Dr. Keteku Agbesi Kwadzo
Surname: Keteku
Other Names: Agbesi Kwadzo
Qualification: Ph.D. Agriculture Science (Agronomy)
Current Grade: Research Scientist
Area of Specialization: Agronomy/Farming systems/Fertilizer technology/ Soil
fertility/Innovation development
Research Experience: Sustainable intensification agricultural systems focused on nutrient
integration and conservative agriculture. Agronomy of field crops
through to post-harvest, cropping systems, bio-inoculants, and fertilizer
technology.
Tel: 0559731525/0508733820
Email: keteku.agbesi@yahoo.com / k.agbesi@cropsresearch.org
Nationality: Ghanaian
Station: Legumes and Oilseeds Division, Fumesua.
Brief Bio: Dr. Keteku Agbesi Kwadzo obtained his doctoral degree (Ph.D.) in
Agriculture (agronomy) from the Naresuan University, Thailand. He
also attended the Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth, India
and obtained an MSc. degree in Agronomy. His Bachelor’s degree honours
(B.Sc. Hons) was in Agriculture Technology from the University for
Development Studies, Ghana.
He joined the CSIR-Crops Research Institute as a research scientist in
2021. He has varied research interests from crop improvement and post-
harvest through to soil improvement. He has researched on
organochemical fertilizers and developed a granular organochemical
fertilizer with hormone mixed formulas. He has worked on sustainable
farming and cropping systems- the inclusion of Jatropha fuel blends into
farming systems. He also worked on post-harvest storage pest control
technologies for rice and Bambara groundnut. He has conducted both on-
station and on-farm research activities in Ghana, India and Thailand.
His current research interest is in sustainable intensification agriculture,
focused on crop improvement through integrated nutrient management
and biofortification strategies. He is interested in crop-soil-water
dynamics and their relationship to climatic variabilities. He has interest
in agronomic techniques that promotes crop tolerance to drought and also
in legumes and oilseeds cropping systems. He continues to study
physiological responses of plants to drought. He has keen interest in the
development of extension packages for on-farm best nutrient, soil
moisture, weeds and insect pest management practices. Dr. Keteku has
over ten (10) scientific refereed articles, and two (2) conference papers to
his credit. He also review for several international journals and
supervises few post-graduate students in Ghana.
Dr. Mavis Badu Brempong
Name: Dr. Mavis Badu Brempong
Qualification: Ph.D. Plant Science (Agro-ecology option); MSc. Soil Science
Current Grade: Research Scientist
Area of Specialization: Climate Smart Soil fertility Management
Research Interest: Improving soil quality for sustainable crop production, while protecting environmental quality and mitigating climate change.
Tel: +233550511961
Email:abulgo@yahoo.co.uk/mbrempong@cropsresearch.org
Nationality: Ghanaian
Station: Fumesua, Kumasi
Dr. Mavis Badu Brempong holds a Ph.D in Plant Science (a degree that inter-relates soil science, crop science and biogeochemistry) from the University of Wyoming, United States of America. She also completed a MSc. Soil Science and BSc. Agriculture degrees in 2014 and 2012 respectively, at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana.
Her research interest lies with soil quality management for sustainable crop production in these times of diminishing natural resources and climate change. At CSIR-CRI, she is responsible for conducting research projects that evaluate plant-soil relationships, maintain soil fertility, and integrate climate change adaptations into the institute’s technologies, providing agronomic support for the development of crop varieties and commercialization of research activities. In her research approach, she employs methodologies such soil physical, chemical and biological property measurements, greenhouse gas measurements, assays for yield quality analyses and ecosystem modelling to determine climate smart soil quality management strategies for sustainable crop production. She has conducted extensive research to improve maize yields across various agro-ecological zones of Ghana and wheat yields in the drylands of the United States. She also has research experience in improving the drought tolerance of legumes with soil improvement in focus. She has peer reviewed publications in reputable local and international journals.
Mavis won the Korea-Africa Food and Agriculture Cooperation Initiative (KAFACI) Young Research Scientist Project Training Award in 2021; Graduate Research Assistantship at the University of Wyoming, USA, from 2015 to 2018; Marion Reid Scholarship, USA, in 2017; Lloyd Scholarship (Brand of Excellence Awards), USA, 2016; International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI) Scholarship, USA, 2015; Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) Scholarship, KNUST, from 2012 to 2014; and FINATRADE Foundation Scholarship from 2009 to 2012 at KNUST.
She is currently a member of the Ghana Science Association (GSA); CSIR- Research Staff Association (RSA); Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) and the Gamma Sigma Delta Honors Society of Agriculture.
