Our mission is to boost the incomes of millions of small-scale farmers throughout Africa. By offering tailored guidance, we can enhance yields, elevate quality, and increase profitability, paving the way for prosperity for every farmer.
iSDA creates easy-to-use, data-powered tools with an aim to sustainably boost smallholder farmer incomes and make smart agriculture accessible and affordable for farmers across the Global South.
With products designed around local needs, we empower farmers with practical insights and technology to drive productivity, resilience, and lasting growth.
iSDA was founded by three research institutes: Rothamsted Research, the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).
We are a mission-driven company that carries forward the legacy of the African Soils Information Service (AfSIS).
Find out more about the fantastic team behind iSDA and how we are committed to making a difference.
Data Scientist
Abigail is a recent computer science graduate who is curious about Machine Learning and Data Science. Having worked as a global volunteer for Omdena Ai, she has developed a keen interest in developing data and software solutions for socio-economic good, and is keen on harnessing the power of modern technology to assist farmers.
Board Member
Chief Scientist, International Fertilizer Association, IFA (France)
As the Chief Scientist of IFA, Achim Dobermann provides strategic scientific advice and leadership to global initiatives on improving nutrient management and stewardship. He was formerly Director & Chief Executive of Rothamsted Research (UK) and Deputy Director General of IRRI, the International Rice Research Institute. In these roles he led a wide range of research programs that aimed to develop solutions for the sustainable management of agricultural systems. He has over 30 years of field experience working in every region of the world on the application of science and technology to sustainable agriculture, with a particular emphasis on soil science, plant nutrition and agronomy. Achim has authored or co-authored over 110 journal papers, several books on a range of agricultural issues, and numerous other technical and outreach publications. He is an Editor of the international journal Global Food Security and a Fellow of the American Society of Agronomy, the Soil Science Society of America and the Crop Science Societies of the Philippines. As a member of the Leadership Council of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) he leads a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Feeding a Hungry Planet. He received his MSc in Tropical Agriculture and PhD in Soil Science from the University of Leipzig in Germany. Other previous experiences included work as a Soil Scientist at IRRI (1992-2000) and as Professor of Soil Science and Nutrient Management at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA (2000-2007).
Lead Software Engineer
Ben started out his software career by helping to bring a software-as-a-service product to market, while building bespoke software for multiple large businesses and small start ups, gaining him years of valuable experience in the whole product development lifecycle. He’s always had a passion for technology, stemming from his start in technical theatre at the age of 12. His first software project was an app to manage technical theatre equipment and performance schedules at his school, which is still in use today. An avid traveller, you can often find Ben exploring the streets of Europe.
Board Member
Director R4D, Central Africa and Natural Resource Management, IITA (Kenya)
Bernard Vanlauwe joined IITA in Kenya in March 2012 to lead the Central Africa hub and the Natural Resource Management research area. In this capacity, he also has an oversight role in the Consortium Research Programs (CRP) on Humidtropics; Water, Land and Ecosystems; and CCAFS. Prior to this appointment, he was the leader of the Integrated Soil Fertility Management programme of the Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility research area of CIAT (TSBF). Bernard joined CIAT-TSBF in 2001 and led the development, adaptation, and dissemination of best ISFM practices in various agro-ecological zones in sub-Saharan Africa. In September 2010, he took up a visiting professor position at the Swedish Agricultural University in Uppsala in the Soils and Environment Department. His previous appointments have included work for IITA in Nigeria (1991-2000) and the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium (1989-1991), where he obtained his PhD in Applied Biological Sciences in 1996. Bernard has published over 100 papers in scientific journals and over 120 in other forms, and has supervised or co-supervised over 30 MSc and 10 PhD students.
Director of Operations, Africa
Bruce Kisitu is a project manager and development specialist with over 14 years experience as a consultant to a range of public- and private-sector organizations across sub-Saharan Africa. Since 2014, he has offered business development services through the Gutsinda Development Group, which managed the rollout of a village enterprise advisor model using mobile technology to deliver agricultural information on best practices. Previously, Bruce worked in various roles as a consultant, facilitator and trainer for the Uganda Management Institute, the East African Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities, the USAID Feed the Future Partnering for Innovation Cocoalink Plus Project, the Grameen Foundation and for the International Fertilizer Development Centre. Bruce earned his PhD in Public Governance and Management at North-West University, South Africa.
Marketing Coordinator
Charlotte holds a bachelor’s degree in Design & Innovation, which she completed while traveling the world and running her own freelance digital marketing business. For her final year project, she designed an accessible wearable mammography device specifically for wheelchair users. With over seven years of experience in marketing, web development, photography, and graphic design, Charlotte brings a genuine passion for connecting with people from diverse backgrounds. Previously, Charlotte worked and volunteered in special needs education, supporting children with a wide range of disabilities. This work is especially meaningful to her, and it helped her develop strong interpersonal skills with individuals of all ages and abilities. Through her experience in these schools, she also became proficient in British Sign Language.
Board Chair
CEO and Co-Founder, Yagro (UK)
Gareth Davies is an entrepreneurial leader in digital agriculture, with a deep passion for the role of business in creating societal value. He is CEO and co-founder of Yagro, a UK-based data and technology company delivering commercial decision-support systems to farms. He is also a Trustee and Member of the Board of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, a charity awarded the Queen’s Charter in 1840 to be the independent voice for science and best practices in agriculture. Previously at Syngenta in Switzerland, Gareth led the Food Security unit exploring novel business models to serve smallholder farmers across the world. His contributions there include shaping the smallholder commitment of Syngenta’s Good Growth Plan; and forming a new venture capital initiative through Syngenta Ventures, devoted to solutions for smallholders. Gareth has worked in high-level strategic consulting across a wide range of industries, particularly global agribusiness. His NGO experience includes working in West Africa with the microfinance platforms Kiva and Global Brigades. Gareth holds a First Class MSc in Chemistry from the University of Oxford, and a scholarship MBA from the London Business School.
CEO
A programmer, entrepreneur and lapsed mathematician who is passionate about building technology teams and using software to make things people want. Before joining iSDA he led a software consultancy focused on helping startups launch their first products, created a software-as-a-service product and took it to market. He also consulted with a wide range of organisations as a “virtual CTO”, managed IT and digital marketing for an international NGO, and founded an e-commerce business. Jamie read the Mathematical Tripos at the University of Cambridge.
Founder
Following an early career in agritech R&D in Europe and Africa, Jonathan focussed increasingly on agribusiness development first in India, then Mexico and most recently in Africa. Jonathan is passionate about harnessing science, entrepreneurship and venture capital in the service of smallholders across the Global South. Jonathan earned an Executive MBA from the London Business School, a PhD in Plant Biotechnology from the John Innes Centre, and a BSc in Agricultural Botany from the University of Reading.
Chief Scientist
Keith has over 40 years experience in agricultural research and development, including 31 years with World Agroforestry (ICRAF) based in Nairobi, where he led research in sustainable land and soil management. He has pioneered global developments in soil-plant spectroscopy and in 2021 was awarded the Deep Dive Groundbreaker prize of Foodshot 1 – Innovating Soil 3. Prior to joining ICRAF, Keith developed agronomic recommendations for Southern Darfur in the Sudan as part of an integrated rural development project; dryland cropping systems in rice-based systems at the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines; agronomic recommendations for Mediterranean areas at the International Centre for Research in the Dry Areas in Syria; and tillage systems for the drylands of Swaziland under the national agricultural system. Keith holds a BSc in Soil Science and PhD in Agricultural Botany from the University of Reading, UK and holds an Honorary Scientist position at Rothamsted Research in the UK.
Field Agronomist, West Africa
Kodjo knew that he wanted to work as an agronomist from an early age when he was staying with his grandparent whose main activities focused on agriculture. He has over 6 years of experience in agriculture research and development, including 2 years with International Fertilizer Development Centre (IFDC) Togo in conducting Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) research on rice and maize through Farmer Field School (FFS). Kodjo also has over 3 years of experience with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Ibadan in Nigeria in conducting research on cowpea. He is interested in sustainable agriculture practices that improve yields, incomes, and livelihoods of farm households. Kodjo attended the University of Lomé in Togo, where he became an agronomist engineer in Crop production. He obtained an MSc in Plant and Microbial Biotechnology from Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar in Senegal, and a Ph.D. in Plant breeding at the Pan African University Institute of Life and Earth Sciences (Including Health and Agriculture), University of Ibadan Nigeria.
Business Analyst
Manuel started his career as a research assistant with a subsidiary of the Bank of Ghana. He is passionate about accelerating growth in SMEs hence his career has revolved around working with start-ups in business service and technology industries. Before joining iSDA, he worked as a deputy finance manager for a wholesale company. Manuel is a Chartered Accountant, studied Statistics with Mathematics in the University of Ghana, and an MBA student at Quantic School of Business and Technology, USA.
Head of Engineering
Matt launched his career conducting academic research on methods for improving crop photosynthesis in response to environmental changes. After moving to the private sector, he began working as a data scientist and software developer for an agri-tech startup, where he helped build a digital platform to remedy challenges in the UK agri-food industry. His professional interests currently centre on using science and software engineering to improve livelihoods. A keen traveller, Matt has been on two long-term trips, most recently exploring the wilds of Central Asia and hiking to Mount Everest base camp. Matt holds a PhD degree in Plant Sciences from the University of Manchester.
Board Member
Former Advisory Services Manager, West Africa, Root Capital (Senegal)
As Advisory Services Manager, Mireille leads Root Capital’s advisory operations in West Africa, including implementing projects in partnership with the MasterCard Foundation and Partners in Food Solutions. Previously, she served as the CEO of SEMFIN, a Senegalese microfinance institution (spun out from WorldVision), providing financial and non-financial services to entrepreneurs living in rural areas. She subsequently lived in rural areas for five years working directly with female micro-enterpreneurs before joining Root Capital. In addition, she held several positions at Citibank, including Head of Cash Management where she was responsible for monitoring loans extended to rural enterprises under the Swiss and Belgium Funds. Mireille holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Maryland.
Country Team Leader, Uganda
Monalisa Mutesi is a multi-talented extrovert who is passionate about her work and people. She finds complete delight in completing tasks ahead of schedule and assisting others in realizing their full potential. She is a strong believer in “work without play makes jack a dull boy,” so she ensures to always include fun in her work and the work of those she collaborates with. Monalisa has over 10 years of experience in operations, marketing, HR, and Admin roles which makes her a versatile and open-minded individual. She has worked in hospitality, advertising, manufacturing, energy, and now the Agri-tech industry. She also volunteered as a youth worker at her local church for 2 years which transformed her perspective on life.
Director of Administration
Monica is a highly experienced, client-focused programme and operations manager. After 18 years working in the built environment, she brings a wealth of knowledge related to placing products with clients and providing a training environment to ensure end-users are familiar with all operational requirements. This has included start-ups throughout China and Hong Kong. She manages the day-to-day operations activities of iSDA and co-ordinating partners in several countries. She has a strong track record in the multi-phased implementation of software and enterprise tools through the entire project life cycle.
Field Technician
Patrick’s six years of experience as a field technician includes work for Agrocares on mobile and wet chemistry testing, as well as support for farmers in collecting soil samples and interpreting recommendations. In his current role at iSDA, Patrick is responsible for training VEAs, field officers and farmers on the use of handheld soil scanners and other mobile data collection tools.
Field Agronomist, Southern Africa
Paul is a Malawian agronomist with nine years of work experience within the framework of CGIAR. He did a PhD in agricultural sciences (Agronomy and applied plant physiology) at Harper Adams University (HAU) in the United Kingdom under the British Beet Research Organization (BBRO) studentship where his research focused on the physiology and agronomy of recommended sugar beet varieties. He also holds an MSc in soil sciences and a BSc in agronomy from the University of Malawi. His work with CGIAR focused on crop research and development in semi-arid regions of East and Southern Africa (ESA). Before enrolling in a PhD with HAU in 2019, Paul worked with the international institute of tropical agriculture (IITA) as a research supervisor in the soybean breeding program for 4 years (from 2010-2014) in Malawi. Later, he moved to International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) as a nationally recruited research associate in agronomy for 5 years (2014-2019). Based at ICRISAT Malawi’s office, he provided scientific leadership in applying agronomic knowledge and farming systems frameworks to the research for development that leads to more sustainable and resilient smallholder farming systems in East and Southern Africa. He also massively contributed to ESA’s crop research and development through mentorship of interns, supervision of BSc students and training of national programs’ staff. His agronomy work in ESA focused on improving crop productivity through data driven production technologies that address yield gaps and post-harvest losses. He has a research interest in sustainable intensification with a strong focus on developing practical approaches and research outputs to adapt crop production systems to climate change through strategic partnerships and cost-effective approaches. In addition, he has contributed to the release of several agricultural technologies in ESA such as intercropping systems, doubled-up legumes, crop varieties among others for use by smallholder farmers in Malawi and the region. He also worked as a research consultant in vertical farming for 3 months with GrowUp farm in the United Kingdom. Paul has a special interest in data science and believes that agronomy that is driven by good data can help to create a world free of hunger.
Data Scientist
Rejoice graduated with a bachelor's degree in Surveying and Geomatics. She has since gained experience in the geospatial industry particularly in remote sensing. Rejoice enjoys working on combining earth observation data with programming to analyse, predict and visualize trends for agriculture and environment conservation purposes.
Board Member
Investment Director at Kuvi Capital and Co-Founder of YAGRO (UK)
Richard is the Investment Director at Kuvi Capital, where he oversees a portfolio of 25 companies across Europe, Africa, and the U.S., focusing on venture and private equity investments. Previously, he led early-stage tech investments at The Baobab Network, empowering over 25 African start-ups in partnership with global investors. An entrepreneur at heart, Richard co-founded YAGRO, a UK agritech company that supports data-driven farming, and GroupLeader.com, a travel tech platform he helped expand and later sell. Passionate about education and social impact, Richard also founded the charities United World Schools and The Tuk Tuk Educational Trust to improve educational access in marginalized communities.
Administrator
Tume has a strong foundation in technology and consulting, which has allowed her to contribute to diverse sectors including policing, impact investment, and intergovernmental organizations. Her roles have been diverse, underscoring her adaptability and skill in developing and coordinating the implementation of customized solutions for unique industry needs. Driven by a passion for crafting functional and user-centric experiences, she is committed to advancing her knowledge and expertise in experience design and analytics.
Connect with us to find out more about our Virtual Agronomist AI service and agricultural collaborations across Africa.
