Board Member

Dr. Yemi Akinbamijo,

Executive Director of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA)

Dr. Yemi Akinbamijo is an agriculture expert with a track record of leadership in Food/Nutrition Security, Rural Development, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Prior to his appointment as the Executive Director of FARA in 2013, Yemi was the Head of Agriculture and Food Security Division at the African Union Commission Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. His core concern was the implementation of continent-wide initiatives of the African Union Commission on Food Security and Agriculture. He has been in the frontline of the implementation of the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP), now operating in 40 African Union Member States.

A thought and process leader on the continent, Dr. Akinbamijo is an agricultural research and development specialist with considerable expertise in natural resource management including crop-livestock integrated systems, market-oriented production systems, regional value chains, sustainable agriculture and climate change adaptation strategies. He is an experienced research manager with proven strength in project development; monitoring and results-based evaluation.

Yemi Akinbamijo is a strong analytical and strategic thinker who is fully engaged in the current global discourse on agricultural/ecological transformations and investments in Africa, especially with regard to food security, land use, biodiversity, climate change/climate smart approaches, ecological and organic agriculture and their inter-linkages.

With more than 30 years in the practice of agriculture and rural development, he has served with increasing responsibilities and leadership roles in institutions with national, regional and continental mandates, including as a Diplomat/Head of Mission.

Dr. Akinbamijo is widely published in various agricultural disciplines – Animal Production, Crop Production, Ecological and Organic Farming, Climate-Smart Initiatives, etc. He is a former editor of the Bulletin of Animal Health and Production in Africa (Peer-review Journal) and lead author of the book, Crop-livestock Integration in West African Cities. In addition, he has contributed to knowledge through peer-review journals, conference proceedings, special publications, etc. in more than 80 scientific publications.

Yemi sits on numerous Boards. He is a former university lecturer and obtained his PhD in Agriculture and Environmental Sciences from the Wageningen Agricultural University, The Netherlands.