Belinda Kaninga began studying Agronomy at the University of Zambia even though she had not taken any related courses during secondary school. But she soon discovered how much she enjoyed taking courses related to soil science, and has hit her stride as a research officer at ZARI. “From the beginning, I was excited about soil science,” she says. “I quickly realized just how much the study of soil involves—there is chemistry, physics, microbiology—these are all part of soil science.