Featuring AIARD Future Leader Fellows

From Classroom to Community: How an AIARD Scholarship Is Shaping One Scholar’s Path in Global Agriculture

When Brian Kibirige traveled to Kampala, Uganda, in November 2025, he wasn’t just fulfilling a requirement of his doctoral program. He was putting into action a vision, one that connects education, youth leadership, and rural development in ways that can shape communities for generations.
That journey was made possible through the 2025 AIARD Scholarship, awarded to Brian one of the Future Leaders Forum (FLF) fellows, AIARD’s flagship program for emerging leaders in international agriculture and rural development. Each year, the scholarship is awarded through a highly competitive and rigorous selection process, in which FLF fellows are re-evaluated based on demonstrated leadership, academic excellence, and alignment with AIARD’s mission.
In 2025, the exceptional quality of applicants led the selection committee to make the rare decision to award three scholarships instead of one. Brian was among those selected. The award is designed to support research, fieldwork, and professional development, extending scholars’ impact from ideas and dialogue into real-world action.
A Scholar with a Purpose
Brian is a doctoral student in the College of Agriculture at Tennessee State University whose work sits at the intersection of education, agriculture, and youth development. His research focuses on School-Based Agricultural Education (SBAE) and how it can be used not only to teach agricultural skills, but also to intentionally nurture Positive Youth Development (PYD), a framework that emphasizes five key outcomes in young people: competence, confidence, connection, character, and caring. 
In Uganda, where agriculture remains central to livelihoods and rural economies, Brian saw an opportunity to study how schools can play a transformative role. His research compares students enrolled in SBAE programs that include structured agriculture clubs, such as Youth Future Farmers of Africa (YoFFA-Uganda), with students in similar programs that lack these youth-centered components. 
The question driving his work is simple but impactful: Can agricultural education in schools do more than teach about farming? In his project, Brian is advised by a committee of five faculty led by Dr. John Ricketts, and he is appreciative for their continued support and guidance. 
The Scholarship in Action
The AIARD Scholarship enabled Brian to travel internationally and collect qualitative data directly from schools, students, and educators in Uganda. This on-the-ground research is essential, not only for academic rigor, but for relevance.
By engaging with students in their own learning environments, Brian is capturing how SBAE programs function in practice, what motivates young people, and which program elements most effectively support positive youth outcomes. This kind of work requires time, presence, and resources, exactly what the scholarship was designed to support.
As Brian shared with AIARD:
“I am grateful to AIARD for awarding me the FLF scholarship, which made the successful implementation of this international research project possible.”
From Research to Real-World Impact
Brian’s goal extends well beyond his dissertation. Building on his findings, he aims to develop a practical SBAE model that Ugandan schools can use to intentionally integrate youth development into agricultural education.
The long-term implications are significant. A well-designed SBAE–PYD model can:
-        Improve the quality and relevance of agricultural education
-        Equip young people with leadership and life skills
-        Support youth employability and agripreneurship
-        Contribute to reduced rural poverty and stronger rural communities
By grounding this model in empirical evidence from Uganda, Brian’s work has the potential to inform educators, policymakers, and development practitioners, not only in Uganda, but in other developing country contexts facing similar challenges.
A Reflection of AIARD’s Mission
Brian’s story reflects what AIARD seeks to do through the Future Leaders Forum and its scholarship program: identify promising emerging leaders and give them the tools to turn ideas into impact.
The scholarship is more than financial support. It is an investment in people, people whose work advances international agriculture, strengthens rural development, and bridges research with practice.
As Brian continues his academic and professional journey, the impact of this support will extend far beyond a single trip or study. It will live on in classrooms, communities, and policies shaped by evidence, intention, and a commitment to youth.
Looking Ahead
Brian Kibirige is one of many future leaders supported through AIARD’s programs, but his journey offers a clear example of what is possible when talent meets opportunity.
Through the FLF Scholarship, AIARD is not only supporting individual scholars. It is helping to build the next generation of leaders who will define the future of global agriculture and rural development.
Stories like Brian’s remind us why this work matters, and why continued investment in future leaders is essential.