Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AIARD Board has decided to cancel previously scheduled May 31 – June 2, 2020 AIARD annual meeting. This decision also meant that the Future Leaders Forum program for 2020 had to be cancelled.
Thank you to all students who applied to be Future Leaders for 2020! We strongly encourage you to remain engaged with AIARD and apply again next year!
However, this year three applicants were recognized by AIARD for their achievements and leadership:
Thank you to all students who applied to be Future Leaders for 2020! We strongly encourage you to remain engaged with AIARD and apply again next year!
However, this year three applicants were recognized by AIARD for their achievements and leadership:

Mr. Christian Kelly Scott is nearing the conclusion of his dual Ph.D. program in Rural Sociology and International Agriculture and Development (INTAD) at Pennsylvania State University (Penn State). Christian’s doctoral research examines food security endowments and abatements in southern Kyrgyzstan focusing on the pasture, the village, and the people. He spent an extended period of time in Kyrgyzstan collecting data with support of a Fulbright scholarship. His research examines issues of class, race, and social justice in relation to food security and safety by scrutinizing who has safe food and assessing how food is accessed and utilized. Prior to Ph.D. studies at Penn State, Christian earned a MS degree in Community Sustainability at Michigan State University focusing on refugee farmers from Myanmar and Somalia in the American Midwest. Christian also graduated from Michigan State University earning a BA degree in International Studies specializing in International Development. His international experiences, focusing on sustainable agriculture and food systems, have allowed him to cultivate a large network of global colleagues. Christian has been involved in university teaching programs in Mexico, India and Kyrgyzstan (University of Central Asia). His experience and interests extend across cultures and environments from Central Asia to South Asia (India) to Southeast Asia to Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa. Christian’s career goal is to continue conducting rigorous, socially conscious research focusing on hard-to-reach and vulnerable populations to improve food security and the everyday lives of others. He anticipates his role will be as a researcher advancing theoretical and applied science and informing policy making. He has dedicated his life to seeking sustainable solutions to address issues of hunger and malnutrition.

Ms. Nicole “Niki” Lee is in the midst of her Ph.D. program in Crop Sciences at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). Niki’s research interests are at the intersection between agronomy, agricultural economics, and rural sociology. The focus of her doctoral research is the adoption of integrated weed management practices by extension workers and smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa in conjunction with USAID's Soybean Innovation Lab. She is also studying the adoption potential of an adaptive learning tool to help organic and conventional no-till farmers in the US Midwest identify the optimal timing of rye cover crop termination. Niki plans to conduct long-term Ph.D. field research in Mozambique starting in December 2020. She has worked in sub-Saharan Africa as both a graduate researcher and as the extension lead for the USAID Soybean Innovation Lab, with Anheuser-Busch InBev and with GIZ (Germany’s International Development agency). She has conducted research and assisted with field days and trainings in Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi, and Ghana. Niki also has extensive experience working in extension and research in Latin America and really enjoys working in multicultural environments. Prior to Ph.D. studies at UIUC Niki earned a MS degree in Agricultural Sciences in the Tropics and Subtropics at Hohenhiem University (Germany), researching weed control in conservation agriculture systems in northern Namibia. Niki graduated from the University of Idaho with dual Bachelor degrees, in International/Global Studies and in Horticultural Science. Looking to the future, Niki is a self-described multilingual agronomist (e.g., Spanish, French, Portuguese) with a passion for finding sustainable solutions to challenges faced by smallholder farmers. Ultimately, she aims to use her knowledge of agriculture, agricultural economics, and extension communication methods to strengthen the relationship between research and practice in the developing world and, hopefully, support smallholder farmers seeking to improve their livelihoods by strengthening farmers' capacities and resilience. Niki was awarded the AIARD scholarship 2020.

Mr. Osler Ortez, originally from Nicaragua, is immersed in his Ph.D. program in Agronomy and Crop Production at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln (UNL). Osler is pursuing doctoral studies with the primary goal of continuing his professional development and, at the same time, improving the understanding of critical topics to further advance Agricultural systems in our world. The focus of Osler’s research is on factors responsible for productivity losses in corn (maize), isolating factors responsible for ear formation issues and its subsequent losses in corn (maize). In recent years, corn (maize) ear malformation issues have affected crops in Nebraska and other areas in the U.S. and the Americas. Such malformations can result from unknown genetic, environmental and management conditions. His research is supported, in part by the prestigious Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food
Institute at UNL. Recently, Osler was selected for the Gerald O. Mott Meritorious Graduate Student Award in Crop Science. This award is offered by the Crop Science Society of America and recognizes meritorious graduate
students pursuing advanced degrees in crop science disciplines. Osler was selected based on his academic achievements, research and teaching contributions, leadership accomplishments, service activities and personal qualifications. As part of his Ph.D. duties, Osler has mentored undergraduate students from Argentina, the United States, China, and Belize. He is a teaching assistant for a 66-students course representing Rwanda, China, Mexico, and the US. Prior to his Ph.D. studies at UNL Osler earned a MS degree in Agronomy at Kansas State University, conducting research focused on soybean and fertilizers to improve production systems in the US and Argentina. Osler graduated from the Pan-American Agricultural School, Zamorano, in Honduras with a BS in Agriculture with an emphasis in smallholder coffee production management. In the future, Osler would like to remain engaged in his family’s specialty coffee farm in northern Nicaragua. Ultimately, he has a strong desire to go back to his alma mater, the Pan-American Agricultural School Zamorano in Honduras, become a professor, and be a partaker in the education of hundreds of young leaders in the Ag world. Students at Zamorano come from more than 27 different countries. The impact on their education can be readily translated into a better world regardless of their geographic location after completing their studies.
Institute at UNL. Recently, Osler was selected for the Gerald O. Mott Meritorious Graduate Student Award in Crop Science. This award is offered by the Crop Science Society of America and recognizes meritorious graduate
students pursuing advanced degrees in crop science disciplines. Osler was selected based on his academic achievements, research and teaching contributions, leadership accomplishments, service activities and personal qualifications. As part of his Ph.D. duties, Osler has mentored undergraduate students from Argentina, the United States, China, and Belize. He is a teaching assistant for a 66-students course representing Rwanda, China, Mexico, and the US. Prior to his Ph.D. studies at UNL Osler earned a MS degree in Agronomy at Kansas State University, conducting research focused on soybean and fertilizers to improve production systems in the US and Argentina. Osler graduated from the Pan-American Agricultural School, Zamorano, in Honduras with a BS in Agriculture with an emphasis in smallholder coffee production management. In the future, Osler would like to remain engaged in his family’s specialty coffee farm in northern Nicaragua. Ultimately, he has a strong desire to go back to his alma mater, the Pan-American Agricultural School Zamorano in Honduras, become a professor, and be a partaker in the education of hundreds of young leaders in the Ag world. Students at Zamorano come from more than 27 different countries. The impact on their education can be readily translated into a better world regardless of their geographic location after completing their studies.
We are considering a range of options to continue to engage our AIARD community in the coming months, including various virtual events. We are hosting our first AIARD 2020 Virtual Week: http://www.aiard.org/aiard-week-2020.html
Please contact AIARD if you have any questions.
Please contact AIARD if you have any questions.
The Association for International Agriculture and Rural Development (AIARD) administers a competitive fellowship program to nurture and provide partial financial support to students attending both: 1) the AIARD Annual Conference, and 2) the annual Future Leaders Forum in Washington, DC. In addition to conference support, one student from the yearly cohort of Fellows will be selected for the AIARD Graduate Research Fellowship Grant. The AIARD Future Leader Fellowships (FLF) are awarded on a competitive basis to students who have a sincere interest in international agriculture and rural development issues and their solutions. The fellowship program has the following objectives:
To be eligible for the AIARD Future Leader Fellow’s Program, a student must:
- Identify and bring together an interdisciplinary yearly cohort of promising students who demonstrate interest and/or experience in devoting their careers to international agriculture and rural development.
- Provide Fellows with the opportunity to develop long-term relationships with other Fellows, key agencies and international partners.
- Support the career and research objectives of the Fellows through long-term relationships with AIARD and the Future Leader Fellow alumni group.
- Enhance the Fellow's understanding and appreciation of issues and opportunities in international agriculture and rural development.
To be eligible for the AIARD Future Leader Fellow’s Program, a student must:
- Demonstrate a commitment to the mission and objectives of AIARD in addressing challenges and prospects for global food security, international agriculture and rural development.
- Be enrolled in a U.S. university;
- Be in good academic standing;
- Show interest in research, coursework and a career related to international agriculture and rural development.