Fikru Haile
I have my roots in this geography (Africa) as I grew up in Ethiopia, and am familiar with the challenges that small-scale farmers are facing in this region. For more than a couple of decades in the US, as a graduate student and working for Dow AgroSciences, DuPont Pioneer, and now Corteva, I have gained practical experiences how modern agriculture has revolutionized crop production. I have been on a lookout for opportunities to share my experiences with small-scale farmers about better farming practices and use of agricultural inputs that will enable them to produce more and become food self-sufficient. The Corteva-AMPATH collaboration is an excellent opportunity to be part of the campaign to contribute toward food security and better living standard for farmers in Kenya. I am honored to participate in this program!
The Corteva-AMPATH collaboration program has been and will continue to make a meaningful difference in the lives of many small-scale farmers. I am excited to contribute to and experience first-hand the community based initiatives that Corteva-AMPATH collaboration is leading. I look forward to doing my part to continue the success of this collaboration for the future.
I hope my biggest impact in Eldoret will be to educate farmers and share my experiences in crop production and pest management so that they can improve agricultural productivity. Over the years, I have gained extensive training and experiences working on different and exciting R&D projects. I look forward to leveraging my expertise in crop production and pest management and closely work with farmers, key collaborators, and regional Corteva colleagues to build on the great work started by my previous AMPATH fellows.
A. As much as I am eager to share my experiences, I am also looking forward to the opportunity to learn from everyone I interact with. This experience will enable me to become more knowledgeable about crop production and pest management issues that the small-scale farmers are facing in this geography.
As entomologist, I am curious to learn about the fall armyworm, a pest that has been recently introduced to Africa and Asia. This difficult to control pest presents significant challenges to food security for small-scale maize farmers in Africa. I will actively seek opportunities to learn about management options for this pest and educate and transfer regional pest management knowledge to AMPATH farmers. I am excited and look forward to this experience.
Read blog posts:
Helping Small Scale Farmers to Defeat a Voracious Enemy
Strengthening Cooperatives in Western Kenya
AMPATH and Corteva team Training Farmers to Adopt Soybean in Western Kenya