Technical Commitee
Kay Muir Leresche:
In 2002 Kay Muir Leresche resigned from the Professorial Chair in the Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Zimbabwe where she had taught since 1980. Kay is a policy economist specializing in agricultural and natural resource economics. Her research and advocacy is directed at rural development and increasing livelihoods. She has taught micro, macro, policy, development and natural resource economics, marketing and trade at both undergraduate and post-graduate level and has supervised numerous M.Sc., M.Phil. and PhD candidates. She has also worked on a range of issues including food, pricing and land policy, marketing, trade, wildlife, environment and the political economy of structural reform. Among other things Kay is currently working on making African higher agricultural education more relevant to smallholders and a changing world. In 2009 Kay led a team to evaluate FAO’s capacity development work in Africa and she has worked with the FAO evaluation office in Africa, Asia and Central America. She is an independent consultant and currently Chairperson of the Technical Committee of the Regional Universities Forum (RUFORUM). From 1970 to 1980, Kay worked in international travel, commodity marketing and journalism in New York, London, Hong Kong and Zimbabwe. Kay has a wide range of publications and has lectured, presented papers, public lectures and seminars at universities throughout Africa, Australia, Europe and North America. P. O. Box 343 Bettys Bay Cape 7141 South Africa Tel +27 28 2738742
Richard (Ric) Coe:
Is a research methods specialist. His background is in biometrics and statistics. He has worked the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) for 20 years, where his role is to support research teams, scientists, students and partners in the design of research projects and studies to improved their effectiveness. Similarly he supports scientists in the analysis, interpretation and communication of research data and results. His background is in mathematics, biometry and statistics, and before joining ICRAF he was a lecturer in the University of Reading, UK. His particular interest is in the design of research studies that are embedded in ‘development’ projects. His current position with ICRAF is part time and he concurrently has a post with the Statistical Services Centre, University of Reading, UK. His work in the university is also focused on methods support to agricultural research projects in E and S Africa, together with increasing research methods capacity in the region. He is on the editorial board of several journals including
Agroforestry Systems,
Agricultural and Forest Meteorology and
Experimental Agriculture. Ric is married and lives in N Tanzania for much of the year and tries to spend the northern summer at his home in Finland.
Margaret Kroma:
Is a Sierra Leonean. She is currently the Project Manager of the African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) managed by the Gender & Diversity Program of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) housed at the World Agroforestry Center in Nairobi, Kenya. Margaret has a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Education from Njala University College, University of Sierra Leone and a Masters degree in Agricultural Extension from the University of Sierra Leone and Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia. She also holds a Ph.D. in Rural Sociology from Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. Prior to AWARD, Margaret was a Cornell University Assistant Professor in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (2000-2008). At Cornell she supervised over 12 masters’ and doctoral theses, and served on over 18 graduate thesis committees. She also served as Faculty Coordinator of the West Africa Water Initiative (WAWI), a collaborative research and capacity building initiative in Ghana, Mali and Niger (2004-2008). She also served as Principal Investigator of the IDRC funded research and capacity building project, Peri-urban Agriculture and Food Security in Freetown, in collaboration with Njala University College, Sierra Leone (2003-2006), and was a visiting scientist at the Africa Rice Center in Cotonou, Benin (2006-2007). She was a Winrock Fellow in the African Women Leaders in Agriculture and the Environment (AWLAE) program, and a research fellow at the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in the 1990s. Margaret has published articles in peer-reviewed journals, published book chapters, technical briefs and monographs examining the social dimensions of agricultural technology innovations, including gender, farmer participation and capacity building in agricultural education and training. Margaret is married and has family. Here contact address is: AWARD/G&D Program, World Agroforestry Center, UN Avenue, PO Box 30677, Nairobi, Kenya.
Prof. Adipala Ekwamu:
He is a Ugandan who graduated with a B.Sc. Agriculture degree in 1976, and M.Sc. Agriculture in 1980, both from Makerere University. He obtained a Ph.D. degree (Plant Pathology) from The Ohio State University (USA) in 1992. He is the Regional Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer for RUFORUM. Adipala has worked at Makerere University since completing his B.Sc. Agriculture degree, rising to the level of full Professor in 1998. During this period he has led several University and national strategic planning committees. He has served as a Board member to 3 Ugandan Government Statutory Bodies (1981-1986), 2 Non-Governmental Organisations (2001 to date), and several national planning committees. His main area of expertise is Plant Pathology. He has served in several University leadership positions, heading 2 university wide committees, a Competitive Grants Program, and Chair of the Makerere University Publication Committee. He has initiated and coordinated several research programmes/projects. He founded the African Crop Science Journal and African Crop Science Society Conference Proceedings publications in 1993, and served as Editor-in-Chief for 10 years. He has over 180 peer reviewed journal publications. He serves on several committees including the Advisory Committee for the International Foundation for Science, and CTA.
Dr. Moses Osiru:
Is a Ugandan who holds a Ph.D in Agriculture from Makerere University. He is currently RUFORUM’s Programme Manager for Networking, Advocacy and Grants. Moses previous work experience includes over five years as a research scientist with the CGIAR in Malawi and Uganda (International Crops Research Institute for the Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and Bioversity International), three years with the change management process in Uganda to review and reform agricultural research in Uganda under the Plan for Modernisation of Agriculture. Moses currently serves on the Board of the African Crop Science Society and the Editorial board of the Journal of Phytology [ISSN: 2075-6240]. He is a member of the Steering Group of the African Forum on Agricultural Advisory Services (AFAAS), the umbrella extension body under CAADP. With over 20 publications, Dr. Osiru has experience with EC projects at different levels. He is/has participated in an EC project for non-state actors in Malawi with CARE Malawi; Coordinating an ACP Science and Technology Project, and leads the WP4 on capacity building in FARA/AgriNatura led DGDEV PAEPARD Project.
Prof. Patrick Rubaihayo
is an Emeritus Professor of Crop Science at Makerere University, Uganda, with expertise inplant breeding, genetics, plant tissue and cell culture, biosafety/biosecurity/biopolicy and genomics. He is widely travelled and has researched on a number of crops including: grain legumes, bananas, tomatoes, potatoes, maize, and sorghum. Professor Rubaihayo progressed through the ranks from Lecturer to Associate Professor in the Department of Crop Science, Makerere University between 1971 and 1976 and was appointed Professor in 1995. Between 1981 and 1985, he was a Member of the Ugandan Parliament and Minister of State for Agriculture and Forestry where he was in charge of the Coffee Rehabilitation Programme (CRP), the Agriculture Rehabilitation Project (ARP) and Agricultural Research among other duties. In late 1985, he rejoined the University as a Professor and was Coordinating National Banana-Based Cropping Systems Research Programme until 1994. He has also Coordinated National Pigeon pea Improvement Programme and Tomato Improvement Programme in Uganda. By the time he retired in 2006, Professor Rubaihayo’s research involved banana production systems in Uganda; tissue and cell culture and molecular diversity in bananas; molecular diversity studies in sweet potatoes; indigenous and exotic palms in Uganda; variability in potato and cowpeas viruses in East Africa; and genes controlling cassava starch branching enzymes. He is credited with a book publication and over a hundred journal papers. Professor Rubaihayo has been awarded several meritorious awards and belongs to several scientific societies, including the Uganda National Academy of Sciences where he is a fellow and chair of Research and Publication.
Dr. Irene Annor Frempong
is a Ghanaian by birth. She holds a PhD from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, an M.Sc. in Animal Production from Wageningen University in the Netherlands, a B.Sc. in Agriculture and a Diploma in Education, both from the University of Cape Coast in Ghana and obtained Professional training in Biometry on Applied Research from the International Livestock Centre for Africa (now ILRI). She has extensive experience in conducting, supervising and coordinating Research. Between 1989 to 2008, she lectured in the areas of Animal Science, Livestock Production Systems and Research Methodology in different tertiary institutions including University of Cape Coast, Ghana, National University of Lesotho, and from 1983 to 1985 in the College of Education, Benue State, Nigeria. She worked at Animal Research Institute in Zeist, the Netherlands in 1988 and at the FAPRekenholz Research Station in Zurich, Switzerland in 1982. Her scientific publications and editorial and consultancy work are in the areas of animal science, livestock and rural livelihood systems. In September 2008, Dr. Irene Annor Frempong joined the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) as Capacity Strengthening Program Officer for the program on ‘Strengthening Capacity for Agricultural Research and Development in Africa’ SCARDA). She is currently the Director of Capacity Strengthening for FARA, a position she assumed on August 1st, 2009. Dr. Irene Annor?Frempong is married with three children. Irene is a member of RUFORUM’s Technical Advisory Committee.
Dr. Julius Ochuodho
Is a Kenyan and Dean, School of Agriculture and Biotechnology at Moi University. He holds a PhD in Plant Science (Seed Science) and is a specialist in seed science and seed technology, in addition to plant pathology. He joined the university 13 years ago after working with the Ministry of Agriculture for 9 years and Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) for 7 years, both at the National Seed Quality Control Station (NSQCS) Lanet. He started as an Agricultural Research officer, headed the Seed Testing Laboratory and rose to the position of Deputy Centre Director. Dr Ochuodho is a supervisor of many postgraduate students of seed science and seed technology, plant pathology and cropping systems. He has been an external examiner for postgraduate programs in some universities. He has published scientific papers in the aforementioned areas and a reviewer of some journals. His major area of interest is improvement of seed quality and seed supply systems in the informal seed sub-sector, focusing on underutilized indigenous crops mostly grown by smallholder farmers. Julius is married to Peres and has five children. He is a Christian and a leader in the church.
Deans Biodata
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