WRITTEN BY: Olivia Rogers (Ogrogers@ncsu.edu)

In April 2023 NC State hosted Cecilia Limera, Program Officer and Nutrition Lead in the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF)’s Program Development and Commercialization Department. Limera holds a Ph.D. in agricultural, environmental and food sciences with a specialization in plant biotechnology. Limera has a multidisciplinary academic background as a horticulturist, plant molecular biologist and plant biotechnologist. Her work focuses on finding solutions to agricultural challenges through biotechnology. AATF works to improve farming practices in Sub-Saharan Africa.

While Limera was in Raleigh, NC State staff hosted several tours and meetings with her. Limera visited places such as the Phytotron laboratory and the Lake Wheeler Road Field laboratories. Limera also gave a presentation detailing the work of AATF for NC State faculty, staff and students.

During her visit, Limera learned about the role of agriculture extension in the US and post-harvest loss management and processing. She also learned about nutrition communication and the capacity building of farmers for nutrition in agriculture. NC State hopes to continue this partnership by actively pursuing collaborative research and outreach projects in the future. See the gallery below: