Grace Mukarusagara

Bio: Grace Mukarusagara joined the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute (DWFI) in December 2018 as a program consultant. Her work centers on improving water and food security for smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, including evaluation of sustainable irrigation business models.

Prior to joining DWFI, Grace established a strong career foundation in irrigation and agriculture. Her experience includes overseeing a large Rwandan government-funded irrigation project and serving as an irrigation engineer for both the Rwanda Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources and the Clinton Development Initiative. Grace is dedicated to assisting smallholder farmers adopt improved agricultural practices to enhance their productivity and profitability.

Grace, a native of Rwanda, earned her bachelor’s degree in soil and water management from the Higher Institute of Agriculture and Animal Resources ISAE Busogo in Rwanda (currently, the University of Rwanda).

Responsibilities:

• Research and analyze policies and business models that influence irrigation for smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Contribute to development of new knowledge products including reports, briefs, video content, podcasts, educational curricula, and playbooks for entrepreneurial capacity building.
• Develop and strengthen relationships with local agricultural stakeholders to gain insights into the local context and to ensure the long-term success of DWFI’s activities.