Acknowledgement

Borlaug LEAP Papers - Special Issue

This issue would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the following Borlaug LEAP Fellows:


Kwevitoukoui (Brad) Hounkpati, Togo; Lead Editor/Entomology PhD student

Kwevitoukoui (Brad) Hounkpati

The first Borlaug LEAP Fellow from Togo, Dr. Kwevitoukoui Hounkpati has done extensive work on West African Ladybeetles and their potential as a bio-control for pests. He hopes his findings can offer an alternative to chemical pesticides among smallholder farmers and can be taught to extension workers around West Africa. He was a Fulbright Scholar and is currently a PhD student in Entomology at the University of Georgia. He is also president and co-founder of Grain de Sel (Grain of Salt) International, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting students in need as they attend public universities in sub-Saharan Africa.



Senorpe Asem-Hiablie, Nigeria; Editor/USDA-ARS Post-doc

Senorpe Asem-Hiablie

Dr. Senorpe Asem-Hiablie was a 2010 Borlaug LEAP Fellow who went on to receive her doctorate in Agricultural and Biological Engineering at Penn State University. She is currently working as a post-doctoral researcher at the Penn State USDA-ARS facility where she and her team are studying the sustainability of beef production and consumption in the US. Dr. Asem-Hiablie is passionate about sustainable and eco-friendly economic growth and hopes the book will allow other Africans to see its potential.



Dawd Gashu, Ethiopia; Editor/Assistant Professor

Dawd Gashu

Dr. Dawd Gashu was awarded a Borlaug LEAP fellowship in 2013 as a PhD candidate in Nutrition at Addis Ababa University, looking specifically into micronutrient deficiencies in children. During his fellowship he worked with mentors at Oklahoma State University and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT). After completing his dissertation, Dr. Gashu returned to the university’s Center for Food Science and Nutrition as an assistant professor. He is also very involved in Ethiopia’s Nutrition Program on Human Capacity Development, which works to alleviate under-nutrition by providing training in nutrition to final-year students in agriculture, health and education.


Mustafa Jibrin, Nigeria; Editor/University Lecturer

Mustafa Jibrin

Mustafa Jibrin received a Borlaug LEAP fellowship in 2012 while working on a master’s degree in Crop Protection from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in Nigeria. Mustafa focused his work on bacterial blight in tomatoes and completed his studies in 2014. He has gone on to work as a lecturer in Plant Sciences at ABU and is also working on a Gates Foundation funded video project called Extension: Development of Novel Extension Methods for the Adoption of Animal Traction by Women Farmers. It is presented as a quasi-reality series that promotes women farmers in developing countries and Mustafa hopes he can use the series to both educate women and help break any stigmas towards them and farming. He is currently pursuing a PhD at University of Florida in Gainesville.


Assoumane Maiga, Mali; Editor/Post-doc

Assoumane Maiga

2013 Borlaug LEAP Fellow Dr. Assoumane Maiga focused his thesis research on communications strategies in post-conflict nations such as Mali and Cote d’Ivoire. He wants to direct his research findings toward developing policies that will provide sustainable communication strategies in rural sub-Saharan African communities. Dr. Maiga completed his PhD in 2015, winning an Oklahoma State University Research Excellence award for his dissertation in the process. He has recently returned to Mali following a post-doctoral research position at Oklahoma State University.



Mariam Mtunguja, Tanzania; Editor/Research Scientist

Mariam Mtunguja

Dr. Mariam Mtunguja received her Borlaug LEAP fellowship in 2012 as a PhD candidate in Food Science at Sokoine University of Agriculture in Tanzania, researching high-starch content cassava. She was taking time from her position as a research scientist at the Mikocheni Agricultural Research Institute (MARI) in Tanzania to pursue her studies and had the opportunity to come to UC Davis as a part of the fellowship. Dr. Mtunguja received her PhD in 2015 and is currently working as a Senior Research Scientist at MARI as the head of its Post-Harvest and Technology Transfer section.



Bernice Waweru, Kenya; Editor/Research Scientist

Bernice Waweru

2014 Borlaug LEAP Fellow Bernice Waweru was pursuing a master’s degree in Plant Breeding and Biotechnology at the University of Eldoret in Kenya when she received her fellowship. She focused her research on wheat stem rust resistance genes and today works as a part of the wheat breeding program at the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO). Bernice and her team are currently working to breed wheat varieties that have a resistance to wheat stem rust diseases. Bernice credits her work with her Borlaug LEAP mentors at CIMMYT and University of Minnesota as instrumental in advancing the KALRO wheat breeding program agenda.