Agnes Alajo works in a NaCRRI research program that recently released the world’s first participatory breeding sweet potato variety, called Naspot 11. Ugandan farmers are optimistic about its potential for higher yields and increased incomes. “We are also developing weevil-resistant sweet potato varieties for sub-Saharan Africa,” Alajo explains. “Weevils are responsible for crop losses ranging from 60 percent to 100 percent during pronounced drought, when sweet potato is sometimes the only food available.” Alajo grew up in a large family in northern Uganda. She earned a diploma from an agricultural college, and then got a job to help with her younger siblings’ schooling. Her friend Dr. Beatrice Akello—who is currently an AWARD Mentor—encouraged her to further her education. “At first I said no, since I had my own children by then and couldn’t afford it,” she says. But she decided to apply as a mature student and was the first of her family to go to university. She will soon complete a master’s degree in Crop Science.