Professor (Mrs) Lucia Omobolanle Ogunsumi: Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ibadan, Nigeria
ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PROFILE
Professor (Mrs) Lucia Omobolanle Ogunsumi holds a PhD degree in Agricultural Extension and Rural Development and have had over 25 years of professional experience (including over 18 years in academics, about 15 years in coordination of small holder farmers in Southwest Nigeria activities of adopted village/school concept, and over 10 years as a consultant). As academic, she rose to the rank of Professor of Agricultural Extension at the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, Ibadan, Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria; conducted research in the field of applied Agricultural Extension and socio-economic impact assessment; and have many publications (books, chapters in books, journal articles and conference papers) to her credit.
At the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, Obafemi Awolowo University, Professor Ogunsumi served in various capacities: Junior Research Fellow, Senior Research Fellow, Principal Research Fellow, Lead Scientist and Research professor. She worked on several externally funded projects and performed activities covering the whole range of the project cycle: economic evaluation, impact studies and dissemination of appropriate technologies to farmers in Nigeria. Others include project identification, project programming, preparation and appraisal, project/program supervision, mid-term review, and preparation of project completion reports.
She coordinated the West African Agricultural Productivity Programme (funded by the World Bank) in the Institute, including the activities at the Adopted Villages and Schools. Capacity building and empowerment programmes were implemented and participated in donor coordination and collaboration meetings. She has supervised and mentored several junior colleagues. She served as a team leader of states (Oyo and Lagos) under Research Extension Farmers Input Linkages (REFILS) in Southwest Nigeria, and also served as Secretary of REFILS for several years. Since 2005, Professor Lucia has worked on several projects from proposal writing and fund raising to policy advocate, awareness campaigns and strategies and capacity building projects.
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She conducted research on evaluation of cowpea technologies in Cowpea Growing Region of Oyo State. Awareness and adoption of these technologies were carried out resulting in increased productivities of soybean and cowpea.