Elizabeth Magombo recognized the career opportunities in Malawi’s agrarian economy, and wasted no time in pursuing agricultural science as a line of study. As the last born in a family of five girls, she attended secondary school in southern Malawi, and then moved to Lilongwe to complete a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics at the University of Malawi. Her father passed away when she was only nine years old, and she credits her hard-working mother with encouraging her and her sisters—all university graduates—to aim high and reach for what may seem unattainable.
What I learn as an AWARD Fellow will build on my academic background to help me reach my goals. I will benefit from an enhanced view of smallholder farmers— particularly in terms of a gender view.
Field of Research
I am currently lobbying for the introduction of a biometric cotton farmer registration system, which will help to address the challenges of limited access to inputs by Malawi’s smallholder cotton farmers.