Dr. Rachel Zakayo

Climate-Smart Agriculture, Gender, and Rural Innovation Expert

Dr. Rachel Zakayo (PhD) is a leading voice in climate-smart agriculture, gender equality, and rural innovation, with over 12 years of experience advancing equitable and resilient food systems across sub-Saharan Africa. She holds a PhD in Agricultural and Rural Innovation (with a gender focus), an MA in Rural Development, and a BA in Agriculture. She is currently conducting postdoctoral research (2025–2026) on Evidence-Based Scaling of Improved On-Farm Storage Among Smallholders in Tanzania through a collaboration between the University of Zurich and Sokoine University of Agriculture.

A seasoned researcher and development practitioner, Dr. Zakayo has designed and led a portfolio of high-impact, gender-sensitive agricultural research initiatives. These include IFPRI-funded studies on gendered decision-making in postharvest management, barriers to women’s participation in nutrition-sensitive agriculture, and the World Vegetable Center’s food choice studies examining gender dynamics in household vegetable consumption. Her work is marked by a deep understanding of how power, knowledge, and access influence outcomes across food systems.

At the intersection of research and rural action, she has delivered transformative community-level programming with organizations such as WFP and ActionAid. There, she championed climate-smart agriculture by integrating postharvest solutions into broader food security efforts—establishing 15 community-based food processing units and training over 2,800 smallholder farmers, 95% of whom were women, in improved storage and processing techniques. Her fieldwork reflects a deep commitment to practical innovation that strengthens rural livelihoods and fosters environmental sustainability.

A trailblazer in gender-responsive design, Dr. Zakayo has adapted and rolled out Gender Action Learning System (GALS) methodologies in agricultural value chains, empowering women to claim agency in decision-making spaces from the household to the policy table. She combines systems thinking with participatory tools to make gender equity a functional and measurable element of program outcomes.

Dr. Zakayo’s unique expertise lies in bridging the worlds of academic research, development policy, and local implementation. Her integrated approach ensures that agricultural interventions are not only evidence-based and climate-adaptive but also grounded in social equity and tailored to local contexts.

Driven by a vision of sustainable rural transformation, Dr. Zakayo aspires to shape regional and global agendas by amplifying the voices of rural women, strengthening climate resilience among smallholders, and advancing inclusive innovations that nourish communities, regenerate ecosystems, and leave no one behind.