP’s QNLAB in Lima, Dr. zum Felde lead as PI of the projects “Biodiverse and Nutritious Potato Improvement across Peru, Nepal and Bhutan” funded by the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture of FAO and “Biofortified potato varieties to help overcome micronutrient malnutrition in East Africa" funded by HarvestPlus. Dr zum Felde has over 15 years of work experience on nutritional quality evaluation and participatory varietal selection of potato and sweet potato operating across 3 continents and with several NARS partners