One of Monica Yesaya Josia’s earliest childhood memories is of seeing a woman in a lab coat, and aspiring to be a scientist herself. Today, the specialist in food sciences and nutrition (in the white lab coat) is helping smallholder farmers to increase their yields and improve their postharvest handling. “As a food scientist, my role is to sensitize farmers about food wastage. From the field to the table, food should not be wasted,” she says. Agriculture is the foundation of the Tanzanian economy, accounting for about half of the national income, and three quarters of merchandise exports. It provides employment opportunities to about 80 percent of Tanzanians.