Wynand Jacobus Van Der Walt
Director
FoodNCropBio consulting services
South Africa
Biography
Wynand Jacobus Van der Walt is a seventh generation South African-born citizen. He obtained his BSc.Agric and MSc.Agric in genetics and plant breeding at the University of Pretoria, South Africa; PhD genetics at the University of Wisconsin, USA; and MBL in business at the University of South Africa. He started his career working in government, joined the Asgrow Seed Company (South Africa) in 1967 as director for research and plant breeding. Van der Walt founded the South African National Seed Organization as non-profit company and Secretariat for the national seed industry in 1989, and as designated authority to manage official seed certification schemes on behalf of government, and served as general manager until 2000. He retired in 2002 to continue his private practice as independent consultant on biotechnology, seed industry and IPR/PVP matters. He was also a co-founding director of AfricaBio biotechnology stakeholders’ organization in 1999. He continues to serve on advisory committees for the South African oilseeds and grain industries, and is member of the Agricultural Writers Association and of the Executive Committee of the SA National Consumer Union. His primary focus is on developments in plant breeding (22 years with Asgrow, now breeding indigenous Clivia flowers as hobby); crop biotechnology communication (12 years of writing a weekly column on biotech for an ag-magazine), and 10 years of comprehensive annual research project on GM maize for the national Maize Trust and national GM crop status for ISAAA; media liaison; interacts with patent lawyers on PVP/PBR/plant patents, biosafety frameworks; seed industry issues (a co-founding director of the African Seed Trade Association in 2000, now honorary life member), wrote article for Prophyta Annual 2015 on African seed law harmonization and rendered services on seed issues for 10 years as resource person to FANRPAN. Van der Walt is also member of some 12 scientific and industry associations and a recipient of seven awards. He has been registered with the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions since 1983.
Research Interest
Genetic Engineering
Agriculture