Inception Planning Meeting Participants

Alexander A. Kalimbira (PhD) is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Malawi. He serves as Dean of Postgraduate Studies and Research, who recently coordinated successful implementation of two regional PhD programmes in Malawi. A nutritionist by training, he spearheads innovative engagement of academics with the wider society by presenting a weekly radio programme on Zodiak, one of Malawi’s national radio stations.

Suzanne Nederlof holds an MSc in Rural Development Sociology and a PhD in Communication and Innovation Studies from Wageningen University. She has thirteen years of experience in rural development. She has expertise in the organization of agricultural research; natural resource management and platform thinking; farmer-based organizations and interdisciplinary research. She has professional skills in action-research, participatory approaches, facilitation of multi-stakeholder processes and training. In 2006, Suzanne Nederlof joined KIT as an advisor in farmer organizations and rural innovation.

Willem Heemskerk has worked for 33 years in developing countries, mostly as resident farming systems researcher and client-oriented research management specialist in Eastern and Southern Africa. The last ten years he has been operating from the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) in Amsterdam as an adviser and researcher on management and organization of research and advisory service systems. He believes that agricultural development is only possible through effective interactive learning between referred public and private service providers, farmers' organizations and the private entrepreneurial sector. He graduated in Wageningen as a tropical plant breeder, followed the ICRA post-graduate course and worked apart from KIT for FAO, Mozambican Government and Dutch Bilateral Cooperation, as well as frequently for IFAD and World Bank in the last ten years.

Timothy Gondwe, PhD, is an Associate Prof in Animal Breeding and Heads the Department of Animal Science at Bunda College of Agriculture, University of Malawi. My teaching areas include undergraduate and postgraduate breeding, farm animal genetic resources and livestock systems, Biometry at MSc and PhD levels. My research are in breeding strategies to improve pigs, goats, chickens and cattle under prevailing farming systems. My goal is to develop adaptable breeds for a local farmer in Malawi to match prevailing systems and climate changes.'

Washing O. Ochola holds a PhD in Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development and an MSc degree in Agricultural Systems Management and Engineering. He is the RUFORUM Programme Manager for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (PME). He has wide experience in project management and has published, conducted research and been consulted widely for many local, institutional, national, regional and global processes. He participated in the International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) as the Collaborating Lead Author for Chapter 4 – Drivers of Agriculture and Food Systems in both the Global and sub-Saharan Africa reports. He is currently involved in writing a text book on Natural Resource Management for graduate students in SSA and Planet in 2050. He continues to teach and supervise postgraduate students in many regional programmes. He is the INNOVATION project coordinator at the RUFORUM Secretariat where he coordinates the development of a new M&E strategy and system and coordinates other RUFORUM regional projects and programmes.

Prof. Gitonga Nkanata Mburugu (Ph.D.) Kenyatta University, Dean School of Agriculture and Enterprise Development, Department of Agriculture Science and Technology. He is a soil microbiologist by training with interest in low cost macro and micro-propagation also a holder of a postgraduate diploma in Integrated Agricultural Research for Development. Expectation for the project: Improve the learning experiences of Agriculture graduate and postgraduate students and practitioners to make them more versatile graduate in their workplaces.

Dr. Elizabeth Kamau-Mbuthia is the Head of department and a Lecturer in the Department of Human Nutrition. She has a PhD in Natural Sciences (Dr.rer.nat) specialising in Public Health Nutrition from Vienna University (Austria ) and an M.P.H. specialising in Public Health Nutrition from Curtin University of Technology( Western Australia ). Areas of professional interest include Public Health Nutrition, Community Nutrition, Food security, Maternal and Child health and nutrition in the context of HIV/AIDS, Nutritional epidemiology, Nutrition surveys, Nutrition education and promotion. She is also a certified PMTCT counsellor and works as a volunteer with HIV/AIDS support groups and is also trained as a Nutrition leader in the African Nutrition Leadership Program. Has published and made presentations in International conferences in the areas of maternal and child nutrition, infant feeding patterns in the context of HIV, community nutrition and food security. She is also a member of nutritional societies in Kenya

Dr. Charles Masembe Charles Masembe is a lecturer of Population Genetics, Evolutionary Biology, and Cell and Molecular Biology in the Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Makerere University”. He has extensive research experience in molecular genetics and veterinary diagnostics, and collaborates with researchers in both developing and developed countries. He is a veterinarian with experience in molecular evolution, population genetics and molecular epidemiology

Dr. David M. Amudavi is a lecturer in the Department of Agricultural Education and Extension. He has been a Post Doctoral Fellow and a Consultant with The International Centre of Insect Physiology & Ecology (ICIPE), Nairobi, Kenya, working on a project: ‘Creating smallholder led growth through ‘push-pull’ technologies in Eastern Africa: Implementation and dissemination of habitat management strategies while developing appropriate exit strategies.’ Amudavi has been involved in strategic expansion of the technologies in Eastern Africa; and socio-economic studies of alternative technology transfer processes. Amudavi has been involved in consultancies relating to technology transfer and strengthening agricultural extension systems in Sub-Saharan Africa for organizations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and Farm Africa. Amudavi has a PhD degree majoring in adult and extension education, and with minors in developmental sociology and natural resource management from Cornell University, Ithaca, New York USA.

Dr. Prossy Isubikalu holds a PhD in Social Sciences (Wageningen University, Technology and Agrarian Development) and an MSc in Agricultural Extension and Education (Makerere University). She is currently a lecturer in the Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, Faculty of Agriculture, Makerere University. Her previous research work has been focussed on understanding farmer interactions with technology as well as analysis of farmer involvement in participatory agricultural extension activities. She is currently a principle investigator of two on-going research projects (one on role of orange fleshed sweet potato in ensuring food security and the other on understanding farmer practices on the persistence of Foot and Mouth Disease in Western Uganda) and a collaborator on a study on understanding farmer practices in managing climate change in Eastern Uganda. She has participated in developing proposals for regional initiatives like the Agriculture and Rural Innovation Studies (ARIS) – a regional PhD programme funded by EDULINK. She is interested in community and rural development related activities as well as organisational change

Dr Bebe Bockline Omedo is MSc and PhD animal science graduate of Wageningen University. He is a senior lecturer in the department of animal sciences, Egerton University, with over 15 years working experience in university teaching and research in livestock systems research, livestock commodity-based value chain development, rural development strategies and epidemiological economics. He has supervised a number of postgraduate students including postdocs from animal science, agricultural extension, livestock economics and Agricultural Information and Communication Management


Prof Christopher A. Onyango, PhD of the Department of Agricultural Education and Extension at Egerton University Onyango teaches under- and postgraduate courses in agricultural extension. He has special interest in international agriculture, rural development, with special emphasis in planning, implementation and M&E. He has been involved in university management, starting at department up to the level of deputy vice chancellor. Currently he coordinates the development of Agriculture and rural Innovations Studies (ARIS) Ph.D. programme at Egerton University

Mr. John A. Kazembe has just completed his Ph.D. in applied Mathematics and is awaiting the wad of the degree. He has an M.Sc. in Tropical Resource Ecology and a Bachelor of Education on Science. He is skilled and interested in ecological modeling and systems analysis; understanding dynamics of semi-arid rangelands in response to climate change; he has strong skills in curriculum development, analysis and implementation especially in the field of sciences. His major contribution to the project could be in the design of the curriculum for innovation.

Agnes Akwang Obua-Ogwal (né Anokbonggo) has a Masters Degree in Agricultural Economics of the University of New England, Australia. She has fifteen years of work experience in agricultural research, and in monitoring and evaluating (M&E) agricultural projects and programmes while working with the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) and National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) in Uganda. She is currently the M&E Officer based at the RUFORUM Secretariat. Agnes has experience in planning and implementing new and innovative agricultural programs; strategy development; participatory approaches for planning, implementation, monitoring, quality assurance, and evaluation; design and implementation of various studies including needs assessment and evaluation surveys; training trainers and workshop facilitation; and a working knowledge of procurement for services. Agnes can be contacted at a.akwang@ruforum.org.

Richard Batte, MSc: studied Information Systems at Makerere University; PhD student at the Faculty of Computing and Information Technology, same University and currently an Assistant Programme Coordinator, for a Regional PhD programme in Agricultural and Rural Innovation Studies (ARIS) at Makerere University; partnering with international institutions, Wageningen University and Research Center in the Netherlands, Montpellier SupAgro in France, Egerton University in Kenya and Sokoine University of Agriculture in Tanzania. Taught, done consultancies and held top administrative positions at University level. Interests lie in systems thinking, analysis and design and modelling especially in natural resources field. Contacts: rbatte25@hotmail.com/richbatte3@aol.com; Tel: +256-782-205214.

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