Ep 27. Finding a Career that Nourishes with Liz Ogutu (HarvestPlus)
My guest this episode is Liz Ogutu, Policy, Advocacy and Regional Coordinator for Africa at HarvestPlus. Liz has dedicated her career to tackling malnutrition in Africa and currently focuses on using biofortification to improve nutrition while also giving agency back to smallholder farmers.
In this episode, Liz and I talk about what biofortification is and how it can help tackle food system challenges, and explore how she has navigated tradeoffs and power structures to find a career that nourishes herself and others.
The topics covered include:
What biofortification is and how it can help tackle food system challenges in Africa
Specific examples - from orange flesh sweet potatoes in Mozambique to iron enriched beans in Rwanda
How innovation needs passion and patience to have an impact
How Harvest Plus prioritises women in their work
How Liz came to find her specific calling, and how she managed trade offs along the way
How she made courageous choices and found the will to re-start at the bottom
Liz’s experience in navigating power structures as an indigenous African woman
What appreciating our own value has to do with the fight for equity
Further information:
For more information about Liz Ogutu follow her on Linkedin or @lizogutu on Twitter
Further information on HarvestPlus:
Song created for High Iron Beans in Rwanda: https://youtu.be/fo6449Rd3I0
Harvest Plus Founders Story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiFF4gJCSQk
Harvest Plus and Prioritising Women https://www.harvestplus.org/responding-to-crisis-increasing-nutrition-and-protecting-farming-dependent-livelihoods/
If you are interested in food and sustainability and what you can do to create change, you might like The Great Full cookbook: www.thegreatfull.com/book
Check out our leadership programs for women in food and sustainability: https://www.thegreatfull.com/coaching-and-programs
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