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Expertise Summary: Horticulture enterprise and value chain development; sustainable food production systems; plant propagation and seed systems; agricultural training and education programming for Southeast Asia.

For the past 20 years, Expert has aspired to use horticultural science as a tool to:
1) increase the profitability of horticulture enterprises
2) protect and restore the environment
3) alleviate poverty in developing parts of the world.
Expert’ research, teaching and outreach programs have emphasized sustainable, scalable solutions to problems affecting horticulture value chain development and low-input food production systems. Expert has worked in Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe since 2000. These programs focus on human and institutional capacity building and involve the implementation of innovative, field-based approaches, grounded in appropriate technology, entrepreneurship, and market engagement. His work experience in Southeast Asia has been comprehensive and has included training, technical consultation, project management and team-building. Expert’ ability to bring together diverse stakeholders to form effective teams has resulted in several recent projects designed to strengthen informal seed systems and modernize agricultural education and training systems in Southeast Asia.

Republic of Georgia: Project based in Tbilisi. Initiated partnership between U.S. nurseries and two Georgian tree seed firms to develop a U.S. market for Nordmann fir (Abies nordmanniana) seed. Project resulted in improved seed marketing opportunities for Tbilisi firms Nitrali, Ltd and Goni, Inc. Sale of seed to the U.S. increased income for Georgian cooperators in subsequent years. Nordmann fir seed supplied by Georgian firms now being grown by U.S. and Canadian nurseries. There now exists a reliable source for the previously difficult-to-obtain seed, directly benefiting U.S. growers. Activities included: meetings to develop framework for cooperative business agreement, workshops with cooperator Chavchavadze State University to provide training on seed evaluation, tree nursery production and extension systems. 21 hectare conifer seed evaluation and production site established in 2009. Cooperation between Employer and Chavchavadze State University established resulting in MoU.

Technical Advisor. Myanmar Food Security Project. Projects based in Hmawbi, Kalaymyo, and Nyaung Shwe. Series of independent but coordinated activities developed by Expert in cooperation with farmer groups, Myanmar Baptist Convention, and the NGO’s ECHO Asia, Proximity Designs, and Lilypad, Inc. Consultation and project development focusing on sustainable food production systems and income-generating horticulture enterprises such as tree nurseries and community-based seed saving enterprises. Activities include training and institutional capacity building activities, such as workshops, demonstrations, lectures and cooperative seed evaluation trials.

CURRENT/RECENT SPONSORED RESEARCH PROJECTS (2010-Present):
2017-2019: Deploying underutilized agronomic species as a foundation of resilient farming systems in Cambodia. Activities: Building capacities and connections with markets to produce, store, and disseminate key cover/relay crops and underutilized species.

2015-2019: Women in Agriculture Network Cambodia: Gender- and Ecologically-Sensitive Agriculture. Activities: Analysis and development of sustainable intensification technologies and practices for Cambodian smallholder farmers.

2013-2015: Innovation for Agricultural Training and Education. Activities: Assessment of agricultural education and training needs in Cambodia’s formal AET system.

2012-2013: Alternative Approaches for Delivering Extension Services to Smallholder Farmers in Southeast Asia. Activities: Analysis of market-based extension programs and small farm resource centers throughout Southeast Asia.

2011-2015: Development and Use of Genomic Tools to Improve Firs for Use as Christmas Trees. Activities: cooperate in obtaining, evaluating, and using promising exotic fir species as Christmas trees; collaborative genetic improvement program implemented from seed collection and progeny testing to the establishment of clonal seed orchards of regionally adapted select trees.

2010-2011: Strengthening Indigenous Informal Seed Systems in Southeast Asia. Activities: Characterized key components of informal seed systems in northern Thailand and Cambodia including indigenous crop inventories, indigenous knowledge documentation, seed exchanges and seed system training.