Profiles of Scientific Staff Recently Joining the African Plant Nutrition Institute

Profiles of Scientific Staff Recently Joining the African Plant Nutrition Institute

The African Plant Nutrition Institute continues to broaden its scientific base through the recent addition of two accomplished scientists.

“APNI is pleased to be able to introduce Dr. Ivan Adolwa and Dr. Pauline Chivenge,” said APNI Director General, Dr. Kaushik Majumdar. “We are very proud to add these respected scientists to our team and I am confident that they will strengthen our efforts to bring transformative changes in agricultural systems through better plant nutrition and enhance livelihoods of farmers and rural communities in Africa.”

Dr. Ivan Adolwa – APNI Farming Systems Scientist

Dr. Ivan Adolwa joined APNI as a Scientist, Farming Systems, based in the Institute’s Nairobi office.

As Farming Systems Scientist, Dr. Adolwa is also APNI’s Research Coordinator for Cereal Cropping Systems. In this role, Dr. Adolwa is aligning and synergistically linking our R&D efforts in maize, rice and wheat in the Continent. Dr. Adolwa can be reached at i.adolwa@apni.net.

Dr. Adolwa, a native of Kenya, has previously worked as a scientist, lecturer, and consultant with National and International institutions (CGIAR, NARS, university) in several countries including: Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, and Germany. In his previous roles, Dr. Adolwa combined his knowledge and skills in soil fertility management and technology adoption to focus on issues around climate-smart agriculture, value chain analysis, scaling up sustainable land management strategies and impact assessment.

Dr. Adolwa holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural Science from the University of Kassel, Germany; a M.Sc. in Agricultural Information and Communication Management from the University of Nairobi, Kenya; and a B.Sc. in Zoology and Chemistry from the University of Nairobi, Kenya.

Prior to joining APNI, Dr. Adolwa was Liaison Officer with the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) in Nairobi.  Dr. Adolwa is an accomplished author with a list of valued contributions to peer-reviewed journals, conferences, and symposia.

 

Dr. Pauline Chivenge – APNI Principal Scientist

Dr. Pauline Chivenge, joined APNI as Principal Scientist, based in APNI headquarters in Benguérir, Morocco.

As part of her role as Principal Scientist, Dr. Chivenge is coordinating the Consortium of Precision Crop Nutrition, a recently established international scientific panel focused on data-driven, precise crop nutrition solutions that can be tailored and upscaled to the benefit of millions of farmers. Dr. Chivenge can be contacted at p.chivenge@apni.net.

A native of Zimbabwe, Dr. Chivenge received her B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees from the University of Zimbabwe. She earned a Ph.D. in Soils and Biogeochemistry at the University of California, Davis.

Dr. Chivenge’s research has focused on soil and nutrient management in smallholder farming systems in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. She has led international projects and worked in diverse farming systems on topics that include biogeochemical nutrient cycling, natural resource management, watershed management, carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas emissions, and sustainable ecosystem functioning.

Before joining APNI, Dr. Chivenge was a Senior Scientist in Soils and Nutrient Management at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines, focusing on sustainable management of soil and nutrients in rice-based cropping systems. To date, Dr Chivenge has published more than 35 peer-reviewed journal papers and several book chapters. Dr. Chivenge is also an Associate Editor for the journal Geoderma.

For more information about the staff at APNI visit our About Our Staff page at https://www.apni.net/apni-staff/

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About APNI

The African Plant Nutrition Institute (APNI) is a not-for-profit research and education organization founded in 2019 and based in Benguérir, Morocco. Our mission is enhanced plant nutrition for a resilient and food-secure Africa. For more information, contact Gavin Sulewski, APNI Editor, at g.sulewski@apni.net