Bourlaug Fellows train at Southern University

The Southern University Center for International Development Program hosted the 2009 Borlaug Fellows Women in Science Fellowship and the Southern University Ag Center provided assistance and training to the Fellows.

The Fellowship provides training to agribusiness entrepreneurs from the African countries of Kenya and Malawi. 

Four fellows were selected based on their leadership skills and business experiences. The group travelled to Southern University's Center for International Development Program for six weeks, ending this month. During this period, they attended lectures, went on field trips and shadowed trainers assigned to them.

Program participants included: Eunice Mwongera, Managing Director of Hillside Green Growers and Exporters Company, exporter of fresh fruits and vegetables from Kenya. She came to gain knowledge that will assist small scale farmers to increase and improve the quality of their fruit and vegetable products for export; and to improve business skills and ability to mentor other female business entrepreneurs.  

Stella Kachoka, Traditional Authority Coordinator for “Concern Worldwide,” Malawi, interested in crop diversification techniques, specifically in cassava and sweet potatoes. She came to gain increased understanding of food production that matches domestic and export market needs. Patience Mgollimwale, Farmer Organization Development Coordinator with Malawi Enterprise Zones Association, came to seek skills in farmer cooperative development and trade policy issues related to agricultural exports.

Maness Nkhata, Managing Director for Kakoma Estate, a company that specializes in livestock and crop production, wanted to gain knowledge in business development, management and financial resource mobilization,specifically microfinance for small to medium-scale businesses. 

The program was coordinated by Rufus Nwogu, PhD, assistant director, Southern University Center for International Development Programs. Several faculty from the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center provided training.  Fatemeh Malekian, PhD, food scientist, provided the ServSafe Essentials for food handling. Adell Brown, PhD, vice chancellor for finance and administration, and Oscar Udoh,PhD, coordinator for planning and evaluation, provided lectures on risk management, forming cooperatives, marketing and building trade capacity. James McNitt, PhD, retired animal science professor, provided a series of farmer training modules for production of safe food. Renita Marshall, DVM, director of livestock programs, and Mila Berhane provided tours of the Experiment Station and Horticulture area.

The program is administered by USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service in cooperation with the U.S. Agency for International

Development, the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency. To read more about the Borlaug

Fellowship Program, visit: http://www.fas.usda.gov/icd/borlaug/borlaug.htm