Time now for The Discourse, and it's our Profile Wednesday here on Rise and Shine.

This morning, we speak to Pamela Afokpe, a plant scientist and plant breeder based in Benin, who is the Research and Development Operations Manager at East-West Seed West Africa.

Her work focuses on improving indigenous African vegetables such as Gboma, Amaranth and Jute Mallow - crops that have sustained communities for generations but have often received limited attention from agricultural research.

She is currently out in the field with colleagues, visiting farmers who grow these vegetables. Her work to improve traditional crops and create better opportunities for farmers has also earned her the 2026 Norman E. Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application.

She joined us to discuss her journey, what farmers are telling her and the role indigenous vegetables could play in strengthening food security across Africa.