- How and why did GFRAS catch your interest?

I have always known about GFRAS out of professional interest and through friends and colleagues. The dysfunctional knowledge chain within agriculture that exists in many parts of the world has always bothered me. I have seen what impact good knowledge flow can make on agriculture productivity and livelihood improvement, as well as the lack of impact that inadequate knowledge flow leads to. I find the development of locally adapted, effective and cost-efficient rural advisory service models are an intriguing puzzle to try to solve. And for that GFRAS is the right place to be.

- What should GFRAS affiliates know about you?

During my +25 years career I have been working within the realm of overseas development aid with agricultural research, within agriculture education, and to a lesser extent within agriculture advisory services. I have always followed my interest and curiosity with a wish to get a deeper understanding of the problems I have been hired to help address. I thrive in a creative working environment and find it stimulating to try to solve complex problems.

- What vision do you have for GFRAS in the upcoming years?

I would like to see a GFRAS that leads the global innovation on developing locally adapted, effective and cost-efficient rural advisory service models. And in doing so, being in close dialogue with governments and donor communities on providing the required resources for developing needed solutions in close cooperation with GFRAS constituency and the farming communities.

 - Are you confident that the goals set in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will be met, and how do you see GFRAS' role in contributing to it?

If GFRAS can prove that it is moving global agriculture towards the SDGs, I am confident that funding will no longer be a challenge. That must be done by ensuring that relevant knowledge reaches the farming communities in a cost-efficient and tailored way, so information is understandable and of immediate use for the farming communities’ goals of security and prosperity while also aligned to the SDGs. I am less confident that the SDGs themselves will be met but we are better off with them than without them and can hold political and economic elites accountable to them.