Edith Mugehu

Edith Mugehu headshot

Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow, 2022-23

  • Home country: Zimbabwe
  • Specialization: Agriculture and Rural Development; Plant research and biotechnology, Biofortification, Innovation for farming communities
  • Current role: Research Associate in Plant Breeding, Zimbabwe Sugar Association Experiment Station
  • Education: PhD student in Plant Breeding, University of Kwazulu-Natal (in progress); Master's in Crop Science and Bsc Honors in Agronomy, Midlands State University; Post-graduate Diploma in Higher and Tertiary Education, Great Zimbabwe University
  • Connect: em782 [at] cornell.edu (Email) | LinkedIn

Edith Mugehu’s sweet tooth has led her to research sugarcane crops at the Zimbabwe Sugar Association Experiment Station, where she has provided innovative sugarcane breeding technologies to over 1,000 commercial sugarcane farmers in the Zimbabwe Sugar Industry for over seven years. She has been highly instrumental in introducing molecular biology into the Zimbabwe Sugar industry by utilizing the molecular marker-assisted selection process in sugarcane breeding programs. Edith is avid about imparting agricultural knowledge to both farmers and students. She is also a part-time lecturer at the Great Zimbabwe University, where she has been teaching sugarcane breeding courses at the undergraduate level. Edith is also a Ph.D. Candidate at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, where she is researching crop improvement methods using both contemporary and classical approaches. She utilizes practical scientific solutions that promote female empowerment, poverty alleviation, food security, and zero hunger. Edith is passionate about volunteering and patronage of non-profit civic society organizations that empower and uplift disadvantaged local communities. She has been recognized for her outstanding presentations on career guidance in agriculture and fundraising for agricultural projects that improve subsistence farming while reducing the risks of exploitation and abuse of women and children in marginalized areas in Southern Africa. Edith also provides career guidance to young women. She has held several talks encouraging young girls to take up STEM disciplines as part of the Zimbabwe Sugar Association Experiment Station’s commitment to corporate responsibility.