Legume Systems Innovation Lab Partners with Media Company dedicated to Zambian Youth Empowerment
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EmailFrom the March 2023 Newsletter
The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Legume Systems Research has teamed up with Zambian media house, Chibolya Media Farm to produce several videos highlighting the program's research in Zambia and Malawi.
Chibolya Media Farm is an initiative of Every Moment Connections, a full service media agency based in Lusaka. The initiative is focused on youth empowerment and skills transfer targeting the disenfranchised Chibolya, Zambia area.
Chibolya, which is located approximately 35 kilometers from the capitol of Lusaka, experiences high crime, unemployment, extreme poverty, and gender-based violence. Youth from this challenging environment are brought into the filmmaking program and taught all aspects of the industry including scriptwriting, editing, camera operations, producing, editing, and marketing. After an intensive training the students are then provided an internship with industry leaders to further hone their skills. Several graduates of the program are now fully employed in the industry.
The first video shoot took place on the University of Zambia (UNZA) campus and highlights the program's dedication to building the capacity of the next generation of legume researchers. The video features three generations of global legume researchers supported through USAID funding to earn their advanced academic agricultural degrees.
Dr. Juan Osorno is currently a plant breeder at North Dakota State University. He received degree training at the University of Puerto Rico under the USAID Dry Grain Pulses Collaborative Research Program (Pulse CRSP) program led by Michigan State University. Juan currently leads the Legume Lab project working on bruchid-resistant common bean varieties for Southern Africa.
Leading the project work in Zambia is Dr. Kelvin Kamfwa. Kelvin, a Zambian native, received his PhD in plant breeding from Michigan State University which was supported by the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Grain Legumes. After graduation Kelvin returned to Zambia and now leads the bean breeding lab located at the University of Zambia.
The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Legume Systems research is also supporting the advanced degrees of four future legume researchers. Modreen Chinji from Zambia, Isabel Mugovo from Mozambique, and Rebecca Thole from Malawi are studying for their Masters degree at UNZA and working in Dr. Kamfwa's lab. Zambian, Maria Mazala is currently studying for her Master's degree at North Dakota State University under Dr. Osorno.
The photo shoot at UNZA brought all six of these current and future global legume researchers together to share their experiences and how integral the Legume Systems Innovation Lab has been in their journeys.
The Legume Lab is partnering with Chibolya Media Farm on this and other project videos in Zambia and Malawi. Chibolya Media Farm is an initiative of Every Moment Connections, a full service media agency based in Lusaka. The initiative is focused on youth empowerment and skills transfer targeting the disenfranchised Chibolya, Zambia area.
Chibolya, which is located approximately 35 kilometers from the capitol of Lusaka, experiences high crime and unemployment and extreme poverty and gender-based violence. Youth from this challenging environment are brought into the filmmaking program and taught all aspects of the industry including scriptwriting, editing, camera operations, producing, editing, and marketing. After an intensive training the students are them provided an internship with industry leaders to further hone their skills. Several graduates of the program are now fully employed in the industry.
