Hafssa Kabbaj

2023 Women in Triticum Early Career Award

Hafssa Kabbaj, from Morocco, is a researcher at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA). Dr. Kabbaj is the genomic selection expert of the durum wheat breeding program at ICARDA Morocco. Her work is aimed to implement genomic selection and speed breeding tools to deliver super cultivars to national partners from Central and West Asia, North Africa, and West Africa. Her PhD in plant breeding and biotechnology from Mohamed V University in Rabat, Morocco, was conducted under the supervision of Filippo M. Bassi and Bouchra Belkadi, in collaboration with ICARDA and funded by the Swedish university of agriculture (SLU) in Sweden.

Education:

  • PhD in plant breeding and biotechnology, Mohamed V University in Rabat, Morocco
  • M.Sc. in biotechnology and B.Sc. in Biology at the faculty of sciences, Mohamed V University in Rabat, Morocco
Hafssa Kabba

“Due to the impact of climate change and the increase of the global population, securing the global food supply continues to face enormous challenges. There is a need to increase yields and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses where possible, and this requires innovation on broad scale, especially in developing countries in the Central West Asia, North Africa, and West Africa region. I believe that the use of genomic tools is an important driver for selection success in plant breeding in this purpose. Thus, the transfer of innovations in the field of genome-assisted plant breeding to developing countries through investment in applied breeding programs and training can contribute to promote wheat where no net return for farmers.”

Hafssa Kabbaj
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