Vera Efe Ikharea

Vera Efe Ikharea is a versatile researcher with over five years’ experience in agriculture and the environment. Currently, Vera is a research officer in the Rubber Research Institute of Nigeria’s Extension and Training Division, where she applies her passion for safe agriculture, ensuring that new technologies will aid improved cultivation without jeopardizing the environment. Vera Efe Ikharea researches this topic and disseminates information to farmers using simple communication tools and practical demonstrations. Vera holds a master’s degree in Environmental Management with focus on Solid and Agricultural Waste Management from the Pan African University’s Institute of Life and Earth Science. Moved by the current impact of climate change on farmers’ produce and income, Vera’s current research focuses on indigenous ways that smallholder farmers can adapt to climate change. Vera occasionally volunteers for Ecological Protection and Agricultural Sustainability, an organization that promotes environmentally safe agricultural practices. At this organization, she trains smallholder farmers on the sustainable management of agricultural waste and promotes and advocates for organic agriculture. Upon completion of the Mandela Washington Fellowship, Vera plans to continue her work in disseminating knowledge and empowering farm communities on safe agricultural practices and environmental management with a special focus on sustainable waste management and organic farming.