Brendan Brown
School of Agriculture, Food and Wine
Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology
Originally graduating as a soil scientist, Brendan has since devoted his career to working with smallholder farmers of Asia, Africa and the Middle East with the Australian government, United Nations and CGIAR. Working in over 15 countries, projects have been extremely varied from rabbit and honey production in Ghana, irrigated rice production in Cambodia, conservation agriculture promotion in Kenya and effective management of saline soils in Iraq. Brendan became increasing annoyed at the way innovative and sustainable agricultural technologies were both promoted and reported in smallholder agriculture, and in 2014 began a PhD that investigates how research and extension systems might better interact with smallholder farmers, with a particular interest placed on conservation agriculture in Eastern and Southern Africa. This led to more than a year of exploration in Africa collecting stories from 325 key informants that helped paint the picture of how farmers learn and implement sustainable intensification technologies. Brendan is driven to ensure that research moves ‘from the shelf to the field’ as we move towards effective technology transfer systems that fosters our movement to more productive and sustainable livelihoods.
PhD: The what, how and why of agricultural adoption in Africa.
Biography:
Originally graduating as a soil scientist, Brendan has since devoted his career to working with smallholder farmers of Asia, Africa and the Middle East with the Australian government, United Nations and CGIAR. Working in over 15 countries, projects have been extremely varied from rabbit and honey production in Ghana, irrigated rice production in Cambodia, conservation agriculture promotion in Kenya and effective management of saline soils in Iraq. Brendan became increasing annoyed at the way innovative and sustainable agricultural technologies were both promoted and reported in smallholder agriculture, and in 2014 began a PhD that investigates how research and extension systems might better interact with smallholder farmers, with a particular interest placed on conservation agriculture in Eastern and Southern Africa. This led to more than a year of exploration in Africa collecting stories from 325 key informants that helped paint the picture of how farmers learn and implement sustainable intensification technologies. Brendan is driven to ensure that research moves ‘from the shelf to the field’ as we move towards effective technology transfer systems that fosters our movement to more productive and sustainable livelihoods.
-
Awards and Achievements
Date Type Title Institution Name Country Amount 2016 Award Audience Choice Award - Most engaging presentation University of Adelaide Australia -
Language Competencies
Language Competency English Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review -
Education
Date Institution name Country Title 2014 - 2017 The University of Adelaide Australia PhD (Smallholder Agricultural Development) 2010 - 2010 The University of Sydney Australia Honours (Soil Science; First Class) 2007 - 2010 The University of Sydney Australia Bachelor of Agricultural Science -
Research Interests
-
Journals
Year Citation 2020 Brown, B., Nuberg, I., & Llewellyn, R. (2020). From interest to implementation: exploring farmer progression of conservation agriculture in Eastern and Southern Africa. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 22(4), 3159-3177.
Scopus12 WoS92019 Brown, B., Nuberg, I., & Llewellyn, R. (2019). Pathways to intensify the utilization of conservation agriculture by African smallholder farmers. RENEWABLE AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SYSTEMS, 34(6), 558-570.
Scopus9 WoS92018 Brown, B., Llewellyn, R., & Nuberg, I. (2018). Global learnings to inform the local adaptation of conservation agriculture in Eastern and Southern Africa. Global Food Security, 17, 213-220.
Scopus38 WoS332018 Brown, B., Llewellyn, R., & Nuberg, I. (2018). Why do information gaps persist in African smallholder agriculture? Perspectives from farmers lacking exposure to conservation agriculture. Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, 24(2), 191-208.
Scopus17 WoS162018 Brown, B., Nuberg, I., & Llewellyn, R. (2018). Research capacity for local innovation: the case of conservation agriculture in Ethiopia, Malawi and Mozambique. Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, 24(3), 249-262.
Scopus11 WoS92017 Brown, B., Nuberg, I., & Llewellyn, R. (2017). Stepwise frameworks for understanding the utilisation of conservation agriculture in Africa. Agricultural Systems, 153(C), 11-22.
Scopus57 WoS512017 Brown, B., Nuberg, I., & Llewellyn, R. (2017). Negative evaluation of conservation agriculture: perspectives from African smallholder farmers. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 15(4), 467-481.
Scopus36 WoS33 -
Books
-
Internet Publications
Year Citation 2016 Brown, B. J., & Nuberg, I. (2016). Africa’s agriculture projects are growing inequality, not food. The Conversation.
This research is conducted through an Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) with further financial support offered through the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine of Adelaide University.
Additionally, the PhD research financially and institutionally supported by the CSIRO agriculture program and CIMMYT socio-economics program and maize CRP.
Tutor for Agricultural science 1A and 1b
Connect With Me
External Profiles
