You have been working at high levels of international development for more than a decade. What are the biggest challenges you want to tackle in the world?
Every person on the planet is connected to agriculture in some way. Agricultural development presents incredible opportunities to directly improve the lives of billions of people. Especially in developing countries, improvements in agriculture translate to huge differences in health, nutrition, economic opportunity, education, equity, and so much more. International agricultural development is the best way I see to really make a difference.
On the farm, I see opportunities to reduce aflatoxin through improved on-farm grain storage, and for dairy farmers to make higher incomes through the use of improved inputs. Nutritional problems can be alleviated by biofortified maize to reduce vitamin A deficiency. On the animal health side, farmers stand to benefit if we can incentivize the development of foot-and-mouth and Brucellosis vaccines affordable for smallholder farmers.
I want to help the private sector develop sustainable approaches to address market failures in a profitable way that also benefits smallholder farmers through increased access to improved inputs and technology. That’s what I’m working towards, and that’s why I do what I do.
Why did you decide to pursue an advanced degree in global development at Cornell?
After four years working in international development, I wanted to move from being a generalist/project manager to specialize in food security and value chain development. I already held a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science, but I felt I needed more training directly in agriculture to achieve what I really wanted. I realized that I could stay a generalist and try to work on a project in my area of interest or take a break and redirect my path. The CALS Master of Professional Studies program was perfect for me to build off of the experiences I already had and focus specifically on agriculture.
How does your work make a positive impact on the world?
I took a position at Deloitte not long after I graduated from Cornell. I now work as field coordinator on the AgResults project. AgResults is a $152 million multilateral initiative that uses Pay-for-Results prize competitions to incentivize, or “pull”, the private sector to overcome agricultural market barriers by investing in innovative research and delivery solutions that improve the lives of smallholder farmers. At our core we are an experiential learning initiative, continuously building evidence on what works and what does not, and we use prize competitions to spur sustainable market change.
My MPS from Cornell put me in a place to contribute directly to the development areas I care about most. I’m working in agriculture and collaborating with different stakeholders along multiple value chains.
