OUR FELLOWS
Miriam Ofoeze was raised in eastern Nigeria, where her mother, a teacher, and her father, a civil servant, also farmed, growing yams, melons, and maize. “My dad was only interested in yams because it’s a celebrated crop in our region, especially by men. It’s a big deal,” she says. Most other crops, such as maize and cassava, are left for women to grow. “It is very tedious work with huge postharvest losses. Seeing this prompted me to study food science to help preserve produce so we can move to limited, or better yet, zero waste.”
Considered a woman’s crop in Nigeria, it is rich in beta-carotene. “Cocoyam is very nutritious, but when you eat it, your throat itches,” she says. “Women tend to store it for a very long time, soaked in oil, in an effort to mask the itching effect.”
Field of Research
Postharvest processing, use, and value addition of major and minor root and tuber crops, including extension services to educate and sensitize women, youths, and rural dwellers on processing of these crops and products to provide food security.