Kansas State University (KSU) has hired a new faculty member, Polamreddy V. Reddy, into the College of Agriculture's Department of Grain Science and Industry. Reddy previously was appointed as adjunct professor and is serving as the managing director of the new Feed the Future Innovation Lab for the Reduction of Post-harvest Loss. This lab is the third Feed the Future Innovation Lab established at KSU and is part of the U.S. government's global hunger initiative.
This lab is focused on the reduction and prevention of post-harvest loss initially in four target countries that experience the most measurable losses: Guatemala, Ghana, Ethiopia and Bangladesh. Within each of the four countries, there is a key investigator team made up of members from the U.S. as well as in country to help measure these losses.
"Together we can identify what the post-harvest loss is for the area and measure the loss of quantity and quality," Reddy says. "We can then set up research teams with the faculty and other local experts to train the farmers and others involved in the grain supply chain."
Reddy, who is a graduate of KSU and former faculty member, has had more than 40 years of experience in the industry. Most recently he was with General Mills in the international division where he gained extensive experiences overseas, working with farmers and suppliers, and also with grain processing, so he understands what it means to preserve grains for quantity and quality.
