Kirchner Food Fellowship – Mexico
Rafael is a Graduate Associate and doctoral student in the Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership program at The Ohio State University (OSU). He earned an MSc in Agricultural Education from Texas Tech University (TTU) and a BSc in Environment and Development from Zamorano University (Honduras). After his time in Honduras, Rafael worked on agricultural sustainable cocoa production in Ecuador.
At his Ph.D. program, Rafael’s research is looking to identify and disseminate innovative water governance models and tools that will help accelerate eliminating extreme poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa. His programs at the OSU and TTU have allowed him to be part of multiple international development initiatives. In 2018, Rafael worked in Honduras and Nicaragua, promoting rural youth development programs. In 2019, Rafael traveled to El Salvador to developed and facilitate training programs for more than 100 farmers looking to reduce their vulnerability to climate change impacts and food insecurity scenarios. In 2020, Rafael traveled to Uganda to interviewed water systems users, community leaders, and service providers about their governance practices and accountability tools. Rafael’s research has been presented at several research conferences, including the 6th International Sustainable Development Conference, the 35th Conference of the Association of International Agricultural and Extension Education, and the NACTA 2020 virtual conference.
Rafael has the desire to contribute to the development of emerging economies by promoting tools and life models that efficiently use the available capital.