I hold a Ph.D. in Horticulture with a minor in Crop Production and Physiology – Seed Science and Technology from Iowa State University. My Ph.D. work was aimed at improving tomato seed systems in Uganda. As a seed specialist at Makerere University Regional Centre for Crop Improvement, I am currently developing and managing the seed systems for the cowpea & sorghum breeding program. I am very passionate about improving livelihoods for smallholder farmers and have conducted crop-related research in Uganda for 10 years. I have worked with over 550 smallholder farmers in rural Uganda to improve seed management and agronomic practices for improved productivity in various crops. I have conducted research to improve Uganda’s seed system through a holistic multifactorial evaluation of the seed value chain with the objective of identifying weak links and developing effective solutions that lead to an overall improvement in farmer access to seed.
Participating in knowledge creation and sharing with farmers to benefit their lives remains core to my personal values and professional goals. Before joining MaRCCI, my passion for agriculture and education led me to work for the Iowa State University Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods and the Iowa State University-Uganda Program (ISU-UP) for eight years, as a project assistant, teaching, and research assistant. ISU-UP is a non-governmental organization improving agriculture production, health, and education in Kamuli, Uganda. During this time, I co-lead 6 service-learning, study abroad programs in Uganda impacting over 150 students from Iowa State University and Makerere University and providing them the opportunity to work in bi-national teams in development programs. I also participated in a National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) funded farmer exchange program to China through Iowa State University. We traveled to China with Iowa farmers and learned about Chinese agriculture, culture, and language. I have enjoyed working with people from different cultures and backgrounds and participating in and or studying agriculture production in Uganda, the United States, and China!
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