A rich source of protein and fiber, peanuts or groundnuts are a major part of the diet in much of the world. Working with scientists, students, farmers and private sector players across Africa, the Peanut Innovation Lab is making this major food source plentiful and safe.

Building on work that sequenced the peanut genome in 2019, the lab includes portfolio of variety development projects that are finding the genetic diversity of cultivated peanut in Africa and the U.S. and using wild relatives of peanut to add resistance to disease and climate shocks. This knowledge enables African peanut breeders to integrate desirable traits into improved varieties.

On the farm, researchers are testing solutions directly with growers, from improved varieties to better production practices and post-harvest technologies. Nutrition research is documenting how consuming peanut may improve cognition and the microbiome in a person’s gut. 

In special projects and across the entire portfolio of projects, the innovation lab is working to better understand the roles women and youth play in the peanut value chain, so that these groups are empowered and adapt the technologies that come from research.

Lead Institute
University of Georgia

Focus Countries
Senegal, Ghana, Malawi, Uganda

Principal Investigators
View all of our lead scientists.

Learn More
Visit our website to meet our researchers, watch videos of our work, access the informational materials we have produced and understand the research we are doing.

Stay in touch (link to FB/Twitter)
Connect with us on Twitter and Facebook, and subscribe to our Newsletter.

Who We Are
 

Our Researchers

Maria Balota, Associate Professor
Virginia Tech, USA
Lead Scientist for High Throughput Phenotyping

David Bertioli, Professor, GRA Distinguished Investigator
University of Georgia, USA
Lead Scientist for New Wild Alleles to Improve Peanut

Rick Brandenburg, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor
North Carolina State University, USA
Lead Scientist for Production Packages for Malawi and Satellite Image Analysis for Peanut

Mark D. Burow
Texas A&M, Texas Tech, USA
Lead Scientist for Breeding for Drought, Leaf Spot, and Oil

Chris Butts
National Peanut Research Lab, USDA, USA
Lead Scientist for PICS Bag Evaluation

Josh Clevenger
Center for Applied Genetic Technologies, USA
Lead Scientist for Mapping GRV Resistance

C. Michael Deom, Professor
University of Georgia, USA
Lead Scientist for GRD Alternative Host

Richard P. Dick
The Ohio State Univerity, USA
Lead Scientist for Optimized Shrub System for Peanut

Daniel Fonceka
CERAAS, Senegal
Lead Scientist for Enhancing Genetic Potential in Peanut in Western Africa

Leland Glenna, Professor of rural sociology
Pennsylvania State University, USA
Lead Scientist for Time Poverty Among Ghanaian Women

David Jordan, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor of Crop Science and Extension Specialist
North Carolina State University, USA
Lead Scientist for Risk Index Tool Update and Production Packages for Ghana

Soraya Leal-Bertioli
University of Georgia, USA
Lead Scientist for Novel Diversity to Improve Peanut

Nicholas Magnan, Ph.D., Assistant Professor 
University of Georgia, USA
Lead Scientist for Farmer Incentives for Quality Ghanaian Peanuts

Mark Manary, M.D., Professor and Medical Doctor
Washington University, St. Louis, USA
Lead Scientist for Malnutrition Interventions

Venugopal Mendu
Texas Tech University, USA
Lead Scientist for Seed Coat Chemical Makers

Bradford Mills
Department of Ag and Applied Economics
Virginia Tech, USA
Lead Scientist for Youth in Peanut Production in Senegal

David Kalule Okello
NaSARRI, NARO, Uganda
Lead Scientist for Enhancing Genetic Potential in Peanut in Eastern and Southern Africa, Assessment of Breeding Programs, and Implementing a Management System in Peanut Breeding Programs 

Peggy Ozias-Akins, Professor 
University of Georgia, USA
Lead Scientist for Genotyping U.S. Germplasm from Africa, and Peanut Gene Evaluation

Carrie Ann Stephens, Professor
University of Tennessee, USA
Lead Scientist for Photovoice in Uganda

Stuart Sweeney, Professor
University of California, USA
Lead Scientist for Gender in Peanut Production in Senegal
 

Jia-Sheng Wang, Professor and Department Head
University of Georgia, USA
Lead Scientist for Gut Microbiome Regulation 

Overseas Partners

Ghana

CSIR-Crop Research Institute (CRI)
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)
Project Peanut Butter
CSIR-Savanna Agriculture Research Institute (SARI)
University for Development Studies (UDS)
University of Ghana

India
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)

Kenya
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)

Malawi
DARS-Chitedze Agriculture Research Service
Horizon Farms, Ltd.
Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR)

Mali
Institut d’Economie Rurale (IER)

Mozambique
Instituto de Investigação Agrária de Moçambique (IIAM)

Niger
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)
Centre Regional de la Recherche Agronomique du Niger (INRA)

Senegal
Centre de Recherche Pour le Developpement Economique et Social Sanar (CRDESS)
Ecole Nationale Superieure d’Agriculture de Thies (ENSA)]
Institut Senegalais de Recherches Agricoles (ISRA)
University of Thies

Uganda
Makerere University
National Agriculture Research Organization /National Semi Arid Resources Research Institute (NARO/NaSARRI)

Zambia
Zambia Agriculture Research Institute (ZARI)

Work With Us

Program Director: Dave Hoisington
Email: [email protected]

Assistant Director: James Rhoads
Email: [email protected]