Linking Small Farmers and Scientists on the International Stage

Voices of the Valley

Dr. Eugenia Saini, the Executive Secretary of Fontagro, joins the podcast to talk about her objective of strengthening public and private strategic alliances that enhance international cooperation between scientists and farmers. It's a goal that requires boundless curiosity and big picture thinking; Eugenia has three degrees from the University of Buenos Aires and was a Fulbright Scholar at Cornell University. "If we're really going to get solutions to the farmers, we need to understand how the business works," she says. "Dedicate a few hours a week to read and learn something." The key to taking those learnings from the page to the real world at Fontagro, she says, is to work as a manager to effectively link small farmers and scientists. "This is a really big question...'We have funding - but why don't we get the impact that we expect?'" Eugenia says. "Working in networks is very important because what we need to do is have more impact."