Naomi Taylor
The Growing Leaders section of MAFES Discovers features students engaged in projects and initiatives that foster leadership in research, teaching, and service.
Taylor visits with a village in Malawi and conducts an irrigation survey. (Photo submitted)
In 2014, Naomi Taylor, environmental economics and management major in agricultural economics, completed an internship with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nati ons, or FAO in Malawi, Africa.
A 2004 drought in Malawi caused a national food shortage. Eighty percent of the country's economy depends on agriculture. The government sought assistance from FAO and the Flanders International Cooperation Agency, or FICA, for small-scale farmers. In 2008, the organizations initiated the Improving Food Security and Nutrition Policy and Program Outreach Project. An emphasis of the program included introducing irrigation to farming communities.
Taylor's internship analyzed the impacts of introducing irrigation; evaluated food security, nutrition and income of irrigated and non-irrigated sites; assessed current challenges and suggested solutions. She created and presented a final report to FAO offices in Malawi.