|
Fred Kanampiu holds a PhD Soil Science-Soil Fertility (Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, USA). He has 25 years of extensive experience in conducting agricultural research, technology development, and dissemination in cereal-legumes-livestock systems in East and Southern Africa, local and regional project implementation, coordination and management, including publishing, with public and international organizations. |
 |
He has been involved in leading and monitoring the implementation of projects executed across countries, maintaining liaison with key partners and stakeholders in the public and private sectors, and ensuring implementation of project-related agreements. He has sound knowledge of international agriculture and development issues with first hand experience in areas of agriculture, food security, capacity strengthening, and donor relations.
Fred is leading the agronomy component in East Africa region of "Sustainable Intensification of Maize-Legume Based Farming Systems for Food Security in eastern and southern Africa Project". This is an Australian supported program managed by CIMMYT in close collaboration with six partner country NARS and collaborating CGIAR centres (ICRISAT), sub-regional research organization (ASARECA) and Australian partners (University of Queensland, Murdoch University). Partnerships involve a range of private, NGO and public sector mechanisms that support rapid dissemination of improved maize and legume seed and improved crop management approaches, supported by on-farm trials, demonstrations and farmer innovation groups managed by farmers, extension agencies, NGOs and local fertiliser and seed input and marketing agents.
Fred has worked with CIMMYT for the last 17 years as an agronomist where he led, coordinated and managed several Parasitic Weed Striga-related projects, including integrating Striga, stem borer and soil fertility management practices for enhancing productivity in East Africa. This involves collaboration with National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS), seed and chemical companies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), other Consultative Group of International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Centers, Advanced Agricultural Institutes (ARIs), and our ultimate partners, the farmers of the region. Currently, he is leading 3 Striga projects, namely: (i) Integrated Striga Management for Africa (leading Kenyan component, sub-grantee of IITA and funded by BGMF); (ii) Commercialization of IR-Maize in East Africa (leading the CIMMYT component, sub-grantee of AATF and funded by USAID-FINTRAC); and (c) BASF-Support for Striga work (funded by BASF).
He has advised several six graduate students, and contributed to the advancement of more than 1,360 trainees and visiting scientists.
Over time, Fred developed a strong network of partnership with NARES, seed companies, other IARCs, ARIs and NGOs. I have developed proposals that have been funded by Rockefeller Foundation, the Department for International Development (DFID), the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture (SFSA), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), EC-IFAD, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), BASF-The Chemical Company and USAID-FINTRAC. These supported programs/projects included research and capacity building in areas of sustainable intensification for increased crop production and addressing the food security agenda in Africa.
Fred will start his N2Africa coordination work on June 1st.