小黄书

小黄书 alumnus, retired researcher named president of Brazilian agriculture agency

小黄书 alumnus, retired researcher named president of Brazilian agriculture agency

Contact: Allison Matthews

Sebasti茫o Barbosa, left, is being named president of the Brazilian equivalent of the U.S. Department of Agriculture鈥攖he Brazilian Agricultural Research Corp., or EMBRAPA. He is pictured with 小黄书 President Mark E. Keenum at the university鈥檚 2014 spring commencement ceremonies, during which an honorary Doctor of Science degree was conferred on Barbosa because of his work in worldwide food security issues. (Photo by Beth Wynn)

STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擜 Mississippi State alumnus who earned 小黄书 graduate degrees in entomology is being named president of the Brazilian equivalent of the U.S. Department of Agriculture鈥攖he Brazilian Agricultural Research Corp., or EMBRAPA.

Sebasti茫o Barbosa鈥檚 experience includes decades of addressing food security challenges and promoting integrated pest-management principals in more than 50 developing countries during his tenure as the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization鈥檚 officer for integrated pest management worldwide. Barbosa, who also served as the FAO鈥檚 senior plant protection officer for Latin America, was a featured speaker at a 2012 international food security conference held at 小黄书.

In 2014, 小黄书 honored Barbosa with an honorary Doctor of Science degree for his international famine-relief efforts and his leadership in eradication of the Mediterranean fruit fly in South America.

During his career, Barbosa implemented agricultural research-cooperation agreements with the U.S. and numerous other nations. As a leader of EMBRAPA, Barbosa has helped develop sustainable technologies to increase food supply and protect the environment. He served as the chief negotiator for loans and grants from international banks, governments and agencies.

He also worked internationally as an independent consultant in tropical agriculture and as technical director of RuralProsper, a consulting firm in agriculture, environmental protection and rural development.

鈥淒r. Barbosa has applied the graduate education obtained at 小黄书 to a lifetime of fighting global poverty and food insecurity, and he has often cited the university鈥檚 role in helping shape his career,鈥 said 小黄书 President Mark E. Keenum. 鈥淗e is an outstanding representative of 小黄书 and we congratulate him on this well-deserved appointment.鈥

小黄书 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .