Prof Sylvester Mpandeli was elected as the Vice President of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) on the 27th of July 2022 during the Executive Council meeting in New Dehli, India. The Secretary General of ICID made the announcement on behalf of the President.
ICID is the world’s premier organisation working towards a water-secure world free of poverty and hunger through sustainable development. This development is good news for the University of Venda, Water Research Commission, South Africa and Africa as a continent. His position will open opportunities for South Africa and Africa to push climate change, food security, agricultural water management and water – energy – food nexus issues through the ICID platforms.
Prof Sylvester Mpandeli is going to work with more than 60 countries across the globe during his term of office. Prof Sylvester Mpandeli (PhD) is an Executive Manager: Water Utilisation in Agriculture at the Water Research Commission (WRC) since May 2013. He is an Adjunct Professor at the Faculty
of Science, Engineering and Agriculture at the University of Venda since 2013. He was the chairman of the African Regional Working Group of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) and also the Deputy Chairman of the South African National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage (SANCID) from 2013 to 2017. He represents the South African Regional Irrigation Association (SARIA) at the International Executive Council of ICID.
Currently, he is a board member at the Applied Centre for Climate & Earth Systems Science (ACCESS), a Board member at the South African Weather Service (SAWS) and is also part of the Climate Change Advisory team that advises the Premier of Gauteng Province on climate change issues. He is the Chairperson of the Water JPI Advisory Board of the European Commission and co-chairs the NRF – NOW Advisory Committee. . Before joining the WRC, Prof Sylvester Mpandeli worked at the Department of Environmental Affairs as Director: Climate Change Adaptation Resource Sectors at the Department of Environmental Affairs since October 2012 to April 2013. He was also a Specialist Advisor on Climate change Adaptation issues in the same department for a period of about three years from 2009 to September 2012. He worked at the Agricultural Research Council – Institute for Soil, Climate and Water (ARC -ISCW) for 9 years (4 years as a researcher focusing on Agrometeorology and then 5 years as a Programme Manager responsible for Climate Change).
Before Prof Mpandeli joined the ARC -ISCW, he worked at the University of Pretoria, Department of Plant Production and Soil Science for two years as a Research Assistant. He was part of the research team from the University of Pretoria that won an International Award in 2003 on water-saving technology using a wetting front detector tool developed by the CSIR- Australia, University of Pretoria and the Water Research Commission. The accolade was awarded by the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) in 2003 in Montpellier, France. Prof Mpandeli has published more than 140 scientific
papers, book chapters, book technical reports and conference/workshop proceedings. Lastly, Sylvester Mpandeli was one of the climate change adaptation negotiators at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) representing the South African government from 2006 to 2013.
Issued by: Department of Marketing, Branding and Communication University of Venda
Tel: 015 962 8338
Date: 01 August 2022
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